David Mills

(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Rejoice in the contributions of Black culture to American life. You're invited to the Toms River NAACP's annual Black History Month Celebration at the Ocean County Library Toms River Branch on Saturday, February 15, 2025. The event runs from 12:00pm to 3:30pm.

Enjoy delectable samples of soul food and desserts and watch a special performance by the Toms River High School North N’Step Team.  The event will be highlighted by actor-writer David Mills’s dramatic interpretative piece, Dreamweaver: The Works of Langston Hughes.

The show explores Hughes’s penchant for humor and pathos and his unending love of Harlem – with its foibles and fantasies, beauty and brutality. David will portray iconic characters created by Hughes – black and white, young and old, male and female - and will read passages from the legendary writer’s poems and stories.

He’ll interpret classic Hughes blues poems including “I’ve Known Rivers,” “Mother to Son,” “Theme for English B” and “I, Too,” along with lesser-known but powerful odes such as “Merry Go Round” and “Advice,” and short stories including “Thank You Ma’am” and “Rock, Church.”

The Bronx Historical Society’s poet in residence has performed the works of Langston Hughes for two decades and is a recipient of the Langston Hughes Society Award. Among his four published poetry collections, Boneyarn, an examination of slavery in New York, won the North American Book Award.

David Mills’s performance is sponsored by the Friends of the Ocean County Library – Toms River Branch. The Friends are volunteers who support the Library through programs, fundraising and advocacy. New members are always welcome. Application forms are available at all Library branches and reading centers and on the OCL website.

Please register at https://tinyurl.com/OclNAACP to attend this free program. For more information, stop by the OCL Toms River Branch, 101 Washington Street, or call (732) 349-6200. See the full schedule of Library programs in the online Calendar of Events.