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DENTON – The second African American Read-In event was held at the Caroline County Public Library in Denton, where members of several historically Black sororities donned sequins, tassels, and feather headdresses to bring the “feminine sweetness” of historic Harlem to life.
Around 50 people gathered to pay homage to the influences of Black culture on poetry, music, literature, and society. Dwight Cook, a seasoned theatre professional and educator at Morgan State University, gave an overview of the history of the Harlem Renaissance. He highlighted figures in African American media at the time like Josephine Baker, Freddie Washington, “Ma” Rainey, Nat King Cole, Adelaide Hall, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, James Van Der Zee, and Zora Neal Hurston.
The spirit of one of Harlem’s most famous sons, Langston Hughes, was especially poignant. Annapolis actor and writer Gregory Towler attended the event as Hughes in the flesh, giving an immersive reading of Hughes’ poem ‘Harlem Sweeties.’ During his performance, ladies in all the same “plum-tinted black”, “ginger wine gold”, “caramel brown sugar”, and “coffee and cream” skin tones that Hughes wrote of paraded around the room in their best 1920s dress.
Community readers Pamela Brown, Deandra Hawkins, Tara Coursey, and Dana Bowser read poetry inspired by the Black experience. Brown examined the phenomenon of “sisterlove”, saying that her and her sisters are “the wildest dreams of our ancestors…the answered prayers of our foremothers.” And listeners chuckled at Bowser’s reading of another Langston Hughes poem about his experiences as a young boy in church.
Sororities Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta, and Sigma Gamma Rho, were represented by readers Deborah Short, Annie Mewborn, Germaine Adams, and Monique Richardson.
Debby Bennet of the Caroline County Council of Arts thanked attendees, performers, and readers for participating, noting that the Arts Council, Sororities, and library plans to make the African American Read-In a true annual event. The celebration of the Harlem Renaissance period will conclude with a Riverside Speakeasy event at the Market Street Public House on April 25, 2026.
