Broward County’s African American Analysis Library and Cultural Middle (AARLCC) is inviting households to the Ashley Bryan Artwork Sequence (ABAS) Youth Artwork Competition on Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2650 Sistrunk Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale. This free, family-friendly pageant celebrates literacy, artwork, and heritage with a full day of actions for youngsters and households.
A signature program of the Broward County Library since 2002, the ABAS Competition honors the legacy of Ashley Bryan, a trailblazer in Black kids’s literature and artwork, whose work continues to encourage creativity, creativeness, and cultural satisfaction.
Featured Friends for 2025
This yr, the pageant spotlights the award-winning mother-son duo:
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Carole Boston Weatherford, creator of greater than 80 books and 2024 Younger Folks’s Poet Laureate. Her accolades embrace the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award, Caldecott Honors, and NAACP Picture Awards. Her newest guide, Kin: Rooted in Hope, traces her ancestral roots via lyrical verse and historic perception.
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Jeffery Boston Weatherford, illustrator, spoken-word poet, and creator of You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen. A Romare Bearden Scholar with an M.F.A. from Howard College, he may also lead a high-energy “Rap It Up” workshop mixing poetry, rhythm, and hip-hop.
Further visitor artists and educators embrace:
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Yesenia Moises, illustrator and creator, main a hands-on visible artwork workshop.
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Edna M. Bland (“Miss Edna”), award-winning puppeteer, presenting the colourful Stunning Blackbird puppet present and household workshop.
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Tony Weaver, award-winning graphic novelist and social media influencer.
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Frankie Purple, spoken phrase artist guiding youngsters and teenagers in exploring voice, id, and creativity via poetry.
Competition Highlights
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Visible artwork workshops
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Storytelling and puppet theater
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Spoken phrase and inventive writing classes
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Family tree class for households
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Native authors showcase and guide signings
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My First Library Card Celebration: a VIP social gathering for Ok–5 kids who obtained their first Broward County Library card between April 1 and September 20, 2025, with tales, video games, prizes, and surprises
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Arts and crafts stations, sidewalk chalk artwork, DJ She-J Hercules, and face portray
A Celebration of Tradition and Neighborhood
“The ABAS Competition is greater than an occasion—it’s a festivity of tradition, studying, and household,” stated Dr. Tameka Hobbs, historian and supervisor of the African American Analysis Library and Cultural Middle. “By way of tales, artwork, and music, we honor Ashley Bryan’s legacy whereas inspiring the subsequent era to dream, create, and carry our historical past ahead.”
Occasion Particulars
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Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025
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Time: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
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Location: African American Analysis Library and Cultural Middle, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311
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Admission: Free; registration requested. RSVP at aarlcc.broward.org
