Our campus hosts a variety of community events including film screenings, author talks, guest lectures, and music performances that are open to the public.
Big Sonia: Screening and Q&A with the Filmmakers
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 | 7:00 PM
"National treasure”, local celebrity, Holocaust survivor – Sonia Warshawski is 90 and spends her days at her iconic tailor shop or speaking at schools and prisons, where her stories of surviving the Holocaust as a teenager have inspired generations. When Sonia is served an eviction notice for her shop, the lone holdout in a dying suburban mall, she's confronted with an agonizing decision: open up a new shop or retire. For a woman who admits she stays busy “to keep the dark parts away”, facing retirement dredges up fears she’d long forgot she had, and her horrific past resurfaces. Big Sonia explores what it means to be a survivor and how this affects families and generations. Will you let your trauma define you, or will your past make you stronger?
Following the film, we will be joined virtually by directors Leah Warshawski & Todd Soliday for Q&A.
Bollywood Bonanza: A Night of Glitz, Grooves, and Gulab Jamun!
Thursday, October 24, 2024 | 6:00 PM
Join us for an electrifying evening in the vibrant world of Bollywood, where we’ll celebrate the magic of Indian cinema!
🎬 Film Screening: Get ready to sway, laugh, and shed a tear as we showcase a blockbuster Bollywood film on our giant screen. Golmaal 3 is a 2010 Bollywood comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty. A sequel to the 2008 film Golmaal Returns, the project stars Bollywood sensations Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Mithun Chakraborty and Kunal Khemu.
In the film, Pritam meets his love Geeta after many years. They decide to get married but the feud between their respective children creates tension in their marriage. The storyline is partially inspired by Basu Chatterjee's 1978 film Khatta Meetha which itself was based on the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours.
🥟 Tantalizing Treats: Delight your taste buds and savor the flavors of India with mouthwatering snacks.
🌸 Dress Code: Please come as you are, but if you are up for it, feel free to wear vibrant colors, shimmering sequins, and flowing fabrics. Dress like your favorite Bollywood icon!
Dining Out in the Gilded Age: Eating Clubs to Debutante Balls with Becky Diamond
Thursday, November 7, 2024 | 7:00 PM
When America entered a period of magnificent wealth following the Civil War, stylish and sophisticated restaurants began popping up in major cities to cater to this new money. Exclusive eating clubs became popular places to socialize and negotiate business deals, and banquet dinners and balls were de rigueur ways to flaunt prosperity and status. It’s time to explore how the Gilded Age forever changed what it meant to dine out in America.
Join author and food historian, Becky Libourel Diamond, as we uncover how the American Gilded Age gave rise to a new elevated dining scene throughout the country, from private social clubs and restaurants that became the nexus for business deals to banquet dinners that could make or break a family's societal status.
Discover the origins of eating clubs like Philadelphia’s Clover Club and some of their famous foods and drinks, the role of theatrics as an integral part of fine dining, the backstory of famous dishes in the Gilded Age, and more! Afterward, we’ll have a Q&A with Becky — any and all questions are welcomed and encouraged!
Fighting For Freedom: The Oneida and Indigenous Connection To Valley Forge
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | 7:00 PM
Oneida historian Heather Bruegl explains the Indigenous connection to the Continental Army's encampment at Valley Forge. This event is part of Valley Forge Park Alliance's Speaker Series, featuring experts, authors, and thought leaders who shed new light on the people, places, and untold stories of Valley Forge National Historical Park.
Heather Bruegl is an Oneida Nation of Wisconsin citizen and first-line descendent Stockbridge Munsee. She is a graduate of Madonna University in Michigan and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in U.S. History. Her research comprises numerous topics related to American history, legacies of colonization and Indigeneity, the history of American Boarding Schools, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
Heather consults for various museums and universities and is a frequent lecturer at conferences on topics ranging from intergenerational racism and trauma to the fight for clean water in the Native community. She has been invited to share her research on Indigenous history, including policy and activism, museum equity, and Land Back initiatives for such institutions as the Tate and the Brooklyn Public Library. Heather opened and spoke at the Women’s March Anniversary in Lansing, Michigan, in January 2018 and at the first-ever Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, DC, in January 2019.
Heather is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where she studies First Nations Education, focusing on how institutions can support BIPOC museum and cultural workers. Heather is a public historian, activist, and independent consultant who works with institutions and organizations for Indigenous sovereignty and collective liberation.
Mountainfilm Festival on Tour
Thursday, February 6, 2025 | 7:00 PM
Join us for an evening of inspiring and captivating films handpicked from the Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, Colorado.
Founded in 1979, Mountainfilm is one of America’s longest-running film festivals. The annual festival is held every Memorial Day weekend in Telluride, CO. Mountainfilm is a dynamic nonprofit organization and festival that celebrates stories of indomitable spirit and aims to inspire audiences through film, art, and ideas.
Mountainfilm on Tour in Malvern, PA will feature a collection of culturally rich, adventure-packed and engaging documentary short films that align with Mountainfilm’s mission to use the power of film, art and ideas to inspire audiences to create a better world. Doors open for the event at 6:30 and the show will kick off at 7:00 PM.
Uncovering The Secrets Of The Underground Railroad At Valley Forge
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | 7:00 PM
What is the connection between the Underground Railroad and Valley Forge? Dionne Patterson will explain, educate and inspire us at this event, which is part of Valley Forge Park Alliance's Speaker Series, featuring experts, authors, and thought leaders who shed new light on the people, places, and untold stories of Valley Forge National Historical Park.
Dionne Patterson, the visionary behind UGR3DAY Underground Railroad Experiences Inc., is dedicated to illuminating the antebellum era by exploring the lives of both free and enslaved African Americans, as well as the multifaceted history of the Underground Railroad. A proud graduate of Delaware State University, Dionne is a certified cultural interpretive guide, genealogist, herbalist, forest bathing guide, researcher, and historian. Her mission is to provide a holistic education that brings to light the untold stories of landscapes, structures, and the people who exemplified faith, resilience, and community within the Underground Railroad.
Through her work, Dionne has forged partnerships with state organizations, parks, genealogical societies, school districts, and museums across the Mid-Atlantic Region. She offers immersive experiences through hands-on workshops, curriculum development, walking tours, seminars, and physical events, all focused on African American narratives. As an education consultant, she is recognized as a subject-matter expert (SME) in trauma, cultural competency, diversity, equity, inclusion, and child development. Dionne has also developed programs for institutions of higher learning, the state of Delaware, and both national and state parks.
Dionne’s expertise has led her to collaborate with Delaware State University as a content consultant and storyteller for their documentary "Women of Vision, Women of Purpose," which explores the Underground Railroad. She will be featured in a PBS documentary on the Underground Railroad through WSKG. Through UGR3DAY, Dionne also writes and produces a quarterly magazine that delves into Underground Railroad travels, Black history, and genealogy.