Family Storytime: African-American Songs and Stories with Joy Kelly Smith

Join us for an interactive family and youth storytime featuring African and African-American songs and stories at Dyckman Farmhouse Museum! 

Accompanied by guitar, local storyteller Joy Kelly Smith will share tales from West Africa, the Caribbean, Brooklyn, and early New York history that celebrate courage and freedom. Featured songs and stories include:

• The Welcome Table, a popular African-American folk song Fatou, a tale from Senegal about a young girl who discovers that the gift she carries inside herself is something worth sharing with the world, featuring the song Fatou Yo.

• The African and African-American story The Eagles That Thought They Were Chickens that explores themes of self-discovery, self-esteem, and empowerment.

• The Legend of Pope’s Lane, a slightly eerie and definitely entertaining story about a fiddle player in old Brooklyn who encounters something very strange one summer day.
• Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around by The Freedom Singers

And much more! Come to Dyckman Farmhouse Museum on Saturday, May 30th at 11am to sing-along and discover folklore from around the world!

Perfect for Uptown families, curious children, and book-lovers of all ages. 

Date: Saturday, May 30, 2026

Time: 11am-12pm

Cost: Free!

Registration Required? Yes, register on Eventbrite!

Location: Dyckman Farmhouse Museum (on the corner of 204th Street and Broadway)

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. Dyckman Farmhouse Museum Alliance’s programs are made possible by The Cowles Charitable Trust and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.