The Trotter Institute at UMass Boston is partnering with 4 theaters in the Boston area to offer "The Emancipated Century," free readings of all 10 of August Wilson's plays. Wilson is one of our greatest American playwrights, and certainly the only one who chronicles the African American experience throughout the 20th century.

The reading series is part of a larger project that also includes a public forums series called "Re-Visioning Tomorrow: Emancipation for a New Century." The forums will use key themes from Wilson's plays still relevant today to generate discussion about the themes regarding two larger questions that impact the present and future of our city:

What change is needed to make emancipation for all real today and in the 21st century?

How do we link the generations to shape a vision for our future that ensures continued survival, resilience, and strength?

All forums begin at 6pm. The schedule, themes, and Boston locations of the forums are listed below:

Sept. 26: Urban Blues and the African Aesthetic YWCA, Kuumba Library: 140 Clarendon Street

Oct. 30: Justice and the Black Family Trinity Church, Ferris Library: 206 Clarendon Street

Nov. 26: The Challenge of Black Economic Development Trinity Church, Ferris Library: 206 Clarendon Street

Dec. 19: Politics, Property, and Ancestral Roots Trinity Church, Ferris Library: 206 Clarendon Street

Jan. 13: Education and Emancipation in the 21st Century Location TBD http://theemancipatedcentury.com/.

All readings and public forums are free and open to the public.