Auburn Avenue Research Library on African-American Culture and History

A MAN NAMED PEARL tells the inspiring story of self-taught topiary artist Pearl Fryar, whose unlikely journey to national prominence began with a bigoted remark. In 1976, Pearl took a job in a can factory in Bishopville, South Carolina. New to this rural southern town, he and his wife Metra looked a...

Cost: Registration Required

In honor of Juneteenth celebration the Auburn Avenue Research Library (AARL)will host a virtual Africana Story Time reading of Juneteenth for Mazie.

About Hey Black Child:

Six-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and four-time Caldecott Honor recipient Bryan Collier brings this classic, inspiratio...

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with Phyllis Iller, will host a live performance of poetry and prose that has been gleaned from the 1970s anthology 360 Degrees of Blackness Comin’ At You, originally curated by Sonia Sanchez, from poems written by the students in a creative writi...

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with the Baton Foundation Inc., will host Professor Thomas A. Foster for a lecture on his publication “Rethinking Rufus: Sexual Violations of Enslaved Men.”

A Cappella Books will have copies of the book available for purchase.

Cost: Free

Categories: B & W Photography CLOSING RECEPTION, by the ImageGriot, Nafisa Valita Sheriff for the "Silver Living Legacies Extraordinaire: Women of Distinction" This project depicts twenty four women, all over the age of sixty, who have and are making a difference in Atlanta. Their lives have inte...

Cost: Free

Categories: B & W Photography ARTIST TALK & RECEPTION, by the ImageGriot, Nafisa Valita Sheriff, on her current project, exhibit, reception and upcoming book about the "Silver Living Legacies Extraordinaire: Women of Distinction" and the 24 selected women, all over age 60, whose lives intertwine wit...

Cost: Free

Whether you're an aspiring author looking to get to the next level or you're already published and trying to figure out your next move, this free masterclass is for you. Learn the difference between self publishing and traditional publishing, the importance of editing, how to effectively use your so...

Cost: Free

Categories: Visual Arts,

Hammonds House Museum invites you to join us for a conversation and book signing with photographer, Adreinne Waheed. Her book, Black Joy and Resistance, is an unapologetic celebration of Black life, love, joy, resistance, protest and light.

As a passionate, wandering witne...

Cost: Free

Location: 

Auburn Avenue Research Library 101 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303

A Cappella Books and the Auburn Avenue Research Library and Museum welcome Randal Maurice Jelks, author of Faith and Struggle in the Lives of Four African Americans: Ethel Waters, Mary Lou Williams, Elridge Cleaver, and M...

Cost: Free

Partnered with A Capella Books.

Location:  Auburn Avenue Research Library 101 Auburn Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

The Baton Foundation, Inc., in partnership with the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, will host Tera W. Hunter, a professor of history and ...

Cost: free

Friends of the Congo, a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with Congolese to bring about peaceful and lasting change in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is hosting a community engagement event with special guest, David Banner, Rap Artist and Activist. A film screening and panel ...

Cost: Free

Categories: Exhibit Opening

The Auburn Avenue Research Library will host an opening reception for the traveling exhibit: "Witness to the Holocaust" by William Alexander Scott III. In addition to telling Scott's witness testimony, the exhibit also

includes panels drawing a parallel between the Jim Cr...

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library will host an opening reception

for the traveling exhibit: "Witness to the Holocaust" by William Alexander Scott III. In addition to telling Scott's witness testimony, the exhibit also includes panels drawing a parallel between the Jim Crow Laws

implemented in the U...

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in partnership with the Baton

Foundation, Inc., will screen a short film: "Man of the House". The screening will be followed by a moderated conversation about mental health and suicide in the Black community.

John Palomino’s directorial debut, "Man of The House" i...

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with PSL

Publications, will host journalist and community activist Eugene Puryear, who will discuss his latest publication: "Shackled and Chained, Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America".

In this blistering interrogation of the prison-industrial...

Cost: Free and open to public.

Join the United Nations Association Atlanta chapter as we celebrate The International Day For the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. Thursday, August 23rd from 5:30-8:00 pm Hosted by the Auburn Avenue Research Library for African American Culture and History located at 101 Auburn Ave....

Cost: FREE

For decades, Black filmmakers have been pushing boundaries in film in both big and small ways. With that in mind, the African American Film Critics Association is launching a summer Screening Series that will focus on films that celebrate the diversity of Black culture and life, as well as the power...

Cost: FREE

The Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, in collaboration with the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, presents selected artwork from 12 Rounds of Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali. This powerfully illustrated poetic verse biography of Ali's life, from the time he was born ...

Cost: Free

Categories: Film Premiere

Venue: Grant Park, the Sound Table Saturday, June 23 at 2 p.m. BOBBITO GARCÍA’S FULL COURT 21™ ALL WORLD ATLANTA QUALIFIER at Grant Park features multiple defenders guarding whichever player has the ball (1-on-5).

Warm up starts at 2 pm. FREE TO PLAY! FREE TO WATCH! REGIS...

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library and Georgia State University's Alonzo A. Crim Center will host Dr. Maurice J. Hobson. Hobson will discuss his new book The Legend of the Black Mecca: Politics and Class In the Making of Modern Atlanta. The event will be open to the public.

Details.

Cost: Free

Radical left writers, publishers, artists and activists from across the South are invited to an indoor market and a day of discussions about history, activism and culture. The second annual fair centers black, brown, queer and working-class communities.

Details.

Cost: Free

Join us for a screening of Dirt and Deeds: In Mississippi, a film about the role farmers of African descent played in the Civil Rights movement by providing food, shelter, and leveraging land as collateral to help activists. The film will be followed by a panel featuring Dr. Doris Derby, a co-pr...

Cost: $10

The Aglanta Forum brings together growers and community members to learn best practices from local experts and national leaders ahead of a charge to install 100 food producing gardens in the Westside of Atlanta, led by Historic Westside Gardens. This charge is supported by the City of Atlanta O...

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The Auburn Avenue Research Library in collaboration with NJoysArt will host a screening of the documentary film Elizabeth Catlett: Sculpting the Truth. Catlett's seamless wooden sculptures of the body's form brought her concerns for the African American woman's struggle with social justice and digni...

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library will host a viewing of the critically-acclaimed documentary 13th, followed by a community discussion. The documentary examines the operations of race, justice and mass incarceration in the United States under the 13th Amendment.

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with the Hammonds House Museum, presents the art of K Joy Ballard Peters. Peters' work uses appliques to express the wonders of uninhibited black joy.

Cost: Free

Cost: Free

Join the AARL for a community lecture about using Africana culture and heritage as a framework for educating Black children. The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Joyce E. King, Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair for Urban Teaching, Learning and Leadership at Georgia State University.

Cost: Free-$5

NubiaOne and the AARL present a day exploring and appreciating science fiction, fantasy, cosplay and comic books by and about African Americans. The day will comprise of panel discussions addressing topics such as "Black Heroes Matter," Black Women and Speculative Fiction and Afrofuturism and Afrore...

Cost: Free-$5

Delve into the world of black cosplay, steampunk, cyberfunk and more at the Mahogany Masquerade. This will be the kickoff event for 2017 NubiaOne Fest, a conference featuring educational and interactive panel discussions and workshops on the expression of Afrofutures.

Cost: Free-$5

AARL celebrates National Loving day with a screening of the Academy Award-winning film Loving. The day recognizes the landmark Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage in 1967. The film, starring Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga, is based on the real-life couple, Richard and Mildred Lovin...

Cost: Free

Join the rich storytelling tradition of the South with this event at the AARL. Featured tellers will share their favorite work from the library's own collection. Readers will include Gwendolyn Napier, Akbar Imhotep, Chetter Galloway and Sensemaya the Storyteller.

Cost: Free-$5

The premier Quelbe band in the world, Stanley & the Ten Sleepless Knights, comes to Atlanta to perform and celebrate Caribbean American Heritage month. Quelbe is a form of folk music that originated in the U.S. Virgin Islands and works to preserve local culture and history.

Cost: Free-$5

The Auburn Avenue Research Library collaborates with the AYA Educational Institute for Family Lore Project Conference. Psychologists Dr. Amos N. Wilson and educational psychologist Dr. Nana Baffour Amankwatia II will discuss how African centered curriculums and cultural conscious teaching can heal t...

Cost: Free-$5

Watch the Summer of Gods, an allegorical film about Ifa, a West African and Brazilian indiginous spiritual tradition. Join a discussion following the film that will be moderated by local Ifa practitioners. This will help viewers better understand the tradition and the necessity of its preservation.

Cost: Free-$5

The revolution will not be televised — but it might be written. Explore the intersection of literature and social justice at the inaugural Atlanta Radical Book Fair, a gathering of Southern writers, publishers, artists, activists, and community organizations committed to social change. The fair of...

Cost: Free

Come celebrate the reopening of the Auburn Avenue Research Library, just in time for the 2016 school year.

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In recognition of Black Music Month, this exhibition, by multi-award-winning youth artist, Barry Duperon, will feature artwork that that blends the complexities of the music industry with Blues, Jazz, R&B and Hip-Hop cultures.

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Exhibition by artist and Morehouse College Art Instructor Michael Roman will explore the life of title character Messiah Jones from ages 13 to 33. Via the visual juxtaposition of stylized contemporary black bodies in urban settings with historical religious iconography, this thought-provoking collec...

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In recognition of Juneteenth (June 19th), The Auburn Avenue Research Library, in collaboration with Atlanta Free Speech, will host a discussion titled, The Illusion of freedom: The Reality of Black Life in America since the Emancipation Proclamation. This community discussion will explore the variou...

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Drawing the Dream: African-American History in Children's Literature is an exhibition featuring the work of three-time Coretta Scott King Honor Award in Illustration winner, R. Gregory Christie.

Cost: Free

One Day in January features photographs from the very first memorial services for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., by renowned photographer Horace Henry.

Cost: Free

A community discussion, Documenting the Dream: African-American History and Culture Through Art, features presentations by children's illustrator R. Gregory Christie and photographer, Horace Henry.

Cost: Free

Saturday is children and family day and Sunday will host a silent auction.

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As part of their centennial celebration, The Wren's Nest House Museum has invited the first African-American animator at Disney and author of the book, My Animated Life, to speak about his life and career in animation. He will speak on two separate occasions. Wednesday, October 23rd @ 7pmAuburn Aven...

Cost: Free

Enjoy a community conversation with Mr. Floyd Norman at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. The event will be facilitated by Dr. Stephane Dunn, Co-Director of Cinema, Television, & Emerging Media Studies at Morehouse College.

Cost: Free

DJ Ausar of WRFG 89.3 FM Community Radio( The Kalakuta Show), in collaboration with the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History and The Department of African American Studies( Georgia State University) will host Sacred Spaces, Spiritual Places: DJs Dance and Deities, ...

Cost: Free

Curated by members of the Smoke School of Art, a nonprofit art cooperative based in Atlanta, the exhibit presents a new generation of artists of color whose work connects authentic cultural traditions and histories to contemporary issues.

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Community lecture hosted by the Smoke School of Art and the Auburn Avenue Research Library, and facilitated by conceptual artist and educator Christopher Hitchinson. He will examine how the lingering effects of colonialism and contemporary racism marginalizes non-white creative expression, via the n...

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A community lecture hosted by the Smoke School of Art and the Auburn Avenue Research Library, and facilitated by conceptual artist and educator Christopher Hutchinson. He will examine the cultural appropriation of the African artist aesthetic by Europeans who formed the avant-garde in the developmen...

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In recognition of Women's History Month (March), the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host Charmaine Minniefield's exhibit which celebrates female strength from post-emancipation to after the turn of the century.

Cost: Free

Move the Crowd: Hip Hop Education for Social Justice is a community discussion facilitated by Dr. Bettina L. Love, Assistant Professor in the Department of Elementary and Social Studies at the University of Georgia. Dr. Love will discuss the innovative use of hip hop music and culture in cultivatin...

Cost: Free

This community discussion will focus on the current and future roles of women of color in political environments. Panelists for this discussion include former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, GA Representative Dee Dawkins-Haigler, and GA Representative Alisha Thomas-Morgan.

Cost: Free

This community discussion, facilitated by local historian Nasir Muhammad, will take place in recognition of National Dentist Day (March 6) and will explore the life of Dr. Roderick D. Badger, the first African American dentist in Atlanta, Georgia.

Cost: Free

This lecture will critically examine why a growing number of African women use damaging skin-bleaching cosmetics that contain toxic chemicals that can lead to increased rates of infertility and skin cancer.

Cost: Free

The Atlanta Avenue Research Library will host Beneath the Bridges of Atlanta, a compelling photographic exhibit by photojournalist Tony Smart.

Cost: Free

The Auburn Avenue Research Library will host Black Herman: An Extraordinary Life of Magic and Mystery. This community discussion will explore the life of Benjamin “Black Herman” Rucker (1892–1934), a groundbreaking prominent African American magician of the early twentieth century.

Cost: Free

This exhibit will celebrate creative expression as a powerful tool to examine the human condition, and affect deep and lasting social change.

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The exhibit celebrates the founding of Our Lay of Lourdes for African Americans in the early 1990's, and examines the church and school's historical impact on Atlanta as a community resource for the disenfranchised and oppressed.

Cost: Free

Ebrima Ba's documentary Food, Clothing, and Shelter examines how local communities in Atlanta are turning to African skills and knowledge to find alternative ways to meet basic needs.

Cost: Free

Paul Carter Harrison discusses the evolution of cultural art rooted in the African Diaspora.

Cost: Free

In recognition of the 100th anniversary of Bayard Rustin's birth, the film chronicles the life and legacy of the activist and icon by utilizing archival footage, photographs, and recorded first-person dialogue.This event will be followed with a community discussion on the historical and contemporary...

Cost: Free

Facilitated by Chike Akua, a leading authority on increasing student achievement, via culturally relevant educational practices and resources.

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This event will be an extraordinary opportunity to hear, and learn about, the language spoken by enslaved Africans and their descendants along the sea islands of the nation's Southeast coast. Discussion will be facilitated by Akinyele Umoja, a professor in the Department of African American Studies ...

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In recognition of Veteran's Day, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host Sista' Soldiers. The documentary, created by Yvette Jackson, sheds light on the integral role that African American women play in the U.S. Armed Forces. Following the screening will be a panel discussion showcasing African...

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This exhibit, by renowned Atlanta artist Janine Monroe, is a provocative examination of historical racial violence, and its contemporary manifestations in the current American socio-political landscape.Monroe will facilitate an artist discussion Thurs., Oct. 4 at 7pm.

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This series of events will feature book signings, discussion panels, interactive presentations and community forums.

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This event will included an Artist's talk, facilitated by renowned artist Robert Claiborne Morris, and a screening of the documentary film, Slavery by Another Name.

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Anthony C. Winkler will read excerpts from God Carlos, a novel that deeply explores Jamaica's history of colonization.

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The Auburn Avenue Research Library will host local historian, Willie M. Bolden, who will facilitate the community lecture Black Seahawks: African American Whalers in the Age of Sail. This lecture will examine the maritime history of enslaved and free African American whalers during the Age of Sail, ...

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Renowned journalist and community activist, Jamala Rogers, will discuss her latest publication The Best of 'The Way I See It' and Other Political Writings. The book documents the relentless and courageous pursuit of people for self-determination, democracy and peace in the face of their country's hi...

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This exhibit is part of Bryan Meltz's larger body of work from a long-term documentary project chronicling the life of Arbai Barre Abdi and her family since their resettlement in Clarkston from a Kenyan refugee camp in 2004. Opening reception on Thurs., June 7, at 6 p.m.

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In recognition of Juneteenth and in collaboration with the Hope Day Theater and the Alonzo Herndon Home, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Alonzo Herndon, a theatrical tribute to an Atlanta icon.

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Dr. Moriba Kelsey discusses his current oral history project which documents the personal and social experiences of residents in Atlanta's historic Pittsburgh community.

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Author’s Discussion and Book Signing of To the Mountaintop: My Journey through the Civil Rights Movement. The Auburn Avenue Research Library will host acclaimed journalist and Civil Rights icon, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, who will discuss her latest publication. This engaging and accessible historical ...

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In recognition of Women’s History Month, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host author (and Charis Writing with Intent member), Charlise Lyles, who will discuss her the second edition of her memoir, Do I Dare Disturb the Universe? From the Projects to Prep School.

Cost: Free

An open house sponsored by The Entrepreneurship Center. Network with some of metro Atlanta's top entrepreneurs and receive information about starting a business. Registration is required.

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In collaboration with Central Library, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host Giwayen Mata, a dynamic soul-stirring, all-sistah, percussion and vocal ensemble. The name Giwayen Mata means, “Elephant Leaders of Women” in the West African Hausa Language. This event will celebrate the Fifth Princ...

Cost: Free

The Friends of the Auburn Avenue Research Library (FOAARL) is a non-profit, community-based group dedicated to supporting the Auburn Avenue Research Library (AARL); a branch library of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library. The FOAARL cultivates a closer relationship between local, national, and interna...

Cost: Free

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Topics to include: Broadcasting industry, Meredith Corporation and WGCL TV, what could make you a good hire, how candidates are sought out, and available opportunities.

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In honor of national Coming Out Day, photographer Kim Roseberry's exhibit will highlight her work on the contemporary lesbian experience.""

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Shot over a seven-year period, photographer Dennis A. Rodman's work examines both rural and urban Georgia.

Cost: Free

In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Tau Epsilon OmegaChapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host a commemorative reception, Documenting 20 Years of Excellence! A Celebration of History and Archives of the Tau Epsilon Omega Chapter of the Alpha ...

Cost: Free

In recognition of Veterans Day, and in collaboration with 3-D Readers, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host On the Front Lines: Letters by African Americans during the Civil War." This event will include dramatic readings and discussion on the historical context of authentic civil war corres...

Cost: Free

Dr. Muhammad Ahmad, aka Maxwell Curtis Stanford Jr. of Temple University, discusses We will Return in the Whirlwind, Black Radical Organizations 1960 – 1975, an in-depth historical examination of the black liberation movement of the 1960s. In collaboration with Georgia State University’s African Am...

Cost: Free

In recognition of the United Nations dedication of 2011 as the International Year for People of African Descent, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host Telling the Story of the Diaspora to Our People

Cost: Free

In collaboration with the African American Studies Department at Georgia State University, the Auburn Avenue Research Library will host a screening of the film, Ghetto Physics: Speak Truth to Power, a provocative blend of documentary, satire, and narrative filmmaking. The film examines the power dyn...

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The Auburn Avenue Research Library will host, Race and Gender in the Queer Community, a community forum to discuss the dynamic intersection of race, gender, and sexuality within the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Trans-Gendered and Queer (LGBTQ) community.

Cost: Free

In collaboration with Eagle Eye Book Shop, the Auburn AvenueResearch Library will host renowned pastry chef, author and owner of the Sweet Auburn Bread Company, Sonya Jones. Chef Jones will discuss her latest publication, Sweet Auburn Desserts: Atlanta’s Little Bakery That Could, a cookbook of clas...

Cost: Free

Authors L.M. Davis, Wendy Raven McNair and Ronald Agyekum will discuss sci-fi for young adults of color and read excerpts from their own works.

Cost: Free

Discusses The Accidental Slaveowner: Revisiting a Myth of Race and Finding an American Family.

Cost: Free

Archivist discusses 150 Years Later: Broken Ties Mended.

Cost: Free

Presented in collaboration with the National Black Arts Festival, this exhibition by acclaimed photographer Curtis Graves examines plantation architecture, particularly the living quarters of enslaved Africans.

Cost: Free

Presented in collaboration with the National Black Arts Festival, this exhibition by acclaimed photographer Curtis Graves examines plantation architecture, particularly the living quarters of enslaved Africans.

Cost: Free

Presented in partnership with Auburn Avenue Research Library, the exhibition traces Smalls’ story of triumph, perseverance and determination to become a distinguished American hero.

Cost: Free

Presented in partnership with Auburn Avenue Research Library, the exhibition traces Smalls’ story of triumph, perseverance and determination to become a distinguished American hero.

Cost: Free

Written and Directed by Nykieria Chaney, Positively Infected uses common situations to break down myths and educate the community on the realities of HIV and AIDS. Taking a direct approach on revealing how they came to their Positive statuses, the play not only educates on HIV but also removes the s...

Cost: FREE

Written and Directed by Nykieria Chaney, Positively Infected uses common situations to break down myths and educate the community on the realities of HIV and AIDS. Taking a direct approach on revealing how they came to their Positive statuses, the play not only educates on HIV but also removes the s...

Cost: FREE

Discussion and book signing of Finding Martha's Place: My Journey Through Sin, Salvation, and Lots of Soul Food.

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