On March 28th, the Black to the Future program series, organized to explore issues of racial identity, concluded with a panel discussion entitled “African-American Aesthetics: Links to the Past, Directions for the Future.” The panelists included Lisa Jones, who, in addition to working with performance artist Alva Rogers, was a writer and filmmaker who collaborated with Spike Lee on his films, “She’s Gotta Have It” and “School Daze;” Judith Wilson, critic and professor of art history at Syracuse University; Nelson George, music critic for Billboard Magazine; and Geroge C. Wolfe, playwright, best known for the internationally acclaimed “The Colored Museum.” Kellie Jones, Visual Arts Director at the Jamaica Arts Center and the program’s organizer, moderated the discussion.¹