Arts and Culture

International Coalition to Commemorate the African Ancestors of the Middle Passage (ICCAAMP)

Published

5 years ago

April 29, 2019

An international coalition commemorating African ancestors of the Middle passage has joined in the 400 Year Commission to observe “LET’S TALK”: The International Day of Drumming and Healing, June 19, 2019.

The Commission references the first enslaved Africans’ from Angola arrival at Ft. Comfort, Virginia, in 1619. This commemorative day will focus on healing and reeducation among Africans in the Western Diaspora and beyond.

It will mourn the terror and trauma endured by African descendants over those four centuries occasioned by the Transatlantic slave trade; forced family dissolution; centuries of degradation based on race (e.g., slavery, peonage, lynching, Jim Crow, and structural racism); myriad socioeconomic disparities and, now, mass incarceration.

ICCAAMP, (International Coalition to Commemorate African Ancestors of the Middle Passage) was formed in 2015 to organize activities that are designed to remember the millions of Africans who were sold, kidnapped, shipped then died along the route from Africa to the Americas. ICCAAMP also honors and commemorates those who survived the transatlantic trafficking in African people known by the Swahili term Maafa, or Black Holocaust or Middle Passage.

Previously, ICCAAMP has proclaimed every second weekend in June (beginning in 2016) as the international commemoration to Remember the Ancestors of the Middle Passage – the Maafa, with simultaneous activities hosted by ICCAAMP member communities across the United States and internationally. This year, it will begin with prayers and the pouring of libation promptly at 12:00 noon EDT on Saturday, and continued prayer services at Black religious and spiritual institutions on Sunday – this year the dates are June 8-9, 2019.

In Oakland, the Bay Area Libations for African Ancestors of the Middle Passage is Sat., June 8 at 9:00 a.m. sharp at the fountain at Lake Merritt across from Lucky’s on E.18th Street.

The commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans on U.S. soil will be on Tuesday, June 19, 6-9 p.m., at Joyce Gordon Gallery, 406 14th Street, in downtown Oakland. “We will host a free screening of ‘Sankofa,’ with discussion following, said Wanda Sabir, CEO, MAAFA Commemoration San Francisco Bay Area and ICCAAMP Founding Organization Member

The annual commemoration provides an opportunity for members of the African-descended community to remember the millions of Africans — men, women, and children, who were sold, kidnapped, shipped and who died along the route from Africa to the Americas. By remembering, we honor and restore the humanity of the nameless faceless African Ancestors, and disrupt the collective amnesia. We also begin the process of healing from the fear, pain, guilt and shame of the experience that continues to traumatize the African descended community today, and we start the restoration of cultural identity, dignity and pride.

ICAAMP is calling upon individuals in the Black community who are unable to host their own commemorations or participate in activities hosted by Coalition members, to observe a minute of silence and prayer wherever they are at 12 noon EDT, on the Saturday to remember the ancestors of the Maafa.

The Coalition is also requesting all Black religious and spiritual institutions to dedicate a service in remembrance of the Ancestors of the Middle Passage.

Ceremonies take place nationally in USA: Brooklyn, N.Y.; Wash., DC; Charleston and Georgetown, S.C.; Hampton and Fredericksburg, Va; Annapolis, Md; Newport, R.I.; Boston, Mass., New Orleans, La; York and Philadelphia, Pa; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, Ca; Montgomery, Ala.; Miami, Fla; Detroit, Mich.; and internationally in Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, Panama, Barbados, Brazil, Jamaica, Venezuela, Cuba, Ghana and US Virgin Islands.

ICCAAMP is seeking to identify other African-descended communities which conduct commemoration ceremonies as well as those who are interested in hosting ceremonies to join the Coalition.

For a complete list of commemoration locations, please visit the ICCAAMP website: www.RememberTheAncestors.com and https://www.facebook.com/remembertheancestors/ Or call (641) 715-3900 ext. 168123# info@remembertheancestors.com.

For more information on local celebrations, please reach out to Wanda Sabir at (510) 255-5579 or email at maafasfbayarea.com@gmail.com

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Arts and Culture

Richmond Preps for Full Weekend of Cinco de Mayo Festivities

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival. The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

Published

10 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Scene from the 2023 Cinco de Mayo parade from Richmond to San Pablo. Photo courtesy The Richmond Standard.

By Mike Kinney

The Richmond Standard

Cinco de Mayo festivities in Richmond and San Pablo are some of the bests in Bay, and organizers say that tradition will be alive and well at this weekend’s annual parade and festival.

The action kicks off Saturday, May 4, with the 16th Annual Cinco de Mayo Richmond/San Pablo Peace & Unity Parade. The parade of floats, performances, and community organizations starts at 10 a.m. at 24th Street and Barrett Avenue and Richmond and ends at 12:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 1845 Church Lane in San Pablo.

The parade’s Grand Marshall this year will be community organizer Diego Garcia, owner of Leftside Printing.

The festivities continue Sunday with the Cinco de Mayo Festival along 23rd Street, which last year drew over 100,000 people, according to the 23rd Street Merchants Association. This year’s festival will again run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. between the intersections of Rheem Avenue and Clinton Avenue. It will feature two entertainment stages, one sponsored by La Raza 93.3 FM at 23rd and Rheem, and another sponsored by Radio Lazer FM at 23rd and Clinton.

Both events are important for the city and the region’s Latino community.

San Pablo Mayor Genoveva Calloway, who co-chairs the parade alongside John Marquez, president of the Contra Costa Community College District Board of Trustees, says Saturday’s festivities are about bringing the Richmond and San Pablo communities together in unity.

“This truly connects the spectators and people in the parade as one,” Calloway said. “The parade showcases the real communities of Richmond and San Pablo – our nonprofits, schools, horse riders, classic cars and trucks, our local businesses. All of these people represent the heartbeat of our community.”

Rigo Mendoza, vice president of the 23rd Street Merchants Association, said that at its heart, Richmond’s Cinco de Mayo Festival celebrates the date the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

But John Marquez started up the popular festival to bring the community together and also to exhibit the community’s businesses and culture to visitors, Mendoza said. The gathering was also a way to promote peace in the community.

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Art

Mario Van Peebles’ ‘Outlaw Posse’ Screened at Oakland’s Grand Lake Theatre

Published

12 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Film director Mario Van Peebles, who also stars in “Outlaw Posse,” appeared at a press conference held at RBA Creative on MacArthur Boulevard hosted by the Oakland International Film Festival. Photo By Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Oakland International Film Festival hosted a screening of “Outlaw Posse” at the Grand Lake Theatre on Monday. Special guests included director/actor Mario Van Peebles and his co-star, Oakland native Scytorya Rhodes. The film is Peebles’ second western, the first being ‘Posse,’ 13 years ago. Filmmaker Van Peebles shared his passion for independent artistry and producing projects with his son, Mandela, who also starred in the film, along with Whoopi Goldberg and Cedric the Entertainer. Next week, The Post will publish an in-depth interview featuring Peebles’ reflections on his work, future projects, and continuing his father’s legacy and Rhodes on her grandfather, a real-life cowboy.

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Arts and Culture

Kedrick Armstrong: New Music Director for the Oakland Symphony

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Kedrick Armstrong is the new music director for the Oakland Symphony. Photo credit Scott Chernis.

By Post Staff

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director.
In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30-year tenure at the Symphony.

Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season on October 18.

Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.

The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Oakland Symphony,” Armstrong said. “As a Black conductor, I find it humbling to stand on the shoulders of both Michael Morgan and Calvin Simmons,” the most recent and the first African American music directors of the Symphony, respectively.

Armstrong led three programs at the Symphony between 2022 and early 2024, which showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.
On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Armstrong led the world premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

Armstrong was selected unanimously by the Oakland Symphony’s board of directors and musicians after an extensive two-year search. “The search committee was overwhelmed by Kedrick’s scholarship and curiosity about all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to gospel and hip-hop,” said. Dr. Mieko Hatano, executive director of the Oakland Symphony. “We are thrilled to have him join us at the Oakland Symphony.”