![]() 15: Food trucks & music (Big Blue Bus, 12 - 2 p.m.) 7: Food trucks & dancing (City Yards, 12 - 2 p.m.) 1: Food trucks & dancing (City Hall, 12 - 2 p.m.) CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN And join city staff in reading Octavia Butler's " Parable of the Sower." Monthlong events: Collaborative Art Celebrating Black History Month sponsored by Santa Monica Library and an art installation in the City Hall lobby. 23, the Santa Monica City Council presented a proclamation for Black History Month that included an artistic performance and an introduction to BHM by actress Jennifer Holmes. Pencil us in your calendar & check back here weekly for updates! This year, the BHM Committee is working hard to curate entertaining and educational community events in partnership with local businesses, schools, city of Santa Monica affinity groups, community organizations, the Santa Monica Public Library and Virginia Avenue Park. We still continue focusing on these themes moving forward as our world faces so many challenges: Although I won’t be able to attend this time, I want to share with you one of their performances that took place at the White House.Īs a member of the Black History Month (BHM) Committee since December 2019, I am reflecting on the themes and events we have undertaken since 2020. While surfing Facebook, I received a pop-up advertisement for a January performance of Step Afrika! in Irvine. I hope you enjoy this song as much as I do and read more about Fela Kuti and his legacy. I would later discover that he is a Nigerian musician and activist, considered THE Father of Afrobeat. The very first song randomly selected was Fela Kuti’s “ Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am,” and I almost fell out of the car! I was blown away by horns, drums, all the undertones, and other musical influences such as jazz, Latin and pop, just to name a few. I decided to take them up on this emerging station, if you will. Three years ago, on my commute to work, Pandora radio advertised an alternate station that I could “ADD NOW” if I was so inclined. Many Black trends are easily finding their way into mainstream media. We’ve all seen on Instagram & TikTok how music, slang, fashion and art spreads through the culture. Terms like urban dictionary, Black Twitter, and invitations to the cookout/BBQ are all from the belly of Black culture. Thus, our theme this year at the city of Santa Monica is "Black Media & the Arts." The 2024 theme for Black History Month is "African Americans and the Arts." Here in Santa Monica, we want to acknowledge that Black History does not begin nor end in America, as seen from my DNA and the richness of contributions from African, Caribbean, English, South American and black contemporary culture from across the globe. My less melanated side would be 19 percent Scottish and six percent Swedish, Dane, Jewish and Southern Italian. An investment in would show that I am 35 percent Nigerian with another 36 percent spread through Cameroon, Congo, Bantu, Mali, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Togo and Senegal. It was such a wonderful experience to feel connected to a community of no blood relation, but a shared solidarity. When I visited Egypt in 2018, the local people called me sister, cousin, and Nubia. Apparently, your skin has been kissed by the sun …" – excerpt from India.Arie’s "Brown Skin," 2001 "Brown skin, you know I love your brown skin, I can't tell where yours begins, I can't tell where mine ends…Where are your people from? Maybe Mississippi or an Island. This blog post was written by Brandi Lockhart, co-leader of the BHM committee, and a 10-plus year employee of the city of Santa Monica, who is currently a housing specialist with the city's Housing and Human Services department. Staff participation in cultural events, monthly observances and affinity groups is always optional and primarily a volunteer effort, and the BHM Committee organizes these events with the support of the city's partner affinity groups, local businesses, and city departments. The city of Santa Monica's Black History Month celebration is organized by the Black History Month Committee.
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