Celebrate Umoja (Unity), the first day of Kwanzaa, with friends and family at MoAD!

MoAD is partnering with the Village Project for its 14th annual Kwanzaa celebration throughout San Francisco. The celebration is seven days of community events highlighting the seven principles of Kwanzaa (the Nguzo Saba) and opens at Museum of the African Diaspora from 1 pm until 5 pm. Leap through Black dance history with a dance class by Bay Area legend and Haitian dance choreographer Blanche Brown; peruse MoAD’s newest exhibitions while local poets perform throughout the galleries; and participate in a hands-on art activity with MoAD’s resident art teacher, Nicole Dixon.

Featured Poets

Sarah O'Neal

‍Sarah O'Neal is a writer, facilitator, and ocean enthusiast from the Bay Area. Sarah's work grapples with the nuances of her identities as a queer Moroccan Black Muslim. She is a 2019 Pink Door Fellow and an alum of the 2015 VONA/Voices writers of color workshop.

She is a two time member of the Bay Area Brave New Voices slam team. Sarah’s work has been featured on AJ+, Upworthy, and Everyday Feminism. Sarah is a graduate of Mills College where she studied English Literature and Ethnic Studies. When she isn't swimming or collecting old family photos, you can find her plotting her next trip to a body of water.

Thea Matthews

‍Thea Matthews earned her BA in Sociology at UC Berkeley where she studied and taught June Jordan's program Poetry for the People. Her work has appeared in  Atlanta Review, The Acentos Review, The Rumpus, For Women Who Roar magazine, and others. Her first collection of poems Unearth [The Flowers] (Red Light Lit Press) will be available in spring 2020.

More information can be found at www.theamatthews.com (FB/ Twitter / IG: @theamatthews_)

Jeremy Michael Vasquez‍

Jeremy Michael Vasquez is an artist, author, healer and educator in San Francisco. He uses his expression of art to facilitate healing workshops in a variety of settings across the country. These workshops are interactive and come from an Afro-Latino teaching pedagogy where there is movement, vibration and high energy.

Subjects such as identity, mental health, and toxic masculinity are explored. As a spoken word and musical artist, he has performed at many community events as well as educational and correctional facilities. Serving as a keynote speaker at conferences, colleges, universities, and public schools nationwide, Jeremy continues to use his pain as a platform for change.

With his poetry, he has been called to free people through stories.

James Cagney

‍James Cagney is a poet from Oakland, Ca. He has appeared at venues in throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. James is the 2019 Josephine Miles winner for his first book, Black Steel Magnolias In The Hour Of Chaos Theory, available now from NomadicPress.org.

More of James’ writing can be found at TheDirtyRat.blog

Nguzo Saba:  The Seven Principles

(All Kwanzaa Events: Dec. 26, 2019 – Jan 1, 2020)

UMOJA (unity):  To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race

‍Thursday, Dec. 26th

‍12 Noon: City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton Goodlett Way, Rotunda;

‍2 pm: Museum Of The African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street @ 3rd;

‍7 pm: Westbay Conference Center, 1290 Fillmore @ Eddy

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‍KUJICHAGULIA (self-determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves

‍Friday, Dec. 27th

1 pm: Hamilton Rec, 1900 Geary @ Steiner;

4 pm: OMI Family Resource Center/Minnie & Lovie Rec, 650 Capitol Ave;

6 pm: Bayview Y/Rafiki Wellness Coalition, 1601 Lane

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‍UJIMA (collective work and responsibility):  To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and solve them together

‍Saturday, Dec. 28th

1 pm: Boys & Girls Club, 380 Fulton @ Gough;

3 pm: Booker T Community, 800 Presidio @ Sutter;

6 pm: African Arts & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton @ Webster

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‍UJAMAA (cooperative economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together‍

Sunday Dec 29th

1 pm: Sf Main Library, 100 Larkin;

4 pm: Third Baptist Church, 1399 McAllister @ Pierce;

7 pm:  St. Phillip Baptist, 745 Velasco Ave.

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‍NIA (purpose):  To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness

‍Monday, Dec. 30th

1 pm: Dr. George Davis Senior Center, 1753 Carroll Ave

3 pm:  Fellowship Manor, 1208 Golden Gate @ Webster

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KUUMBA (creativity):  To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it

‍Tuesday, Dec. 31st

1:00 PM: Western Addition Senior Center/MoMagic, 1390 Turk @ Fillmore;

4:00 pm Potrero Hill Family Resource Center/Potrero Hill Rec Center, 801 Arkansas @ 23rd

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‍IMANI (faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle

‍Wednesday, Jan. 1st:  6 pm - St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church, 2097 Turk @ Lyons