Page 11 - harambee572020
P. 11
Black Arts Weekend
Commentary by Marteen Garay
Celebrating a Black Art's Weekend with Harambee relations. See below for more event details and
Ujima's Black Arts Festival information about the Harambee Ujima Black Arts
July 18th and 19th on Kelly Street between N. and Culture Association.
Homewood Ave & N. Lang Ave
The historic Harambee Black Arts Festival is back The Harambee Black Arts Festival originated in
again this year. Join the celebration this July 18th 1967 as a way to use the arts to address social
and 19th from 11am to 8pm at the 7100 block of issues and create community unity. The Harambee
Kelly Street. The Harambee Ujima Black Arts and Ujima Black Arts and Culture Association was
Culture Association coordinates the festival. This formed in 2001 to create a new spirit of Harambee
year Harambee Ujima has collaborated with the in the present day. The mission of the organization
Legacy Arts Project to present a Black Arts is to be a cultural collaborative that advocates for
Weekend. The Black Arts Weekend celebrates the Black Art's Movement in efforts to preserve all
Legacy Arts annual Dance Africa festival, forms of Black Art that re-establishes the pride &
beginning on July 17th and the Harambee Black dignity in the black diasporic community.
Arts Festival beginning in July 18th. The weekend
will be filled with family, food and festivities. The Harambee Black Arts Festival is a two-day
event, held on July 18th and 19th, 2015 on the 7100
The Harambee Black Arts Festival has always been block of Kelly Street between N. Homewood and
a community-sponsored event. This year the N. Lang Avenues. The festival features stage
festival is largely supported by the Advancing the performances of African dance and drumming, live
Black Arts grant program of the Heinz Endowments jazz, blues, hip hop, R&B, gospel and spoken word
and the Pittsburgh Foundation. Harambee has artists; an African Market Place and Food Court; the
partnered with several community and citywide Legacy Art Gallery; and a Children's Village. The
organizations to offer a weekend of powerful festival will begin with a parade on July 18th at
cultural performances. Some of this year's 11am at Westinghouse High School.
performers include 1Hood, Balafon West African
Dance Company, the renowned African American Harambee Ujima partnered with the following
Music Institute and local favorite the Flow Band! organizations to coordinate this year's festival
There will be activities for the whole family to including YMCA-Homewood Brushton,
enjoy. The festival will begin with a parade at Homewood Early Learning Hub-Pittsburgh
11am, starting at the famed Westinghouse High Association for the Education of the Young Child,
School. There will be a dance workshop with Kulu Wine and Words Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Library of
Mele and Teanna Medina at 10am on Saturday, line Pittsburgh - Homewood, Community College of
dancing that afternoon, face painting at the Allegheny County - Homewood, Community
Children's Village, and a Garden Tour on Sunday at Empowerment Association, St. Charles Lwanga
2pm that will highlight some of the beautiful Parish, Homewood-Brushton Family Support
gardens throughout the Homewood community. Center, Phipps Conservatory, RIF Bookmobile, the
Homewood-Brushton Business Association, and the
On Friday, July 17th, at 2pm there will be a special African American Art Museum.
screening of Selma, hosted by the Dr. Edna B.
McKenzie Branch, Association for the Study of Harambee Ujima thanks all of our gracious
African American Life and History. The screening sponsors who made the 2015 Harambee Festival
will be held at the new home of Wine and Words possible. Thanks you to the Advancing the Black
Pittsburgh, located at 622 N. Homewood Avenue. Arts Grant Program of the Heinz Endowments and
Later that evening, Wine and Words Pittsburgh will Pittsburgh Foundation, State Representative Ed
host a private reception for the opening of the Gainey, Highmark, Homewood Renaissance
Legacy Art Gallery. The gallery will be open from Association, UPMC, City Parks, SD Transit, The
July 17th to August 16th, featuring works from New Pittsburgh Courier, Strong's Cleaners, WAMO,
artists across the region. and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The newly formed Homewood-Brushton Business
Association will be sponsoring a Basketball
Tournament that will address community-police
