The past few months have been a blur. December I was touring in Spain and the Canary Islands (short video clip of part of a performance there). While in Spain I participated in a Spanish Book Festival to promote ROAD and then returned to a flurry of performances for Kwanzaa ending the month with the honor of presenting at the founder’s, Dr. Mualana Karenga’s, 50th Anniversary Kwanzaa Celebration. I created a slideshow for those who might want to check out what it was like. 50th Anniversary Kwanzaa Celebration slideshow.
The pace didn’t ease up in January as I continued promotions for the book and headed to Nevada to tour schools in Las Vegas, ending with a culminating performance at the Charleston Heights Arts. Possibly the most touching part of the Las Vegas tour was my visit to the West Las Vegas Arts Center. It felt more like a family reunion than a performance as I got to cross paths with friends I hadn’t seen in years.
Early February I flew to Minnesota for a short residency in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Crookston’s Diversity Department. My attaché, Ms. Lorna Hollowell facilitated a memorable visit that included, not only university events but activities in the community as well. I am eternally grateful to her and her visionary programing.
A few weeks ago I was notified that I was chosen as their 2017 Heritage Award Honoree. Did I mention how fast paced life seems at the moment? The award will be presented at the 15th Annual African American Heritage Festival hosted by The Aquarium of the Pacific on Sunday February 26th @ 12:20 pm.
With a little help from family and friends I’m going to live-stream via Facebook. The live stream will begin at 12:10 pm and continue through the ceremony. Live streaming works out great when you’ve got a really diverse collection of friends spread out over seven continents. I’m excited because my West African Drum and Dance Family Dembrebrah has agreed to open the award ceremony and I was also notified that the City of Long Beach Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Mark Taylor, will be in attendance.
If you can attend, I’d love to see you there. If not, join us on Facebook Live.
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