"ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT & SUPPORT BEYOND THE CLASSROOM"
e-mail: immersivelearningctr@gmail.com
250 Georgia St., Vallejo, CA 94590
Inspiring students with S.T.E.A.M. activities and innovative technology to help them become self-directed, self-motivated and life-long learners.
Join us in celebrating
Black History in the Americas!
Food, Music, Vendors, Guest Speakers, Activities for kids and teens, Peach Cobbler contest and of course Unapologetic Black History.
SOUTH AMERICA AFRO-BRAZILIANS
Brazilian Men Wearing Large Afros is “A Fight for a Greater Cause”
May 19, 2020 Marques Travae black hair, Black News From Brazil
In Brazil, any celebration of one’s African ancestry and appearance was frowned upon and even suppressed. Afro textured hair was and continues to be one of the physical indicators of African ancestry that was perhaps the most rejected by society in general. If one wanted to appear ‘presentable’, not only in everyday social interactions or when seeking employment opportunities, it was considered unacceptable to allow oneself to be seen walking the streets with ‘untamed’ kinks and curls. In fact, as we learned in one article, during Brazil’s brutal 21-year military dictatorship 1964-1985, it was a common occurence to see police soldiers snatch black men off of the streets and shave their heads. In February of this year, we saw how long afro-textured black hair still causes discomfort when photos caught a Military Police assault on a 16-year old young black male specifically because of his hair. (source: https://blackbraziltoday.com/brazilian-men-wearing-large-afros-is-a-fight-for-a-greater-cause/ )
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
VENDING OPPORTUNITY
For an opportunity to vend at our Juneteenth celebration, please complete the registration form below. After we review your registration and verify we have space, you will receive an invoice along with more information regarding your vendor registration.
What is the African Diaspora?
African Diaspora is the term commonly used to describe the mass dispersion of peoples from Africa during the Transatlantic Slave Trades, from the 1500s to the 1800s. This Diaspora took millions of people from Western and Central Africa to different regions throughout the Americas and the Caribbean.
We will be kicking off this event at 10 am with a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives in pursuit of racial justice, equality and economic power. The people of African decent all over the world find themselves in a constant struggle for survival. Many have awaken from a long slumber to the reality that colonization has not ended only changed form. We will break bread on February 26, 2022 with the hope and prayer of peace, justice, equality and economic sustainability for Black people marginalized around the world.
So on this day, February 26, 2022, we pay tribute to Black History in the Americas with a focus on the people and the food in a the following regions:
North America - New Orleans, North Carolina & California
Central America - Costa Chica Region
South America - Bahia, Argentina, Guyanas
It is unknown to many that there are over 100 million black folks in Brazil. Bahia, Brazil has one of the largest population of African decent who live created by Black folks in North. Central and South America. Not only did slavery exist in the United States, it also existed in Central and South America where between 10 and 15 million enslaved Africans were sent.
New Orleans, North Carolina & California
No group in the African Diaspora is more revered than Foundational Black Americans. They are leaders in the revolution for justice, equality and economic power in addition to being trend setters.
The United States was built on the backs of people of African decent. Although they continue to be marginalized, they are standing strong in the face of systemic racism and are moving the needle in support of their cause and fight for reparations. They have created a culture for themselves deep with rooted ties to the African continent. Their food is robust and full of flavor and we will have some favorites on hand for the celebration.
They have invented numerous inventions such as the street light, refrigeration, cotton gin, telescopes and even the Super Soaker water gun. Even at NASA, African Americans/Blacks/Foundational Black Americans have put their stamp on the program in areas such as astrophysics, jet propulsion and atmospheric science among others. Africans study of the stars, constellations and the solar system goes back thousands of years as evidenced by the Dogon tribe of Africa.
People of African decent in the U.S. will continue to be at the front of the fight against systematic racism leading the way for others around the world.
CENTRAL AMERICA AFRO-LATINOS
In one of the few regional studies of its kind, the Inter-American Development Bank published a report in 1996 estimating that as many as 150 million Latin Americans, about a third of the region's population, are descendants of African slaves.
The over 600 hundred years of coexistences affirms we are sharing countless forms of spiritual, agrarian, cultural, familial and other forms of intersectionality between both African and all of Latin America. Other estimates are lower because many people of mixed race do not define themselves as Black.
Musicians play during the traditional Afro-Mexican Dance of the Devils in Cuajinicuilapa, Guerrero. Photograph: AFP/AFP via Getty Images
A 2015 survey from Mexico’s statistics institute estimated the Afro-Mexican population at 1.3 million. Observers expect the census to put the current total at around 2 million – mostly in Guerrero, Oaxaca and Veracruz states.
“It’s extremely important that they count us as Afro-Mexicans,” said García, an engineer in the community of Cuajinicuilapa. “We’re of African descent – but we’re Mexicans because we were born here and we built this country.” (source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/19/afro-mexicans-census-history-identity)
From the very start of conquest of what is now Mexico, Africans arrived alongside the Spanish, both voluntarily as conquistadores – and as slaves.
Many intermarried with indigenous people and some Afro-Mexicans have played prominent roles in the country’s history – including the independence hero José María Morelos and early president Vicente Guerrero.
More recently, however, their history has been one of marginalization and neglect in underdeveloped regions such as the Costa Chica, a dry, tropical zone to the south-east of Acapulco.