Elegba Folklore Society

A Cultural History Tour With Coming To The Table
2016-09-20 18:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | The Trail Of Enslaved Africans, Manchester Dock, Richmond, United States
Coming To The Table has invited Elegba Folklore Society to guide a special experience along the Trail of Enslaved Africans. Interested? Tuesday September 20, 6:00-8:30. Wear appropriate shoes and bring a light…we are walking on wooded trail along the river. How has history shaped the ways we see ourselves and others today?
Details: martha@livingintheand.com

Afrikana Shorts RVA Premiere @ Elegba Folklore Society
2016-09-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Sept. 17, 2016 Saturday- Short Films: Two Cities – by Darius Clark Monroe
*Elegba Society: 1:00pm – 1:30pm* Locked inside the mind and memory of Dr. Mtangulizi Sanyika, he reflects what it means to be part of the displaced New Orleans population in Houston…

Sept. 17, 2016 Saturday- Short Films: Summer of the Gods byEliciana Nascimento & Maestrina da Favela w/Falani Spivey
*Elegba Society: 2:00pm – 2:45pm* SUMMER OF THE GODS premiered at Cannes film Festival, and has won five awards so far, including three of best picture. With this film, she reveals the beauty, culture and mythology of her people. Her hope is that it will encourage the preservation of Orishas traditions by inspiring viewers to honor them and learn more. Exclusive sneak peak: MAESTRINA da FAVELA, A coming-of-age documentary, following the life of Afro-Brazilian, female percussionist Elem Silva between the ages of 13-22.

Sept. 17, 2016 Saturday- Short Films: Parallel Shift w/Dawn Hall
*Elegba Society: 2:00pm – 2:45pm* A glimpse into an ethereal reality without special effects; divine inspiration and a dark paradoxical dream. The experience requires the audience to pause and be mindful of the layers of meaning and explore an individual interpretation.

The Writer's Den Poetry Slam
2016-08-31 19:00 - 21:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Come let your word be heard… Cultural merch, food and drinks available.

The Flag Series: Fingers Tracing Places of Aspiration (NEW ART AT ELEGBA FOLKLORE SOCIETY)
2016-08-05 17:00 - 2016-09-30 17:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
New Art Opening at Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center

Sukenya Best’s monotypes will be on view in an exhibition called The Flag Series: Fingers Tracing Places of Aspiration. The show will open on Friday, August 5, 5:00p – 9:00p, at Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center during the First Fridays Artwalk. The Cultural Center is located in the RVA Arts District, 101 East Broad Street, downtown at 1st and Broad. Music will also be featured and refreshments will be served.

The art exudes color and movement via printmaking where the ink is rolled onto a flat surface, manipulating the surface, laying paper on it, and then hand pulling the whole thing through a press, according to the artist. Ms. Best says, “Dragging my fingers and stamping my palms in ink created the various textures within each print. Much of the geometric compositions within the pieces were inspired by international flag designs. The process began to push past the flag, so the very last print became a personal design that is symbolic of time.” In the printmaking process, Ms. Best enhances original flags in essence and symbolism with rhythm and texture.

Ms. Best has exhibited at Museum of Science & Industry (Chicago), Pen & Brush Inc. (New York), Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (Pennsylvania), Kansas City Art Institute (Missouri), Corcoran School of Arts (Washington DC) and the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen (Virginia), among other locations. Her art is found in collections in both New DeIhi and Gujarat in India. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has studied abroad in Zimbabwe and London.

Elegba Folklore Society is a year-round, lively celebration of African and African American culture. In addition to engagement in the visual arts and material culture, programming includes dance theatre and music, cultural history tours and cultural arts festivals. Elegba is an Orisa, or intercessor, who opens the roads to bring clarity our of confusion.

The Flag Series: Fingers Tracing Places of Aspiration runs through September 30.

BE IN OUR AUDIENCE AT DOGWOOD DELL FRIDAY, JULY 1
2016-07-01 20:00 - 22:00 | Dogwood Dell, 6000 N. Boulevard, Richmond, 23220, United States
BE IN OUR AUDIENCE AT DOGWOOD DELL FRIDAY, JULY 1

Celebrate Heritage! Celebrte Life! with the Society’s African dancers, drummers and singers in a concert entitled African Dance, Music and the Oral Tradition. No matter your age or background, you will be enchanted by the spiirit and the opennessof the Ęlęgba Folklore Society.

Show starts at 8p.

Bring your chair or blanket, dinner and candles.

Let’s light up the night!

6000 S. Boulevard, RVA 23220

The Cowtail Switch Workshop
2016-06-25 12:00 - 20:00 | Dominion Arts Center, 600 E Grace St #400, Richmond, 23219, United States
On June 25, the Genworth Lights Up! Youth Open House returns to Dominion Arts Center, 600 East Grace St. (Same location as Juneteenth 2016 with Dick Gregory) This free event offers more than 30 participatory workshops, lecture-demonstrations and performances in the visual and performing arts for children and youth ages 3 to 18. Registration begins at 10:30a and the sessions run from Noon – 5.
At 2p Elegba Folklore Society will facilitate a heritage crafts workshop called, The Cowtail Switch. The Horsetail or Cowtail or Cowtail Switch is a symbol of power, order, status and influence in several African societies. It can also perform functional tasks as a fly whisk or a story whisk. Make your own and discover the magic of your own story!

All ages are welcome.

Juneteenth 2016, A Freedom Celebration - In Reflection
2016-06-18 17:00 - 21:00 | Manchester Dock, 139 Virginia Street, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Elegba Folklore Society presents Juneteenth 2016, A Freedom Celebration in Richmond, Virginia, June 17 – 18. The theme, Here I Stand, invites a consideration of the legacy of history in the present and its influence on shaping the future.
This two-part event features The Symposium on Friday, June 17 in Rhythm Hall at Dominion Arts Center (formerly Richmond CenterStage), 600 E. Grace Street. Doors open at 6:30p. Tickets are $15 for one and $25 for two, general admission. Tickets for students, 12 -18, are $10 and children under 12 are admitted free of charge.
On Saturday, June 18, In Reflection happens beginning at 5:00p at the Manchester Dock and along the Trail of Enslaved Africans. Admission is free.
Dick Gregory, legendary comedian, civil rights activist and natural health enthusiast whose social satire influences America’s thinking, will
keynote The Symposium. Elegba Folklore Society’s performers will also appear. There will be art making, and the Freedom Market will be open all night.
Mr. Gregory will appear in Richmond just a few weeks after the Off-Broadway opening of the biographical, Turn Me Loose. This new comedic drama is about the 60’s comic genius Dick Gregory, the first Black stand-up to make white audiences laugh at the absurdity of bigotry. Gretchen Law wrote and John Legend with Mike Jackson produce, in association with Get Lifted Film Company. According to Gregory’s website, the play reveals how the overwhelming power of activism enticed Gregory from one of the most successful show business careers of the postwar era into a life of sacrifice and danger alongside Martin Luther King, Medgar Evers and other Civil Rights leaders. Wielding razor-sharp wit Gregory hacked away at myths about race, poverty, war and politics. In a recent interview President Obama called Dick Gregory one of his two favorite comics ever. The other was Richard Pryor who himself said, “Dick Gregory was the greatest and he was the first.” Gregory is still championing the same messages today, at age 83. He is a last living champion from a remarkable period of struggle for dignity and freedom. Joe Morton, Emmy winning Scandal star, portrays Mr. Gregory.
A theatre-goer reflected, “We need Dick Gregory more than ever!”
Elegba Folklore Society invites all those who appreciate Dick Gregory’s commentary along with a new generation who will discover, says the site, “one of the most prophetic, committed, authentic, confrontational — and hysterically funny — public figures of our time.”

Juneteenth 2016, A Freedom Celebration - The Symposium
2016-06-17 18:30 - 21:00 | RHYTHM HALL AT DOMINION ARTS CENTER, 600 E Grace St., Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

ELEGBA FOLKLORE SOCIETY TO PERFORM DURING CELEBRATE JACKSON WARD
2016-05-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts – Cheek Theater, 200 North Blvd, Richmond, VA, 23220, United States
Be in our audience as our African dancers, singers and musicians collaborate with the Richmond Symphony to tell a significant story in the community gathering, Celebrate Jackson Ward. We start at 7p, Saturday, May 21.

Also join our performers at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in a Family Day organized around the opening of Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic. Our concert, Identity, is an interactive performance that expresses an African American journey through the soul of stories told in music and dance. We begin at 1p, Saturday, June 11.

MASTER CLASS WITH MALANG BAYO MAY 14!
2016-05-14 15:00 - 18:00 | Dominion Arts Center, 600 E Grace St #400, Richmond, 23219, United States
MALANG BAYO
SENEGAL, WEST AFRICA

Dance! Music! Culture!
Food & Merchandise
Ages 6 – 86!
Saturday, May 14

Dominion Arts Center
(Formerly Richmond CenterStage)
Drum Class @ 3p • Dance Class @ 4:30p
Culture Class @ 6:00p

The Original Classics: Friday Film Festival (May 13th)
2016-05-13 16:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Friday May 13th is MOVIE NIGHT with “The Original Classics Friday Film Festival” hosted by the Nation of Gods & Earths with EFS! Check the flyer for more info.

VISUALIZING AND ENERGIZING YOUR DIVINITY THRU THE IMAGINATIVE POWER OF HET HERU
2016-04-08 19:30 - 21:30 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Ausar Auset Society Richmond, Va. invites you to a Meditation/Healing workshop on Friday, April 8, 2016, 7:30pm – 9:30pm, $7 donation, Elegba Folklore Society, 101 East Broad Street, Richmond, Va. 23219

The Original Classics: Friday Film Festival (April 8th)
2016-04-08 16:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Friday April 8th is MOVIE NIGHT with “The Original Classics Friday Film Festival” hosted by the Nation of Gods & Earths with EFS! Check the flyer for more info.

The Original Classics: Friday Film Festival (March 25)
2016-03-25 16:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Friday March 25th is MOVIE NIGHT with “The Original Classics Friday Film Festival” hosted by the Nation of Gods & Earths with EFS! Check the flyer for more info.

The Ausar Auset Society Presents: Ausarian Initiation Workshop
2016-03-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
You are invited to the “Ausarian Initiation Workshop” on Friday, March 11, 2016 at the Elegba Folklore Society, 101 East Broad Street, Richmond, Va., 7:30 pm till 9:30 pm, $6 donation.

The Original Classics: Friday Film Festival (March 11)
2016-03-11 16:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Friday March 11th is MOVIE NIGHT with “The Original Classics Friday Film Festival” hosted by the Nation of Gods & Earths with EFS! Check the flyer for more info. Also on Friday, the Elegba Folklore Society hosts the Ausar Auset Society of Washington DC at 7:30! Use your weekend to enjoy cultural fun for all!

New Art Exhibit: "Different Trends" By Hassan Mukiibi
2016-03-04 08:00 - 2016-05-31 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
A new and powerful exhibition of international scope is opening at Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 East Broad Street, on Friday, March 4, 2016. Different Trends, acrylic paintings by celebrated Ugandan artist, Hassan Mukiibi, recognizes women’s undeniable — though often challenging — roles in society. Apropos during this Women’s History Month, the show opens at 5p as a part of the First Fridays Artwalk with a reception until 9p, music and gallery talk. Different Trends runs through May 31.
Mukiibi says, “Women have been and are oppressed socially, economically and politically and this, when they contribute strongly in the national transformation. They have helped in the struggle for justice and equality, their roles socially and culturally have made statement in building the economy and they have brought joy to our lives musically through their sweet voices, the way they dance and the art of fashion. Here, I portray women in different postures lines, motions and shapes. These touches are a source of inspiration for me and, hopefully, for the viewer. Here I advocate for social change.”
Hassan Mukiibi was born in 1983 in Kampala, Uganda, and he holds a degree in industrial fine arts from Makerere University. He is a specialist in printmaking, painting and textile treatments. A master at creating texture in the acrylic, he approaches his paintings as if the portrayal is through multi-dimensional textiles.
In addition to sheer artistic excellence, Mukiibi has used art as healing therapy — medication for physical and mental maladies — and, of course, to demonstrate the impact of women.
He has exhibited widely in Africa, Europe and the United States and, now, at Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center.
Selected shows include:
Gallery Watatu, Nairobi
African Union Heads of State Summit, Kampala
Real African Art Gallery, Zanzibar
Makerere University, Kampala
Betsy Bowen Studio, Grand Marais, MN
Howard University, Washington, DC
Elegba Folklore Society is an African-centered cultural arts and education organization based
in Richmond, Virginia. Its work is in the areas of festivals and special events, performances in
African dance, music and dance theatre, cultural history tours and the visual arts and material
culture. It’s purpose is to re-instill cultural foundations among African Americans and to build
bridges of understanding within broader communities.
Among the Yoruba, Elegba is the Orisa or intercessor who opens the roads, bringing clarity
out of confusion. The organization’s intent is that its programs and services are, indeed,
road-opening experiences.
Embrace the Spirit!

First Friday's Art Walk: "CONVERSATIONAL ART" feat. The Art Of Larry Stevens
2016-02-05 17:00 - 21:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Conversational Art
Join us in the Elegba Folklore Society Cultural Center for an evening of art, entertainment, conversation, and inspiration during the last First Friday Artwalk of the season. Come check out our latest exhibit “Conversational Art”, which features the art of Larry Stevens, and is on display through February 29th. A native son of Baltimore, contemporary artist, Larry Stevens, is a natural talent. His pieces reflect real life situations and have been called rich and captivating.
Win a Free Print by Artist Lance Stevens

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Entertainment

Vocalist Carlton Blount will be providing the soundscape during the event. Carlton Blount is the throaty soul singer who was the lead singer of Main Ingredient for a short period early this decade, on their superb but highly underrated Pure Magic set on Magnatar Records. His debut solo CD (From) a Man’s Point of View was also on Magnatar, and it contained the truly magnificent, bitter-in-the-extreme ballad titled Acting Like You’re Free. Mr. Blount’s smooth and rich vocals have also been heard in advertisement campaigns for products such as Pepsi, Mobile Oil and Marriott.
Carlton Blount was born in Richmond Virginia with a passion for singing.He performed as a solo artist who opened concerts for Al Green , Ray Charles , The Temptations , The Four Tops , and etc..He was awarded 1st place for Showtime At The Apollo in 1988.After that appearance , he went on to record his first single Right On Loving You.In 1999.

Capital City Kwanzaa Festival - December 26, 2015
2015-12-26 13:00 - 21:00 | Altria Theater, 6 N Laurel St, Richmond, 23220, United States
Advance tickets for the 2015 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival are $6, general admission, $5 for students, 12 – 18 and $5 for seniors, 65 +. At the door tickets are $8, general admission, $ 7 for students, 12 – 18 and $7 for seniors, 65 +. Tickets for groups (at least 10 persons) are $ 5. Group tickets must be purchased in advance only. Advance tickets can be purchased online at http://efsinc.org or at the Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 East Broad Street in Richmond, VA. Admission is free for children under 12.

Event Details
Richmond, VA • Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador, presents the 2015 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival on Saturday, December 26, 1:00 p.m. – 9:00pm, returning this year to The Altria Theater, 6 N. Laurel Street, Richmond, Virginia. Newly renovated and named, this venue was formerly known as the Landmark Theater.
The 2015 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival presents a carefully planned series of events that please the palette of attendees and capture the spirit and the significance of the Kwanzaa holiday.
The festival’s main stage is alive with music, dance and message presented to strengthen families and galvanize the community. The African Market will be open with food and shopping. There will be children’s events, workshops and more in this nationally recognized, regionally attended observance of the Kwanzaa (quahn-zah) holiday. TheCapital City Kwanzaa Festival is one of the largest Kwanzaa celebrations on the east coast.
The Ancestral Libation and Candle Lighting Ceremony set the tone for the day. Attendees are invited to come and experience the Kwanzaa holiday right from the start! To observe this Pan-African holiday of unity, strength, clarity and solidarity based on reconnection with our essential African value systems, the 2015 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival’s thematic focus is on the first of the Nguzo Saba (n- GOO-zoh SAH- bah), the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa, Umoja, and the power of unity within ourselves, in our homes and in our communities.
When we practice our Umoja, we can expect an unlimited reality and way of being. We are all connected, and elevation into Universal oneness & the practice of traditional African values can be natural and abundantly productive. The ills of American history and socialization have created a complexity of cultural confusion that can result in personal and social dysfunction or disharmony. The festival’s theme is aptly, I Live In Harmony With My People.
Festival events will occur as follows:
1:00pm The African Market Opens, filled with delicious foods plus books, unique handcrafted and imported items, art, home décor, natural body care, clothing, jewelry and more. Remains open throughout the event.
2:00pm The Pouring of Ancestral Libation and Kwanzaa Candle Lighting Ceremony, Affirmation of the Nguzo Saba, the Seven Principles and the ancestors upon whose shoulders we stand. The lighting of candles and the ceremony will feature a call-and- response affirmation. The Elegba Folklore Society’s performing company will lead the ceremony.
2:30pm Opening Processional. Led by Elegba Folklore Society, the leaders of The Nia Sessions join to greet the audience and present an overview of each session. The Society’s performers will also offer African Dance, Music and the Oral Tradition. These dancers, drummers, and singers focus primarily on West Africa to spur an evolving understanding of the cultural and historical underpinnings of the dance and its music while showing its relationship to the United States. Further, audiences develop an appreciation for the dynamic nature and contemporary influence of this timeless art form.
4:30pm Tunji Reggae Band. Since 1981, The Tunji Band has been a staple provider of reggae music. The band has performed widely with Ziggy Marley, Gregory Isaacs, Third World, Steele Pulse, The Wailers and Burning Spear, among others.
Audiences will be treated with songs of revolution, peace, love and unity that deliver a tasteful selection of original music and covered standards.
4:30pm The Nia Sessions and Watoto Kwanzaa Begin. Included are Reiki Master, Richard C. Yates of The Joyce M. Branch Healing Place – alternative approaches to health maintenance, Harmony Organizing with Ayanna McMullen who will guide attendees in getting clear in mind and environment, African Affairs – sheds light on happenings on the continent, with Djibril Niang — and more. — and more. Mangala Jih, visual artist, crafter and educator will facilitate Watoto Kwanzaa activities. The Nia Sessions will be ongoing from 4:30p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
5:45pm Dr. Phil Valentine Speaks. Dr. Valentine is the founder, director and pastor of the Temple of the Healing Spirit—Self-Healing Education Center, co-Founder of The Institute for Self-Mastery, and just recently, Whole Wellness Live. A certified member of the International Association of Counselors and Therapists (I.A.C.T.), he received his doctorate in Hygienic Health Science and Classical Naturopathy from The Life Science Institute of Texas, now merged to the Fit for Life Sciences Institute—College of Natural Health in Canada.
A Hygienic Science and Metaphysical Health consultant to doctors and lay practitioners in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia, he was also a committee member and advisor to the Pan-African Review for Scientific Research and Political Studies where he served as an honorary health consultant to its membership, and he served as co-director of the Heal
Thyself Natural Living Education Center in Brooklyn.
Dr. Valentine established the former School of Arcane Sciences for advanced studies in metaphysics and the occult, and is best known for his ability to decipher and teach the subtlest principles of metaphysics and its application to health, healing, and everyday life in ways that may be understood by both the advanced student and the beginner-apprentice.
His topic for the 2015 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival follows the event’s theme, I Live In Harmony With My People. He will entertain questions from the audience and also facilitate a small group consultation.
7:00pm Afrikana Film Festival presents an independent short in illustration of Umoja or Unity to be followed by discussion.
8:00pm The Feedel Band. Many of Ethiopia’s greatest artists who create original songs inspired by the Golden Age of Ethiopian popular music in the late 1960s and 1970s are, together, The Feedel Band. The music hails from a time where Addis Ababa was ripe with groups playing brass -heavy mixes influenced by American soul and jazz. The members of Feedel Band are saxist, Moges, who can also be heard performing the funky James Brown-influenced cut “Muziqawi Silt” on Éthiopiques’ Volume 13 with the Walias Band. The bassist, Alemseged Kebede, is heard on many of Aster Aweke’s and Tilahune Gessesse’s releases. Araya Woldemichael is a composer, keyboardist and a leader. Kenneth Joseph is the drummer, Minale Bezu on krar (stringed lyre) and vocalist, Kalkidan Meshesha, who also performs traditional dance.
9:00 p.m. Festival Closes.

REAL BLACK FRIDAYS HOLIDAY SALE
2015-12-18, 2015-12-11, 2015-12-04 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Refresh with us in the Cultural Center for extended hours on Fridays in December.
Take the time to buy affirmatively items that have real meaning for yourself,
for your family and for your friends and colleagues.
Tis the season! 365…

25TH ANNUAL DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION, A CELEBRATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN FOLKLIFE
2015-08-15 16:00 - 23:00 | Abner Clay Park, Brook Road and West Clay Street, Richmond, 23219, United States
The 25th Annual Down Home Family Reunion explores a full spectrum of music, dance, stories, food, shopping and enrichment in this weekend Celebration of African American Folklife. As Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador,
Elegba Folklore Society presents this cultural arts festival,
in this notable anniversary year, that takes attendees on a journey of heritage and folklore from West Africa into the Americas.
On Saturday, August 15, the 25th Annual Down Home Family Reunion will happen, 4:00 – 11:00 p.m., at Abner Clay Park, Belvidere and West Leigh Streets, downtown Richmond, VA in Historic Jackson Ward.
Join us — again this year (Yay!) — for this event designed to link West African and African American cultural traditions and to demonstrate ways these practices have influenced the American South.
The mainstage features the traditional music of Benin, West Africa, Latin Funk, The Down Home Blues, and, of course, Elegba Folklore Society’s African dancers, drummers, singers and masquerades.
This year’s headliner is none other than pioneering Philadelphia soul singing group THE DELFONICS!
The VIP Gold Circle
The VIP Gold Circle returns this year. Festival attendees may obtain special seating at the stage throughout the day, complimentary food and beverages and a private meet and greet with the 25th Annual Down Home Family Reunion’s headliner, The Delfonics. Tickets are $30.00 and available at below or by calling or visiting Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E. Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia, 804.644.3900

JUNETEENTH 2015, A FREEDOM CELEBRATION – ESU FESTIVAL
2015-06-21 04:00 - 19:00 | African Burial Ground, 1500 E. Franklin, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Sunday – June 21
• Esu Festival • 4:00-7:00pm • Free
• The Esu Festival happens at Richmond’s African Burial Ground, 16tth & Broad Streets.
►Ceremonies and rituals for healing and ancestral veneration lead by the Ile Ise Ejiogbe Ifá Temple.

JUNETEENTH 2015, A FREEDOM CELEBRATION - IN REFLECTION
2015-06-20 16:00 - 23:00 | Manchester Dock, 139 Virginia Street, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Saturday – June 20
• In Reflection • 4:00-11:00pm • Free
• The historic Manchester Dock, 1308 Brander Street 23224, on the south bank of the James River, was an entry port for Africans being brought into the Americas to be sold into slavery, and it is the site for In Reflection.
►Ashby Anderson’s Afrikan Arkestra will perform Anderson’s original composition, Undertones: An Aural Memorial for the African Burial Ground.
►Elijah Coles, the 11-year-old spoken word prodigy will recall the words of Frederick Douglass
►Elegba Folklore Society’s African dancers and drummers
►The Esu Festival’s Market Day featuring food, information exhibits, art and imports along with special engagement for children.
►Annual Torch Lit Walk on the Trail of Enslaved Africans, about 8pm, led by Elegba Folklore Society’s performers with African dance and music and staged interpretations happening at the Dock, at the Canal Walk’s Turning Basin, the Henry Brown Memorial, the Reconciliation Statue, at the site of the infamous Devil’s Half Acre (Lumpkin’s Jail) in Shockoe Bottom and at Richmond’s African Burial Ground at 16th and Broad Streets.

JUNETEENTH 2015, A FREEDOM CELEBRATION - THE SYMPOSIUM
2015-06-19 06:00 - 22:00 | VCU Campus (Academic Learning Commons, Room 1107), 1000 Floyd Avenue, Richmond, VA, 23284, United States
Juneteenth 2015, A Freedom Celebration’s The Symposium will feature elder activist, Bobby Seale, on June 19. Nearly 80 and a grandfather of four, Bobby Seale is the elder activist still speaking out on college campuses and in communities about the Black Panthers — founded as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense with Huey P. Newton in 1966 — and about social justice issues, including voting rights, education, employment and equality. He shows the similarities of the 1960s protest movement with today’s activism. Then, his work followed that of Martin Luther King. “Dr. King was speaking about what we have to do to end this discrimination, this institutionalized racism,” Seale said. He recalls Dr. King urged members of the audience to boycott companies that refused to hire African Americans, bread companies in particular, saying, “We want to make Wonder Bread wonder where the money went.” Inspired and committed to speak out while nurturing from within, Seale informed that the Black Panther Party’s goals included decent education, full employment, housing, free preventive health care and an end to police brutality. According to the theme of Juneteenth 2015, A Freedom Celebration, Self Determination, Black Lives Matter — in 1865, in 1965 and, especially now, in 2015. Mr. Seale will address actions for African Americans in 2015.
Friday – June 19
• The Symposium • 6:00-10:00pm • $10 for 1 and $18 for 2
• The campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in the Academic Learning Commons, 1000 Floyd Avenue 23284, Room 1107.
►Bobby Seale (keynote speaker)
►Elegba Folklore Society’s African dancers, drummers and singers
►Celebrated jazz vocalist and actress, Desiree Roots will also appear.
►Exhibitors

Click Here to Get Tickets
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April 4: THE FUTURE IS NOW!
2015-04-04 18:00 - 2015-04-05 00:00 | Richmond’s African Burial Ground, Both Sides of the 1500 Block of E. Broad St., Richmond, 23219

April 4: BLUE COATS PARADE
2015-04-04 09:30 - 11:30 | E Main Street in route to the Capitol, Richmond, 23219
Please fill out the following form if you would like to participate in the Blue Coats Parade:

Standing on the shoulders of our African Ancestors, we are speaking our truth. This is an honest acknowledgement of the history that affects us all. Africans enslaved in America had names. They had spirit, they had intellect, they had dignity. We are because they were. We come from cultured and technical societies. They envisioned a future, and we are here. They resisted enslavement and fought for freedom from the beginning. They are empowering this moment. Today opens the way to tomorrow. Together we are elevating in Self Determination.

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April 3: SELF DETERMINATION!
2015-04-03 16:30 - 23:30 | Shockoe Bottom and Richmond’s African Burial Ground, Both Sides of the 1500 Block of E. Broad St., Richmond, 23219

Hidden Colors 2 + Live Music by UNIX!!!
2015-02-13 18:00 - 21:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
“Hidden Colors 2” is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2011 documentary about the untold history of people of African and aboriginal descent. This installment of goes into topics such as the global African presence, the science of melanin, the truth about the prison industrial complex, how thriving Black economic communities were undermined in America, the hidden truth about Native Americans, and much more.
Join us on Friday, February 13th @ 6p in the Ęlęgba Folklore Society Cultural Center for a special viewing of the film “Hidden Colors 2”. There will also be live music provided by Richmond, VA native, UNIX.
Unïx is a singer with a warm, magnetic personality who captures attention with his sound and lyrics. Blessed with a soulful voice with a spiritual undercurrent, Unix is unafraid to change his sound thriving in transformation. No genre lays claim to his message.
