How long are we going to allow other people to name us, to determine what we respond to? 

There was a time we answered to “colored”, but now it’s an insult. How then did “people of color” become acceptable?

What is an African-American?

Our Hispanicbrothers and sisters are often maligned for not aligning with the term “Black”. Caribbean people in general have had difficulties being lumped in with “Black Americans”.Our African brothers and sisters do not categorize themselves as Black, but instead they rep their tribe with pride.  Bi- and multiracial people are often ostracized for not being Black enough, but didn’t they saythat one drop makes us Black? Do we agree?

Why aren’t we united in our concept of identity?

We are a people united by our origins in a geographical source point, Africa. The world’s majority come from a continent that is larger than the mainland US, most of Europe, China and India combined.We are brothers and sisters of the African diaspora. We are kinfolk. We are AFRIKIN.

 Finally, there is a term with which we can identify without the historically negative implications, a title that has not been marketed in the Western world as a synonym for lazy, predator, criminal, thug.

 We do not accept the way we’ve been categorized, insulted, cheapened for centuries; we are looking forward together as a peopleWe are no longer asking each other to confirm stories of what we did before slavery or whose fault it is that we were lost.  

We are no longer letting the media brainwash us with demeaning images of our brothers and sisters abroad that portray them as savages when it is know who has created the most destruction and chaos on this earth.

 Through art, we communicate with our contemporaries, our kinfolk across the globe today, and how they navigate this crazy and amazing world we live in.We are learning about each other FROM each other, the differences and similarities we share as a people of modern day.Together, we work together with this understanding to create change and improve the future for our children so that they have a better history to reflect upon.

AFRIKIN® curates Black is Beautiful with the art and culture of the African Diaspora in South Florida on May 19

A soiree celebrating the beauty and individuality of the African Diaspora

with art, talks, fashion, food, innovation and performance.

Miami, FL – January 5, 2018 AFRIKIN®—a platform that curates the arts and culture of people of color, as we advance the ingenuity and promise across the Diaspora—presents AFRIKIN® 2018 | Art • Culture • Community, scheduled for Saturday, May 19th at a private location in South Florida. In line with this intention, the evening will embrace the uniqueness and similarities of our brothers and sisters, our AFRIKIN®, across the Diaspora, the born-day of Malcolm X underscoring the night’s festivities.

AFRIKIN® 2018 highlights diverse collections of emerging artists, work whispering solemn thoughts, others wailing of social injustice.  Experience visceral reactions to unconventional pieces as you are moved to tears or fury, compassion and action the ultimate result.

Our curated cuisine and open bar includes sumptuous fare from world-class culinary artisans and enlivened spirits, flavors and notes transporting you to locations unseen yet somehow familiar.  The chocolate bar will flow like the silky smooth skin of our people, bathed in cocoa butter.

AFRIKIN® Talks bring you into the world’s conversation, specifically the theme for 2018: Crafting the Narrative. Thought leaders, scholars, revolutionaries and our keynote speaker will spur the dialogue on society’s active role in trying to psychologically dismantle us, but focus on ways we can and will work to strategically empower ourselves. You will walk away from the Talks energized and armed with the knowledge to no longer acquiesce, but to make concrete change.

Models of striking beauty will grace our runway with collections reflecting the style and attitude of the world’s streets, as you envision the fabric of the people tenderly caressing you.  Their kinky coils revitalize the “Black Art is Beautiful” era and represent the originality so often appropriated, and seldom appreciated.

At AFRIKIN® 2018, you will be privy to the best kept secrets of our innovation and technological advances across the Diaspora, information unleashed to educate and empower everyone in attendance.

Collectively we are offbeat with our creativity and thinking, but we are a rhythmic people, our spirits grounded with the pulse of African drumming. You will be enraptured by electrifying performances, thrilled by the talents of top-notch artists from the continent and the Diaspora.

AFRIKIN® 2018 will be attended by educators, reformers and renegades; you will be in good company mingling with this eclectic and cultured coterie on the evening of Saturday, May 19, 2018. We look forward to your presence as you become apart of our mission to advance the ingenuity and promise of people of color across the Diaspora.

— Team AFRIKIN® is an accomplished group of artists and professionals who pool their expertise to create innovative cultural events. Our services range from event management and programming to developing effective campaigns. Our team’s unparalleled skill in creating new experiences with a social impact demonstrates how creative people use their efforts to solve problems.