EMBODYING CHANGÓ - CCCADI EXEC DIRECTOR CALLS FOR COLLABORATION WITH JAY-Z
The following is a statement by Executive Director Melody Capote:
In celebrating the feast day of Chango this week I am reminded of the blessings that are all of the birthdays of our Black sons and each year that they get to live to celebrate their days; One of whom is Shawn Carter, the infamous Jay-Z. I extend to him a very Happy Born Day, and a wonderful Happy Birthday to his mother, Gloria, without whom, there would be no Jay-Z!
As Jay-Z has acknowledged in his music, on December 4th in the Yoruba Orisha sacred tradition, we celebrate the warrior deity Changó, who is represented by thunder, fire, and lightning and is recognized as the owner of the drum. He is the one who defends us all, the one who represents happiness and stands for justice, as Jay-Z has exemplified through his life's work, particularly through the Shawn Carter Foundation. As a priestess of this tradition myself, it gives me great joy and pride that he would represent Changó the way he has.
I write these reflections as a mother of a Black, Afro-Latino son who is my heart. A son who, every time he walks out the door, has heard my words of blessings asking that he be returned home safely. He is a handsome, kind, and college-educated young man, who can easily be found guilty, simply while living in the color of his Black skin. The story lived by so many mothers, fathers, and families that often don’t get to have happy endings.
I then write these thoughts as the executive director of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), a non-profit cultural organization based on East 125th Street in East Harlem-El Barrio. CCCADI is an arts and cultural organization that works to advance equity, racial and social justice for African descendant communities. Our work highlights our rich root culture in Africa and celebrates the common thread we share as Black people wherever we are from, and wherever we are present -- from Haiti to Brooklyn, Puerto Rico to the El Barrio, Jamaica to the Bronx, and from Cuba to Jersey.
With artists, youth and communities of African descent at the center of our work, we use art and culture as the tools for engaging, educating and empowering our people. Of the 47 years of CCCADI’s existence, I have been with this organization for 40 years, because the work we do matters! Teaching our history through an Afrocentric lens that uses art as our guide speaks to the strength, brilliance and genius of our people. We know that ART heals. It saves and changes lives! It did for Jay-Z as for so many others.
CCCADI is a home, a gem, for African descendant communities in New York City and the African Diaspora. Yet, we battle, year after year, to secure the much-needed funding to produce and present our gorgeous mosaic of world culture. We know that because we focus on racial and social justice intended to empower and advocate for Black people, namely our youth, it is not popular or attractive to public and private philanthropy. Using the voices of artists and youth of color, we train and support through anti-racist initiatives, sending the message that we are here and here to stay and we demand justice and equity. We are not The Met. We do not present Art for Art's Sake. The Art of our community has historically been an Art of Resistance and an Art of Survival!
Lastly, I write this message publicly to explore, in community, and to draw attention to the prospect of a possible collaboration between CCCADI and foundations like the Shawn Carter Foundation, foundations of Black artists working to advance the very thing we’ve worked toward for nearly 50 years: equity and justice for our community. I am making a call for support from artists like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Joey Bada$$, and countless others who embrace and retain African spirituality in their artistic practice. Artists who create work that carries a throughline to our ancestors and Orishas, the spirits that have guided us through centuries of brutal systemic oppression meant to wipe us out. With their protection, we are still here - becoming billionaires and presidents.
Despite our collective successes, we have a ways to go in achieving cultural equity, racial and social justice for our Diaspora. To do so, we need to ensure the preservation of our Sacred Traditions. This is the work that WE at the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute do and we need the support of our artists whose spirits have been touched by the hand of Changó.
In power,
