El Cerrito Plans African American Celebrations

EL CERRITO, CA - From the City of El Cerrito: As part of the City of El Cerrito’s Centennial Celebration, St. Peter C.M.E. Church and the El Cerrito Branch of the NAACP are hosting a weekend event to honor the legacy of African Americans in El Cerrito on August 26 and 27, 2017.

Event Coordinator, Patricia Durham said, “As part of the El Cerrito Centennial Celebration, we are calling the village together to honor the legacy of African Americans in El Cerrito.”

Centennial Celebration honoring the legacy of African Americans

• Saturday, August 26, 2017
• 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane, El Cerrito

Everyone is invited to share in this meaningful and joyous celebration. During the celebration, you can enjoy a taste of soul food, live entertainment, art exhibits and a legacy museum. The event will feature former El Cerrito resident Regina Mason, Executive Producer and Author of “Life of William Grimes, the Runaway Slave” as keynote speaker, special guest Belva Davis-Moore and One Hitter Entertainment performing artist Da Michanic.

Community Worship Service

• Sunday, August 27, 2017
• 11:00 a.m.
• St. Peter C.M.E. Church. 5324 Cypress Ave, El Cerrito

The Community of El Cerrito is invited to worship at St. Peter C.M.E. Church continuing the Centennial year celebration.

Between 1916 and 1970, six million African Americans fled the terror of the Jim Crow rural Southern United States and moved to the urban Northeast, Midwest and West. It was one of the largest and most rapid mass internal movements of people in history. In sheer numbers, it outranks the migration of any other ethnic group. Overcoming economic, legal and social barriers, African Americans persevered to relocate their families, establish homes, churches, careers, businesses and make valuable contributions in their communities. Several of these brave pioneers settled in and around the City of El Cerrito.

Keynote speaker, Regina Mason spent fifteen years researching the life of her ancestor, William Grimes. She has gone on to become an international speaker, author, and executive producer. She has presented to a host of educational organizations and schools, and has appeared on PBS and NPR. She continues to research, write, and publish on her family’s American experience and has recently retired from the University of California at Berkeley. She is a former El Cerrito resident and currently resides in Oakland with her family.

The event is sponsored by St. Peter C.M.E. Church, El Cerrito Branch of the NAACP, City of El Cerrito, Law Office of Mister Phillips, One Hitter Entertainment and True Productions.

For more information, please contact Event Coordinator, Patricia Durham at 510-234-2518.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cityofelcerrito/posts/10155495177692492

Event Flyer: http://www.el-cerrito.org/DocumentCenter/View/7615

Keynote Speaker Regina Mason: www.ginasjourney.com

Image via Pixabay