Lineage & Power Through the Arts
By Jeffery Kazembe Batts
IG: @kazbatts
Hidden in plain sight is the Cultural Museum of African Arts located inside an open space with floor-size windows overlooking the Marcy Ave and Fulton St. intersection. The second-floor room is across from the well-traversed Community Board 3 offices and above Applebee’s restaurant in the Bed-Stuy Restoration Plaza complex.
Yet many attendees, such as community leader Rev. Elise Ellerbe-Watson, did not know of the museum’s existence. On Monday evening, February 24th, this changed as the Eric Edwards-founded Museum hosted the “Brooklyn is Africa: Lineage & Power Through the Arts” celebration of Black History Month.
The Brooklyn High School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble displayed remarkable skills as more than a hundred guests entered the museum. People reviewed the art sculptures, including a 2,000-year-old piece from the ancient Nok civilization, and munched on delicious collard greens, mac & cheese, salmon, and jerk chicken served by Brownsville Community Culinary Center chefs. After mingling around, taking pictures, and networking, the crowd settled into the rows of black cloth-covered chairs for the program.
After the group A Song for Life sang the “Lift Every Voice & Sing,” the Black National Anthem, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso commenced with welcoming remarks. “Art is at the heart of our cultural memory,” he expressed as he saluted the museum’s founder, Eric Edwards, and contrasted the celebration of Black history in Brooklyn as opposed to the federal government’s attack on studying and supporting Black history.
NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo and Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Kim Council also shared relevant remarks about the importance of art in the community and maintaining cultural institutions.
The celebration also empowered the audience with information about labor movement icon A. Phillip Randolph during the program. With pictures of his organizing work flashing in the background, Pastor Keyonn Wright Sheppard gave an inspirational speech saluting his legacy, which included him reading some of Randolph’s speeches.
During the evening, The Noel Pointer Foundation was acknowledged for the organization’s long-time service teaching the arts in Brooklyn and beyond. To close out the concise but empowering evening of culture, “Freedom” was sung by the A Song for Life trio that had the audience clapping, singing, and raising their Black power fists.
The evening festivities were a collaboration between the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Cultural Museum of African Arts.