VOICES OF THE MOVEMENT

A HOUSE PARTY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

A mountain of shoes pile up by the front door of Kalo House (@Kalo_House), a Washington D.C. home, gallery, and community staple loved by organizers and artists. Screen printed posters on merch tables call for the abolition of I.C.E. and prisons, the end of Venezuelan Occupation, and a free Palestine, Congo, and Sudan. Protest banners tower over guests while an intimately curated art exhibition with photography, paintings, and mixed media art attest to past rallies and demonstrations along the staircase. Palestine Cola and steaming and empanadas flow between hands, with proceeds supporting local mutual aid groups.

Ojos Magníficos (ojosmagnificos) and Santana Sankofa (@antanasankofa) at Kalo House (@kalo_house) Photos by Hai Thai (@knivesthai) and Jon Eye (@jon.eye)

It’s here that Voices of the Movement filled the space with such energy you’d think the ceiling was going to pop clean off. Presented by Brooklyn the Kid ’N Friends, the event was packed with music, art, and people. It was beautiful to see the satisfaction and shared purpose that gained momentum throughout the night. On a treacherously icy night that would keep anyone curled up in bed, over seventy people squeezed into a party dedicated to art and activism.

Beyond Your Definition (@beyondyourdefinition), Olivia (@odnucci), A’ma’d (@a.m_ad), Aleyzza (@aleyzza) Photos by Hai Thai (@knivesthai) and Jon Eye (@jon.eye)

I was honored to perform amongst such powerhouse writers and performers like La Marvela, Brooklyn the Kid and Sol Reliqs, Aleyzza, A’mad, and Beyond Your Definition. These artists all beautifully led the audience in call-and-response during their songs and the flow between the musicians and crowd electrified and unified us. Everyone spoke truth to power and their way of calling out the system sharpened my tongue. Chocolate City is alive and bumping! There’s really good stuff happening in the DC-Maryland-Virginia area and of course in Baltimore where I’m lucky to live.

A’ma’d (@a.m_ad), Mawlude (@sel.sa.beel), Aleyzza (@aleyzza), and Sol Reliqs (@solreliqs) with Dicho (@dice_el_dicho), Conrado Muluc (@conradomuluc), and Brooklyn the Kid (@brooklynthekid) Photos by Hai Thai (@knivesthai) and Jon Eye (@jon.eye)

I love all the photos and memories of this night. We all connected, danced, perreamos. We laughed, jumped, and screamed Bad Bunny lyrics with a roar, during this time of terrifying ICE raids and routine state violence. We let ourselves be taken over by our Ancestors’ revolutionary spirit, a spirit that at any given moment seeks to change us all. They’d be proud of us for this one.

Sara (@saruchas) of Right to Read Bookclub, Brooklyn the Kid (@brooklynthekid), La Marvela (@lamarvelamusic) and DJ NoLa (@thynola) Photos by Hai Thai (@knivesthai) and Jon Eye (@jon.eye)

Thank you to the new subscribers who joined through my makeshift newsletter sign up sheet and a huge shout out to everyone who has been here, watching, listening, and supporting me. I have so much to share in the coming months. Just imagine an iceberg filled to the brim with new music, videos, and updates melting right now.