This Weekend 1619 FEST! ORLANDO Celebrates Black History While Building Community (Feb 11-13, 2022)

A THREE-DAY FESTIVAL: FRIDAY FEB 11, 2022 - SUNDAY FEB 13, 2022

(Winter Park FL - Jan 29 2022) Join us in celebrating Black History Month at the 1619 Fest! Orlando: the inaugural three-day festival, starting February 11th - February 13th, 2022. Featuring Live musical performances, local vendors, film & panel discussions, the Rebel Run 5k Race & more! This festival will take place in three locations in the Historical Hannibal Square area in West Winter Park, Florida. The Third Annual 1619Fest Orlando will educate and recognize the essential and ongoing contributions made by African-American’s throughout the history of the U.S and in Central Florida.

Third Annual 1619 Fest Orlando! in Historic Hannibal Square, Winter Park, FL

It’s been three years since the world was taken by storm by Nikole Hannah-Jones’ Pulitzer Prize-Winning publication, The 1619 Project. Published in 2019, in a special issue of the New York Times Magazine, “it includes essays and creative works by journalists, historians, and artists; that illuminates the legacy of slavery in the contemporary United States, and highlights the contributions of Black Americans to every aspect of American society.” The project's purpose is to reframe America’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative. (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html)

Moreover, since the passage of H.R. 1242, a bill which requires that the federal government forms a commission to educate the public about the arrival of Africans in the United States and the historical contributions of African-Americans in the United States. The commission would also examine and recognize the resilience of African-Americans since their arrival in 1619; the impact of enslavement, racism, and systemic legal barriers which enforced racial, economic, and political disenfranchisement and discrimination throughout this country’s history.

On January 8, 2018, the 15-member Commission enacted the 400 Years of African American History Commission Act. This Act commemorated the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans from Angola, to the English Colony of Hampton, Virginia, on August 20, 1619. This date marked the beginning of the painful and abhorrent legacy of slavery in America and began the era known as The Middle Passage, or “Maafa”. Maafa catastrophic events were experienced by over 4 million Africans bound for enslavement in the Americas. Maafa describes the history and impact of slavery and legalized genocide of African’s in America, its outgrowth, systematic and institutionalized racism, environmental apartheid, political marginalization, and segregation of Black Americans.

In February, Black History Month celebrates the invaluable contributions of African-Americans, such as Dr. Carter G. Woodson, known as the “father of black history,” chose a week in February 1915 to teach, acknowledge and celebrate the many achievements of African-Americans. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, asking all United States citizens to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

This year’s festival is sponsored by Kroger, Orlando Regional REALTOR Foundation, Bridging The Color Divide, and Kidz College Primary School. Community & Educational Partners are Birthright AFRICA, Hannibal Square Heritage Center, Coalition For Access & Representation Orlando Youth in Action Movement, and Culture Born. Must RSVP for festival events, please visit: 1619FestOrlando.com. For further media inquiry about 1619Fest! Orlando, contact LaWanda Thompson at Email: equitycouncilcorp@gmail.com or 407.490.2902

CONNECT TO THE 1619 FEST

Register for the REBEL RUN 5K @ 1619 FEST

We are less than a week away! RSVP for the Rebel Run 5k on Saturday, Feb 12, 2022. Tickets are $35, which includes an exclusive Rebel Run T-Shirt and admission into the race to run with the community in the spirit of freedom!

>> Rebel Run Registration

Become a Vendor Today!

We have re-opened our vendor application to vend at our festival this year. We are accepting retail vendors, small-businesses, artists, crafts goods, food vendors, non-profits, and health & wellness vendors.

To vend, please apply here:

>> www.equitycouncilcorp.org/vendor-final

RSVP for the "Sankofa" Film Screening & Panel Discussion featuring Dr. Kevin Washington (Mwata Kairi), Ph.D., is an Afrikan-Centered psychologist licensed in Florida and Washington, DC. He has taught/lectured at several colleges nationally and internationally. He has been featured on NBC Universal (BEN), National Alliance to End Homelessness, Roland Martin as well as Onyx Magazine, Essence Magazine, Vocal Point, and many other national and international organizations. He is a Past President of the Association of Black Psychologists and is currently an Associate Professor and Head of the Sociology and Psychology at Grambling State University, the National Director of Black Marriage Day, and the founder of Ubuntu Psychology through which he provides culturally-relevant trauma-informed care and interventions, trainings and workshops.

>>RSVP for Film & Film Discussion Here

#community #team