La Peña Cultural Center

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Haiti Solidarity Fundraiser

Join us for an evening of beautiful music and cultural performances as we raise funds for the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund 

Sunday, October 6th at 6:00pm, La Pena Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley. Suggested donation $20.

Today, the situation in Haiti could not be more dire. Government backed paramilitary groups continue to terrorize opposition neighborhoods. Six hundred thousand people have had to flee their homes in the wake of this  violence. Food insecurity now threatens nearly 5 million people,  including 2.4 million children, in a country of 12 million. 

Donations to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund  go directly to grassroots organizations in Haiti that are the hope for Haiti’s future. Your funds support internal refugees who have been driven from their homes as well as those fleeing Haiti. They help sustain grassroots women’s organizations, mobile health clinics and literacy programs in Haiti’s poorest communities. Your donations will help support the University of the Dr. Aristide Foundation (UNIFA), which has opened a new teaching hospital under the most challenging conditions. And your funds will aid the growth of independent community-based media, so critical to in a society where the rich control almost all sources of information. Please circulate widely.

¡BAILA! Community. Dance. Party.

Second BAILA of our Fall Season: dust off your dancing shoes for an epic night with live music & vibrant community energy! Join us for an evening featuring live music, not one but two dance floors, a gender-inclusive salsa and bachata dance class, a fundraising bar, delicious food from our partners at Los Cilantros, complimentary coat check, and a vibrant, inclusive community. All ages are welcome!

Schedule:

  • 7:30pm: Kick off the night with a Ritmos Tropicales Dance Party!
  • 8:00pm: Gender-inclusive Bachata & Salsa Dance Classes (no partner or experience needed)
  • 9:30pm: Dominican Bachata Party with DJ Ron and Dance Party with DJ Jose Ruiz
  • 10:00pm: LIVE Salsa Concert on our main stage with Jesús Díaz y su QBA!

Indulge in a night of continuous fun with a fundraising bar that not only serves up your favorite drinks but also contributes to a good cause. Every sip supports our programming and community offerings.

And don’t forget to relish delights from Los Cilantros as the celebration continues until 1:00am!

Finding Freedom from the Inside: Stories Shaped In and Out Incarceration


Please join our community in celebrating artists and their work by attending Finding Freedom from the Inside: Stories Shaped In and Out of Incarceration!

A powerful and transformative art show featuring works created by artists at San Quentin State Prison and Central California Women’s Facility. This exhibition offers a rare and intimate glimpse into incarcerated individuals’ thoughts, emotions, and experiences behind the wall.

Each piece in the exhibit tells a story, capturing the complex realities of confinement while offering hope, insight, and a deeper connection between the viewer and the artist. The show aims to challenge perceptions, ignite conversations about incarceration, and highlight the transformative potential of art in even the most restricted environments.

By showcasing the talent and vision of incarcerated individuals, Finding Freedom from the Inside: Stories Shaped In and Out of Incarceration highlights the importance of creative expression as a form of freedom, healing, and empowerment.

This event raises critical funds for incarcerated artists by auctioning their creations, made during their time in California prisons. All proceeds from art sales—100%—will go directly to the artists, either through their families or commissary accounts. Additionally, donations will help provide stipends to artists whose work doesn’t sell, with remaining funds supporting Empowerment Avenue and ABO Comix, two incredible organizations advocating and uplifting incarcerated artists.

This event will take place on October 19th, 2024 from 5:30-9:00 pm at La Peña Cultural Center at 3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705. Food will be available for sale inside La Peña!

See you there!

 

Continuing Abolitionist Work Through Art: Organizers’ Vision

Driven by a commitment to abolitionist work in the Bay Area, system-impacted, formerly -incarcerated organizers and UC Berkeley student organizers embarked on planning this art show to reveal what is often hidden from society. While we navigate life in a so-called “free” world, thousands of individuals remain locked away in prisons, separated from their families, and denied their freedom. Our loved ones and community members are behind bars, out of sight, but never forgotten.

As organizers, we aim to spotlight the remarkable talent often overlooked—the incarcerated artists who continue to create powerful, masterful work from within the prison walls. These artists embody resilience and creativity despite the harsh realities of confinement, and their art speaks volumes about their experiences and dreams.

We organize this event out of love for our communities, for those we have lost to incarceration, and for those who continue to be targeted by policing and the prison system. We approach this project with deep respect, using the power and privilege we hold as “people on the outside” to support our incarcerated communities in any way we can.

Revolutionary Love Tour with Valarie Kaur & Friends

The Revolutionary Love Bus Tour 2024-2025 is a healing odyssey across the United States calling people to rise up in courage, humanity, and love.

Join visionary civil rights leader Valarie Kaur in an immersive experience of storytelling, music, song, ancestral wisdom, and community-building. We invite you into a space for soulful introspection, deep listening, and courageous action. Each stop uplifts local leaders, artists, and advocates who catalyze hope. You will leave with the tools needed to lead with love and courage in your daily life.

At the heart of every event, Valarie and fellow artists tell stories of how their ancestors survived seemingly apocalyptic times. Together, we explore how each of us can walk the path of love, healing, and justice. Featuring raag-based kirtan by celebrated Sikh women artists Jasvir Kaur Rababan and Nirinjan Kaur Khalsa. And renowned trumpeter and artist Sonny Singh performing from his new album Sage Warrior, accompanied by Qais Essar.

Special Guests

These artists, activists, healers, and thought leaders aren’t just guests —they are participants in our collective movement, using their voices to shift culture and consciousness. We will hear their stories, and invite you to share your own. Special guests for this event are:

  • Malkia Cyril: acclaimed activist, veteran leader in the movement for digital rights , founder of MediaJustice
  • john a. powell: award-winning educator, internationally recognized expert in areas of civil rights, author of “Belonging without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World”
  • Jose Antonio Vargas: Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, filmmaker, author of the bestselling memoir “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen (HarperCollins)”