In thinking of how to honor the artistic and cultural work of the elders in the community, the board of the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art started the “Keepers of the Culture” event four years ago.
“(We) really wanted to do something for those people who have helped keep Black culture alive in San Diego. We really try to recognize some of the elders and we want to make sure that we highlight people who’ve been doing their work for a long time. Those two things really guide us in terms of who we choose each year,” said Gaidi Finnie, executive director of the museum.
“San Diego has been changing, with regard to Black people. When I first got here, there was Black radio, there were nightclubs, there was more than one Black newspaper, there were places where people went on a regular basis. Now, depending on where you live, you might not see a Black person at all. We really want to … be a place where people can have more knowledge of African American history in this area. It’s really important that we point these people out and point them out every year because there are more and more people who need to be recognized.”
This year, “Keepers of the Culture” will be held at 5 p.m. on Fridayat Quartyard in downtown San Diego. The honorees include storyteller, actor and writer Alyce Smith Cooper; Nathan East, jazz musician and a founding member of the contemporary jazz group, Fourplay; visual artist and playwright Calvin Manson; and painter and sculptor Andrea Rushing. (Although this free, ticketed event is sold out, people can still make donations to the museum to support its work.)
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