Treasures of the African Diaspora
BY ZAKIYYAH ALI
The Coleman Center for the Arts:
A Hidden Jewel in Rural Alabama
I visited Alabama while on a working vacation in July of this year. While I was there, a group of us took an unexpected road trip. In the South, there are many hundreds—or more, I would say—of hidden treasures that belong exclusively to the African American community. At KIZA BlackLit, we are including places like these among what we call Treasures of the African Diaspora—art and cultural spaces that display, exhibit, showcase, archive and promote we the people.
Our road trip took us to York, Alabama. At first, it looked like the town had nothing but a gas station, a Family Dollar store and a red caboose train car. We had fun climbing onto the train car, taking pictures and envisioning how we could convert it into a tiny home.
This was our first clue to the artistic tendencies of the townsfolk. They understood the charm of stumbling onto an opportunity to visit bygone eras by climbing onto an old train car, seemingly left in a state of hurried disarray when the former occupants abruptly left. Suddenly we were archaeologists, adventurers, historians and architects, fascinated and inspired by the possibilities that the train car evoked in our imaginations.
After the train detour, we resumed our planned excursion. The first stop was the museum, which housed a photo exhibit honoring a local mother, midwife, vegan chef, farmer and teacher, Mama Yawah Awolowo, along with the story of her journey and family. The museum is housed in an old red building, two stories high, with lots of old country charm.
From there, we traveled by foot. The “we” was a crew of eleven present and future land stewards from all over the United States, including L.A., Philadelphia and Georgia. This walk, for some, was their first in the new rural South/former slave territory. As we meandered through the few blocks to the next location, we remarked about ourselves and things, seen and unseen, along the way, including collective memories. We saw buses, trains, bars, churches, fast food places, liquor stores—things that are common in large urban centers with large Black and Brown populations. It was refreshing. Like stepping back in time.
The keeper of culture in York is the Coleman Center for the Arts, an institution that stands strong, beaming African American culture, art and community. Founded in 1985 “through the grassroots of efforts of local citizens,” the Center now has seven buildings. Our next stop was a party waiting for us, including a live 7-piece band, wine, food and shopping with vendors of local arts at Pop Start, one of the Coleman Center properties.
Pop Start is a lovely, wide-open indoor space where the Coleman Center hosts a monthly gathering called Shop & Sip, where live entertainment, wine and finger foods intersect shopping for locally-produced artistic wares. The event of the evening was exciting, entertaining and informative, along with honoring great community heroes and heroines.
We had a ball that evening, listening and dancing to the jamming sounds of Groove Control, a jazz (and everything) band. From Grover Washington to Earth, Wind and Fire, the band played on, entertaining guests well into the evening.
An open mic followed the band’s set, and we were treated to the heartfelt poetry of Mike “Just Chill” Pringle, whose poem from that night is featured in this issue, as well as a pair of local songbirds whose voices are on par with Minnie Riperton and Whitney Houston. The featured poet of the evening was Tannur “Shewrightz” Ali, the homesteader extraordinaire who led our road trip party of eleven, and whose poetry was featured in the first edition of KIZA BlackLit. All in all, we had a rockin’ good time.
Earlier that day, the museum hosted the opening reception for an exhibit entitled “Birthed from the Soil: A Photo Affair by Iyana Esters.” The traveling exhibit features the life and work of Mama Yawah Awolowo. Mama Yawah (pictured above, enjoying the music with her boo) is an organic farmer, vegan chef and midwife from Cuba Alabama. She is also the Garden Program Manager at the Coleman Center.
A few days after the Shop & Sip, we had the opportunity to tour the Coleman Center properties, which include a museum, dance studio, library and building that hosts artistic residencies, as well as Air BnB guests. The Center is currently run by Executive Director and Curator, Dr. Marguerite Hinrichs and her husband, Curtis “Bro. Boze” Riley, Curator of Arts Education, along with a dedicated staff of four. Together, they are nourishing the York, Alabama community’s heart for the arts with a robust array of offerings.
Curtis “Bro. Boze” Riley, sitting with a few images from his earlier gallery exhibition, highlighting characters from "The Wiz."
This mural-in-progress by Bro. Boze pictures the daughter of the Curator & Director husband-and-wife team, Boze and Marguerite. The mural graces one wall in the dance studio.
We salute the Coleman Center for the Arts for their heroic work in the York, Alabama Region. We highly recommend that you add them to your list of must-see places, and be sure to plan your visit in time for a monthly Shop & Sip. You’ll be glad you did.
205.392.2005
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