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| Welcome to Cafe Cultura's February 2017 newsletter! We are excited to update you as we work to fulfill our mission. #CafeCultura #XpressYourself #TellingOurStories #ArtInThePark #WordsToActions #RiseUp |
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| Café Cultura is an award-winning arts, culture, and youth development organization that promotes unity and healing among Indigenous peoples through creative expression while empowering youth to find their voice, reclaim oral and written traditions, and become leaders in their communities. |
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Cafe Cultura's 02/10/17 Open Mic:
Benefit for Red Fawn
w/ spoken word, music, art, door prizes, food for sale, & community!
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Spread the word...Bring your family & friends!!!!!
VOLUNTEERS PLEASE ARRIVE AT 6pm
Note: Make sure to come early to sign up and get a good seat.
WHAT: All ages showcase (alcohol/drug free event)
WHEN:
2nd Fri. of every month...February 10th, March 10th (8th Annual Rise Up), April 14th
--->Doors open w/ Vendors, Food for Sale, Door Prizes, & Art @ 7pm
WHERE:
910 Galapago St
$3-$5 donation (nobody turned away)
Everyone is welcome!
Feature performers:
---->Wiyaka: I am Diné & Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge, SD. I strive to inspire our youth to work towards success through my music and apparel. Currently, I am pursuing a business and music degree from East LA community college, to strengthen indigenous independence.
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Eden:
Born and raised in Denver, Eden merges her inspirations from her children with her Indigenous roots (Mexikah, Dine', and San Felipe Pueblo) to create spoken word. Through Groupo Tlaloc, Medicine Heart Dancers, and Cafe Cultura, she is teaching her sons the traditions of their people; while also pursuing her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences.
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Art by SunRose IronShell:
Denver Native, SunRose IronShell is an artist, who uses her imagery to shine light on current issues vital to Indigenous youth and the planet. An alumni of East High School and Graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts, she promotes activism through art as a plate form to uplift Indigenous voices.
Community Feature:
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Free Red Fawn:
Red Fawn is a human rights advocate, organizer, and a community leader, and now a political prisoner of Standing Rock. She has been imprisoned and held without bail since Oct. 27th. She is facing federal felony charges and could spend the rest of her life in jail for protecting water.
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#CafeCultura #XpressYourself #TellingOurStories
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Join Our Movement!
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We are finishing up strong with our 2nd Trimester class at DSST College View HS. Below are a few excerpts from the 9th and 10th graders in our elective. We are also enjoying our after-school program through JeffCo Indian Education. We'll have samples of those students in our next newsletter. We look forward to working with a great group of kids at Alameda International Jr/Sr High School
starting this week.
"Yo vengo de una plaza
en el centro de Mezquitic,
donde los tacos de la esquina
nos llenan de alegría.
Mi familia vive en un rancho,
donde hay recuerdos
en la carretera
y un Mezquite welcomes you.
Yo vengo de una mamá,
que representa la bandera mexicana,
con su piel morena
y su sacrificio a cruzar el río para
una mejor vida."
-Jocelyn, DSST College View student
"We are so fast
to post our success on social media
but not live it.
People sometimes fall into stereotypes
and become a statistic.
We often let a small mistake
define who we are,
making ourselves feel almost so distant.
Time is running out....
and those regrets you live by
will hunt you down.
I know life is a full of painful stories,
but find the beautiful details.
Only you decide
to live life as an miracle."
-Fabiola, DSST College View student
"I am the middle finger
that anger throws at the system
and the fight for change.
I am the bullet
used to murder the corrupt,
but also used to take his power.
that fed my family,
and the lobster
we dream of eating.
I am ignorant about my past
but confident about my future.
I am a product of my environment,
good and bad."
-Carter, DSST College View student
If you are interest
ed
in having Cafe Cultura bring our "Telling Our Stories" workshop series to your school as
an electi
ve, after-school enrichment, or a part of an existing class
, contact us.
Our
youth-written books are available online
. To access each collection of powerful spoken word poetry from participants in our workshop series,
simply click on the book cover
.
Make sure to read future newsletters for more updates.
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Complete Our Survey!
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Collaboration with Denver Art Museum
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Rise Up! 3/10/17
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Divesting from DAPL Banks
Cafe Cultura closed our bank account with US Bank, one of the many banks financing the Dakota Access Pipeline. Below is the letter we provided them. We encourage you to educate yourself, divest from these banks, and open an account with a credit union. Find more information @
www.defunddapl.org
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| Contact Information |
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Cafe Cultura
910 Galapago St
Denver, CO 80204
Hours: Mon-Fri from 8am to 6pm
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Make a one-time or monthly donation to Cafe Cultura!
You have the opportunity to invest in Cafe Cultura's work in the community. Click on the following image to make a tax-deductible donation. 
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| Xpress Yourself Spoken Word/Poetry Workshops for Youth (#XpressYourself) |
We have worked with schools and organizations throughout Colorado to give underserved youth an opportunity to express themselves
. Recent partners: Genesister, Denver Art Museum, and Cherry Creek Diversity Conference.
If you are interested
in having Cafe Cultura present at your school or organization, feel free to contact us. Our
basic version
is a
one time, 1 to 2 hour
session
. We have used this
highly engaging
and
culturally relevant
workshop structure for over a decade to encourage Chicana/o and Native youth to use spoken word to give voice to our stories of love, struggle, injustice, and celebration. They serve to
support Language Arts curriculum (4th through 12th grades)
. Workshop structure was designed by a spoken word artist with 4 years experience teaching at the middle and high school level with contributions from other poets and youth advocates. Click here for more information.
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| Promo video for Cafe Cultura's Xpress Yourself: Hip Hop, Poetry, & Spoken Word workshops |
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Whether you are a beginner or an experienced poet, join us as we workshop poems you are currently drafting or will write during our time together.
WHEN:
3rd Friday of the month (February 17th, March 17th, April 21st)
TIME:
6 to 7:30pm
WHERE:
910 Galapago St
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Group pic from last month's workshop
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Exciting Updates
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Thank you
to everyone who attended Cafe Cultura's January open mic. We appreciate everyone who contributed to an empowering night: volunteers, open mic participants, and attendees. Special thank you to 1)
Rosine Mares
for voicing your truth 2)
Queenz of Hip Hop
blessing us with dance and rhythms 3) Victoria Paige Gonzalez for sharing a piece of her world through art 4)
AFSC & Coloradans for Immigrant Rights
for offering our community an opportunity to support our undocumented sisters/brothers.
Thank you!
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| Videos from 1/13/17 Open Mic |
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Cafe Cultura
was honored to receive a Civil Rights Award from NEWSED.
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Thank you to the
Denver American Indian Commission
for nominating our
Executive Director Ara Cruz for a 2016 Mayor's Diversity & Inclusion Award
...he accepted it on behalf of Cafe Cultura and everyone who makes what we do possible. Below is both a group picture and his acceptance video produced as part of the ceremony.
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| 2016 Mayor's Diversity Award |
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Performances/shows from Cafe Cultura poets:
If you want us to perform at an assembly or host an open mic featuring our spoken word artists, contact us. Funds will go to sustaining our organization and the work we do in the community (especially our workshops for youth).
-We continue to receive support from important members of the foundation community. Thank you to our past and current funders:
Imagine 2020 Fund, Hispanics In Philanthropy, Latino Community Foundation Colorado, Young Latino Philanthropists, Bowen Family Performing Arts Fund (The Denver Foundation), Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), National Association for Latino Arts and Culture Fund for the Arts, Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples
,
WESTAF
, and
The Chinook Fund
.
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