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| Welcome to Cafe Cultura's May 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 5/12/17 Open Mic
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... May 12th....(Art in the Park: June 9th, July 14th, August 11th @ La Alma/Lincoln Park Amphitheater)
--->Doors open w/ Vendors, Food for Sale, & Art @ 7pm
--->Show starts @ 7:45pm
WHERE:
910 Galapago St
$3-$5 donation (nobody turned away)
Everyone is welcome!
Feature performers:
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Assetou Xango:
Profound poet, community activist, documentary filmmaker, teacher and mentor born and raised in Denver, CO. She has been writing and performing poetry since 2009. As a poet, she was featured on HBO's Brave New Voices in 2010 and more recently was honored to be a TEDxMileHigh Speaker at the Buell Theater in Denver. In 2015, she was published in Santa Fe University of Art and Design's literary journal entitled "Glyph." Xango is a poet, storyteller community activist, documentary filmmaker and teacher, in all of her art forms and focuses, she is committed to the visibility and rights of Women of Color.
Assetou Xango performing at Tedx
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Los Mocochetes:
"Los Mocochetes are an absolute riot. All of them are excellent musicians and powerful stage performers. They have a new-school mariachi feel, but they incorporate hip-hop and perform like rockers. These guys book tours on sight, no questions asked. They do a lot of work out of Youth on Record. Their front man, Joshua R. Abeyta, is actually a music teacher and vocal instructor at "I Can Jam" studios, so he knows what he's doing. Look for these guys to pop soon." -Theo E. J. Wilson aka 'Lucifury'
Art by:
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Desiree Lawrence: I was born and raised in Denver. I graduated from West High School and am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Art while minoring in Psychology at Metro State University of Denver. I hope to one day get a master's degree in Art Therapy. Art therapy will allow me to teach people how to deal with their own adversities in a positive way and inspire them to be kid again too. I also work at The Boys and Girls club, I was a member as a child and I hope to inspire the kids to go to college.
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Jackie Fawn:
Connecting the lines from past to present, I look towards the ancestors to create illustrations around the struggles of the indigenous peoples and the land.
Community Feature:
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Colorado People's Alliance (COPA)
is a multi-racial, member-driven organization dedicated to advancing and winning progressive social change locally, statewide and nationally. COPA builds power to improve the lives of all Coloradans through leadership development, organizing and alliance building.
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#CafeCultura #XpressYourself #TellingOurStories
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| Words to Actions Youth Leadership Program (#WordsToActions) www.cafecultura.org/wordstoactions |
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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: DCIS Montbello and La Raza Youth Leadership Conference.
If you are interested
in Cafe Cultura presenting
at your school or organization, feel free to contact us.
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.
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Promo video for Cafe Cultura's Xpress Yourself: Hip Hop, Poetry, & Spoken Word workshops
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We continue to draw inspiration from our classes @
Alameda International Jr/Sr High School, DSST College View HS, and
New America School (Lowry).
Below are a few excerpts of the poems they've shared thus far.
"Community,
food,
family,
and activism are love.
But not anymore,
right?
Because the way I love
is wrong,
right?
My skin is wrong?
My culture is wrong?
My want for sacred land
and water
is wrong?
Letting people in
instead of shutting them out
is wrong?
Not for me.
So for the last time I ask,
what is love?"
-Kiki, Alameda International Jr/Sr HS
"I am the Native girl
the school system forgot about.
I am the Native girl
Who chose to leave the Rez.
I am a dreamer
seeking out who I am.
Who will I become?
What will I do?
I am the student
who struggles to keep my grades above Cs.
I am the student
who wakes up at 5am,
but does not go to sleep until 1am.
I am a Native girl
just trying to take control of my future,
and it all starts by graduating now."
-Juwanna, New America School @ Lowry
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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| 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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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 (May 19th, June 16th, and July 21st)
TIME:
6 to 7:30pm
WHERE:
910 Galapago St
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
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Exciting Updates
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-We had the honor of partnering with Denver Public Schools Indian Education as youth in our programs performed at the DPS Equity Boot Camp. Below are a few photos.
Videos at our 4/14/17 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:
Arts In Society, 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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