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Honoring Harriet "Araminta" Tubman
3rd ANNUAL
BLACK MOSES FREEDOM FESTIVAL
SPEAKERS & PERFORMERS
Culture, Celebration, and Community Consciousness
His Royal Majesty Oba Adejuyigbe
Adefunmi ll
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King of the Oyotunji Village
Founded in 1970, ​ Oyotunji Yoruba African Kingdom (OYAK) is the first intentional community in North America, based on the culture of the Yoruba and Republic of Benin tribes of West Africa. Now, after over 49 years of sustaining the only Kingdom based on traditional Yoruba sociology and values. OYAK brings to South Carolina Low-country and greater global community the depth of culture, beautiful art, grandeur of customs and resilient history of the Yoruba New World.......
OYAK core mission is “Spreading Yoruba culture, feeding the community and celebrating Yoruba tradition”.
The Kingdom founder, Oba Adefunmi I, grandson of a Trans Atlantic slave that occurred in the 18th Century traced his root to Oyo Kingdom and recognized that Ife Kingdom is the cradle of the Yoruba as well as the fact that he envisioned to assimilate the Yoruba heritage, culture and tradition into America community. He found out that Yoruba in America has no community like other immigrants communities such as the Jews, Italian, Caribbean, Greeks, Spanish and other inhabitants live like back home, for this reason, he envisioned a Kingdom to be the homestead of our blacks brothers and sisters with the view to promote and spread Yoruba culture, tradition and ways of lives in North America. OYAK has since inception consistently upholds Yoruba tradition to revitalize families, communities, ocean, rivers, lake, animals and soil. Simply put, Oyotunji Yoruba African Kingdom is the custodian of Yoruba heritage, culture and tradition in North America.
Kennae Miller
Yoga Instructor, Community Connector, Healer
Kennae was the founder and owner of Transformation Yoga, a community of yogis utilizing tools of yoga and meditation to serve marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented communities in (Kusso land) Charleston, South Carolina with a framework of anti-racism and oppression and the reduction of harm. Kennae is also the co-founder of Enough, where inclusively they bridge yoga, racial and social justice together to provide funding and awareness to local issues and grassroots organizations owned and led by BIPOC. Transformation Yoga Studio opened in December 2015 to provide a home and brave space for healing and transformative work on a person, community and collective level and closed its doors in March 2023 so Kennae could pivot to the work she does now.
BRUCE INGRAM
Storyteller
We, as a society, are connected to history not just in formal written
passage, but through the more personal acts of storytelling.
Storytelling is a unique way in which history is reveal to us in an
unscripted format. The story is told repeatedly and delivered from one
generation to the next with sacred regards. The stories do not become
diluted over time, richer, as previous characters are weaved into the
history of this narrative.
Its in this legacy pass down by his great-grandpa Steve who was a slave
that lived to be 114 years old which demonstrates Bruce Ingram
passion for storytelling. They tell a story told many moons ago before,
adding to histories accounts records worth preserving.
Patt Gunn
Tour Guide, Griot (storyteller)
Mama Gunn is the Dawta' of Susie Golden Gilliard, the Granddawta' of Ada Shellman Golden and the Great-Great Granddawta' of a Freed Slave, Princess Shellman from McIntosh County, Georgia. She was raised with ten siblings by phenomenal parents who instilled a philosophy that 'it's the heart not the hue - love and respect one another. She is the proud Mother of two Dawtas', Imani and Ayana Gunn and a host of 'Dawta-Friends' from across the United States. Her 'soulcraft' is 'truth-telling'. She tells Master Gullah' Geechee stories of the African American journey from slavery to freedom. She is the CEO of Underground Tours of Sav'h, LLC., and Co-Owner of the Savannah Gallery on Slavery and Healing, Inc. Additionally, She is the President of a non-profit social justice organization, The Center for Jubilee, Reconciliation and Healing, Inc. in Savannah, Georgia. In 1999, She produced a Gullah' Geechee' folk artist group, 'The Saltwata Players'. The group's musical genre are Negro Spirituals and Civil Rights freedom songs. The Players have performed at schools, universities, museums and festivals throughout the Southeast. In 2015, the group had the honor of performing at The White House and on the grounds of the Lincoln Monument.If you asked her what my 21st century philosophy is today, she would simply say,”'Always try to bring value to any circumstance - never take value away.”
DR. FAYTH PARKS
Licensed Psychologist, Professor, Mental Health
Researcher
Dr. Fayth M. Parks is a licensed psychologist, mental health researcher, and professor at Antioch University’s Graduate School of Leadership and Change. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and is known for her work in mental health care, traditional healing practices, and health disparities. Dr. Fayth is passionate about helping individuals and communities heal from trauma using cultural traditions, particularly those from Africa. She has given a TEDx Talk on culture and healing that has been viewed over 150,000 times. She serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association for Rural Mental Health and the Susie King Taylor Center for Jubilee. Dr. Fayth is also a filmmaker and owns Rising Sun Productions, LLC, a company dedicated to creating quality educational and public programming.
Email: mail@faythparks.com
Websites: http://faythparks.com/
http://risingsunproductions.org/
Dr. Da'mond Gadson
Psychotherapist
Dr. Da’mond Gadson is a Bilingual “Spanish and English” African American/Black Psychological Therapist with a Doctorate Degree in Behavioral Health from Arizona State University. He works with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and behavioral needs. He possesses an in-depth understanding of psychological disorders, treatment techniques, diagnosis, and interventions. This includes performing assessment and psychological testing with disciplinary teams in Primary Care, Integrated Care, and mental health settings. He provides solutions to problems by using the client’s strengths to combat challenges. He integrates the role of the mind, body, and spirit in therapy.
Herbal Workshop
TBA
The Black Moses Freedom Festival is a celebration of freedom, inspiration, and community. One of the highlights of our festival is an amazing workshop on herbal medicine making. This is a rare opportunity to learn from local herbalists on how to make herbal tinctures, salves, and remedies from scratch. You can create your own personalized masterpieces and take them home to use, enjoy, and share. We look forward to seeing you there!
Chef Alexander Mack
Vegan Chef
Chef Alexander Mack has a remarkable story that exemplifies resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges and obstacles. During a period of adversity, Alexander's perspective on food changed, inspiring him to adopt a healthier lifestyle and develop his cooking philosophy. Although he lacked the financial resources to attend culinary school, he took an alternative approach by training under master chefs to learn different techniques, learning the science behind cooking, and the art of cooking. Chef Alexander has 20+ years of cooking experience as a professional chef. His dedication and hard work paid off, as he gained experience by traveling to different cities and ultimately creating A.M. Diverse Cooking. He will be serving us his deliciousness in a 3 course fine dining exclusive experience this year and we are so excited and honored to have him!