New York, NY

The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) has been awarded $30,000 by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) in support of the projects proposed by three alumni of the institution’s Digital Evolution Artist Retention (DEAR) Fellowship program. Juan Usera, Fatima Logan and H. "Herukhuti" Sharif Williams will each receive $10,000 to fund their artistic endeavors. 

“When CCCADI embraced me through its DEAR program this summer, I knew, as an artist committed to Black liberation, decolonization, and indigenous cultural and artistic sovereignty for African people worldwide, I had found community. But I had no idea that CCCADI would immediately start to demonstrate that its support wasn't mere armchair revolutionary talk. Only a couple of months after becoming an alum, CCCADI offered to support me in pursuing, and now successfully obtaining, a NYSCA grant. The grant comes at a critical moment for me as an artist,” Herukhuti said. 

In order to be considered for the award, all applicants were required to submit their proposals on behalf of a sponsoring organization. CCCADI is pleased to have served as the sponsoring organization for these three artists. 

“At the start of the pandemic, one of our immediate concerns was to provide the best support possible to our artists and cultural workers. We created the Digital Evolution Artist Retention program (DEAR), as a way of providing direct technical assistance and financial support to them. We want to assure that artists of color are prepared and positioned to move into the digital space, secure support and thrive in the new reality of Covid-19. The recent NYSCA awards of $10,000 each to support 3 of our artists from the DEAR program is evidence that when we listen to the artists' needs, work together and respond accordingly, we all win. I am so very proud of Heru, Fatima and Juan,” said Melody Capote, Executive Director of CCCADI. 

Through their proposed projects, Usera, Logan and Herukhuti represent arts grounded in Diasporic identities:

Fatima Logan will pursue, “Urban Jalies - Traditional Priests: Rooted in American Places”, an interdisciplinary project incorporating contemporary dance, folk and traditional arts, film, and literature in the theme of cultural equity to explore the continuance of the jaile (Mande traditional oral historian, musicians and performer) and cultural priest tradition (Central African traditional practices) in African-American dance from the ring shout, to the Charleston, the rise of jazz through Hip-Hop.

H. "Herukhuti" Sharif Williams’ “In the Valley of Coming Forth” is a funky, post-apocalyptic, Afrofuturist play about a Black woman’s struggle to rescue her kidnapped daughter and destroy the system that has torn them apart. In this visceral play in which the characters’ relationships hold literal life and death stakes, the actions of the four Black characters serve as a laboratory for examining various approaches Black people have taken in responding to anti-Black oppression.

Juan Usera seeks to execute his “Interactive Bomba Community Workshop and Performance”, a folk & traditional arts project that teaches Bomba, the music and dance form of all African-derived cultural expressions in Puerto Rican folklore and one of the oldest Black cultural practices, as a way to uplift participants and enrich their lives by serving as a vehicle for self-expression.

Regarding this year’s NYSCA grant recipients, Governor Kathy Hochul said, "These awardees represent the best of what New York's vibrant communities have to offer and with this funding in hand, they will be able to not only continue their creative and inspiring work, but help spur revitalization in their own backyard as well."  

The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute served not only as a sponsoring organization for Usera, Logan, and Williams but also provided technical assistance throughout the application process to those within the CCCADI alumni community who wished to apply. That level of support is one of the benefits alumni are able to take advantage of upon completion of their fellowship program and involvement in the CCCADI community. Elevating artists of the African Diaspora is one of the many ways CCCADI pursues its mission of cultural equity, racial and social justice for African descendant communities within arts and culture. 

To learn more about the DEAR Fellowship visit, www.cccadi.org/dear