Photo courtesy of Event Brite

To honor Black History Month, members of the South Florida African Diaspora will come together to raise awareness and explore strategic practices around social justice and economic growth during a series of talks to help empower and cultivate the local Black community.

Black Artist Talk, created by Olujimi Dance Collective founder and Deering Estate Artist-in-Residence Michelle Grant-Murray, is offering the free platform at the Deering Estate’s Visitor Center Theater on Saturday, February 22, 2025, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Grant-Murray will be the moderator for the event at located at 16701 SW 72 Ave. in Miami,

The iteration of the program is a moving conversation that includes a dance and music performance by Olujimi Dance Collective followed by an intimate conversation with Prince Aderele, Chief Àìkúlọlá, Nathan Lugo, and Wakumi Douglas (Iyanifa Awosogbon) discussing global learning as a bridge to understanding, appreciation, caring, and healing communities. The conversation will be moderated by Michelle Grant-Murray.

The panelists include:

Chief Àìkúlọlá, Nathan Lugo is a respected authority and priest of Yorùbá Traditional Religion of Puerto Rican descent with three decades of experience, training and initiation in Yorùbá land of Nigeria and Benin Republic.

He is fluent in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Yorùbá.

Prince Aderele is a Master Percussionist, Visual Artist, Sacred Yoruba Choreographer, and Arts Educator.

He masterfully blends his West African royal heritage with his U.S. creative journey, connecting diaspora communities to their cultural roots through sacred art forms.

Chester Jones is a Jamaican-born dancer, choreographer and creative director with over 7 plus years of extensive training and more than a decade of pro dance experience. Chester has danced in 15+ countries, dozens of artistes across dancehall, hip-hop and soca genres and has been on major stages in the US and the Caribbean. Outside of dance Chester holds BA in Journalism and is a digital media marketing professional.

To RSVP online, visit www.eventbrite.com.