On Thursday, February 15th, in the spirit of resistance and resilience, you’re invited to the opening of Defend PR, CCCADI’s first art exhibit of 2018 at their new, historic Landmark location. Curated by Mikey Cordero of the Defend PR project, the Defend PR Exhibit explores the creative documentation and stories told through the Defend Puerto Rico Transmedia project with a […]
Feb 15, 2018 | Categories: Uptown Art | Tags: Adrian "Viajero" Roman, Africa, Africans, Afro-Latinos, Black, Blackness, CCCADI, Defend PR, Defend PR Project, Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, El Barrio, El Barrio Firehouse, Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Harlem, Inwood, Latinos, Mikey Cordero, Spanish Harlem, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
A new season of SouSou! Saturdays kicks off this upcoming February 10th, 2018 presented by the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) in East Harlem, NYC. SouSou! Saturdays are a monthly family-oriented art-making, dance, and music workshops held every second Saturday of the month at CCCADI at 120 East 125th Street, NY, NY. The […]
Feb 09, 2018 | Categories: Uptown Kids | Tags: African Diaspora, Afro-Latinos, Callaloo Kids, CCCADI, East Harlem, El Barrio, Harlem, Inwood, uptown, Uptown Collective, Uptown Manhattan, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
Photography: Mario Carrion | New Visual Collective In a weekend where over 3.3 million Black and Brown U.S. citizens struggle with the aftermath of devastating hurricanes throughout the Caribbean, New York City’s African Diaspora came together to honor the powerful Orisha-Nature based sacred traditions that have long united people of African descent across the Americas. […]
Sep 29, 2017 | Categories: That's What's Up | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Amma Mcken, Babe Neil Clarke, CCCADI, East Harlem, El Barrio, Harlem, Inwood, Iyesa Drum Ensemble, Roman Diaz & Ensemble, Trade/itions: Trans-Atlantic Orisha Sacred Tradition, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
In our current era of systematic racism, gender-based violence, neo-fascism, and religious intolerance, a pioneering New York City based cultural arts organization is hosting Trade/itions, a multimedia event set to interrupt toxic narratives about people of color through the elevation of art, culture, and sacred traditions of the African Diaspora. On September 23rd, the Caribbean […]
Sep 20, 2017 | Categories: Uptown Love, Word! | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Amma Mcken, Babe Neil Clarke, CCCADI, East Harlem, El Barrio, Harlem, Inwood, Iyesa Drum Ensemble, Roman Diaz & Ensemble, Trade/itions: Trans-Atlantic Orisha Sacred Tradition, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
Listen up folks; you need this in your life right now. In these dark days of the Trump Tyranny, where everyday brings a new outrage, when it seems that decades of hard fought progress are being undone right before your eyes, you absolutely have to hear Junot Díaz talk to Krista Tippett of On Being […]
Sep 15, 2017 | Categories: Uptown Love, Uptown Speaks, Word! | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Blackness, Blacks, Dominicans, Harlem, Inwood, Junot Diaz, Krista Tippett, Latinos, Northern Manhattan, On Being, Radical Hope, Slavery, The African Diaspora, uptown, Uptown Collective, Uptown Manhattan, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
Saints and salsa. Thousands gathered to celebrate Afro-Latino culture in the city during the latest edition of the “Fiestas Tradicionales en Honor a Santiago Apóstol,” known as the Loíza Festival, named after the city in Puerto Rico that inspired the festival a half-century before. Loíza is home to the largest community of African descendants in […]
Aug 04, 2017 | Categories: Uptown Love, Word! | Tags: Africa, Afro-Latinos, Afrodisiaco, Blackness, CCCADI, El Barrio, Harlem, Inwood, Loiza Festival, Los Hermanos Fraternos de Loiza, Pedro Navaja, Spanish Harlem, uptown, Uptown Collective, Uptown Manhattan, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
July 28th | July 29th | July 30th — 11:00AM to 8PM (All Days) E 109th St (Between 2nd & 3rd Avenues), NY NY. FREE | Please RSVP your attendance here. The Annual Festival Santiago Apóstol de Loíza in El Barrio celebrates a half century of African influence of the Puerto Rican and Latino immigrant […]
Jul 28, 2017 | Categories: Uptown Kids, Uptown Love, Word! | Tags: Africa, Afro-Latinos, Afrodisiaco, Blackness, CCCADI, El Barrio, Harlem, Loiza Festival, Los Hermanos Fraternos de Loiza, Pedro Navaja, Spanish Harlem, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
BY Led Black (@Led_Black) For over 40 years Dr. Marta Moreno Vega has been on the front-lines of highlighting, defining and shaping Afro-Latino identity both in the United States and abroad. She has dedicated her life to telling the story of the African Diaspora and celebrating the legacy and brilliance of African people. To that […]
Oct 19, 2016 | Categories: Uptown Culture, Uptown Love, Word! | Tags: Africa, Africans, Afro-Latinos, Black, Blackness, CCCADI, Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, El Barrio, El Barrio Firehouse, Harlem, Inwood, Latinos, Led Black, Spanish Harlem, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
Photography: Rex Desrosiers Yesterday evening, elected officials and around 250 VIP guests came together to kick off this weekend’s grand-opening celebration of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute’s (CCCADI) new historic location, the Firehouse on 120 E. 125th St. The highly anticipated opening comes after CCCADI’s 40 years of notable social justice work in […]
Oct 14, 2016 | Categories: That's What's Up, Uptown Art, Uptown Culture, Uptown Love, Word! | Tags: Africa, Africans, Afro-Latinos, Black, Blackness, CCCADI, Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, El Barrio, El Barrio Firehouse, Harlem, Inwood, Latinos, Spanish Harlem, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
A Word From La Galería Magazine Founded in 2014 by three Dominican Afro-Latina feminists, La Galería Magazine is an unaffiliated independent grassroots magazine fighting to give a voice to Dominicans in the diaspora and take back our stories. We are committed to staying independent and write opinion pieces that are anti-oppressive and that continue connecting […]
Oct 14, 2016 | Categories: Uptown Love, Uptown Video, Word! | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Broadway, Dominican Diaspora, Dominican Feminists, Dominicans, Feminism, Harlem, indiegogo, Inwood, La Galería Magazine, Northern Manhattan, Upper Manhattan, uptown, Uptown Collective, Uptown Manhattan, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
The indispensable Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) is celebrating their new digs with a grand opening experience taking place over the course of 2 days, October 15th & 16th. Please join them in making history as they establish the center in the heart of El Barrio. There will be an inaugural 3-part exhibition […]
Oct 07, 2016 | Categories: Uptown Art, Uptown Kids, Uptown Love, Word! | Tags: Africa, Africans, Afro-Latinos, Black, Blackness, CCCADI, Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, El Barrio, El Barrio Firehouse, Harlem, Inwood, Latinos, Spanish Harlem, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
In this awesome video from Allure and StyleLikeU, mother-daughter duo Raquel Cepeda and Djali Brown-Cepeda talk about combating identity stereotypes, embracing their natural hair, and advocating the importance of being comfortable in one’s own skin.
Sep 08, 2016 | Categories: Uptown Kids, Uptown Love, Uptown Video, Word! | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Allure, Black, Children, Djali Brown-Cepeda, Dominican York, Hair, Harlem, Inwood, Kids, Latinas. Latinx, Motherhood, Parenthood, People of Color, Race, Raquel Cepeda, Skin Color, StyleLikeU, Upper Manhattan, uptown, Uptown Collective, Uptown Kids, Uptown Manhattan, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
Photography by Mario Carrion “That’s real commitment. These guys are staying put,” affirmed Dr. Marta Moreno Vega, founder and Director of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), one of the Festival’s presenters. She referred to the sea of umbrellas moving to the sound of drums at this year’s “Fiestas Tradicionales en Honor a […]
Aug 05, 2016 | Categories: Uptown Culture, Uptown Kids, Uptown Love, Word! | Tags: Africa, Afro-Latinos, Afrodisiaco, Blackness, CCCADI, El Barrio, Harlem, Loiza Festival, Los Hermanos Fraternos de Loiza, Pedro Navaja, Spanish Harlem, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
Words: Led Black (@Led_Black) Video & Photography: Emmanuel Abreu (@EAbreuVisuals) Elvis Nolasco is a man of the people. Despite the awards, the accolades and the acclaim Elvis remains someone who cares deeply about his craft, his culture and his community. Elvis first entered the public consciousness in 1994 when he was cast in I Like […]
Jul 13, 2016 | Categories: That's What's Up, Uptown Art, Uptown Culture, Uptown Love, Uptown Video | Tags: ABC, Afro-Latinos, American Crime, Caitlin Gerard, Class, Dominicans, Drama, Elvis Nolasco, Emmanuel Abreu, Felicity Huffman, Forest Whitaker, G. Dubbs, Gender, George Washington Educational Campus, Johnny Ortiz, Led Black, Michael Larnell, Race, Regina King, Roxanne Roxanne, Roxanne Shante, Spike Lee, Timothy Hutton, TV, washington heights | 2 Comments »
“This is a safe space for black and brown people,” affirmed Princess Nokia before sending a shout-out to Oshun, the neo-soul hip-hop duo with a cult following that performed hours before on the same stage at the Afro-Latino Festival NYC. The exchange captured the essence of the Festival’s 4th edition, where art and culture became […]
Jul 13, 2016 | Categories: Uptown Love, Uptown Music, Word! | Tags: Africa, Afro-Latinos, Afrodisiaco, Ariana Curtis, Aurelio Martinez, Aysha E. Schomburg, Blackness, brooklyn, Carolina Camacho, Danilo Pérez, DJ Big Nito, DJ Geko Jones, DJ Jigüe, El CaribeFunk, Los Rakas, Making Movies, Maluca, Moisés Medrano, Nickodemus, Nina Sky, Oshun, Princess Nokia, Rich Medina, Sango, Schomburg Center, The Afro-Latino Festival NYC, Tito Puente Jr., Zuzuka Poderosa | Leave A Comment »
Are you a Latina living in New York City who identifies with your blackness? Do you use terms such as, “Afro-Latina, Afro-Dominican, Afro-Cuban etc…” to express who you are and to speak to the memory and existence of your African ancestry? Afro-Dominican photographer, Suhaly Bautista-Carolina also known as The Earth Warrior is working on an […]
Feb 16, 2016 | Categories: Word! | Tags: Africa, African Diaspora, Afro-Latino, Afro-Latinos, Blackness, Dominican Republic, Earth Warrior, Harlem, Inwood, Latinos, Photography, Race, washington heights | 3 Comments »
As Black History Month evolves into #BlackFutureMonth, a response to increasing safety and survival concerns of African descendants in the United States, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) affirms and celebrates the resistance and resilience of African Diaspora global cultures in a multidisciplinary cultural arts weekend event. On February 28th and February 29th, […]
Feb 10, 2016 | Categories: Uptown Love, Uptown Video, Word! | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Amma Mcken, Babe Neil Clarke, CCCADI, East Harlem, El Barrio, Harlem, Inwood, Iyesa Drum Ensemble, Roman Diaz & Ensemble, Trade/itions: Trans-Atlantic Orisha Sacred Tradition, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
A Word From La Galeria Join us for a discussion on negritud/blackness in the Dominican Republic and the Diaspora. Using articles, social media, and other resources, we will discuss what it means to be black in the Dominican Republic and the Diaspora We are providing a space for dialogue. We claim a general understanding of […]
Feb 23, 2015 | Categories: Uptown Culture, Uptown Love | Tags: African Diaspora, Afro-Latinos, Black, Blackness, Dominican Republic, Dominicans, Harlem, Inwood, La Galeria, Latino, washington heights, Word Up Books | 1 Comment »
Jul 11, 2014 | Categories: Uptown Music | Tags: Afro-Dominicans, Afro-Latinos, Camaradas, Carolina Camacho, culture, dance, Dominicans, East Harlem, El Barrio, Gaga P'al Pueblo, Harlem, Inwood, Latinos, Northern Manhattan, uptown, Uptown Manhttan, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
BY Robin Kilmer Come May, a familiar face will be missing uptown. Emmanuel Abreu, better known as DJ Boy, has been an omnipresent creative force in Northern Manhattan for years. If you missed him volunteering at Word Up Community Bookstore, collaborating and performing with the People’s Theatre Project, it has still been virtually impossible to […]
Mar 10, 2014 | Categories: Uptown Culture, Uptown Love | Tags: 360 Xochi Quetzal, Afro-Latinos, Art by DJ Boy, culture, dance, Dominicans, Fort tryon Park, Gaga P'al Pueblo, Inwood, Latinos, Manhattan Times, Mexico, Robin Kilmer, Uptown Parks, Wahi, washington heights | 1 Comment »
Gaga P’al Pueblo’s Photographic Songs District Office of Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, 618 w. 177th St. Thursday, February 20th, 2014 6:00 PM Council Member Rodriguez’s office will play host to a spectacular photography show featuring local artists from the Dominican musical and cultural group, “Gaga P’al Pueblo”. The stunning photographs bring to life the joy and […]
Feb 20, 2014 | Categories: Uptown Art, Uptown Culture, Uptown Video | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Art by DJ Boy, culture, dance, Dominicans, Fort tryon Park, Gaga P'al Pueblo, Inwood, Latinos, Uptown Parks, Wahi, washington heights, Ydanis, Ydanis Rodriguez | Leave A Comment »
Launched in 2006, the Latin American Cultural Week is an annual New York City wide festival which highlights Latin American dance, film, literature, music, theater, visual and performing arts. Many institutions and artists throughout New York City, including Washington Heights and Inwood, participate hosting presentations of music, dance, film, theater, literature, visual and performing arts […]
Nov 14, 2013 | Categories: Uptown Art, Uptown Culture | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Art, Art by DJ Boy, culture, dance, Dominicans, Film, Inwood, Latin American Cultural Week In NYC, Latinos, New York City, Uptown Parks, washington heights | Leave A Comment »
Gagá pa’l Pueblo takes place every summer on Sundays in the Anne Loftus Playground on Dyckman Street as well as other places in the Heights and beyond. Gagá pa’l Pueblo is an all-out celebration of Afro-Dominican identity that welcomes, engages and entrances all who take part in it. Check out the truly awesome video below […]

Oct 08, 2013 | Categories: That's What's Up, Uptown Art, Uptown Culture, Uptown Love, Uptown Music | Tags: Afro-Latinos, Art by DJ Boy, culture, dance, Dominicans, Fort tryon Park, Gaga P'al Pueblo, Inwood, Latinos, Uptown Parks, washington heights | Leave A Comment »