(Black Pr Wire) BROOKLYN, N.Y., -- Brooklyn historic house museum Weeksville Heritage Center will partner with local performing arts organization Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation to present a celebration of Kwanzaa—the African-American festival of "first fruits of the harvest"—on Saturday, December 14, the first time that the institution has done so since 1974.  2019 marks 400 years since the first captive Africans were brought to America, as  well as Ghana's Year of Return to Africa, Weeksville commemorates the Pan-African heritage of resistance and transformation in the Diaspora with a full day of activities from noon-8:00pm. There is a $10 suggested donation, but all events are free and open to the public, except for the Paint and Sip sessions, which cost $15.  Brooklyn Brewery is kindly supporting this event.  More info here: https://www.weeksvillesociety.org/weeksville-weekends/2019/12/14/kwanzaa-celebration-at-weeksville

The community is encouraged to get out its special cloth, dress its best & bring the entire family for food from local vendors and support its local artisans at The Marketplace at Weeksville to pick up gifts for the holiday season. In addition, there will be calypso dancing & djembe drumming; a Kwanzaa presentation; Paint & Sip sessions for adults; storytelling and face painting for kids, films; and much more. The day will include live performances by the Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble; tenor saxophonist Antoine Roney and his 15-year-old son, drum prodigy Kojo Roney; Esota, directed by dancer and filmmaker Kerri Edge; intergenerational music ensemble Nubian Messengers; and all-day vibes curated by DJ Hard Hittin' Harry.

"The Board, staff and I have much to be thankful for this year," notes Rob Fields, Weeksville's President & Executive Director. "From the success of our crowdfunding campaign when the community helped us keep our doors open to the incredible support from our elected officials who made it possible for us to be the first cultural institution in over 20 years to be on the path to getting a permanent line item in the NYC budget. Weeksville's future feels particularly bright."

"Our commitment to community mirrors that of Weeksville's," says K. Osei Williams, Executive Director of Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation. "We're thrilled to partner with Weeksville to present an intergenerational and Pan-African celebration that families across Brooklyn can enjoy."

Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday created in the late 1960s by Dr. Maulana Karenga and is typically celebrated from December 26-January 1. It is defined by seven community-focused principles that are also reflected in much of Weeksville's history and efforts to advance the position of black people here in Brooklyn and across the country through collective action.

About Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation

Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to Enriching, Educating, and Entertaining while promoting the importance of cultural performing arts to youth and adults in our community. We empower and strengthen our youth by offering them an opportunity to learn, study and experience the history, movement and beauty of African Diasporic dance, music and culture at its highest level. Our goal is to inspire them to become strong leaders capable of preserving and elevating our culture and communities in the future. www.asaseyaaent.org

About Weeksville Heritage Center

Weeksville Heritage Center is an historic house museum and cultural center in Brooklyn, whose mission is to keep the history of one of the largest free black communities of pre-Civil War America relevant for contemporary audiences, and we achieve this through preservation, education, arts and civic engagement programs. www.weeksvillesociety.org