A “museum without walls” will take over the San Diego History Museum in Balboa Park on February 22 to honor four Black San Diegan trailblazers for the San Diego African American Museum of Fine Arts’ (SDAAMFA) annual Keepers of the Culture event.
This year, the SDAAMFA will feature four honorees instrumental to Black culture in San Diego and the nation at large: California Secretary of State Shirley Weber; jazz musician Ron Dhanifu, lawyer and AKA alumni Martha R. Logan; and the Cooper Family Foundation, which hosts the largest Juneteenth celebration in San Diego County.
SDAAMFA Executive Director Gaidi Finnie says he’s dedicated to “making sure that the whole African American culture still thrives in San Diego proper, and making sure that the residents of San Diego get exposed to African American art.”
This is Finnie’s 11th year with the museum, which he revitalized in 2014 after the museum lay inactive for more than a decade.
The museum traditionally operates through augmented reality (AR) exhibits across San Diego’s various museums and public spaces. Exhibits like “We Stand On Their Shoulders” debuted in 2023 in the San Diego Black Arts and Culture District and highlighted San Diego’s Civil Rights struggles. “Say Their Names Memorial” was hosted in New York in 2021 in response to Black Lives Matter protests at the time.
But, for “Keepers of the Culture,” Finnie’s aim to honor Black history is slightly different.
“Since we revived the museum, we wanted to recognize those who are alive,” Finnie says. “While one exhibit recognizes Black individuals who’ve kept Black culture alive postmortem, Keepers of the Culture aims to “recognize individuals whose contributions have resulted in retaining and expanding the cultural expressions that are uniquely African American.”
During the event, attendees can attend a panel featuring the four honorees and a moderator asking each about their life’s work. And Grammy Award-winning record producer Kamau Kenyatta will perform.
Secretary of State Shirley Weber will be asked about her work to redress slavery in California through the Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans (AB 3121).
“This Task Force brings together experts who understand how we as Californians are still affected by slavery and its successors in our own state, including redlining, theft of labor, wealth and capital, over-incarceration, over-policing and systemic discrimination,” Weber says. “The aim of the Task Force is to heal the injustices of the past and present with tangible action, and to set a course for a better future for African Americans in the state.”
“Keepers of the Culture” is free, but space is limited. SDSun
