Events

Akae Beka is the current manifestation of an evolving consciousness. Following a quarter of a century as lead singer and co-founder for the legendary, St. Croix-based band, Midnite, Vaughn Benjamin was inspired to intensify his light when life situations led him to revisit the Book of Enoch. He then realized his preparedness to answer the calling of a sacred oath described therein, the Akae, the Beka, one and the same. Much like the archangel Michael who was responsible for the truths pertaining to the secrets of creation, so does Benjamin today accept his role in a parallel time of rampant deception and broken taboos in the arenas of world leadership. Always rooted firmly in the teachings of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I, his personal evolution and reaffirmed purpose is manifested in his newly declared name.

Vaughn and his brother Ron Benjamin, sons of Antiguan music legend Ronnie Benjamin, Sr., together sowed the seeds of Midnite in 1989. During the mid-1990s, the band embarked on a 5-year sojourn in Washington DC, where they became area legends for their nightly 3-5 hour sets. Albums such as the debut Unpolished (1997), Ras Mek Peace (1999) and the seminal third release, Jubilees Of Zion (2001), collectively set the tone for what would become more than 60 albums leading up to 2014. That year, their album Beauty For Ashes (a Midnite I Grade collaboration) was named Reggae Album of the Year by iTunes.

Though his signature voice and edifying poetry graces an incredibly vast catalog of recordings, Akae Beka was unleashed by Fifth Son / VPAL Music in November 2015 with the debut album, Homage To The Land. The sophomore follow up, Portals, was released in collaboration with I Grade Records in April 2016. Livicated, released October 2016 on the Zion High Productions label, is the third and most recent project continuing Benjamins reputation for prolific output. JahSayDo, the fourth release under Akae Beka, will be released on March 31, 2017. Still, he explores and introduces ancient, esoteric knowledge in ways applicable to present day realities.

Akae Beka is accompanied by the following players of instruments: Christian Sly Molina-Curet (drums and percussions), Lyndon Ras L Williams (bass), Edmund Fieulleteau (guitar), Edwin Kenny Byron (guitar) and Suren Fenton (keyboards). Consisting mostly of former Midnite band members, the Akae Beka sound builds on a strong foundation of trance-inducing performance experiences across five continents and countless festivals such as Bonaroo, Outside Lands, Reggae on the River, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Summerjam, Rototom Sunsplash and Reggae Jam.

Chance the Rapper Announces North American Tour

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10am, here:
https://www.eatmytickets.com/en/artist/chance-the-rapper/

This year, we had the honor of graduating the fourth cohort of our Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute and the 14th class of our Students for Economic Justice Fellowship.

Over the course of six months, 13 community leaders expanded their skills to serve on commissions and seven students learned and practiced organizing skills in on-the-ground organizing campaigns led by local labor and community partners.

Now it’s time to celebrate these visionary leaders!

We invite you to join us—and City of San Diego Councilmember Monica Montgomery—to recognize their achievements and celebrate our growing community of leaders and organizers working to create a more equitable San Diego region.

Record clearing event with the San Diego Public Defenders Office and job fair with employers who are willing to hire individuals who may have been touched by the criminal justice system,

You are cordially invited to join CAT on the 4th Monday of every month at 7:00 pm {EXCEPT MAY, NOVEMBER & DECEMBER} for an evening of sharing of talents…yours and ours. Talents that we invite you to showcase are: Poetry, Monologues, Spoken Word, Skits, Singing and/or Dancing, Drumming, Current Events, Magic Tricks, Clean Comedy, Excerpts from plays, etc., etc.. Potential Performers, please sign-up on the Sign-In “PERFORMER’S LIST” before 7:00 pm. Each performer will have 10-12 minutes to perform….depending on how many performers we have for the night. Please bring other family members, friends, and co-workers with you. They can perform, or be our audience. Suggested donation is $5.00 per person. However, we appreciate any and all donations.

We will also hear from representatives from hoMEwork, a program designed to introduce formerly incarcerated women and men to careers in the building trades. hoMEwork outreach includes monthly dinners as a forum to hear from the trades and create associations with the leaders.

hoMEwork also offers a weekly life skills class, designed to ensure these women and men have the needed skills to deal with inherent adversity that come with being back in the free world, including how to handle issues that will arise in a job site.

For more on hoMEwork, see this interview with KUSI from earlier this year: https://www.kusi.com/program-helps-those-with-felony-convictions-find-jobs/

All visitors are welcome, but if you need to join our club, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/bNv6LNnV74VxeNtf7 and pay or renew dues via Venmo (sdlabordemclub) or Paypal at sdlabordemclub@gmail.com. Dues are $10 per year.

We hope to see you at our meeting on October 13!

Please join me and Councilmember Monica Montgomery for a fundraiser to elect Kenya Taylor to San Diego Board of Supervisors, District 2.

We are honored to co-host a fundraiser for Kenya. She will bring a much-needed and fresh perspective to the Board of Supervisors and serve all of San Diego County.

WHEN – Sunday, September 29th, 2-5pm
WHERE – Signature Hair Salon

To RSVP or DONATE go to: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gjwandmm4kenya
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Suggested donations:
$25 Friend
$50 Grassroots activist
$100 champion
$250 supporter
$500 trailblazer
$850 co-host

Political contributions are not tax-deductible. The County of San Diego campaign regulations permit only personal individual contributions of $850 per individual, per election. Spouses may contribute $1,700 per election, per couple, if both spouses sign the check or credit card form. It is unlawful to be reimbursed by any organization, business, or individual.

SAVE THE DATE! I Am My Brother’s Keeper CDC 7th Annual Fundraiser Gala – Friday, September 27th, 6-10pm. Tickets $100 – Table and Event Sponsorships available. To RSVP contact iambkgala@gmail.com