UP-COMING PEW/AAHA EVENTS / ACTIVITIES Featuring Ayo Handy-Kendi the Breath Sekou, founder, Optimum Life Breathology (O.L.B.) and Black love Day, Feb. 13th with John Davies 3 and ELTUC Sacred Sound
PEW speaks and facilitates workshops (breathshops) and sessions using breathology, breathwork and other transformative practices to heal BIPOC's mental health and feelings of in-equality due to race-based trauma, so we can move forward without stress, in peace and love.
Learn about the "power of the breath" for countless, life-changing possibilities. Breathe better, Live better.
We celebrate Black Love Day, every Feb. 13th We practice the 5 Black Love Tenets everyday: Love for the Creator, Love for Self, the Black Family, the Black Community and the so-called Black Race. Whites show love in action towards Black people.
PEW/AAHA (African American Holiday Association (AAHA) work together to use culture and healing using holidays, celebrations and rituals for social change, self-help and economic empowerment. View www.AfricanAmericanHolidays.org
June 13, 2024: Experience "Freedom Songs", a one-woman virtual story-performance and breathshop that re-enacts the ending of enslavement and liberation for American Blacks, during the times of D.C. Emancipation, April 16, 1862 and Juneteenth, 1865 through the lens of an enslaved women and Negro Spirituals. These stories for racial and diversity healing, with audience participation, were created by Ayo Handy-Kendi, the Breath Sekou, and have delighted and uplifted countless lives for over 30 years.
At the end of the portrayal, the audience is asked to explore their feelings in a compassionate technique, called “silencing”. Silencing is a contemplative, inner-dialogue in which you meditate briefly on your feelings, honor them by writing them down and on a sub-conscious cellular level, breathe through them for deep release and effective reconciliation. The finale encourages a talk-back dialogue about this historical portrayal that brings us to the modern day demand for Reparations, the lingering mental/physical effects of enslavement to today's racism and continued need for Black Love. Presented by the host PositivEnergyWorks and the African American Holiday Association (AAHA) to preserve culture and to heal by changing hearts and minds.
D.C. EMANCIPATION DAY citywide calendar [Hat-tip to Ms. BRENDA SAYLES for compiling this information.]
April 16, 1862 ~ April 16, 2024 FIRST FREED, LAST FREE!
Native Washingtonian LORETTA CARTER HANES spent her life fighting for educational equality and for the official recognition of APRIL 16th as EMANCIPATION DAY in the District of Columbia.
Loretta Carter Hanes posed with a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation in front of the Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Park in Northeast D.C.
READ MORE ABOUT THE REVIVER OF D.C. EMANCIPATION DAY:
By Katrina Ingraham, D.C. History Center, April 14, 2021
The Freedom Parade's Driving Force Historian Loretta Hanes Worked 10 Years for Emancipation Day Event By Jennifer Frey, The Washington Post, April 16, 2002 Emancipation Celebration After 101 Years, Parade Again Marks Liberation of D.C. Slaves By Sylvia Moreno, The Washington Post, April 16, 2002
Saturday, April 13th: 10-11:30 am -Beyond the Battlefield: A Civil War Walking Tour of Alexandria- Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden, 614 Oronoco Street, Alexandria, VA. Walk around and learn the stories of soldiers, citizens and self-liberated African Americans during Civil War Alexandria. General Public ($15) | Museum Members (FREE)
Saturday, April 13th: 11 am - 12:30 pm - D.C. Emancipation: Observing the Day and Honoring the Ancestors- Mount Zion - Female Union Band Society Cemeteries, 2501 Mill Road NW. Libation ceremony, reading of the names and a conversation to learn about Mount Zion - FUBS ancestors with "caretakers" Lisa Fager and Patrick Tisdale. SOLD OUT!
Sunday, April 14th: 2-4 pm -D.C. Emancipation Day: From Franklin Park to Mount Vernon Square- Hear why D.C.’s enslaved persons were granted freedom nine months before nation-wide emancipation occurred and where annual celebrations were held.The walk concludes inside theD.C. History Center, where participants can viewDC Home Rule 50, a photography exhibit that explores the themes of free elections, self-governance, full citizenship and D.C. statehood.
Sunday, April 14th:D.C. GOVERNMENT EVENTS 2 pm -PARADE-Pennsylvania Avenue & 10th Street NW 3 pm -CONCERT- Freedom Plaza- Pennsylvania Avenue NW (between 13th & 14th streets) 8:30 pm -FIREWORKS - Freedom Plaza
Tuesday, April 16th: 10 am - 5 pm -District Day Trunk Show, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Heritage Hall, 1400 Constitution Avenue NW. Live performances, conversations and a specialDistrict Day menu from theSweet Home Café.
Tuesday, April 16th: 12 noon - Franklin Square - Remembrance of Ms. Loretta Carter Hanes -Friends of D.C. Emancipation Daywill gather to remember Ms. Hanes, Wesley Hanes, Peter Hanes (and Cynthia "Cindy" Hanes who is still with us), as well as the 2,989 enslaved persons emancipated on April 16, 1862. All "Foot Soldiers" are welcome to attend.
Tuesday, April 16th: 2 pm - D.C. Emancipation Day Talk -African American Civil War Memorial, 1925 Vermont Avenue NW (U St/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro).
[Hat-tip to Ms. BRENDA SAYLES for compiling this information.]
The District of Columbia has the unique distinction of being the only part of the United States to have compensated slavers for freeing the enslaved persons they owned.
The act provided for immediate emancipation, compensation to former slave owners who were loyal to the Union of up to $300 for each freed enslaved person, voluntary colonization of formerly enslaved persons to locations outside the United States and payments of up to $100 for each person choosing emigration. The Board of Commissioners appointed to administer the act approved 930 petitions, completely or in part, from former slave owners for the freedom of 2,989 formerly enslaved persons.
African-Americans greeted emancipation with great jubilation in the District of Columbia. For many years afterward, they celebrated D.C. Emancipation Day – APRIL 16th – with parades and festivals. D.C. Emancipation Day has been an official public holiday in the District of Columbia since 2005.
COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NOTICE D.C. LAW 15-288
To amend the District of Columbia Government Comprehensive Merit Personnel Act of 1978, to make April 16th, the District of Columbia Emancipation Day, a recognized legal public holiday.
Carolyn N. Graham (left), the Deputy Mayor for Children Youth, Families and Elders, applauds with members of the Stand Up! for Democracy in D.C. Coalition who came to the John A. Wilson Building in hopes that someone from the mayor's office would read the bill which was signed by the mayor in 2000 making April 16th D.C. Emancipation Day. Before the group went to the Wilson Building, Stand Up! Members Marilyn Preston Killingham, Ayo Handy Kendi and Anise Jenkins performed a short skit on Freedom Plaza on April 16, 2003. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin,The Washington Post, April 17, 2003)
Executive Assistant Chief Michael J. Fitzgerald (left), Protective Services Police Officer F. Watkins and Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey. Even though the police chief was just walking by the group, he took the time and was able to make arrangements for a deputy mayor to read the proclamation for the group on April 16, 2003. Stand Up! Members pictured (left to right): Karen A. Szulgit, Marilyn Preston Killingham (in wheelchair), Ayo Handy Kendi, Anise Jenkins and Henry "Tabu" Taylor (in chains). (Photo bySarah L. Voisin,The Washington Post, April 17, 2003)
FREE D.C. NOW! Please join us in the struggle as we agitate, educate, mobilize and organize for #DCStatehood – the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement!
D.C. Statehood NOW!
PLEASE MAIL DONATIONS TO: Executive Director Anise Jenkins Stand Up! for Democracy in D.C. (Free D.C.) 635 Edgewood Street NE, #708 Washington, D.C. 20017
WORLD BREATHING DAY, april 11, the annual recognition day for breathing on a global level was simply amazing. I, Ayo Handy-Kendi, was so proud to be a member of the World Breathing Day Team for the 4th year, to help bring this event to the global community with over 30 presentations out of Europe and North America. . If you missed it, you can see the replay in several days at the International Breathwork Foundation (IBF Youtube page: The small team is taking a breather, so stay tuned. www.youtube.com/@ibfinternationalbreathwork3714
LAST EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION DATE FOR THIS CERTIFICATION IS MONDAY, APRIL 15TH LATE REGISTRATION TIL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17TH. REGISTER AT THE LINK BELOW
SEE OUR MARKETPLACE SELECTION OF KWANZAA CD'S AND VIDEOS. BOOKS ON BLACK LOVE DAY & OF COURSE BREATHOLOGY & MORE.
PEW/AAHA MARKETPLACE SELECTION OF KWANZAA CD'S AND VIDEOS. BOOKS ON BLACK LOVE DAY & OF COURSE BREATHOLOGY & MORE.
Mama Ayo's Kwanzaa Story
$8.00
Ayo Handy-Kendi had been a storyteller since childhood, but became reknown as the Kwanzaa Griot in the ",90's when she created this story to "share everything you ever wanted to know about Kwanzaa". It was captured on video at a community-based organization, Cease Fire, Don't Smoke the Brother and Sisters". It included "call and response", drumming , lots of role playing, fun and a thorough educational understanding of Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture, celebrated world wide, since 1966. Habari Gani, whats the news - it's Kwanzaa time. Join the celebration.
Keepers of the Culture - Kwanzaa D.C., The Beginnings
Ayo Handy-Kendi, founder/director of the African-American Holiday Association (AAHA), produced this documentary in 2005 to discuss the evolution of Kwanzaa in Washington, D.C., it’s historical cultural beginnings and how it spread with the help of some pioneers:
Baba Ngoma, the Master Drummer, shares, drums and sings along with Brother Darul;
Mama Nia Kuumba shares what it was like at the very first Kwanzaa gathering held in her home;
Mama Ama Asante describes the 14th Street Concerned Citizens of Cardoza, and the New School of Thought;
Baba Lumumba, chair of the United Black Community (UBC) speaks on Rev. Ashaka Musa Barashango, Temple of the Black Messiah.
Photography by John Davies3 Ayo Handy-Kendi, Producer Copyright, John Davies & Ayo Handy-Kendi, 2005 copyright 202-667-2577 www.PositivEnergyWorks.com
This DVD digital download offers an entertaining and educational explanation on "how to celebrate Kwanzaa" . Ayo Handy-Kendi, Breathologist and the Kwanzaa Storyteller shares with her family an introduction of "everything you ever wanted to know about the traditions of Kwanzaa, the celebration of Family, Community and Culture". Follow along with them and learn all of the rituals, practices, decorations, how to pronounce the 7 principles, and even a Kwanzaa song or two. The video draws you into their celebration with a reading, drumming, dance and"call and response" which makes it excellent for teachers and families, new to the celebration. Now a classic, this video has been shown on DCTV public television and shared with countless.
This dynamic digital download takes you back home to Motherland Africa - Benin, West Africa - specifically. Mama Ayo Handy-Kendi, her husband John and several companions.traveled to Benin on a reconciliation tour and was blessed to visit an African dance and drumming troupe that Baba John was moved to capture it on video to share with the world. You will want to dance as the drumming is so dynamically contagous it will make you have to move. Experience the joy of this community as they too feel the dancing, drumming and entertainmentof West Africa at it's finest.
Time to Celebrate - Songs, Pledges & Games for African American Holidays & Celebrations
$8.00
"Time to Celebrate" is an unique CD of songs, raps, pledges and games for African American holidays, celebrations and rituals. They were compiled by Ayo Handy-Kendi, aka Mama Ayo, the Kwanzaa Storyteller, who has delighted young and old with her story performance that told everything about Kwanzaa which included several Kwanzaa song favorites from her community. She realized that many cultural holiday songs have no known authors, therefore have not been published and she began to include them in this CD. Further, as the founder of Black Love Day, Feb. 13th, she personally composed her own songs, pledges and raps for this holiday tradition, as well as an original piece for Martin Luther King's birthday. Negro spirituals and two songs for peace are included as "Freedom songs" - good for MLK Day. There is even a New Afrikan Birthday Song that can be song and worked into a game. Includes a hand-out for sing-along and call and response.
Produced and performed by Ayo Handy-Kendi, founder, Black Love Day, African American Holiday Assoc.
Percussion by John P. Davies
Grandchildren Chorus: Joi Taylor, Ayana Hunter, Arion (Reign) Hunter, Jabreel Taylor
Ayo Handy-Kendi, the Breath Sekou, coined in 2004, the name Breathology which evolved into a system called Optimum Life Breathology (O.L.B.). One of the critical goals of O.L.B. is to use breath techniques to release, shift then evolve or transcend to another level. Music is vibrational to aid in these goals, and she and her husband John Davies 3, have been playing "tune-up" sacred sound with drumming for a number of years. The music invites you to imove, carthart, and release trauma, stress and subconscious blocked memory. Drumming in this CD with sacred sound and breathing techniques can be used in group and private sessions, or any activity that supports transformation.
SONGSTRESS, RICKIE BYARS GRACING US WITH LOVE MUSIC FOR THE SPIRITUAL SOUL AT THE 2021 BLACK LOVE VIRTUAL CONFERENCE,
CHECK OUT THE REPLAY ON UTUBE AT P.E.W./AYO HANDY-KENDI CHANNEL AND PLEASE SUBSCRIBE
SAGE-ING BABY BOOMERS SHOW IS: The good-news show that highlights people born between 1946 and 1964 renown as the Baby Boomers. Now, you can enjoy all of the wellness, fun, culture and guests of all ages, ON ZOOM AROUND THE WORLD & YOUTUBE. Get the zoom link for the Sage-ing Baby Boomers Show (SBBS) here
Uniting and Inspiring People through Conscious Breathing “The purpose of the IBF is to promote a heart-centered approach to breathwork, its theory and practice, for the expansion of consciousness and for personal and global transformation.”
COME TO THE WEBSITE TO LEARN ABOUT THE MANY BREATH RELATED INITIATIVES OF THE IBF https://ibfbreathwork.org/ GLOBAL INSPIRATION CONFERENCE
You can read the report from the on-line Annual General Meeting (AGM). Details can be found on the following link Let's keep the world breathing! Stay connected with IBF on social media
YOU CAN SUPPORT PositivEnergyWorks AND Ayo Handy-Kendi, the Breath Sekou's BY PURCHASING HER APPEARANCE at THE 4th BREATHWORK SUMMIT. A PURCHASE OF THE UPGRADE PACKAGE with her presentation and all of the 40+ speakers plus bonus materials is still available . This summit will continue to educate for a long time, with valuable information and demonstrations on the "power of the breath" so get this Upgrade Package. Use this REFERRAL LINK which will credit commissions to P.E.W. We so appreciate breathing with YOU and serving. Purchase your package using the following link: https://shiftnetwork.infusionsoft.com/go/bws22a20807/a20807
STOLEN a Book, a Play & a Workshop coming in 2024
Trailer for "STOLEN" ENJOY THE "TRAILER for "STOLEN", the PLAY about 1619 and lingering trauma of enslavement and oppression for 400 years by Ayo Handy-Kendi, the Breath Sekou aka Mama Ayo the Storyteller. PositivEnergyWorks' racial/diversity healing services/programs, include our newest project "Stolen".
This is a dramatic story performance through the eyes of one of the first Africans bought to Virginia, in 1619 and the impact, 400 years later. With the re-enactment, our goal is to make this history come alive with many truths so that we can deal with the Ancestral collective trauma of slavery and the wounds that still linger today.
STAY TUNED THE BOOK IS BEING BIRTHED SLOWLY BUT IN IT'S LAST TRI-SEMESTER
PLEASE SUPPORT THE 1619 PROJECT FROM BEING TAKEN OUT OF EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS
FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN for DANIEL'S CHILDREN, an O.L.B. healing space for Orphans IN LIBERIA WEST AFRICA.
HELP PositivEnergyWorks expand Optimum Life Breathology (O.L.B.) for Trauma Relief in LIBERIA thru this Fundraiser for Daniel's Children Orphanage - a Healing Space . We are now seeking DONORS through United Success Network and GO FUND ME for this international healing project.
Today, we ask for your donations to help support TUITION FOR SCHOOLING FOR 12 orphans living now in Grand Basa County, Liberia, West Africa.
" Daniel's Children" is the name of a small orphanage in Liberia, West Africa that requests community support through donations to sustain it's current operations and vision for expansion to become a center for healing family trauma in this country that has experienced so muchP.E.W.'s goal is to continue to offer trauma release services to the children of Liberia and their parents who have had to cope with Covid, Ebola, civil war, poverty and hunger in Liberia, a country formed by freed Black folk from America sent back home to the continent.
. Please read and share this story of one brother efforts to make a difference. POSITIVENERGYWORKS, founded by Ayo Handy-Kendi, the Breath Sekou and founder of Black Love Day and John P. Davies, III is stil FUNDRAISING FOR STUDENT TUITION, REGISTRATION AND ACTIVITY FEES FOR 7 of “Daniel's Children", A Healing Orphanage in Liberia. West Africa.
We requests community donations to support education for 12 orphans, from, 1st to 10th grades who will receive 2 semesters of private schooling with your small, collective contribution of $25. Our FUNDRAISING GOAL IS $1200, SO ANY DONATION AMOUNT IS A BLESSING..
YOUR DONATION TODAY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. . Donations are being accepted on our GO FUND ME PAGE or CAN BE MADE TO PAYPAL: Sales@PositivEnergyWorks.com or CASH APP: $AyoHandyKendi