This weekend the YaY! Area is hookin’ you up with some amazing events for you to attend. You can just tell by the lineup that your choices are plenty and your cup o’ fun will runeth over!
This week I am highlighting the East Bay’s first ever LGBTQ Youth Pride. I have had the privilege and the honor of working with these young people for the past five months and it has been a life changer for me. Being surrounded by these incredible, smart, funny, inspired LGBTQ youth has really altered my perspective on what it is important in my own life and in my own community. Read about how they got started, what they have planned this Saturday and how you can help. They are still looking for adult allies to help, donations for a few additional items that they need and help spreading the word to LGBTQ youth in the Bay Area. I encourage each and every one of you to show UP for these young folks coming up in our community in any way you are able.
Fierce LOVE from me to you!
Miz Chris [MC]: Where are you from?
Ray Klauber [RK]: I’m from Maryland, right outside of D.C.
[MC]: How did the idea for a Youth Pride come about?
[RK]: I wanted to create a space for young people to gain a solid social justice analysis, while learning leadership skills with an event at the end as a motivating factor. I run the Drop-In Center at Our Space, a people of color centered program for LGBTQI2-SA young people, ages 14-24. We have peer-led support groups and workshops, mental health services and support for youth in foster care, but we needed to create more opportunities for young people to move up and work together. At the end of 2012, the national and state fight for gay marriage was at a high and I wanted young people to have a chance to think critically about the intersectionalities of their lives and the systems that have impacted them beyond the institution of marriage. Most of the young people that come to Our Space are impacted by the prison industrial complex, foster care, mental health systems, immigration systems, intergenerational trauma, etc. We needed a space to break-down, heal and organize in the East Bay queer and trans youth community so young people could be Proud of all the different parts of themselves.
Ray Klauber
The QOOL Youth Committee started out as a collective dream and through amazing community support, we are actually making it happen. So many appreciations to everyone who has helped make this a reality!
[MC]: When did you and the QOOL Committee start planning?
[RK]: I started interviews for the QOOL Youth Committee at the end of March 2013 and we had our first meeting at the beginning of April. It has been a beautiful, inspiring and life changing 4 months.
[MC]: What does QOOL stand for and how did you all come up with the name?
[RK]: Queer + OutNstanding + Organizing + Leaders = QOOL
I came up with the name on my porch one weekend and finalized it in a meeting with Our Space’s fabulous founder Stephanie Perron. The most important part of the name to me was about survival. To be out as a young person in East Bay and to believe in yourself and your community with your head held high is emphatically OutNstanding.
[MC]: What can the LGBTQ Youth and adult allies look forward to at Youth Pride this year?
[RK]: Young people can look forward to a fun event that was planned for and by their community and adult allies can look forward to supporting young people creating space for themselves. The 12 QOOL Youth Committee members have curated an amazing line-up of DJs and performers. There will also be a Drag Contest w/ prizes, professional make-up artists, dancing, food vendors, resource booths by local community groups, games, bounces houses, puppies, a photobooth, free HIV/STI testing, face painting, bubbles, arts & crafts, tarot reading, a whole lotta Fierce Love, and much much more. We will also be raffling off free bicycles with helmets and locks to youth attendees!
[MC]: What, if anything, is still needed for Youth Pride?
[RK]: We are still looking for adult ally volunteers, if you’re interested you can sign up for a shift by clicking this link.
We are continuing to fundraise for this event – there have been no outside funding sources. Every single dollar we have raised to make this happen comes from community members like you. We ask folks to donate here.
Stephanie Perron & Ray Klauber of Our Space
We are also asking to borrow canopies for Qool Out Zones to provide some shade from the Hayward sun. Please contact Ray at ray [at] baycyouth [dot] org if we can borrow yours.
Our Space is a program of Bay Area Youth Center, the East Bay Division of Sunny Hills Services. To find out more about Our Space, go to www.facebook.com/ourspacebayc or www.baycyouth.org
2013 Summer Reel Hood Heroes Film Showcase
1230 Howard St., SF
6 p.m. – 8 p.m
Conscious Youth Media Crew (CYMC) promotes life long learning and leadership among high risk, youth in San Francisco’s inner city communities.
Through our unique youth training program in media arts and digital video, youth participants develop creative and educated voice around community issues, gain technology skills, and raise employability, while becoming involved in the community as media producers and young leaders.
Youth interns produce short audio and video segments that tell stories about everyday life and raise awareness about youth issues, like teen relationship violence and the risks of joining a gang.
Les Nubians
Yoshi’s
510 Embarcadero West, Oakland
8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Buy Tickets
Les Nubians is an Afropean, Urban, R&B Grammy-nominated duo composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart from Paris France. In 1985 the sisters moved with their parents to Chad, Africa. Seven years later, they returned to Bordeaux, France and began singing a cappella, producing poetry slams in Bordeaux and Paris, and singing background vocals for various artists worldwide. The duo’s debut album Princesses Nubiennes was released by Virgin Records, France, in 1998.
They have become one of the most successful French-language musical groups in the U.S., best known for their Billboard R&B Single “Makeda” from their Grammy nominated album Princesses Nubiennes. Les Nubians were the 1999 Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards winners for Best New Artist, Group or Duo and received two NAACP Image Awards nominations in 2000.
To date, Les Nubians have made their home base Brooklyn New York. They continue to tour the U.S. and world-wide performing at Festivals, art centers, theaters and clubs. Their most recent release is, Nü Revolution (2011) Nubiatik, Shanachie.
House of Love
East Side Arts Alliance
2272 International Blvd, Oakland
9:30 p.m.
$5
MuzikDreamz and Missjadasimone Smartmouth Hunter are delighted and excited to host this talented cast of local characters, as well as bless the stage with our own brand of magic during a couple short ‘ n sweet sets.
Our band will be representing as usual, and we are celebrating the safe journey of our pianist, Bryan Simmons, as he leaves to tour in Dubai! These talented musicians will hold you down as you sing a story, spin a tale, profess a poem, bust a few bars, rip some runs or just shoot the shit….all over a beat and in the name of sweet sweet music!
We have upgraded our refreshment game as well, now featuring an OPEN BAR with generous services and playa prices from the Mobile Bartender: Ray Dukes…and let me tell you he is not messin’ around folks.:)
Dress to entice and impress: NO Hoodies, Tshirts, or Baseball Caps (i.e. ‘grown and sexy’ or ‘dressy casual’)
Bring a bunch of folks witcha as we need all that good energy to build up the vibe in our ♥ House of Love ♥ and send Bryan off with a strong sense of that Town Bizz, come prepared to support AND participate….the goal is to have EVERYONE join in the cypher onstage at the finale as we pass the mic around like a ‘u-know-what’ lmao
as we said above, casual dress only. PLEASE!!!
((( Why?)))
Because we want you to have a good time and be comfortable, and mess is less likely to pop off when you got your fresh gear on.
Funkternal
The New Parish
579 18th St, Oakland
8:00 p.m. – 3 a.m.
Buy Tickets
SambaFunk! presents the full Carnaval Explosion with FUNKTERNAL, The FunkTyme Playahs, Queens of SambaFunk!, Daughters of Funkquaria & FunkLords….
Full bateria set with The FunkTyme Playahs & extended set w/ the Bay Area’s rising Universal Funk party band: FUNKTERNAL–taking the music to new places–on Earth, Underwater, Outerspace & Parts Unknown…..
FUNKTERNAL: SambaFunk!’s 10 piece African Latino American party band plays dance music from throughout the African Diaspora: from Afro-Beat to Samba, Cumbia to Funk. FUNKTERNAL keeps it fresh, funky and fun. Bring your dancing shoes cause it’s gonna be a BIG party!
THE FUNKTYME PLAYAHS, Oakland’s #1 crowd-pleasing bateria, will bring the Volcanic beats that have moved crowds throughout the state. Whether it’s county fairs, outdoor festivals, parades, clubs or dance classes, FTP breaks the beat down for dancers of all abilities.
THE QUEENS OF SAMBAFUNK! perform the authentic Rio Samba that you know and love, while the Daughters of Funkquaria showcase the many dance styles of the music of SambaFunk!
SPECIAL GUEST BAND: Borù-coé:
Borù-coé takes you on a musical uprising journey to the Amazon where Brasil, Colombia and Peru connect. This is a place where a musical trade started with the local people, Africans that came later (Colombia and Brasil), and Europeans that decided to stay. This group will take you through this musical experience and will really get you involved with the performance energy
PLUS: Soulful DJ Be Brown in the breaks and late nite!
Get Famous or Die Laughing
Geoffrey’s Inner Circle
420 14th Street, Oakland
8 p.m.
$10-$15
You CAN’T miss this next edition of GET FAMOUS or DIE LAUGHING COmedy Jam. D’Lai is on town for ONE NIGHT ONLY. Right now he is currently on the SOLD OUT “Ladies Night Out” Tour with Bill Bellamy but has decided to stop in Oakland, CA to show some LOVE
The “Ladies Night Out Tour” was so HOT it has it’s own ShowTIme special. DOn’t sleep Bay Area! THis show is gonna be lit!
D’LAI will be in the BUILDING!!!
CHeck out his YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/user/DLAITV
Also Featuring COMEDIAN JAY RICH of RichVision Ent & PRIYA PRASAD
PRIYA PRASAD
Coming from an East Indian background, growing up in Suburban Seattle, and making Oakland, CA her home her style of comedy is witty, intelligent, thought-provoking, and rich with the cultural experience of an Urban East Indian American. In the last few years she has hit the Bay Area stages with a force and has been a featured comedian on shows all over the Bay Area as well as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle & New York.
Twitter: @pri4priya
FB Fan Page: Priya Prasad Comedy
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/pri4priya1/videos
Website: http://priyaprasad.site.socxs.com/
Hosting the show is funny man Christopher Riggins!!!
Country Night Dance
Lake Merritt Dance Center
200 Grand Ave, Oakland
7 p.m.
$10
7:00-8:00 Beginning 2step and Nightclub 2step with Monica Vasquez
Hall 1 ~ Upstairs ~ Large lovely dance floor
$10 for the night includes bottled water and light refreshments
Friendly and fun.
Leather soled shoes suggested
NO Partner required – many friendly women to dance the night away.
East Bay’s First Youth Pride
Cannery Park
Hayward, CA
1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Music ♥ Dancing ♥ Food Vendors ♥ Drag Contest ♥ Youth Resources Tables ♥ Bounce Houses ♥ Bungee Basketball ♥ Face Painting ♥ Games ♥ Performances ♥ Arts & Crafts ♥ Free Chair Massages ♥ DJs ♥ Fierce Love ♥ HIV/STI Testing ♥ Drag Booth ♥ Photo Booth ♥ Surprises ♥ Tarot Reading ♥ Puppies ♥ Bubbles ♥ Raffle w/ Prizes ♥ Community!
Come join us at East Bay’s 1st YouthPride & be a part of history!!!
This event is for young people by young people. All youth ages 24 and under are free. All adults are $5.
FIERCE LOVE is this year’s theme. As queer and trans youth we need to stand up and be fiercely loving to ourselves and our community. With FIERCE LOVE anything and everything is possible!
Come above the influence – please do not bring alcohol or any other kinds of substances with you into the event.
Access: There will be ADA accessible bathrooms, as well as Gender Neutral ADA bathrooms. The Cannery Park field has two wheel chair accessible entrances. Please email ray@baycyouth.org with any access questions.
Location: Cannery Park is 5 blocks from Hayward BART. There are multiple free parking lots located by the Park.
Venus
The Cafe
2369 Market, SF
4 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Every 1st Sat. of the month, sexi ladeez take over the Castro at Venus at The Café. Join 100′s of party girlzz gettin’ their Venus on with fun and sexi burlesque, hot go go’s and rockin dancefloor featuring Lady Dj’s LadyRyan, C-Fern and special guest Dj this month with “Dirty Bitch” MsLeah Jackson! Tasty grills by Chef Toa and Monz, drinks specials by Dani and Sherrie. Enjoy free pool and outside deck and patio, hella free shots and hella fun!
Official 1st Saturday Party hosts Fruitvale Station Cast
Geoffrey’s Inner Circle
420 14th Street, Oakland
9 p.m.
$20
Webb Management and Geoffrey’s Inner Circle- Night Club along with Griffin Ent Present:
Saturday, August 3rd, 2013 we invite you to support the movie, movement and enjoy the cast of Fruitvale Station from a mature and sexy event!
Official 1st Saturday will host and celebrate the huge success of “Fruitvale Station” with the cast of the movie.
Celebrating Kenny Griffin’s Birthday (Cast Member)
DJ Marcus and DJ SDot in the mix all night.
VIP entry includes entry, meet & greet and photo with cast members. Light hor dourves.
Early arrival suggested.
For more information, birthdays or bottle service: info@geoffreysinnercircle.com
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