Bay Area, STAND UP! You all are looking good this weekend, tons of things to do, places to be and people to see. BUT, before we get into the thick of things I am doing a special call out to EVERYONE on behalf of this really special group of young people! The youth at Our Space
have been working diligently to put together the first ever LGBTQ Youth Pride in Hayward this August 3rd. They are looking for volunteers, DJs, Performers, Singers, Musicians, Dance Troupes, Vendors and anything else you may be able to offer. They would also welcome donations of time, equipment, money (to help pay the stipends of the youth organizing the event) or if you have something that you think would help please let them know! Another way YOU can help is to help them spread the word to other LGBTQ Youth throughout the Bay Area and to adult allies. The Youth Pride is this August 3rd at Cannery Park in Hayward, five short blocks from Bart. To stay up to date join the Facebook invite located here and then invite the youth and adult allies in your life. I am sooooooo excited about this first ever Youth Pride produced by the event planners, activists, artists, performers and community leaders of tomorrow doing it big today! So please help them make this a fabulously successful event.
Now on to our regularly scheduled programming. This week I was fortunate enough to sit down with Stacy Reed of the Nia Collective to talk about their Extravaganza this weekend and a little bit of the history of the Nia Collective. Enjoy! I hope to see you out and about this weekend in Bay!
Miz Chris [MC]: Tell me a little about Nia and its background.
Stacy Reed [SR]: Well, Chris, As you know, the holidays are tough for many LGBT people and NIA was conceived when some friends were preparing to brace themselves for the Thanksgiving Holiday. They thought, wouldn’t it be nice to have a get together with other black 
women and build up the positive energy to get through this trying time? And, that’s how the idea for the Gathering first began. Formally, NIA Collective was founded in 1987 during the Black Caucus at the Lesbian of Color Conference in San Francisco. The word “NIA” was chosen for its meaning, purpose, in the Swahili language. African Americans are familiar with the term as the fifth principle of Kwanzaa, the Winter Harvest celebration.
[MC]: What is the mission of Nia and how long has it been in existence?
[SR]: NIA has been around for 26 years now. Our primary drive has been around the yearly gathering, but we have been expanding our vision to meet the growing needs of our community. In that vein we are working on an eldercare project for queer sistahs and also partnering with other organizations such as Progressive Transition To provide outreach to sistahs coming out of the prison system. We strive to help ourselves as well as our allies whenever we can.
[MC]: Although there are many, name one thing about Nia that you feel is the most important about the organization.
[SR]: NIA is about queer community! All the events we hold throughout the year are for the community and our allies. Anyone can come. The only event we produce exclusively for women of African descent is the Gathering, and that’s because it’s purpose is to strengthen, renew, and replenish our energies as women of African descent, so that we can return to the our communities and the world energized, ready to take on any challenges that may arise. I personally became a board member after experiencing the power of the gathering and seeing how much of a difference it made in my life to meet some many sistahs from across the country who may not have anything like this. I understand that living in the Bay area gives me so much and I want to give back in anyway I can. NIA allows me to do that.
[MC]: Nia is producing a big event this weekend, tell my readership about it and what to expect.
[SR]: Yes! We want people to know about the NIA Extravaganza Summer Ball happening on July 13th 2013, 8pm – midnight! All are welcome! It’s a fundraiser for our scholarship fund. It will be a wonderful evening of dinner, dancing, and dressing to impress! The food is by Chef Yulanda Hendrix and the DJ Trinity is spinning. Centrally located at the Oakland Masonic Center, there is plenty of parking. You can purchase tickets from any board member or from our website http://niasummerball.eventbrite.com/
[MC]: What other upcoming events does Nia have planned for the rest of 2013?
[SR]: We are planning a NIA Collective Summer Getaway. Edgewater Resort – Clear Lake @ Keseyville,CA Aug 9 – 11. To find out more info or to register please check the link http://niacollective.org/wp-nia/events/ and of course we are planning the Gathering, which will be at Walker Creek Ranch on Nov 22- 24th 2013
Follies & Dollies: A Fundraiser for Our Space
The White Horse
6551 Telegraph, Oakland7 p.m. – midnight
Come through to Cemora Devine’s fierce and fabulous drag show . including performers like:
Miss Sexy Stacy, Blue Charisma, Bradford, Aequorea Victoria, Alex U Inn, Angelina Lopez, Brock Cocker, and Miss Honey Daniels,
to benefit the qt youth leaders of Our Space – where it is safe to be yourself. We are planning the 1st EVER East Bay Youth Pride. Money raised will be used to increase the stipends for the QOOL Youth Committee (Queer OutNstanding Organizing Leaders) — the young people who are working so incredibly hard to plan East Bay Youth Pride.
Suggested $10 – $20 donation – no one turned away for lack of funds.
PS: you need to be 21+ to attend
Oil & Water
Rhythmix Cultural Works
2513 Blanding Avenue, Alameda
8 p.m.
$10/advance kids, $20/advance adults, $15/door kids, $25 door adults
Buy Tickets
After a successful grassroots fundraising effort, SFMT fans rallied to underwrite the SFMT’s 54th season. This summer SFMT is doing something different. Within a larger musical/comedic frame, Oil and Water is actually two shorter plays – Crude Intentions and Deal with the Devil – each stylistically unique but topically linked and musically interwoven. The plays challenge the dangerous energy practices of both corporations and the rest of us.
Crude Intentions and Deal with the Devil are written by Pat Moran and Adolfo Mejia. Music & lyrics for both shows are by Pat Moran. The shows are directed by SFMT alumnus Joan Mankin, with Lisa Hori-Garcia as assistant director. Both one act original musicals feature two Mime Troupe stalwarts stalwarts Velina Brown and Lisa Hori-Garcia. They are joined by returning Rotimi Agbabiaka and first-time trouper Hugo E Carbajal.
Movement
The Legionnaire Saloon
2272 Telegraph
10 p.m. – 2 a.m.
No Cover
the MOVEMENT has only one objective to give your body the MOVES its MEANT to have by providing soulful, funky, smooth & eclectic sounds from all corners of the GLOBE
It’s all about the connection between the dancer, the dj, the mc, and the drummer! We’re taking it back to the roots.
RESIDENT DJ’S:
EMANCIPACION x J-BOOGIE x MPENZI
RESIDENT MC:
AIMA THA DREAMER
Azonto! South African house! Soulful house! Deep house! Disco! Latin house! Cumbia remixes! Soul! Funk! Soukous! We’re taking you round the world.
Bangin’ sound system and wood floors for the dancers
The Movement @ The Legionnaire Saloon
Second Fridays | 10PM-2AM
FREE!! NO COVER ALL NIGHT!!!
The Hustle
Slate Bar
2925 16th Street, San Francisco
10 p.m.
THIS MONTH’S HOST IS NONE OTHER THAN
ΒΛΒΥ MUΛΗ of TRIFE LIFE alongside HUSTLE TEAM COMMANDOS
JMΞ HUSTLΞ & SΛRΛH LΞΞ
FEATURING FINE SELECTIONS AVAILABLE
Laid down by SΛKΞ ΘΠΞ and SΞΛΠ G
THE HUSTLE is the place to go for your monthly dumbing down via turfed and trapped out music selections, strong adult beverages poured liberally and a random assortment of dirtbags and low lifes. We are a rare and useless breed, and if you would like to join us we have no application process. Yeeee!!
Nia Extravaganza Summer Ball
Oakland Masonic Center
3903 Broadway, Oakland
8:00 p.m. – midnight
Buy Tickets
A Fundraiser for Members, Friends & Allies
“Dress to Impress!” ~ $40 ~ Dinner & Dancing
Entertainment ~ Raffle Drawings ~ & More!
Proceeds to benefit NIA Collective’s education and scholarship funds.
For more information and/or updates:
Visit niacollective.org or fb.me/niacollective
Texas Rose Midsumma Dance
Lake Merritt Dance Center
200 Grand Ave, Oakland
6:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Keep celebrating your pride right on through July! Get your dancin’ shoes on and run, don’t walk, to the Texas Rose MidSumma Dance!
We landed the most amazing instructor for our mid-summer dance!
Dave Hayes, chair of the International Assn of Gay and Lesbian Country/Western Dance Clubs, is going to teach both lessons, AND the second lesson is a LINE DANCE : SAY HEY
Check it Out! We are coordinating our SAY HEY line dance lesson with Sundance Saloon, so you can learn and practice this dance before AND after Texas Rose.
Texas Rose is a super no-attitude event. Come on out and see how sexy cowboi dancing really is.
Beginner? We urge you to attend the 6:30 two-step lesson. (Arriving on time will seriously pay off. We welcome beginners and have friendly veterans to help you along the way.
Leather-soled shoes are best.
6:30-7:15pm Beginner 2-step
7:15-8:00 LINE DANCE : Say Hey
8-10:30pm Open Dancing
10:30-11pm Social
O’FaSho
Disco Volante!
347 14th St. Oakland
9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
$5
CLASSIC HIP HOP | SOUL | HOUSE | GLOBAL
Resident Crate Diggers:
DJ LadyRyan (Soulovely || BUTTA)
DJ Ai.Lo ((The Formula || Isa Collective)
DJ Trinity (Living Room Project II T.W.N)
“Great food, music and people – rich” ♥
Cathy is In…LIVE
Brava Theater
2781 24th St, SF
6:30 p.m. Show
Be a part of a live taping of Cathy DeBuono’s radio show, “Cathy Is In” AND a special comedy performance by comedian and “Cathy Is In” co-host, Jennie McNulty, Saturday, July 13, 7:30pm. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Mae-Day Foundation for animals, run by Natalie Garcia from “The Real L Word” web series, “More to L with Nat.”
Cathy’s bringing her enlightening and incredibly entertaining radio show to you live with the start of a nationwide tour.You can participate! You can ask all the things you’ve been dying to ask; get her advice and WATCH as LA Talk Radio’s best therapy session comes to the Brava Theater. This special night starts off on a funny note with the comedy of Jennie McNulty. See why Curve magazine calls her one of the top 10 lesbian comedians in the country. We will also be talking to some local heroes
Soulovely
The Rocksteady
1745 San Pablo, Oakland
3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
WE ARE SOULOVELY
OAKLAND IS SOULOVELY
Y’ALL ARE SOULOVELY
Come get your groove on with the the Soulovely Crew… every Second Sunday
DJ Emancipacion
DJ Lady Ryan
MC and host Aima the Dreamer
SPECIAL GUEST:
Erica Dee
http://missericadee.com/
sassy, soulful daytime outdoor party
come get your drink on with us
chill and dance all day long
RSVP soulovelyoakland@gmail.com for free admission b4 5pm
Vibrate
Somar
1727 Telegraph
8:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.
No Cover
DJ Treat-U-Nice & SocialLife present…
VIBRATE… every 2nd Sunday!
Resident DJ Treat-U-Nice + guest DJ Umami spinning #slaps on, #slaps, on #slaps!
Soul | Funk| Classic Hip Hop| New Ratchet Sh*t | House
Chaney on the M.I.C providing the #TURNUP
Libations courtesy of SomaR staff
$6 Tullamore Dew Whiskey & Ginger + Non-Alcoholic Option
____________
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