It continues to be a heavy week for so many given the recent tragedies in Half Moon Bay, Monterey Park and events in Memphis.
That’s why San Francisco’s 13th annual Bayview Black History Month and Lunar New Year celebration Saturday was so important to organizers.
“I love it I love the cultural exchange,” said Carol Nolan, who went to the Bayview YMCA for an event that was new to her. “The barbecue, I enjoyed everything, just sitting here soaking up the culture now.”
The annual event explores the rich history of different cultures through education and building community.
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“This is something very special to us, started this festival 13 years ago when there was a lot of tension in the Bayview District especially between the Asian and African American community, we want through this activity through this celebration to really promote harmony understanding and exchange,” said Sarah Wan of the Community Youth Center of San Francisco.
There was food, cultural performances, games and conversations about the challenges people have experienced.
The event comes at a difficult time in the Bay Area and the country.
“And I think with so many tragic events happened recently we really need this special moment to heal and to unite and stand against all the hate and violence,” said Wan.
“We definitely talked about the tragedy in Half Moon Bay the tragedy Monterey city, in Southern California and what happened in Memphis, Tennessee and at the end we want our communities to understand people who commit certain violence they want us to be separated, they want us, they don’t want us to come together,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton.
But they did come together, sharing a space and finding strength.
