ATLANTA, GA – On August 1, 2023 Power Haus Creative and community partners Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, Students for Imam Jamil, Black Art in America and Black Power Media will be launching a ‘Black August’ month long Call to Action. ‘Black August’ is a tradition that originated in California’s prisons in the 1970’s after the deaths of brothers Jonathan and George Jackson as well as other incarcerated Black men who sought freedom.
“Artists reflect the times as the Iconic Arts Activist, Nina Simone would say. This creative resistance call to action will educate and help bring awareness to currently imprisoned Civil Rights activist Imam Jamil Al Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown) who was the chairperson of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He also contributed to the Black Panther Movement and was instrumental in setting the community tone of Atlanta’s West End that we know and love today. We want to exceed our goal of 150,000 petition signatures, gather donations; and a CNN investigative interview to pursue his pardoning or exercise his sixth amendment right to a re-trial that he is deserving of before it’s too late. It’s been over 22 years. A confession has been made. His family structure deserves to be restored. It’s time to come home”, says Black Arts and community organizer Sumayyah Ali of Power Haus Creative.
Participating partners will be literally and figuratively “Feeding the Community” all month through virtual and in person info sessions and accepting food drive donations held at Black Art in America Gallery located at 1802 Connally Dr. in East Point, Ga. In addition, there will be an ‘Art of Activism’ panel held at the gallery on Monday August 28th with Human Rights Activist and former NBA Player Mahmoud Abdul Rauf. Full ‘Black August’ schedule updates can be found via @powerhauscreative on Instagram.
Power Haus Creative’s is on a mission to leverage the socio-economic playing field to ensure Black artists and Black founded organizations have resources and funding needed to sustain and improve quality of life. Through social movements, fine and public art installations they demand cultural ownership be it intellectual or physical property.