As part of our Equity Through Art Series, we are proud to present: A Conversation With Community Elders About the Nairobi Movement. Community elders who played leading roles during the Nairobi Movement will have a conversation sharing personal stories about the Black Experience in East Palo Alto during the Nairobi era. 

San Mateo County has a vibrant history in East Palo Alto as a prominent hub for Black culture and activism in the Bay Area and nationally. It’s a history that many in the county are unaware of and yet holds local and national significance. During Black History Month, it’s particularly important to learn this local history through the stories of the leaders who built it.

The Nairobi Movement was a political, social and cultural renaissance period in East Palo Alto between 1960 and 1980. It was a time when Black people organized and took political action to gain community control of government, education, health, social and cultural institutions in the community.

Register to join us for this event, co-sponsored by Nairobi Advocates and the East Palo Alto Community Archive, opens a new window.

Members of Nairobi Advocates and East Palo Alto Community Archive who will serve as panelists are: Kalamu Chache, Juanita Croft, Louis Dixon, Martha Hanks, Frank J. Omowale Satterwhite and Vulindlela Wobogo. Sharifa Wilson will share information about the East Palo Alto Community Archive.

Our 2021-2022 Equity Through Art Series is in partnership with the County of San Mateo Chief Equity Officer, opens a new window, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and its Office of Diversity & Equity. The series was launched to take you on a journey from today’s pain in Silicon Valley into the history of some of our people of color, to culminate in a vision for the future of BIPOC in San Mateo County. Communities will share their stories and experiences through the lens of art.

By offering this series, San Mateo County Libraries aims to highlight the complex relationship Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) have had living and trying to thrive in San Mateo County. If you missed our spring Equity Author Talk series, you can watch our recordings. You can also view our past programs in the series on our YouTube channel, opens a new window.