The New Mexico Black Expo will be an open house for New Mexicans who want to learn more about the Albuquerque black community.
The expo will be held Friday at the State Fairgrounds from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at Civic Plaza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"We want to stimulate interaction and awareness between the different cultural groups of New Mexico," expo organizer Hakim Bellamy said. "We want to expose more people to the black community and all that is going on within it."
There will be food vendors, art merchants, live music and 46 informational booths promoting African-American businesses around the state.
"The expo does a good job at showcasing black entertainment, commerce and business," Bellamy said.
The expo's caterers reflect a diverse selection of black cuisine. While Mr. Powdrell's Barbeque is known for its soul food and CC's Kitchen for its West African cuisine, the Caribbean Temptation represents Cuba, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands.
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UNM dance student Trey Pickett will perform with his dance group Disciples of Chaos on Saturday. Pickett said he will demonstrate stepping, a combination of stomping, clapping and rhythmic patterns that originated in Africa.
"We're going to try to make sure people know what stepping is about," he said. "It's a good way to kind of do something within the black community, but also it's a great thing they're having the expo, because it gives you a chance to showcase your talents and what you can do."
Stepping is primarily done in black fraternities, Pickett said.
"In my fraternity, we do hopping, which is a branch of stepping," he said. "People don't see stepping here in New Mexico, because that's not really that big out here."
There will be a Friday screening of an hour-long documentary film called "The Souls of Black Girls," directed by Daphne Valerius.
"The documentary focuses on teaching the audience how to understand imagery in today's media," Bellamy said.
Saturday's festivities shift to Civic Plaza. The day starts with Call of the Drums, an African ceremony, and a group of African refugees called Voices of Angels will sing in French.
"A lot of African refugee families have sent their kids to the U.S. over the years," Bellamy said. "This is a nonprofit organization that accepts kids from all ages to participate in their program. We want people to know all about them."
Saturday is full of jazz and funk. Bassist Rodney Bowe will perform with his band, Sweetlife.
"We do R&B, some jazz covers, some old-school funk," Bowe said. "We make sure it's just not this straight-sounding stuff. We add our own twist to it and arrangements. 'My Funny Valentine' - we call it 'My Funky Valentine.'"
Organizations such as the Sickle Cell Council of New Mexico, African-American Health Services, the NAACP and Albuquerque Public Schools will have booths set up around the plaza.
"These are not necessarily all black-owned businesses but are undeniably prominent businesses that serve the black community," Bellamy said. "There really is a lot of activity going on in the black community right now, and we are all very proud of it. This is a multi-cultural state, and we want every culture to be equally represented."
