I am celebrating African Heritage Month (September) with a collage of personal memories; faces, places, events I’ve seen over the many years I’ve been embracing my African roots and learning about the Continent. I first went to Africa as a student in 1984 and from then on I was captured by its magic. Looking at…
Irene Whalen
The idea of African-Americans leaving America for Africa is not a new one. However, it has resurfaced strongly in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the disparate impact of the novel corona virus on our community. Some have begun to look for another “home” where racism will not be such a defining…
With DC and many other cities venturing into phase 2 of reopening, it feels like we are cautiously beginning to emerge from the hard parts of the COVID-19 quarantine. But with many states experiencing spikes, it is recommended that we continue to be vigilant. We are encouraged to wear masks, social distance, and spend time…
June is one of my favorite months and at Zawadi it will be a busy and exciting one. I am just back from Dak’Art the bi-annual, Pan-African Art festival in Senegal that lights up an already exciting art landscape. It lasts for a month, May 3-June 3 and it covers an official and sometimes even more interesting…
In celebration of the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Zawadi is celebrating by taking 20% off our line of bath and beauty products and 10% off EVERYTHING in the entire store!
Zawadi is thrilled to partner with Alchemy Skincare to offer their line of soaps, butters, and natural beauty products. We met Alchemy’s creator, Samantha Wood, the old fashioned way: Our Brand Manager Faraji Whalen partied with her when she lived in Maryland. Although she’s since moved to Oakland, we’ve followed closely as her brand took off on social…
It may not feel like it today with the temperatures in the teens, but Spring is coming. We, at Zawadi, greet it with new inventory and ideas which can transform the winter home. To help us get to that “spring” state , we have invited Denys Davis for a talk and an exhibition on March…
If I said East Orange, New Jersey, what would come to your mind? A gritty city with very little to recommend it probably. Well, there’s a proverbial rose in East Orange and her name is Adrienne Lockett. She is an extraordinary jeweler. I have known Adrienne for at least 15 years now. I can’t remember…
The visit of Oumar Cisse from Mali on June 29, 2014 at Zawadi reminded me once again what road warriors African artists are and the extremes they go to get their products to an audience. This is true of many of the other artists we have featured here at Zawadi but I am especially taken…
Showing all 9 posts