Join the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) for their second annual Juneteenth celebration, as they present “Our Road to Freedom: Jab, J’Ouvert, Revelry and Resistance” rooted in their 50th anniversary exhibition, curated by Know Your Caribbean. Inspired by the alignment of the sacred energies of Juneteenth, summer solstice and Eleguá’s Feast Day, this year’s program focuses on Carnival as a ritual of liberation fueling our journey to freedom and opening the path for healing. Celebrate our 50th anniversary year by looking at Carnival’s rich legacy of joy and resistance. $25 Donation – Tickets available now. https://www.cccadi.org/events/ourroadtofreedom2026

Event Activities:
Special exhibition tour led by Know Your Caribbean

Processional from the CCCADI Firehouse, to the Harlem African Burial Grounds, and to CCCADI Ilé Oyin

Kalinda Workshop by Kalinda Kollective -Upon arrival at CCCADI Ilé Oyin, Kalinda Kollective will facilitate a workshop on kalinda, the ancient stick fighting warrior tradition from Trinidad & Tobago. Brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans from the Congo, Yoruba and Fon nations, kalinda encodes combat, resistance and music into one single art form. One of the ways in which kalinda is is preserved is through Carnival.
Curators in Conversation with Know Your Caribbean & Exhibition Artists –

Carnival Fête with Live DJ Set & Steel Pan Drum Band –

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Through layered environments that merge sound, texture, archival material, contemporary art, and interactive elements, visitors are invited to experience Carnival as a living, embodied language that moves through the body, memory, and time. Unfolding as a multi-sensory journey, the exhibition operates as part installation, part archive, and part altar, illuminating the shared cultural threads of the Caribbean Diaspora. Each space reveals how resistance has long been encoded in celebration, and how traditions continue to evolve across generations.
Carnival has been a constant theme in CCCADI’s 50 years of programming and storytelling. It ideally embodies the diversity and complexities of the global African Diaspora. Presented as a cornerstone of CCCADI’s 50th anniversary celebration whose tagline is Carrying a 50 Year Legacy of Justice, Joy and Resistance into the Future– the exhibition reflects the institution’s enduring commitment to preserving and amplifying Afro-Diasporic culture.
FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDE: Fiona Compton, Melissa Simon-Hartman,Paloma Dubois, Sandra Bell (Jouvay Fest Collective), Kambule 1881, Kalinda Kollective, Keegan Taylor, Henry Danner, Michel Chataigne, Nickel “Blacka” Paul from House of Creationz Mas Band, Cherice “Queen Reesie” Harrison-Nelson, and Ani Brutus.
CCCADI is grateful for the vital support received from the Ashé Cultural Arts Center.
This exhibition is a collective effort, anchored by CCCADI’s Living Archive and featuring contributions from our community.
ABOUT KNOW YOUR CARIBBEAN – Know Your Caribbean (KYC) is a premier educational platform and 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting Caribbean history, culture, and identity. Founded by Fiona Compton, it aims to tell untold stories of the region, specifically focusing on African heritage, indigenous history, and folklore to counter misrepresentation. For more info: https://www.knowyourcaribbean.com/about
ABOUT THE KALINDA KOLLECTIVE – The Kalinda Kollective is an Afro-Caribbean cultural and martial arts organization dedicated to preserving, teaching, and performing Kalinda, an ancient tradition of stick fighting and ritual combat that originated in Africa and evolved throughout the Caribbean.
ABOUT CCCADI – The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), is an arts, culture, education and media nonprofit organization that advances cultural equity, racial and social justice for African descendant communities. CCCADI’s programs serve children/youth, families, young professionals, elders, local and international artists, and practitioners of African-based spiritual traditions. Through our work CCCADI offers a collective space where African descendants honor the contributions of the global African Diaspora through exhibitions, performances, conferences, educational programs and international exchanges. For more info visit: https://www.cccadi.org/