Carla Bristol didn’t grow up with Kwanzaa, the annual celebration of Black culture and values that got its start in the era of the Civil Rights movement and surge in Black pride and identity.
But for the past eight years, Bristol has made it her mission to host first-day events focusing on unity to mark the festival that begins Dec. 26 and ends New Year’s Day.
For the Guyanese-born artist and owner of Gallerie 909, which showcases art from the African diaspora, her commitment to the annual observation that’s rooted in the first fruit celebrations of Africa was a natural pursuit. She’s also the passionate leader of the St. Pete Youth Farm, a program for high schoolers in a predominantly African-American area where residents subsist without a supermarket.
This year, Bristol’s Gallerie 909 and the St. Pete Youth Farm will help kick off a series of programs that celebrate Black culture, families and community. Kwanzaa at the Farm is one of several St. Petersburg events planned at sites that include churches, a mosque and Tropicana Field. For the first time, Bristol is responsible for coordinating the calendar of local Kwanzaa events, accessible on Facebook at Kwanzaastpete.
