The First Rastafari Church, and Cultural Center of Florida(FRCCC) are positioned to provide a new vibrant, creative cultural community narrative that is being added to the South Florida landscape. The First Rastafari Church & Cultural Center of Florida(FRCCC) will host the opening of their location on Saturday, June 16, 2018, from 1pm-7pm. This mini-festival is a family inspired event and will take place at 16280 NW 27th Avenue, Miami Gardens, Florida 33054. The event is free and open to the public. The MC for the day is Empress Yvette Marshall, radio personality at WAVS Radio. The FRCCC is a space where people can thrive in the center’s open, collaborative and accessible area.

“The essence of Community is common unity.” It takes a village to raise a child, states Priest Douggie, Head of Cultural Activities for FRCCC. With this in mind, the administration of the FRCCC has endeavored to recreate the village atmosphere in which unity of purpose empowers us to challenge the problems that hamper our community’s positive growth” Hotep.

The Rastafari narrative is more than a religion, its a way of life, social movement and mindset. June 16th marks the birthday of the founder of the Rastafarian movement, Jamaican Leonard P. Howell, an anti-colonial figure who joined Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in New York and first publicly articulated.

Rastafarianism in Kingston in 1933. Howell created the first Rastafarian village (Pinnacle) in 1940.

The organizers have planned a day filled with talks that will tackle issues facing communities as it relates to mental health, depression, and suicide.

The FRCCC is set to showcase different aspects of the Rastafarian heritage and culture based on the wealthy and diverse Rastafarian lifestyle and history.

Scheduled activities for June 16 include;

1pm-Doors open
3pm-Ribbon Cutting ceremony

3:30pm-Keven Toliver Lyons, Executive Director of the Susan D. Lyons Foundation talk on mental health, depression, and suicide.

4pm-African Storyteller/ Drummers Story hour powered by Story-Teller Baba Aday

5:15pm-Benton Curry, President of the Florida Division 525 of the UNIA-ACL as well as the Director of the New Jerusalem University (NJU) will give an overview of the UNIA-ACL and its newest Division.

5:45 pm Kesha Bowers Clinical Social worker, whose focus is on Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder and its effects on our community.

6:00pm-Baba Pearson-Elder Naturalist/Healer will speak on health and wellness

6:30 pm- Screening and take back of “First Rasta” by Helena Lee

For more information about the Community Day, please call 754.264.2205 or 305.331.0643.