First and foremost, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who was involved in Manifest Station: the whole team at the Block Club, my mother, Shanti, and of course, all the attendees.
Manifest Station has been an idea I’ve wanted to bring to life for several years. So, that night was incredibly heartwarming and emotional for me. Combining it with Kwanzaa added a depth I hadn’t even anticipated until we were right in the midst of it.
Even though we didn’t get to every part of the plan, it was still a success in my eyes. The performance by Kahlil Nash was a highlight, and having a portion of my family in one room, celebrating our heritage, was deeply gratifying. I hope these pictures give you a glimpse of the energy that filled the space. I’m already looking forward to the next event coming soon!
Creating and completing this event was incredibly important to me because it represented a culmination of some of the most essential parts of what make me who I am. When I came back home to San Diego, I knew I wanted to pursue my art in a much more serious way. Early on, I met the owners of the Block Club, and through building a relationship with them, I began to see the things I wanted to accomplish as truly doable. Shortly after, I connected with Shanti, who shared the same hunger to create something meaningful and worth recognizing.
As we began to develop a workflow, I decided to host an event at the beginning of the year. Manifest Station felt like the perfect concept — it was the ideal time to create vision boards. While we didn’t end up completing that portion of the night, it was the original intention. When Manifest Station became combined with Kwanzaa, I realized that manifesting our future isn’t just a goal for the Block Club; it is a foundational pillar of Kwanzaa itself.
As all of these connections came together over time, the event took on greater meaning. I began to see it as a potential vehicle for bringing my family together... a family that has been navigating turmoil in many different directions for quite some time. In that sense, the event was marginally successful, but deeply meaningful nonetheless.
My goal with Manifest Station is to create an ongoing event series that highlights the idea that our minds, bodies, and spirits are the vehicles through which we manifest whatever we deem possible. Manifest Station is meant to be a platform for people to find themselves, pursue their goals, and discover the tools, resources, or people that can help them along their journey. The irony of the event is that while I set out hoping to bring my family together, I found that my family coming together helped me do exactly those things for myself.
Seeing my mom work in event planning and delegation showed me that this truly seems to be her calling. Experiencing my family come together to prepare food and feed everyone (something we’ve done many times in house gatherings) was especially inspiring. This was the first event led by me, and seeing how fully they showed up and had my back was incredibly beautiful. On top of that, having a good portion of my immediate family present to watch my mom and my niece, Michaela, light the candles, and to hear me speak on what Kwanzaa means to me, was powerful. Being able to highlight the importance of Pan-African unity, and unity within our community as a whole, made the moment even more meaningful.