AfroSolo Let Freedom Ring! Part 2 / Mar 28-30

AFROSOLO ARTS FESTIVAL 31 presents LET FREEDOM RING! (Part 2): A CELEBRATION OF BLACK RESILIENCE THROUGH SOLO PERFORMANCES. The event occurs Friday and Saturday, March 28 & 29, 2025, 7pm and Sunday, March 30, 2025, 3 pm, at Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street, in San Francisco, CA and simulcast. This exhilarating program by the AfroSolo Theatre Company, a haven for Black arts, culture, intellect, and entertainment, welcomes back all former patrons and invites new audience members to come and experience our ingenuity. Admission is free at the door and for livestream viewing with donations gratefully accepted ($10-$35 donations required for advance in-person reservations). For tickets, click here.

The lineup includes:

Douglass Haynes (Vocalist) will perform “Songs That Feed My Soul,” a mini-concert of Black Gospel and Spiritual music. Haynes comes from a legendary family of Gospel and Black Spiritual singers. He was influenced by his mother, Sharon Blanche Haynes, who sang with the Sallie Martin Singers. Martin was referred to as the “Mother of Gospel” music. Haynes participated in the San Francisco Boys Club and was a member of Morehouse College’s Glee Club and Quartet. He is a choir member at Third Baptist Church in San Francisco, where, for many years, he has been a soloist on various special occasions. One of his noble characteristics is to be a helper to those in need, regardless of race or creed. He will be accompanied by Dr. Carl Blake on piano.

Dr. Carl Blake (Pianist) holds three degrees in piano performance: Bachelor of Music (magna cum laude) from Boston University, Master of Arts from San Jose State University, and Doctor of Musical Arts from Cornell University. — Dr. Blake has performed to critical acclaim three times in Weill Recital Hall (formerly, Carnegie Recital Hall), Wigmore Hall (London) and L’Hermitage (Winter Palace of the Czars, St. Petersburg, Russia). In addition, he has toured in France, England, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Islands as Artistic Ambassador for the United States Department of State. Currently, he serves as Director of Music of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. Mr. Blake serves on the Board of Directors for Noontime Concerts SF.

Augustene Phillips (Writer) will read her short story, “Let America Be America Again”. Using the story of her father, Phillips writes a cautionary story about what life will be like for many people if the onslaught of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs (DEI), the erasure of, or a sanitized version of Black History in education, the banning of books, etc., is a success. Growing up in rural Arkansas, Phillips witnessed what the lack of opportunity, and the  of power to control her father had on his destiny. Phillips explores what the impact of the diminished rights gained over the last 60 years would mean to her generation and those to come. She provides a “canary in the coal mine” view of what America could become. She cautions, “Don’t let that American become America again”.

Libah Sheppard (Writer) will read from her story “I Do Love You” – the story of a young Black girl’s love for her older brother. Despite his faults, he could do no wrong. The result of her brother’s encounter with a policeman sent Sheppard spiraling out of control, which led to almost a decade of drug addiction. “I Do Love You” is a story of personal redemption over adversity. She only recently has been able to talk or write about the incident. The story is a reclamation of her life as she recently completed a Bachelor’s Degree and is presently working on a Master’s Degree, both at SF State University.

Thomas Robert Simpson will premiere: Little Jimmy, Finally Reaches the Promised Land. This will be an AI generated film. This will be AfroSolo’s first venture into presenting a film. Little Jimmy, Finally Reaches the Promised Land. explores the youthful vision of urban renewal and the promise he envisions from the project. Thomas Robert Simpson is a writer, director, performer and producer of AfroSolo. The film will be created by Hugh Leeman via Artificial Intelligence Storytelling, a creative framework that pairs the ancient art of storytelling with artificial intelligence to bring stories to life and communities together.

AfroSolo Theatre Company
AfroSolo Theatre Company’s mission is to nurture, promote and present African American and African Diasporan art and culture through solo performances and the visual and literary arts. Since 1994, we have presented the annual AfroSolo Arts Festival, a forum for African Americans and the larger African Diaspora as a way to give voice to the unique experience of being Black. Through art, we bring people of all ethnicities together to explore and share the human spirit that binds us all.

AfroSolo Arts Festival is made possible through the support of the California Arts Council,  Grants for the Arts, Dream Keeper Initiative, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, San Francisco Arts Commission, The Friends of AfroSolo,

AfroSolo’s collaborative partners include AATAIN, Cultural Odyssey, Intersection for the Arts, Play Ground Theatre, The African American Art and Culture, The Flow Fund, The Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center and the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. More at afrosolo.org.