World Beat Cultural Center

The World Beat Cultural Center will host the traveling exhibition "Pathways to Freedom: Maroon Societies in the Americas." In collaboration with the exhibit developer, the project team will expand the exhibition to include the history of the underground railroad pathway to freedom between California and Guerrero, Mexico, in addition to digitizing the exhibit and developing a bilingual website. Public programming about the significance of Mexico to the African diaspora communities from 1800 to the present will include tours led by student interns, a podcast, and six public programs featuring guest speakers. Project activities also will include cataloging and digitizing video recordings of performances, presentations, and community celebrations from 1984 through 2021, making this history in the San Diego-Tijuana region accessible to audiences around the world.