Khafre K. Abif named new community organizer of SAC
The Birmingham, Alabama-based Southern AIDS Coalition has named Khafre. K. Abif as its new community organizer. Abif is an Atlanta resident, author of “Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens: Prayers, Poems & Affirmations for People Living with HIV/AIDS” and founder of “Cycle for Freedom,” a 2,028 mile bike trip designed to raise awareness of the seriousness of HIV/AIDS in black communities by retracing the path of those who fled slavery along the Underground Railroad. He says his life journey has prepared him for this new role.
“I believe my 27 years of living with HIV in eight different states provides me with valuable insight into how different communities are affected by HIV and how these communities respond to the needs of people living with the disease,” says Abif. “We must grow a broader coalition of people living with HIV and provide them with the tools to successfully advocate for policy change.”
“Khafre’s local, regional, and national service as an activist, writer, author, blogger and educator made him a natural choice to lead this effort,” says SAC Executive Director Nic Carlisle.
ART Station to offer summer youth performance camp
ART Station is gearing up to present its annual summer arts camp for youth ages 5-13. The two-week performance program is scheduled to run from June 6-17 for students age 7-13. This professional program introduces students to technical theater elements as well as performance coaching through daily drama classes, singing, dancing, theater games, poetry and visual arts.
The two-week session will culminate with an original show, created and performed by the campers on Friday, June 17. According to Creative Loafing, “…summer camp at ART Station in Stone Mountain is like the Julliard of summer camps.”
“The mission of ART Station Summer ARTS CAMP is to involve the campers age 5-13 in a variety of artistic activities in the performing, literary, and visual arts, allowing the students to explore their creativity with their peers in a fun, safe, and nurturing environment,” says founder and associate producer Michael Hidalgo in a statement.
Parents can find more information for their talented kids and apply for registration and scholarship opportunities online at www.artstation.org.
U.S. SBA to hold small business event in Atlanta
The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) will recognize and award outstanding small business owners in several cities around the country, including Atlanta, on May 3.
SBA Deputy Administrator Douglas Kramer will appear at Georgia Tech Research Institute to lead a discussion on trends for small business and the current business industries that are experiencing a boom in Georgia.
Featured panelists will include Jeff Patterson with the Georgia Small Business Development Center, Art Slotkin with Georgia SCORE, Lee Baker with Georgia AARP, Tisha Tallman with the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Robert Pinckney with the University of Georgia.
National Small Business Week will kick off in Washington D.C. before heading to Atlanta, Denver, and Phoenix. The week will wrap up with visits to Oakland and San Jose, California.
The Atlanta event will be live-streamed and is open to the public. More info can be found at www.sba.gov/NSBW.