January 2023

More than 200,000 people are expected to take part in San Antonio’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. March, the first in-person march since the event was canceled in 2021 because of the pandemic. The theme of this year’s march is “Together We Can Be the Dream.”

The march will start with a kickoff at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy and conclude with a celebration at Pittman-Sullivan Park. The celebration will include live-music performances, health and wellness workshops, kids area and food.

The kickoff is at 10 a.m. Monday at the academy, 3501 Martin Luther King Dr. The march runs from there to South New Braunfels Avenue, and then south to Iowa Street and the park entrance. Free bus service to the march will run from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. from Freeman Coliseum and St. Philip’s College; return service from the park will be from noon to 3:30 p.m.

The march is the highlight of DreamWeek, a wide-ranging citywide summit inspired by work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the mission of fostering civic and civil engagement. Here are some highlights from this year’s schedule of events:

Opening Ceremony Breakfast: Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai will be the keynote speaker at the ceremony commencing this year’s DreamWeek. Mayor Ron Nirenberg, City Councilman Jalen Mckee Rodriguez and DreamVoice President Shokare Nakpodia also will speak at the breakfast. 7:30 a.m. Friday, Jack Guenther Pavilion at the Briscoe, 210 W. Market St. $65-$1,250, dreamweek.org.

Literary Empowerment Summit: Established and emerging authors will showcase their work at this gathering meant to encourage literary education and engage with diverse audiences. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, Magnolia Gardens, 2030 Main Ave. $25, dreamweek.org.

Black History Day Party & River Tour: Learn about the impact African Americans have had on the history of San Antonio during this river tour. Light refreshments will be provided at the starting location before guests board the boats for the tour. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, 218 S. Presa St. $40, dreamweek.org.

“She’s Speaking”: This panel discussion will cover wellness, mental health and careers from the perspective of Black women. The panel will be hosted by Michelle Rouche and Bonita Owens. 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Upstage Comedy Lounge, 4441 Walzem Road. $30, Facebook: @Upstagecomedy.

MLK5K: The Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Wheatley is hosting this 5K run to benefit the academy. 9 a.m. Sunday, MLK Park, 3503 Martin Luther King Drive. $10, runsignup.com.

DreamWeek Gallery Talk: Curator Regina Palm will lead this discussion on artist Pierre Daura’s “Good Henry,” one of a series of portraits Daura created depicting Black employees of the college where he taught in 1947. 6 p.m. Tuesday, San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave. Free-$5, samuseum.org.

Dreamweek 2023 Awards Luncheon: DreamVoice will recognize and honor local organizations and individuals who have worked to create an environment of racial equity. Rudy Garza, president & CEO of CPS Energy, and DreamVoice president Shokare Nakpodia will speak. 11:30 a.m. Jan. 20, Texas Public Radio, 321 W. Commerce St. $65-$1,000, dreamsecured.org.

For DreamVoice founder Shokare Nakpodia, the genius of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s was communication.

While boycotts, protests and marches were all key parts of the movement, Black leaders “sat down together” with ideological opponents to talk through profound disagreements and deep-seated biases, he said.

DreamWeek began in 2013 in a similar spirit, as a way to bring people together to talk about issues affecting society and to celebrate creativity and a diversity of voices.

The result is what Nakpodia called “the largest community-curated event of its kind in the nation,” with dozens of participants joining in annually with a range of offerings from fashion, food and visual art to thoughtful panel discussions and conversations beginning Friday and running through Jan. 29.

The DreamWeek events schedule includes free and ticketed events, and the official website offers a helpful “add to Dreamlist” feature and Google calendar links to keep track of events of interest. Below is a list of highlights from the week’s events.

Local leaders

Newly installed Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai will kick things off as the keynote speaker of Friday’s opening ceremony breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the Jack Guenther Pavilion at the Briscoe Western Art Museum. Tickets for the event start at $65 for individuals, with table prices available.

Other local leaders to make appearances include Rudy Garza, the new president and CEO of CPS Energy, at the annual DreamWeek awards luncheon Jan. 20, and Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who will be guest of honor at the annual Mayor’s Dream Ball on Jan. 28.

The second annual Freedom Walk will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday in Lincoln Park, with an informative path to Martin Luther King Park marking milestones on the journey to achieving civil rights legislation.

The San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) will present several events throughout DreamWeek, including a Saturday morning boat tour starting from near its Presa Street headquarters, and the Burial Ground: Exploring African American Resting Places walking tour at San Antonio Cemetery #3 on Jan. 28 from noon to 1 p.m.

SAAACAM will also partner with San Antonio Poet Laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson for a two-day writing workshop titled New Beginnings: Grow Where You Are Planted. The Jan. 21-22 workshop is free with registration.

Arts and culture

DreamWeek is filled with other arts and culture-focused events. The City’s MLK Commission will present the Youth Power Jam, a free concert from 3-9 p.m. at the Espee, on Jan. 14.

At 10 a.m. on Jan. 15 at the Spirit Filled Family Church in Schertz, gospel singer Kara Nichole will join the fellowship.

The City of San Antonio Culture Commons gallery opens Between Yesterday and Tomorrow: Perspectives from Black Contemporary Artists of San Antonio, curated by artist Barbara Felix, with a free reception Jan. 19 from 6-9 p.m.

The McNay Art Museum has extended its exhibition True Believers: Benny Andrews and Deborah Roberts, portraying Black life in an array of dazzling colors and inventive collage, through Feb. 5.

Fashion and artisan crafts play a big role in this year’s DreamWeek. On Jan. 13 from 6-9 p.m., the Lafrique fashion showat the Ultra Kitchen on Culebra Road will present African fashions along with Nigerian food selections.

San Antonio First Lady Erika Prosper will join the Middle Eastern and North African Women of Excellence for its annual celebration Jan. 17 from 4-8 p.m. at the Brick, featuring music, a handcrafts bazaar and Middle Eastern cuisine. The event is free but registration is required.

The popular African Market Festival at the Brick presented by the Òlàjú Art Group runs 5-10 p.m. on Jan. 21, hosted by local personality Uchennaya Ogba. A $25 ticket will garner access to performances, a runway fashion show, an art exhibition, a cafe featuring African cuisine and an artisan marketplace.

On Jan. 22, from 3-6 p.m., the Bonham Exchange hosts “Dreaming of Haute,” presented by Artistry of Fashion. Ticket prices range from $45 to $95 for those age 18 and over.

Nakpodia said the sheer number and eclectic variety of events is a strength of DreamWeek and a reflection of its community.

“That’s what life is” in San Antonio, he said, “all these different organizations doing incredible things.”

Healthy meal preps, Texas Trippin’, robots + African-designed fashion show

SAN ANTONIO – Today on SA Live, load up and organize healthy food for the new year, we go Texas Trippin’ to the Hill Country, Wolfbots Robotics teams wow us with their newest creations, and Tudis African Boutique presents a fashion show.

It’s a new year and Fuel F33d can help you get into shape by meal-prepping healthy delicious food combinations.

Jen Tobias-Sturski takes us to Johnson City, Texas to the Bentley Hotel a boutique hotel featuring a resort-style pool and an outdoor wine cabana bar.

Our friends from the Wolfbots Robotics Team show us their newest creations ahead of their big robotics competition this weekend.

Tudis African Boutique comes on to talk about Lafrique Show, a fashion show and opportunity to shop new African based designs at a great price.

SA Live airs weekdays at 1 p.m. on KSAT 12. Stream the show anytime from the KSAT+ app on Roku, smart TV, or smartphone.

You can watch the full show in the video below.

SAN ANTONIO – Growing up in Nigeria, DreamWeek San Antonio founder Shokare Nakpodia told his father, the director of a multi-national company, that he wanted to be a Negro.

“He laughed like hysterically for days and days,” Nakpodia said.

Yet Nakpodia said, “I felt that the African-Americans were the most noble people on earth.”

Nakpodia said he admired their determination.

“There was this sense that they were going to succeed even though the road ahead was going to be very hard,” Nakpodia said.

Years later while visiting his sister, a pastor in San Antonio, he discovered a march honoring one of his civil rights heroes, Martin Luther King Jr.

“It was magical,” he said. “Hundreds of thousands of people marching in one accord was truly inspiring.”

Nakpodia said many of them came to a part of town they usually didn’t visit.

He said after he created his own marketing and advertising firm, “We got a contract to beautify the MLK March route.”

Designing and creating the needed signage was “a turning point,” Nakpodia said.

He was deeply involved in what it took to stage the event that is now said to be the largest MLK Jr. March in the nation.

Nakpodia said he wanted to keep the spirit of unity of that day alive.

He asked, “Can we create events around DreamWeek that would support what the spirit of the march?”

The first DreamWeek had only about 30 events, grew to 350 before the pandemic, and this year, there will be more than 200 programs during the 17-day citywide summit focusing on tolerance, diversity and equality, as well as civil and civic engagement. Nakpodia said he expects in the next few years, DreamWeek may have as many as 500 programs for the community.

Nakpodia said he had imagined, “This was the place I needed to be.”

He said the MLK Jr. March and the events throughout DreamWeek, help show “San Antonio is becoming more of the face of America’s tomorrow.”

The Annual DreamWeek summit is set to return to San Antonio this month for the 11th consecutive year.

This year has more than 200 events planned across 17 days, with the penultimate day of the summit, January 28th, showcasing the mayor’s dream ball.

The majority of this year’s summit lineup will feature events put on by community organizations.

DreamWeek organizers say the summit gives San Antonio the opportunity to venture physically intellectually and spiritually, and to showcase our diverse representation.

DreamWeek 2023 officially kicks off this Friday the 13th and runs through January 29th. For more information, CLICK HERE!

The KSAT 12 News Team offers a report on the latest news of the day, as well as updates on sports, San Antonio area weather and rush-hour traffic issues.

Nina Simone: Four Women marks its regional premiere at The Public Theater of San Antonio, the longest running theatre company in Texas. This play with music by Christina Ham runs January 20 through February 12, 2023 in the historic Russell Hill Rogers Theater, located at San Pedro Playhouse in San Pedro Springs Park. The production is led by Director Ann James with music direction by Kimberlyn Montford.

Nina Simone: Four Women is set on September 16, 1963. The day after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This play with music uses the framework of one of the Civil Rights Era’s leading songstresses’ most blistering songs to give voice to a group of women suffering self-hatred due to the different hues of their skin. A journey that leads these four women through healing and transformation.

Broadway World sets Nina Simone: Four Women as “An eye opening, powerful, stirring, and unique theatrical experience. ” Director Ann James adds, “Nina Simone: Four Women is not like any other play I have directed and I am so excited to bring it to life in San Antonio. The blending of the characters’ lives and the background of social change will take the audience on a remarkable journey. Live music written by one of America’s Black treasures, Nina Simone: Four Women serves as a solid foundation that will thrill and move the story to its thrilling end. Come experience this play and you will meet the women that live among us all.”

The cast includes DEBRA ELANA as Nina Simone, DANIELLE KING as Sarah, STEPHANIE D. JONES* as Sephronia, REBEKAH WILLIAMS as Sweet Thing.

The creative team includes Ann James as Director, KIMBERLYN MONTFORD as Music Director, KRYSTAL UCHEM as Costume Designer, JAMES THOMAS as Set Designer, CARLOS R. NINE as Lighting Designer, CLAUDIA JENKINS MARTINEZ as Sound Designer.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Run time: About 90 minutes with one intermission.

Show themes: Nina Simone: Four Women focuses on civil rights, as well as blending the lines between artistry and activism.

Events in Celebration of Nina Simone: Four Women

• Opening Night- Friday, January 20, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
• Engagement Night – Thursday, January 25, 2023 at 7 p.m.
• After Words (Post-show Conversation) -Sunday, January 29, 2023 at 2 p.m. – collaboration with Dreamweek
• After Words (Post-show Conversation) -Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
• Relaxed Performance – Sunday, February 5, 2023 at 2 p.m.
  • (For more information on Relaxed Performances, click here)

• ASL Interpreted Performance – Friday, February 10, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
• ASL Interpreted Performance – Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 2 p.m.