Black Creatives & Performing Art Events in Berkeley, CA

Join us in centering women of color storytelling through spoken word and performance. The Empowering Women of Color Open Mic is back! We’ve missed you! Join us for an evening of live music, spoken word, radical storytelling, and powerful performances that uplift and celebrate the creativity of women* of color. This beloved open mic is a long-standing collaboration between La Peña Cultural Center and UC Berkeley’s Women of Color Initiative, serving as the launch event of the Empowering Women of Color Conference (EWOCC) - one of the nation’s longest-running conferences addressing the needs and experiences of womxn of color. Since its founding in 1985, EWOCC has brought together activists, artists, scholars, and community leaders to advance intersectional feminist movements rooted in justice and solidarity. Rooted in Black feminism and collective joy, this open mic welcomes everyone into a sacred space that centers the voices, stories, and expressions of women of color, while inviting all to witness, listen, and be in community. Come be part of an inspiring community grounded in love, art, and liberation. *We use “women” as an inclusive term embracing all who experience or connect with womanhood through identity, spirit, or lived experience, past, present, future, and fluid, while honoring the diverse ways gender is expressed, including by trans and non-binary folks.