Music Festival Musicians 2025 – Center for Social and Economic Justice

Music Festival Musicans 2025

LA PEÑA COMMUNITY CHORUS

The La Peña Community Chorus formed in 1979 at Berkeley’s landmark institution La Peña Cultural Center in support of Chilean refugees who fled the dictatorship in Chile after the brutal military coup on September 11, 1973.

The Chorus reflects the spirit of the La Peña Cultural Center in its community and solidarity work. We sing songs from the Latin American musical tradition known as Nueva Canción, songs of working people, and songs that support peace and political and cultural work for social change.

Over the past 25 years the Chorus has toured Central and South America extensively, bringing the good will of the people of the United States to Cuba, Chile, México, Perú, Uruguay, and Argentina. We performed concerts and shared our music, and friendship through meaningful cultural exchanges with many choruses and other institutions.

Vukani Mawethu

Vukani Mawethu is a multi-racial community based social justice choir which sings freedom songs of Southern Africa, as well as songs showing links between struggles in the United States and around the world.

We are united in our strong opposition to racism and injustice, and by our love of rhythms, melodies and harmonies which have grown out of many struggles for freedom. We collaborate, perform and organize to inspire and unite people to strive and work for peace, justice and equality for all.

Francisco Herrera

Growing up in the border town of Calexico, California, Francisco Herrera always straddled two worlds. “My siblings and cousins and I used to sing rancheras and some mariachi at family parties, and when we got a little older we started some garage rock bands,” he recalls of his early musical exploits. But as he became more involved in the church and in particular with the Latin American school of Liberation Theology, Herrera began exploring ways to use music to further his goals of social justice. Herrera traveled extensively throughout Latin America working with community organizations even as he finished his four years at seminary school, all the while toting his guitar and whipping it out for events, actions, and church meetings. “Reflection, meditation, prayer, all those things are important. But they’re important so you can play a role here to make social change. De ahí nacen all those misas that have a social message.” He deftly weaves between English and Spanish as he explains the philosophy of Liberation Theology as he sits under portraits of his two heroes, Che Guevara and Monseñor Oscar Romero, the Salvadoran archbishop who was assassinated in 1980. Francisco Herrera’s most recent album, Honor Migrante, is full of songs that reflect his passion for social justice. The themes range from immigrant rights to globalization, and the music itself crosses genre borders from traditional-sounding norteño and corrido tunes to post-modern electro-cumbia and Latin Rock wet with soulful vocals, wailing electric guitars, and a ripping Fender-Rhodes solo. All these sounds are melded smoothly together by veteran super-producer Greg Landau (Maldita Vecindad, Susana Baca) who met Herrera in the late 1980s on the Nueva Cancion circuit. His cd is available in the donate tab of livingwage-sf.org

Hali Hammer

Hali Hammer is an award-winning singer-songwriter who performs with her partner Randy Berge and sings with Pat Wynne and Liliana Herrera in the trio The ReSisters. She sang with Freedom Song Network for decades and was a member of the chorus that sang onstage behind Nelson Mandela at the Oakland Coliseum. She is a founding member of Occupella and has been performing for many causes for decades. Hali is active in the San Francisco Folk Music Club (she is currently the Vice President) and was the coordinator of the 2003 Berkeley Free Folk Festival. She worked with Country Joe McDonald on the Berkeley Protest Music Festival which was held at the Berkeley Unitarian Fellowship for several years. In her native New York she worked with Citizens to Save Minnewaska, which is now Minnewaska Lake State Park instead of a Marriott Hotel. She also worked on saving the Berkeley Post Office, which is still there. Currently she is writing and posting songs on YouTube. Visit her website at www.halihammer.com.

Avotcja

Poet/Playwright/Multi-Percussionist/Photographer/Teacher

Avotcja has been published in English & Spanish in the USA, Mexico & Europe, and in more Anthologies than she remembers. She is an award winning Poet & multi-instrumentalist who has opened for Betty Carter in New York City, Peru’s Susana Baca at San Francisco’s Encuentro Popular & Cuba’s Gema y Pável, played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Bobi & Luis Cespedes, John Handy, Sonido Afro Latina, Dimensions Dance Theater, Black Poets With Attitudes, Bombarengue, Nikki Giovanni, Los Angeles’ Build An Ark, Dwight Trible, Diamano Coura West African Dance Co., Terry Garthwaite, Big Black, The Bay Area Blues Society & Caribeana Etc. Shared stages with Sonia Sanchez, Piri Thomas, Janice Mirikitani, Diane DiPrima, Michael Franti, Jayne Cortez, & with Jose Montoya’s Royal Chicano Air Force & is a Bay Area icon with her group Avotcja & Modúpue. Avotcja was the opening act for the legendary Poet Pat Parker the last three years of her life. She both composed & performed the film score for the Danish documentary MuNu. Her Poetry &/or music has been recorded by Piri Thomas, Famoudou Don Moyé (of The Art Ensemble Of Chicago), Bobby Matos Latin Jazz Ensemble, & performed by The Purple Moon Dance Project, and was the 1st Poetry performed by New York’s Dance Mobile. She’s appeared at The Lorraine Hansberry Theater in S. F., The Asian-American Jazz Festival in Chicago, as well as The Asian-American Jazz Festival in San Francisco. She’s been featured 5 times at Afro-Solo, twice at San Francisco’s Carnival, The Scottish Rite Temple & Yoshi’s in Oakland & San Francisco, Jose Castellar’s play “Man From San Juan”, Club Le Monmartre in Copenhagen Denmark, Stanford University, at San Francisco’s Brava Theater For The Arts with Cine Acción, New York’s Henry Street Settlement Theater and The Women On The Way Festival in San Francisco. Avotcja a is popular Bay Area DeeJay & Radio Personality, and the founder/Director of “The Clean Scene Theater Project (AKA) Proyecto Teatral De La Escena Sobria”. She continues to teach Creative Writing, Storytelling & Drama in Public Schools & thanks to the California Arts Council she was also an Artist in Residence at the Milestones Project & San Francisco Penal System. Avotcja is a proud member of DAMO (Disability Advocates Of Minorities Organization), PEN Oakland, California Poets In The Schools, IWWG & is an ASCAP recording artist.

Kaylah Marin

Artist, filmmaker, and writer Kaylah Marin is dedicated to social causes, having worked with organizations such as the Dolores Huerta Foundation and the Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival. As a former board member of Community Services United, she focused on health and economic restoration in Berkeley.

Kaylah contributes her expertise to KAJE Creative, a consulting business that leverages media, music, art, and film to enhance branding, marketing, and promotional efforts with a focus on community building through stories and visual media. She co-directs the SF Social and Economic Justice Film Festival and chairs the UPS Pride Alliance.

Kaylah is most proud of her invitations to perform at the Ron Dellums Memorial, Dolores Huerta’s 80th birthday, and WorldPride NYC – Stonewall 50.And as a Billboard-charting artist, Kaylah has collaborated with top industry names, including Narada Michael Walden, the Perry Twins, Josh Harris, Mike Rizzo, and Tracy Young. Her work with the Garifuna International Indigenous Film Festival earned her the title of Ambassador of Music in both 2017 and 2018.

Rashida Oji (Regina Wells)

Rashida Oji (Regina Wells) is the voice of love. She makes every song her own whether singing from gospel, jazz, blues, rock or folk traditions, or her very own creations. She was a founding member of Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, and has also performed with two iterations of Ojalá! as well as Rashida Oji and Middle Passage and Just Now Band. Rashida is proud to serve on the staff of GLIDE Church’s Center for Social Justice.