By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
Afro Charities, the nonprofit partner to the AFRO, will host its annual fundraiser at Cinghiale in Baltimore on June 7. The event will raise money for the organization’s operating costs as it continues to curate and care for the AFRO’s historic archival collection, which documents more than 130 years of Black life and history.
The theme of the fundraiser is, “Wildest Dreams,” a nod to a powerful mantra in the Black community.
“It comes from the quote, ‘We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams,’ and that’s what we’re doing with our project at the Upton Mansion,” said Savannah Wood, executive director of Afro Charities. “We are manifesting our ancestors’ wildest dreams of having our collections under one roof, continuing our legacy in making the collections accessible to the public and investing in our communities.”
Wood is the great-great granddaughter of John H. Murphy Sr., the formerly enslaved man who founded the AFRO. She became executive director of Afro Charities in 2019, the same year that the organization took over the management of the AFRO Archives. The collection includes more than 3 million photographs, thousands of newspapers from the paper’s previous 13 separate editions, thousands of letters and rare audio recordings.
In March, Afro Charities broke ground on the redevelopment of the historic Upton Mansion in West Baltimore, which is slated to become the permanent home of the AFRO archives in 2026. The space will also house offices for the Afro Charities and the AFRO News team members, while serving as a resource for the neighborhood.
Amid escalating attacks by the 47th president and other elected officials on Black history, Afro Charities’ independent maintenance of the archives has become even more critical.
“This is world history from the Black lens. Oftentimes, our voices were not heard and our perspectives were not seen, but this archival collection does that,” said Deyane Moses, director of programs and partnerships for Afro Charities. “It’s important that we preserve these materials because it’s something you won’t find anywhere else—not only about notable figures, but everyday people as well.”
“We’ve been displaced for so many centuries and our history has been disjointed. The resurgence of archives helps people piece their histories back together,” she continued.
During the Wildest Dreams fundraiser, Afro Charities will honor Joyce J. Scott, or “Mama Joyce.” The visual and performing artist, who hails from West Baltimore, is most known for her jewelry, glass and beadwork.
Her art confronts stereotypes and complex issues, like racism, sexism and violence. Scott said she was overwhelmed by the organization’s recognition.
“After all of my years of work, it’s very fulfilling to know that I am being celebrated as a person who represents excellence within the African-American community,” Scott told the AFRO.
Scott is the daughter of sharecroppers who picked cotton and tobacco in the Carolinas. Her mother was a distinguished quiltmaker. The artist said her parents believed their dreams could live on through her.
Scott referred to her art as her own form of a bully pulpit, allowing her to speak out about political and social injustices. She praised the work of Afro Charities to protect and amplify the legacies of Black people across generations.
“We forget about how prominent we’ve been in the shaping of this country, its culture and the entire world,” said Scott. “It’s very important to have a reservoir of knowledge and that it’s from the voices of Black people, who see things in a different way.”
To purchase a ticket to the Afro Charities fundraiser, “Wildest Dreams,” please click here.
