AAHA...FOR THE MOST POSITIVE HOLIDAYS EVER!
AAHA: Co-Creators of New Holidays and Traditions
 
AAHA has added to the culture, by its founder, Ayo Handy-Kendi, being the visionary for new holiday ('wholyday') alternatives: Black Love Day-Feb. 13th (started in 1993), Ancestor Honor Day-May 30th, Unity in Diversity Day-May 1st (both started in 1995), and the Ritual of Reconciliation, a new tradition. 

AAHA also helped in the establishing of the Martin Luther King Holiday, working in close conjunction with King Holiday Organizers, and received a certificate for such service.

Due to its community educational outreach, AAHA has further advanced the community awareness of Kwanzaa, Juneteenth, D.C. Emancipation Day, Harriet Tubman Day, Women’s History Month, Native American History Month, Grandmother’s Day, World AIDS Day, World Asthma Day/Month, International Breath Day, World Breathing Day, Malcolm X Day, Nelson Mandela Day, and alternatives to Thanksgiving and the 4th of July (4th of U-Lie).

AAHA has a long history in using holidays, celebrations and rituals for social change

  • Ayo Handy-Kendi's community newspaper, PositivEnergy Newsletter promoted and advocated for the Martin Luther King Holiday Bill receiving a letter of recognition for the activism that helped prompted the passing of the national bill into law in ;
  • PositivEnergy Newsletter promoted Kwanzaa on radio, t.v. and in print, with presentations & storytelling as Mama Ayo, the Kwanzaa Griot.  The Newspaper further spread Mama Ayo's concept of "Holiday Stress Syndrome".
  • PositivEnergy Newsletter Served the D.C. Metropolitan area and gained national recognition for it's unique concept of open submissions of cultural expression.  Copies are in the Schomburg, Mooreland Spingarn and D.C. Historical Society Library
  • The Newsletter hosted the first African American Holiday Expo in 1982 and for it's 9 years, developed the Uzuri Fashion Shows with Sister Amina Lee,  that encouraged Black people to express their inner/outer beauty through African centered handicrafts, accessories and cultural wares
  • From 1982 to 2005 the African American Holiday Expo grew with a cultural marketplace of 1,000's of merchants, vendors, businesses, and youth entrepreneurs;
  • Provided educational consultation of its cultural Expo model of self-empowerment and youth entrepreneurship, resulting in the establishment of several cultural marketplaces in D.C., Maryland, New York, Richmond, New Jersey, and Saint Louis;
  • The Newsletter's advocacy of holidays for social change, received national and international interest from which Ayo Handy-Kendi was motivated to start a non-profit organization in 1989, called the African American Holiday Association (AAHA) to perpetuate and preserve culture through traditional and non-traditional holidays, celebrations and rituals;
  • She developed a training model for YouthPreneurs, to learn and earn, resulting in 2,000 + youth learning self-help activities and cottage business development during the Christmas/Kwanzaa season as an alternative to crime and violence prevention training;
  • Activist Yango Sawyer, and Ayo Handy-Kendi coordinated "peace walks" in D.C.'s  Shaw, inner-city community, to demand the end of violence during the Crack/Cocaine epidemic, which grew into the first, Martin Luther King Jr.  parade in S.E. which would expand under the leadership of Mayor Marion Barry Jr. and activist Keith Silver;
  •  Black Love Day, Feb. 13th, was born in D.C., in 1993 from a spiritual inspiration received by Mama Ayo with the goal to increase peace and stop violence,  Have received local, national and international recognition receiving  3 City-wide Proclamations in D.C. and Maryland and many awards.  Most recently awarded the "Akoma" Statue from Kymone Freeman, founder of the Black Luv Festival and WeAct Radio;
  • AAHA has provided organizing, technical assistance and public relations  to over 30 + marches, demonstrations, & cultural programs, notably the Million Man March, Million Youth March, 2nd March on Washington, Stand for Children, and served as the 1997 D.M.V Regional Coordinator of the Million Woman's March;

  • 100's of YouthPreneurs in AAHA's YEP program, from 1996- 1999, were encouraged during Easter "to sell flowers instead of drugs" on the corner of 7th & P Streets, N.W., near some of the crack houses, that Mama Ayo helped shut down;
  • AAHA in collaboration with then, Councilwoman Valencia Muhammad, supported African Centered education initiatives and together formed, Mothers of Unsolved Murders, which in 2005, demanded a "forensic lab" to be funded in the District for crime investigation;
  • Provided public relations campaigns for millions of people, around the concept of "avoiding holiday stress syndrome", thereby encouraging healthy, self-care coping strategies;
  • In 1999 and 2000 organized the first and 2nd Unity in Diversity Day (UIDD) on the National Mall to encourage racial healing ;
  • Organized on April 1st, April Fools' Day, a Right to Health Care Day to demand "single payer" health insurance, in conjunction with Joel Siegle out of Congressman John Conyers office;
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  • Helped fundraise for the Civil War Memorial and organized the first D.C. Juneteenth festival at this site, coordinating with the National Juneteenth Committee;
  • Organized "A Day of Thanks" for Native American History Month, to raise funds and awareness of political prisoners Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard Peltier and many others, incarcerated for their political advocacy;
  • Was inspired by the historical research of Ms. Loretta Carter Hanes and filmed her describing the 1800's former Emancipation Day March in D..C. .  Coordinated on April 16th, a  re-enactment of the historical march down Pennsylvania Avenue, with Ayo Handy-Kendi, Henry "Tabu" Taylor and Karen Shulgate.  Advocated for the revival of the D.C. government's  legislation for D.C. Emancipation Day, April 16th to become a D.C. paid holiday, with a modern day parade which passed in ;
  • Organized with Brenda Sayles, Chuck Hicks, Anise Jenkins, Henry Tabu Taylor and John P. Davies III,  an ad hoc committee, Friends of D. C. Emancipation Day which spear-headed  community participation with the D.C. government's activities for April 16th D. C. Emancipation Day with a statehood theme.  Years later, at beginning of COVID pandemic, spearheaded first Virtual D.C. Emancipation Day program ; 
AAHA PROVIDES SERVICES IN:

  • Education/Cultural Enrichment/Ceremonial Services;
  • Cultural storytelling, workshops, lectures, and ritual commemorations;
  • Cultural competency education for groups and individuals;
  • Social change and community empowerment;
  •  Public educational outreach campaigns on cultural holidays and holiday stress management;
  • Anti-violence and crime prevention through youth entrepreneur training, cultural enrichment;  
  • Unity/ healing technical assistance/consultation & facilitation of holidays, celebrations & rituals for the African Diaspora;
  • Ritual of Reconciliation, Black Love Relationship Ceremony, Kwanzaa Candle Lighting Ceremony, Libations, African Wedding or Burial rites, Holiday displays/decorations, Family Reunions, Black History Programs, Emancipation Day Programs, Cultural Marches/Demonstrations;
  • Membership Benefits for special event, cultural holidays, celebrations, and ritual provider
  • Technical Assistance (TA) on Cultural Organizing, Organizational Development, Special Events, or Public Relations provided at an affordable, sliding-fee rate, to groups and individuals.