International Band Ozomatli Celebrates Diversity and Community in Davis
By Giselle Garcia '23, Legal Fellow for the Aoki Center for Critical Race and Nation Studies
On December 17, the Davis Phoenix Coalition and Davis Live Music Collective organized a special performance, with the help of Ethnic Studies Yolo Academy and Delta of Venus, at the Davis Veterans Memorial Theatre to feature the international humanitarian musical band Ozomatli.
Ozomatli is a rock band based in Los Angeles which incorporates powerful messages with an array of musical genres like salsa, reggae, hip-hop, funk, and more. Their socially conscious music is culturally connected to our diverse community in Yolo County.
The event was a collaborative effort with many community organizations including the Winters Community Corazón and Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA). A limited-edition poster commemorating the event was distributed after the concert and designed by Jose Arenas who is the Director of TANA. TANA is a collaborative project with the UC Davis Chicana/o Studies Program and the greater Woodland area which focuses on highlighting art as an essential part of community enrichment.
The sold-out concert brought together 600 community members for an evening of empowering unity and celebration. Those in attendance included esteemed members of our King Hall community such as Aoki Center Co-Director and Professor of Law Raquel Aldana, Immigration Law Clinic Co-Director Holly Cooper, and UC Immigrant Legal Services Center Managing Attorney Rachel Ray.
This event was profound a reminder of Keith Aoki, whom our Center is named in honor of, and his love for art. Before starting law school, Professor Keith Aoki worked at music store and venue CBGB in New York City, which is touted the birthplace of American punk and new wave bands such as The Ramones and Joan Jett. Music and art were always present as an influence in Professor Aoki’s work. King Hall alumnus and Board President of the UCD School of Law Alumni Association Errol Dauis ’11 attended the Ozomatli concert. Dauis was a student of Professor Aoki and recalls learning about his appreciation for music and the arts in his Critical Race Theory Seminar. Dauis says:
[Professor Aoki] was a brilliant legal scholar but had this whole other life that he lived and appreciated. He had an eclectic taste in music, he was interested in music that had a social impact and was a renegade in the way he taught. The event last night was something Professor Aoki would have supported. He was a fan of people doing things that meant something to them and would have loved the way Ozomatli moved the crowd the way they did.
The Aoki Center was a proud co-sponsor of this event celebrating the contributions and joy of people of color. Dr. Melissa Moreno, a central organizer of the event thanked sponsors, “Thank you for supporting our concert in so many ways! It increased the positive vibe in our regional community and encouraged imagination and connection beyond what we imagine.” This event gave testimony to the transcending power of art to bring people together and promote social impact.