Dialogues of Jazz Cultural Community Center

My name is Anthony Thomas, and I'm the executive producer for the podcast A LONG WAY FROM THE BLOCK. Growing up in San Diego, I came across all types of folks, and they all had an influence on me. Coaches, community members, and the mentorship of elders shaped my life. Conversations, books, music, and travel contributed to my perspective on the importance of culture, art, and history. ALWFTB gives me the means to preserve the valuable stories of those who have paved the way for us all, and to use those stories to pave the way in turn for younger generations.

ALWFTB is a podcast and a movement in need of a permanent residence. We envision expanding into a Cultural Community Center open to all, where the podcast will be produced and recorded. The Cultural Center will be a place where musicians, authors, artists, and other performers can stay for discussions and interviews in an intimate, personal setting. We will have a state-of-the-art performance space complete with a jazz rhythm section including a baby grand piano, drum kit, and an upright bass. We will provide music lessons for aspiring young musicians and offer classes in theatre, jazz history, African and African American studies, and African drum and dance. The Center's offerings will include visual art, poetry readings, a listening station, and a reading room. It will be a thriving hub for meeting and connecting with the arts and the larger community. We will cultivate the arts through healthy and dynamic encounters to create positive social exchange.

"I think music is an instrument. It can create the initial thought patterns that can change the thinking of people."

-John Coltrane

This complex time we live in today is a call for healing in communities across the world. The Dialogues of Jazz Cultural Center will be a place for people to come together to celebrate the arts and build on their common interests.

After more than 80 episodes of ALWFTB podcast it has become clear that the time to build the Center is now, and every contribution matters. Together we can create a community space on behalf of generations to come.

This gofundme request of $100,000 is part of multiple endeavors to raise funds for purchasing a brick and mortar location, and to permanently house the Dialogues of Jazz Cultural Center.