Safety & The First Amendment – Holiday Fundraiser

The San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) will host its annual holiday fundraiser online this year and it is dedicated to the intriguing theme of Equal Protection Under the First Amendment. Funds raised from the event will be used for the organization’s Spring 2021 program and (if needs be) the continued cost of legal action against the City & County of San Francisco.

The Festival invites the public to join via Zoom for a packed and interactive program of poetry and spoken word presentations hosted by performance artist, Nkechi Emeruwa-Neuberg. Featured artists (curated by Kimi Sugioka, the Poet Laureate of the City of Alameda), will address different aspects of the First Amendment. Featured performers include: Kim Shuck, Jack Hirschman, Josiah Luis Alderete, James Cagney, Kimi Sugioka, Devorah Major, and Rosewater Vigilante. Total, there will FOUR poet laureates (three from San Francisco, one from Alameda) on the program.

In addition to outstanding performances, the evening will include “surprise” cameo appearances by several Bay Area luminaries, a sneak-preview of the Festival’s spring 2021 outdoor season and an in-person chat with the Festival’s legal team (Mark Rennie, Matt Kumin, and Bill Martinez) as they review the Festival’s First Amendment case against the city.