African American Day of the Ancestors

The Institute’s year of activities culminates with the revival of a cultural observance among African Americans a few generations ago known as ‘Grave-Sweeping Day,’ which we are calling The African American Day of the Ancestors. Held near or on Nov. 1, the observation parallels the Latino  Dia Day Los Muertos, the Chinese “QungMing,” or Hungry Ghost festival,  Haiti’s Papa Gede celebration, and the All Saints’ Day of New Orleans. It takes place at the Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, where the mass grave holding victims of the Jonestown massacre of 1978 are buried. In the 2016 photo above, participant Carolyn Patton has chalked her hands in 'efun,' a white clay from Nigeria used in ceremonies for its protective and healing properties—Photo by Val Kai.