SAN ANTONIO – Over the course of three weeks, DreamWeek San Antonio hopes to unite San Antonio and foster education, conversation, creativity and culture.
“It’s an opportunity for people to venture who have never been to particular institutions, maybe like this glorious Carver space,” Shokare Nakpodia, the founder of DreamWeek said.
The Carver Community Cultural Center once held the only library Black people could get books from during segregation. The Carver is also home to a stage where greats like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie performed.
“To have the oldest African American cultural institution in all of South Texas in our midst, I think it’s very important that we champion the Carver a lot more,” Nakpodia said.
The Carver will hold multiple events during DreamWeek 2026, including an art exhibition of Maverick Pascall’s work beginning Jan. 8, one day before DreamWeek begins.
“We want to use this idea of peaceful resolution of conflict, the likes of MLK,” Nakpodia said. “265 events is a lot in a two, three-week period. But having said that, it’s very difficult to juggle, say, a drag show and a gospel show and put them in one calendar. In truth, is that what we try to do in DreamWeek is present the city the way it is.”
DreamWeek begins Jan. 9 and will include a speaker series, health-focused events, art exhibitions, musical performances, comedy specials, theatre and much more. A full list of events can be found on the DreamWeek calendar.
“As an African immigrant, I think the African American genius is really celebrated a lot in San Antonio,” Nakpodia said.”
DreamWeek is a bit longer than a week to make room for all of the events and to minimize events happening at the same time so people can attend as many as they’d like.
DreamWeek will run until Jan. 31, with the MLK Jr. march on Jan. 19.
“Our vision for this is that people from outside of San Antonio come here in January to experience this extraordinary community,” Nakpodia said.
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