This interview aired in the May 24, 2023 episode of Crosscurrents.
What’s so important about it right now is that it’s a time for the community that really created what the Mission is, for a lot of us right now, gets to come back.
It's almost as if Mayela Carrasco was destined for for Carnaval royalty. She was born on Carnaval San Francisco weekend into a family of artists. She began learning Afro-Brazilian dance while growing up in the Mission. Mayela was recently crowned queen of San Francisco’s Carnaval. For her, the festival is not just about partying, but also lifting up youth. Mayela does this as manager of Loco Bloco. Her parents founded the organization that uses Afro-Latinx arts and culture to empower youth. She speaks with KALW's Jenee Darden about dance and how the festival is serving as a way for people pushed out of the city by gentrification to reclaim the Mission.
Carnaval San Francisco is this weekend, May 27th and May 28th. Also check out the Oakland Carnival Festival on Saturday, June 3rd.
This interview was co-produced by Porfirio Rangel.
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