Makeda Cheatom

Makeda "Dread" Cheatom (born 1942) is an American entrepreneur and civil activist in San Diego's African-American community. She is the founder of the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park, creator of the Children’s EthnoBotany Peace Garden, and co-founder of Casa del Tunel in Tijuana, Mexico. Quotes “It’s really incredible, because at the World Beat Center everybody is welcome. You can come in and you can enjoy Kwanzaa … And you could learn about our culture, which is actually your culture because Africa is the oldest continent. It is a continent and that’s what we all come from.” “We just received our 25‑year lease … We deserve to have a center in the park. We are the mothership for the the black community.” “Kindness is so important. And that's what we represent at the WorldBeat Center. And that's what we're going to continue to teach is compassion.” “If I can turn this old water tower into a cultural center, all of us can change the world for a better place and make our cities grow.” Internal link