For more than a decade, Bembé has been more than a space or place to learn music and dance. We've built a cultural home where young people discover their roots, families connect across generations, and the living traditions of the African diaspora are celebrated, practiced, preserved, and passed forward.
Each year, hundreds of young people and families participate in over 400 cultural arts workshops, share more than 200 community meals, gather for community celebrations, performances, and offer hundreds of hours of paid youth leadership and employment opportunities. At Casa Bembé, youth learn from cultural elders, teens grow into leaders and educators, and families find a welcoming, sustaining space to connect with their cultures and one another.
Our Cultural Home Is Facing an Unexpected Challenge
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Bembé is being forced to relocate this January. Our current building is being converted into short-term rentals, requiring us to leave a space that has been filled with years of music, dance, learning, celebration, and community. This unexpected transition has been emotionally difficult for staff and youth, having invested so much of ourselves into a space that has become an important part of our lives. While we cannot change the circumstances that have brought us here, we are committed to supporting our young people through this transition and carrying the community we've built together into our new home.
A New Address. The Same Roots and Rhythms.
We have secured a new home! Beginning January 1, 2027, Casa Bembé will complete our move to 3618 W. Pierce Street in Milwaukee.
While we're grateful to have found a new location, this unexpected displacement brings significant relocation expenses, costs to prepare our new facility, and higher ongoing operating expenses. Our goal is to raise $20,000 by December 31 to help keep Casa Bembé thriving in 2027. Your gift will help us navigate this transition while sustaining the cultural education, mentorship, youth leadership opportunities, and community celebrations that hundreds of Milwaukee families have come to depend on.
Casa Bembé has always been more than a building. It's a place where traditions live, relationships grow, young people find their voices, and community is strengthened across generations.
Our address is changing. Our roots and rhythms remain. Together, we can carry our cultural home forward.
Make your year-end gift today and help keep Casa Bembé thriving!