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Vicki L Hughes

@vgracelily

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Rewired Optometrist, Jewelry Designer, writer, artist and photographer. Life is filled with more creative souls, music and art! My kind of spirit!

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More Power to the People! ✊🏾

The recognition of Black Panther Party Blvd. in downtown Oakland is an opportunity to honor a powerful chapter in Black history and reflect on the enduring struggle for justice, equality, dignity, and community empowerment.

As we commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Black Panther Party in 2026, may we honor the legacy of those who stood for the people, learn from the lessons of the past, and envision a future grounded in unity, opportunity, and equal justice for all.

One community. One vision. Justice, equality, and unity for all.
All Power to the People! More Power to the People!✊🏾🖤
#60thbppanniversary #blackpantherpartyblvd #oaklandcalifornia #drhueypnewtonfoundation #blackpantherparty

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Celebrating 60 Years of the Black Panther Party. Power to the People! ✊🏾

I had the honor of attending the 60th Anniversary Gala of the Black Panther Party in Oakland, California. It was a monumental and historic evening, bringing together Black Panthers and comrades from around the world to celebrate a legacy of activism, community empowerment, and the ongoing struggle for justice and equality.

The evening featured keynote speaker Ta-Nehisi Coates and welcomed an extraordinary gathering of distinguished guests, including Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Mayor Barbara Lee, Fredrika Newton, Dr. Xavier Buck, Former Mayor Elihu Harris, Geoffrey Pete, and many other prominent leaders and community advocates.

One of the most memorable highlights was celebrating Chairman Bobby Seale’s 90th birthday, surrounded by his comrades and generations of people who continue to honor the movement’s legacy.

It was truly inspiring to witness this powerful gathering of history, resilience, solidarity, and the enduring spirit of the people. The legacy of the Black Panther Party continues to remind us of the importance of standing together, uplifting our communities, and fighting for a more just and equitable future.

Fredrika Newton. Dr. Xavier Buck. Bobby Seale. Sixty years of history, struggle, and community power.

✊🏾 ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE! ✊🏾

#BlackPantherParty #60thAnniversary
#CommunityEmpowerment #JusticeAndEquality #hueypnewton

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A Nexus day filled with art, fashion, and incredible community! ✨
Started off with a wonderful lunch at Nieman’s Rotunda alongside Chuck Collins, President of the Arts Commission, diving into great conversations about the future of our creative landscape. With powerful voices developing international plans! Next up, joined my board member Dr. Joy Simmons to celebrate the launch of Sherri McMullen’s stunning new fashion store right on Union Square! You know I love fashion AND art so I was excited to see her new store filled with art from both @jasminereneeross and Mickalene ! Huge congratulations to Sherri on this beautiful new space – a must-visit destination when you’re in the city. 🛍️💫
We finished our day over at Minnesota Street Project, dropping in to see Jenkins Johnson Gallery and Patricia Sweetow Gallery, featuring powerful work by Demetrius Broxton and Ramekon. 🎨
Grateful for the visionary friends and artists shaping the culture every day!
#nexussfbay #art&fashion #artcollectors #supportBlackcreatives

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A MUST SEE before it closes October 18!

“Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory” at the Oakland Museum of California is a spectacular retrospective celebrating five decades of work by one of the country’s most important and influential Black women artists.

Powerful, poetic, and visually stunning, the exhibition explores memory, identity, family, history, and belonging through Howard’s deeply personal yet monumental work.

I’ve also included a few images from the opening celebration on June 11, which made the evening especially memorable for me. It happened to be my birthday! 🎂✨

📍 Oakland Museum of California
📅 On view through October 18
@mildredhoward
@oaklandmuseumca

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Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for the opening of “David C. Driskell: Wake Up Everybody” and for making the evening so special. We are deeply grateful to Julie McGee for her insightful and inspiring presentation on Driskell’s life, work, and enduring legacy, and to everyone who came together to celebrate his remarkable contribution to the arts.

We are also grateful to the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) for bringing our community together through Nexus: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week; a week celebrating Black art, culture, and creativity across the Bay Area. It was a joy to be part of this gathering of artists, cultural institutions, galleries, and communities.

Six years in the making, “David C. Driskell: Wake Up Everybody” celebrates the life, legacy, and expansive artistic practice of one of the most influential artists, educators, curators, and scholars of his generation. Bringing together works from the 1960s through the early 2000s, the exhibition reflects the breadth of Driskell’s practice and influences, moving between figuration and abstraction, Christian devotional imagery and traditional African craft, landscapes and natural phenomena, and jazz. Through painting, collage, assemblage, and printmaking, the works draw from Driskell’s upbringing in the American South, his travels throughout Africa, and his deep connection to the landscape of Maine. The exhibition also honors his enduring commitment to education and mentorship, and his profound influence on generations of African American artists.

“David C. Driskell: Wake Up Everybody” is on view at our San Francisco location through December 19. Hope to see you soon.

#Nexus #BlackArtWeek #DavidCDriskell #WakeUpEverybody #JenkinsJohnsonGallery @kjenkinsjohnson @monettawhite @keyjolee @joysimmonsdivadoc @vgracelily @pauldavid777 @margotnorton @shiniquesmith @wadevalerie @juliemcgee448 @moadsf @nexussfbay @the_adaa

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The Matrons Mixer @jessicasilvermangallery was a chance to view @lavathomas’ “lineage” and @sadiebarnette’s, “28” artworks again, up close and personal, and have an interesting dialogue and conversation about the works with new and old friends,art patrons and collectors. The Hall W. Rockefeller and Less Than Half invitation was an intimate evening of art, conversation and discovery focused on women artists in vibrant Chinatown. #lavathomas #sadiebarnette #lessthanhalf #jessicasilvermangallery #chinatownsf

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Lava Thomas’ first solo exhibition at Jessica Silverman’s gallery brought back vivid memories of my early life in Texas with my elder ancestors.

Her creative portraiture of her relatives reminded me that photographs and drawings of our families, along with their names, stories, and vital statistics, are treasured pieces of art, legacy, and history. They document who we were, where we came from, and the lives of those who came before us. If we do not preserve these stories, drawings and photographs, our history can be rewritten, diminished, or erased.

Thank you, Lava, for sharing your art, your family, and your legacy. Your work offers a timeless and deeply personal view of Black life, rooted “deep in the heart of Texas.”

#lavathomas #jessicasilvermangallery #texasblackhistory #blacklineage #vickilhughes

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Still taking in the joy of Thursday evening, the opening night of “Lineage”and Sadie Barnette’s “28”at @jessicasilvermangallery , a drawing doubleheader!

Big congratulations to the incredible @sadiebarnette and deep gratitude to Jessica and the entire gallery team. Thank you @ramekon for the beautiful roses…how did I miss a photo with you? Thank you @elainemellis for the photos.

“Lineage” grew from more than a decade of genealogical and archival research into my family’s history. Seeing my son hold my granddaughter as they stood before a portrait of our ancestor brought the meaning of the exhibition fully into view. Across generations, these lives, histories, and acts of self-determination continue to be carried forward.

THANK YOU to everyone who came to celebrate with us. It was wonderful to see so many friends, family, and colleagues.

“Lineage” and “28” are on view through October 24.

Jessica Silverman
621 Grant Ave.
San Francisco, CA
Tues - Sat. 10 - 6

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We celebrated Dr. Warren’s seventh decade of life in true Warren style. It was a multi-level affair filled with music, art, tarot readings, poetry writing, and an irresistible array of food stations: oysters on the half shell, meat skewers, corn soup, watermelon slices, sliders with grilled onions, French fries, cheesecake, and all the delicious indulgences you might expect at a country fair for grown-ups! The weather and view from his backyard of the Oakland skyline were outstanding.

Warren (his West Coast name), Jimmy (his East Coast name), his wife Lisa, and their sons were the perfect hosts, welcoming friends and family who have known, admired, and loved him throughout the many chapters of his 70 years.

The guest list was a beautiful reflection of Warren’s expansive journey: friends from college, business school, and medical school; colleagues from his days on the Raiders and Warriors sidelines; patients; medical associations; and friends, neighbors from every corner of his wonderfully layered life.

Warren has never been just one thing. He is a physician and healer, a photographer and artist, a creative spirit, a husband, a father, a brother, a friend, and a lifelong collector of experiences and connections. His many dimensions were all on display, woven together in a celebration as vibrant and multifaceted as the man himself.

Wishing this fabulous Leo a very Happy Birthday Season! May this next decade bring even more creativity, joy, adventure, love, laughter, grace, discovery, and good eats. Here’s to 70 years of living fully, and to all the beautiful layers still waiting to unfold.🦁🎂🍾😎
#happybirthdaywarren #happybirthdayjimmy #leosrule #70isthenew70

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Yayoi Kusama was a talented artist. Her long life of 97 years was filled with controversy, health challenges, and complexities. She was bold, colorful and intensely creative. Rest well.
#vickilhughes #yayoikusama #gazingballs #infinitymirrorrooms #rubellmuseum

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My birthday 🦁 continued with a wonderful trip to Martha’s Vineyard with the Black Grad Boston and Friends group. I was invited by my dear friend Karen Clopton of San Francisco. What a great way to experience the Vineyard anew, this time through the Martha’s Vineyard African American Heritage Trail tour.

Although I was fairly familiar with the island’s history, seeing some of the historic homesteads and hearing the owners’ stories told by the dedicated tour guides, brought it all to life in a fresh and awakening way. There’s something special about revisiting a familiar place and discovering new layers of its story.

Shopping and dining along Circuit Avenue and off Main St. in Edgartown, along with viewing the wonderful art at Knowhere Art and Cousen Rose, are always a pleasure. My friends’ jewelry, Dorian Webb of Oakland as well as jewelry brought by Meryanne Loum-Martin of Marrakech were on display at Jubilee, a black owned boutique. It was especially good to reconnect with my former housemate, Dr. Shemo, from our Berkeley days.

And then came the rain! 🌧️ A downpour couldn’t dampen our spirits. We line-danced, enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Eleventh Circuit in Oaks Bluff, and kept the energy going. Dinner was a delicious grilled lobster salad at the Atlantic Fish and Chop House in Edgartown.

The playlist on the ride had everybody head-bopping, and I’m happy to say that my musical contributions added a little old-school flavor to the mix!

This was another memorable chapter in this birthday journey. It was filled with history, art, friendship, laughter, good food, and music. I couldn’t ask for a better August, summer birthday!

#vickilhughes #blackgradboston #marthasvineyardafricanamericanheritagetrail #marthasvineyard #oaksbluff

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Some birthdays you plan, and others seem to find you.

Tonight, I returned from the Obama Presidential Center on my birthday: At night, in the rain, with no one around. And somehow, it felt magical. The building stood tall against the Chicago night, both monumental and ephemeral beneath the pounding raindrops. At times, it was difficult to tell where the natural veining of the marble ended and the trails of rain began. Between downpours, I stood beneath the cover of darkness, taking in its beauty, the quiet, and the Chicago skyline shimmering beyond it. My friend and artist Lava Thomas’ pink tambourines were standouts in the windows. There was something almost surreal about having such a magnificent place nearly to myself. My birthday visit to the Barack Obama Presidential Center began as a spur-of-the-moment decision. I had been wondering how I wanted to spend my birthday, and after watching the extraordinary Juneteenth opening, I knew I wanted to experience it for myself. I became a Founding member and was fortunate enough to secure tickets near my birthday. Then came the serendipity.

I met Judge Krystal Alves, in Marrakech at the Diaspora Salon. She happened to be driving to Chicago to visit relatives.

Dr. Tanya Parks, a dear friend who lives in Chicago and who served with me on the National Optometric Board for more than twenty years, happened to be available.

And Hunter Adams, whom I met in Faro, Portugal, at the Humanity Summit, lives in Chicago and is preparing for his book launch at the Obama Center.

Three meaningful chapters of my life, born in three different places and seasons, somehow converged in Chicago on my birthday. That felt like a gift in itself.

Fine dining recommendations were given by dear friends Carolyn Tyler🦁 and her guy Chicagoan Dr. Gary Love.

I ended the evening with one of my favorite birthday indulgences: flourless chocolate
mousse.

What a birthday. What a night. What a beautiful convergence of people, places, memories, and possibility.
#nationaloptometricassociation #humanitysummit #diasporasalon #obamapresidentialcenter

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