Omnira Institute

Omnira Institute Omnira Institute is a community organization located in Oakland, California founded by Wanda Ravernell.

Omnira Institute, formerly known as NouvO'risha Institute, began in 2003 as a school for sacred knowledge for children of practitioners of spiritual traditions derived from West Africa by way of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. The organization's choir, Awon Ohun Omnira (Voices of Freedom) participates in annual Juneteenth and Black History Month celebrations. In 2014, 2013 and 2011, Omnira Institute

received a grant from ACTA's Living Cultures Grants Program to support Roots of Faith, Roots of Freedom, a project providing Oakland’s African American community with opportunities to promote healing through a series of observances that honor the history of slavery and emancipation. Using traditional song and movement, the history of African Americans is linked to Africa by means of Lucumi and Ifa spiritual practices whose roots are found in West African religious practice. Public presentations and ritual observances take place during Black History Month; Juneteenth commemoration which marks the emancipation of slaves by Abraham Lincoln; the Maafa observance held in the fall to commemorate the tragedy of the passage of slave ships to the new world; and Watch Night, an African American ritual derived by a similarly named observance of Methodists. In the African American tradition, Watch Night represented a somber possible last time a slave family might be together before being sold to pay a landowner’s debt after Christmas time. Omnira Institute commemorates this with a New Year's Eve chorus of song and chant, including running spirituals from the Black church.

CONGRATULATIONS!  Wanda Ravernell! Honored  40X40 Neighborhood Empowerment! Day! 🥰❤️💯♥️🙏🏾
03/17/2026

CONGRATULATIONS! Wanda Ravernell! Honored 40X40 Neighborhood Empowerment! Day! 🥰❤️💯♥️🙏🏾

Save The Date! 2026 Events!
03/10/2026

Save The Date! 2026 Events!

Save The Dates! ♥️please tap picture to reveal all dates..
02/25/2026

Save The Dates! ♥️please tap picture to reveal all dates..

🎉 What a time, y’all! Thank you for 10 amazing years of The Oakland Black-Eyed Pea Festival  💛Let’s keep the celebration...
09/26/2025

🎉 What a time, y’all! Thank you for 10 amazing years of The Oakland Black-Eyed Pea Festival 💛
Let’s keep the celebration going:

📸 Got pics or videos? Send them to our Gmail — [email protected]

we’d love to see the festival through your eyes!

🌐 Check out our website
www.oakbepf.com

📲 Follow us on our socials
www.facebook.com/theoaklandblackeyedpeafestival
Www.instagram.com/bepf_2025
Www.facebook.com/omnirainstitute
Www.facebook.com/awonohunomnirachoir
Www.instagram.com/omnirainstitute
▶️ Subscribe, to our new YouTube channel, we will be uploading soon
Www.youtube.com/OmniraInstituteTV

Omnira Institute & The Oakland Black-Eyed Pea Festival sincerely thank you for joining us in celebrating 10 years of hon...
09/24/2025

Omnira Institute & The Oakland Black-Eyed Pea Festival sincerely thank you for joining us in celebrating 10 years of honoring Black culture — through historic music, delicious food (we hope you enjoyed those Black-eyed pea dishes!), and beautiful, handmade art.

We are deeply grateful for your continued support. To our members, community, donors, ticket buyers, first-time chefs and artists, our amazing MC of 10 years, our resident musicians, songstresses, and every chef and artist who shared their gifts — thank you.

To our festival family — thank you for posting and sharing online, capturing memories in photos, showing up with joy, bringing your children to create in the Kids Zone, and for filling the space with love and celebration. This journey would not have been possible without each and every one of you.

From the bottom of our hearts — thank you for 10 incredible years!

09/13/2025

See you tomorrow! 11-6pm

10 Years! Omnira Institute has been Blessed to have the Support of our mission to present The Black-Eyed Pea Festival! Celebrating Black History Music, Food and Art

10 Years! We can not do what we do without YOU!
10 Years! Celebrating connections with community, sponsors, donors and volunteers!
10 Years! Old friends and families reconnecting!
10 Years! Blessed by a Beautiful MCEE Wonderful Musicans, Songstresses, Artists, and Chefs !
Come Lets Celebrate!

Address

Oakland, CA
94607

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