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{{Short description|American entrepreneur and civil activist}}
{{AFC submission|d|reason|You have already created [[Draft:Makeda Cheatom]] - work on that draft.|u=Geolog10|ns=2|decliner=SK2242|declinets=20210111010809|ts=20210111000211}} <!-- Do not remove this line! -->
'''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 (San Diego)|Balboa Park]], creator of the Children’s EthnoBotany Peace Garden, and co-founder of Casa del Tunel in Tijuana, Mexico.


== Early life ==
<!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE -->
Born in [[Paducah, Texas]], Marianne Makeda Cheatom was three when her Air Force father was transferred to the [[San Diego Naval Air Station]].<ref>Prince Sefa-Boakye, n.d., Princes Daily Journal, Makeda’s Story and her Legacy for Peace; https://princesdailyjournal.com/interestingpeopl/makeda-dread-founder-and-ceo-of-the-world-beat-center/makedas-story-and-her-legacy-for-peace/</ref> Makeda graduated from [[San Diego High School]] (c. 1962). As an experimental cook, she studied food services and culinary arts at [[San Diego City College]], telecommunications at [[San Diego Mesa College|Mesa College]], and [[Transcendental Meditation]] elsewhere.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Your Child Is My Child {{!}} San Diego Reader |url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/apr/04/feature-your-child-my-child/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=www.sandiegoreader.com |language=en}}</ref>
<big>'''Makeda Cheatom'''</big>
Makeda ‘Dread’ Chatom, an entrepreneur.<ref name="DeWyze1981">DeWyze, Jeannette, 1981, Marianne Makeda Cheatom – reggae matriarch of San Diego vegetarians; https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1981/may/21/cover-prophet-sharing/.
Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref><ref name="Munoz2020">Munoz Ryan, Pam, 2020, “Makeda Dread” in Phenomenal Women of San Diego, San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 27, p. 3</ref>, civil activist, and icon <ref name="Kragen2020" >Kragen, Pam, 2020, Mural Honors Local Legend, San Diego Union Tribune, Nov. 17, p. B1</ref> in San Diego’s African-American community, is the founder of the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park <ref name="Munoz2020" /><ref name="Salaam2012" >Salaam, Elizabeth, 2012, Your Child is my Child; https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/apr/04/feature-your-child-my-child/. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>, creator of the George Washington Carver EthnoBotany Peace Garden <ref name="Berenice2018">Berenice, 2018 Highlights at WorldBeat Center; http://www.worldbeatcenter.org/archives/30174. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>, and co-founder of Casa del Tunel in Tijuana, Mexico <ref name="Pollack2016">Pollack, Mimi, 2016, Nurturing Immigrant Art and Giving Back; https://sandiegofreepress.org/2016/12/makeda-dread-cheatom/#.XwIayyhKg2w Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>


=== Early life ===
== Career ==
As a restaurateur, Makeda founded Prophet International Vegetarian Restaurant (1971–1985), which was the first vegetarian restaurant in San Diego attracting luminaries such as George Harrison, Gloria Swanson, Dick Van Dyke, Dyan Cannon, and Dick Gregory.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marianne Makeda Cheatom - reggae matriarch of San Diego vegetarians {{!}} San Diego Reader |url=https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1981/may/21/cover-prophet-sharing/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=www.sandiegoreader.com |language=en}}</ref>
Marianne Makeda Cheatom was born in 1942 in Paducah, Texas.<ref name="Salaam2012"></ref> Her father was in the Air Force there and then transferred to the San Diego Naval Air Station when Makeda was a baby.<ref name="Princen.d.">Prince Sefa-Boakye, n.d., Princes Daily Journal, Makeda’s Story and her Legacy for Peace; https://princesdailyjournal.com/interestingpeopl/makeda-dread-founder-and-ceo-of-the-world-beat-center/makedas-story-and-her-legacy-for-peace/. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>


⚫
As a reggae music promoter in 1980, Makeda staged her first reggae concert; previous to that, she had befriended Bob Marley which led to Makeda organizing Bob Marley Day Festival concerts, thus attracting most of the famous Reggae artists; all told, she produced 39 annual reggae festivals.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-27 |title=Phenomenal San Diego women: Creators and performers |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/phenomenal-women-series/story/2020-09-27/phenomenal-women-in-the-arts |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Education ===
Makeda graduated from San Diego High School (c. 1962). As an experimental cook, she studied food services and culinary arts at San Diego City College and telecommunications at Mesa Collage<ref name="Salaam2012"></ref>. She also studied Transcendental Meditation, which she attributes to her continued ability to rise above prejudicial behavior.<ref name="DeWyze1981"></ref> <ref name="Salaam2012"></ref>


As an entrepreneur, in 1981 Makeda founded The Baobab, an African crafts/cultural center in Golden Hill area. As a radio show host of Reggae Makossa, Cheatom has been on the air for over 30 years. As the founder of WorldBeat Center in Balboa Park in 1989, Makeda created a music, dance, arts and World Peace center for the African diaspora which includes African-Americans, Afro-Caribbean, and Africans;<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-12-21 |title=Makeda "Dread" Cheatom: Nurturing Immigrant Art and Giving Back |url=https://sandiegofreepress.org/2016/12/makeda-dread-cheatom/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=San Diego Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref> the venue received LEED Silver Certification in 2012.<ref>Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, https://bpcp.org/sustainability/leed-certifications/2012</ref> As a Cultural Ambassador, Makeda acknowledges that San Diego and Balboa Park are ancestral Kumeyaay Indian territory, and she states this at the beginning of programs run at the WorldBeat Center.<ref>Davis, Rose, 2015, WorldBeat Center’s New Kumeyaay Indigenous Garden: Indian Voices, https://www.indianvoices.net/images/indian-voices-news/IV_AUG_2015_4c.pdf</ref>
=== Accomplishments ===
* As a restauranteur, Cheatom founded Prophet International Vegetarian Restaurant (1971-1985)<ref name="Salaam2012"></ref>, which was the first vegetarian restaurant in San Diego<ref name=Arnold1985>Arnold, T.K., 1985, Prophet Vegetarian Restaurant shuts doors; https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/1985/jan/10/one-veggie-combo-go/#. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>. George Harrison, Gloria Swanson, Dick Van Dyke, Dyan Cannon, and Dick Gregory were clientele.<ref name="DeWyze1981"></ref>
* As an entrepreneur, Cheatom founded The Baobab, an African crafts/cultural center in Golden Hill area starting in 1981.<ref name="DeWyze1981"></ref>
⚫
* As a reggae music promoter, Cheatom staged her first reggae concert in 1980<ref name="DeWyze1981"></ref>; previous to that, she had befriended Bob Marley which led to Cheatom organizing Bob Marley Day Festival concerts, which attracted most of the famous Reggae artists; all tolled, she produced 35 annual reggae festivals.<ref name="Munoz2020></ref><ref name="Salaam2012"></ref><ref name="Varga2016">Varga, George, 2016, 35th Bob Marley Day Festival the Last for Makeda Dread; https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/sdut-makeda-reggae-lends-fest-end-of-an-era-2016jan30-htmlstory.html. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>
* As a radio show host of Reggae Makossa, Cheatom has been on the air for 25 years as of 2016.<ref name="Munoz2020"></ref><ref name="Makeda2018">“Makeda ‘Dread’ Cheatom”, 2018; www.worldbeatcenter.org/about-us/people. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>
* As the founder of WorldBeat Center in Balboa Park<ref name="Salaam2012"></ref> since its lease in 1989, Cheatom’s non- profit business incorporated c. 1996 and received LEED Silver Certification in 2012 <ref name="WBCmuseums">World Beat Center, https://www.balboapark.org/museums/worldbeat-center. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>. The WorldBeat Center highlights music, dance, arts and World Peace <ref name="WBCmuseums"></ref> for the African diaspora which includes African-Americans, Afro-Caribbean, and Africans. The Center is housed in one of the old water towers in Balboa Park <ref name="Munoz2020"></ref><ref name="KUSI2015">KUSI Newsroom, 2015, Honoring Dr. King’s Dream; https://www.kusi.com/honoring-dr-kings-dream/. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>. In 2015, she was honored with a 2015 Balboa Park Sustainability Award.<ref name="Davis2015">Davis, Rose, 2015, WorldBeat Center’s New Kumeyaay Indigenous Garden: Indian Voices, August 2015, p. 1; www.indianvoices.net/archives. Retrieved Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>
* As a cultural ambassador, Cheatom is recognized for highlighting that San Diego and Balboa Park are the ancestral Kumeyaay Indian territory and sharing Kumeyaay culture.<ref name="Davis2015"></ref>
* As an award-winning garden creator, Cheatom created the George Washington Carver EthnoBotany Peace Garden at the WorldBeat Center<ref name="Berenice2018"></ref><ref name="WBP2014">World Beat Productions, 2014, WorldBeat Children’s Garden; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCAyHj1X2To. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>. The garden’s functions include collaborating with nutrition and gardening programs in San Diego schools <ref name="WBP2014"></ref>; planting endemic and indigenous plants that are part of Kumeyaay traditions <ref name="WBCchildren">George Washington Carver EthnoBotany Peace Garden; http://www.worldbeatcenter.org/programs/childrens-peace-garden. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref> and using seeds of heirloom food plants <ref name="Berenice2018"></ref>. The garden also uses plants to attract Monarch butterflies, and creates a space for a spiritual pathway surrounded by these many different labeled plants. The garden has been recognized <ref name="WBCchildren"></ref> as: The first sustainable edible garden in Balboa Park; certified Earth Friendly Garden by San Diego Master Gardeners; Pollinator Habitat by Xerces Society; Certified Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch; Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation; Winner of Balboa Park Sustainability Award 2015; Winner of the 2015 Del Mar Horticultural Fair Award; Home to two Multinational Peace Poles; co-recipient of a four-year National Science Foundation grant with Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to incorporate African American and Latino students.<ref name="IndianVoices2015">The Stone that the Builder Refused: Indian Voices, Oct. 2015, pp. 3,11; www.indianvoices.net/archives. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>
⚫
* As a co-founder, Cheatom helped create Casa del Tunel in Tijuana, Mexico<ref name="Munoz2020"></ref>, as an art and cultural center to teach, perform, and present traditional forms of art; philanthropically, its focus is also to help Haitian and African refugees in Tijuana.<ref name="Pollack2016"></ref>


As an award-winning garden creator, Makeda created the Children’s EthnoBotany Peace Garden that has been recognized as the first sustainable edible garden in Balboa Park;<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=Makeda “Dread” Cheatom: 2019 NAACP San Diego Branch President’s Award Winner |url=https://www.sandiegonaacp.org/2019/09/16/makeda-dread-cheatom-2019-naacp-san-diego-branch-presidents-award-winner/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516230609/https://www.sandiegonaacp.org/2019/09/16/makeda-dread-cheatom-2019-naacp-san-diego-branch-presidents-award-winner/ |archive-date=2021-05-16 |access-date=2021-05-16 |website=NAACP |language=en}}</ref> it was certified as an Earth Friendly Garden by San Diego Master Gardeners, as Pollinator Habitat by Xerces Society, as a Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch, as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, and awarded by the 2015 Del Mar Horticultural Fair.<ref>Stone2015, The Stone that the Builder Refused: Indian Voices, https://www.indianvoices.net/images/indian-voices-news/IV_OCT_2015_4C.pdf</ref> The garden is home to two Multinational Peace Poles,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Childrens Peace Garden {{!}} WorldBeat Center Official Website |url=https://www.worldbeatcenter.org/programs/childrens-peace-garden/ |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=www.worldbeatcenter.org}}</ref> and is co-recipient of a four-year National Science Foundation grant with Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to incorporate African American and Latino students.
⚫
=== Recognition and awards ===
* Inducted in 2012 into the San Diego Women’s Museum Hall of Fame as a Cultural Competent Bridge Builder.<ref name=:WMCmuseum">Women’s Museum of California; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Museum_of_California. Retrieved 8 January 2021</ref>
* Received awards from Television Channel 10 Leadership Award, Project Concern International, Palava Tree for Arts and Culture (India), Water for Africa Foundation, and International Rescue Committee.<ref name="Makeda2018"></ref>
* Named as 2018 Woman of the Year for the the 53rd Congressional District, presented by Councilman Todd Gloria.<ref name="Berenice2018"></ref>
* Received in 2019 the President’s Award from the NAAXCP San Diego chapter<ref name="Kragen2020"></ref>
* Highlighted as one of the 2020 Phenomenal Women of San Diego.<ref name="Munoz2020"></ref>
* Honored in 2020 as a local legend being portrayed on a City mural<ref name="Kragen2020"></ref>


⚫
Additionally, Makeda is the co-founder of Casa del Tunel in Tijuana, Mexico, which is an art and cultural center to teach, perform, and present traditional forms of art; philanthropically, its focus is also to help Haitian and African refugees in Tijuana.
⚫
=== References ===

{{reflist}}
⚫
== Recognition and awards ==
Makeda received the Channel 10 Leadership Award and awards from Project Concern International, the Palava Tree for Arts & Culture (India), Water for Africa Foundation, and International Rescue Committee.<ref name="auto"/> She was inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012 as a Cultural Bridge Builder and she was named "San Diego Trailblazer" by the African American Heritage Foundation. She has been recognized as one of the 25 most influential women in San Diego’s history by San Diego’s 10 News viewers.

In 2016 Makeda was awarded the KPBS San Diego Local Hero Award. In 2017 she received the Jan Merrit Leadership Award by San Diego Unified School District TRACE Program, and in 2018 Women of the Year Award by CA State 78th Assembly District. In 2019 she received the President’s Award from the NAACP San Diego chapter. Additionally, she was honored on a permanent San Diego City mural,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-16 |title=WorldBeat founder Makeda 'Dread' honored with East Village mural |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/san-diego/story/2020-11-16/worldbeat-founder-makeda-dread-honored-with-east-village-mural |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> and in the San Diego Union-Tribune, she was highlighted as one of the 2020 Phenomenal Women of San Diego and in a “Name Drop” column in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-02-16 |title=Makeda Cheatom, WorldBeat Cultural Center founder, wants 'to heal the world with culture' |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/name-drop-san-diego/story/2021-02-16/makeda-cheatom-worldbeat-cultural-center-founder |access-date=2024-03-05 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> Makeda was named a "Woman of the District" by State Senator [[Toni Atkins]] in March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=Women of the District |url=https://sd39.senate.ca.gov/2023/woman-district |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311001232/https://sd39.senate.ca.gov/2023/woman-district |archive-date=2023-03-11 |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=Senator Toni G. Atkins |language=en}}</ref>

⚫
== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Women's Museum of California}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheatom, Makeda}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:21st-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:21st-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from California]]
[[Category:American civil rights activists]]
[[Category:African-American activists]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American businesspeople]]
[[Category:African-American women in business]]
[[Category:People from Paducah, Texas]]
[[Category:Chefs from California]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:San Diego High School alumni]]

Latest revision as of 09:07, 3 November 2024

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.

Early life

[edit]

Born in Paducah, Texas, Marianne Makeda Cheatom was three when her Air Force father was transferred to the San Diego Naval Air Station.[1] Makeda graduated from San Diego High School (c. 1962). As an experimental cook, she studied food services and culinary arts at San Diego City College, telecommunications at Mesa College, and Transcendental Meditation elsewhere.[2]

Career

[edit]

As a restaurateur, Makeda founded Prophet International Vegetarian Restaurant (1971–1985), which was the first vegetarian restaurant in San Diego attracting luminaries such as George Harrison, Gloria Swanson, Dick Van Dyke, Dyan Cannon, and Dick Gregory.[3]

As a reggae music promoter in 1980, Makeda staged her first reggae concert; previous to that, she had befriended Bob Marley which led to Makeda organizing Bob Marley Day Festival concerts, thus attracting most of the famous Reggae artists; all told, she produced 39 annual reggae festivals.[4]

As an entrepreneur, in 1981 Makeda founded The Baobab, an African crafts/cultural center in Golden Hill area. As a radio show host of Reggae Makossa, Cheatom has been on the air for over 30 years. As the founder of WorldBeat Center in Balboa Park in 1989, Makeda created a music, dance, arts and World Peace center for the African diaspora which includes African-Americans, Afro-Caribbean, and Africans;[5] the venue received LEED Silver Certification in 2012.[6] As a Cultural Ambassador, Makeda acknowledges that San Diego and Balboa Park are ancestral Kumeyaay Indian territory, and she states this at the beginning of programs run at the WorldBeat Center.[7]

As an award-winning garden creator, Makeda created the Children’s EthnoBotany Peace Garden that has been recognized as the first sustainable edible garden in Balboa Park;[8] it was certified as an Earth Friendly Garden by San Diego Master Gardeners, as Pollinator Habitat by Xerces Society, as a Monarch Waystation by Monarch Watch, as a Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, and awarded by the 2015 Del Mar Horticultural Fair.[9] The garden is home to two Multinational Peace Poles,[10] and is co-recipient of a four-year National Science Foundation grant with Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to incorporate African American and Latino students.

Additionally, Makeda is the co-founder of Casa del Tunel in Tijuana, Mexico, which is an art and cultural center to teach, perform, and present traditional forms of art; philanthropically, its focus is also to help Haitian and African refugees in Tijuana.

Recognition and awards

[edit]

Makeda received the Channel 10 Leadership Award and awards from Project Concern International, the Palava Tree for Arts & Culture (India), Water for Africa Foundation, and International Rescue Committee.[8] She was inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012 as a Cultural Bridge Builder and she was named "San Diego Trailblazer" by the African American Heritage Foundation. She has been recognized as one of the 25 most influential women in San Diego’s history by San Diego’s 10 News viewers.

In 2016 Makeda was awarded the KPBS San Diego Local Hero Award. In 2017 she received the Jan Merrit Leadership Award by San Diego Unified School District TRACE Program, and in 2018 Women of the Year Award by CA State 78th Assembly District. In 2019 she received the President’s Award from the NAACP San Diego chapter. Additionally, she was honored on a permanent San Diego City mural,[11] and in the San Diego Union-Tribune, she was highlighted as one of the 2020 Phenomenal Women of San Diego and in a “Name Drop” column in 2021.[12] Makeda was named a "Woman of the District" by State Senator Toni Atkins in March 2023.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Prince Sefa-Boakye, n.d., Princes Daily Journal, Makeda’s Story and her Legacy for Peace; https://princesdailyjournal.com/interestingpeopl/makeda-dread-founder-and-ceo-of-the-world-beat-center/makedas-story-and-her-legacy-for-peace/
  2. ^ "Your Child Is My Child | San Diego Reader". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  3. ^ "Marianne Makeda Cheatom - reggae matriarch of San Diego vegetarians | San Diego Reader". www.sandiegoreader.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  4. ^ "Phenomenal San Diego women: Creators and performers". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  5. ^ "Makeda "Dread" Cheatom: Nurturing Immigrant Art and Giving Back". San Diego Free Press. 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  6. ^ Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, https://bpcp.org/sustainability/leed-certifications/2012
  7. ^ Davis, Rose, 2015, WorldBeat Center’s New Kumeyaay Indigenous Garden: Indian Voices, https://www.indianvoices.net/images/indian-voices-news/IV_AUG_2015_4c.pdf
  8. ^ a b "Makeda "Dread" Cheatom: 2019 NAACP San Diego Branch President's Award Winner". NAACP. 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-05-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ Stone2015, The Stone that the Builder Refused: Indian Voices, https://www.indianvoices.net/images/indian-voices-news/IV_OCT_2015_4C.pdf
  10. ^ "Childrens Peace Garden | WorldBeat Center Official Website". www.worldbeatcenter.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  11. ^ "WorldBeat founder Makeda 'Dread' honored with East Village mural". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  12. ^ "Makeda Cheatom, WorldBeat Cultural Center founder, wants 'to heal the world with culture'". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  13. ^ "Women of the District". Senator Toni G. Atkins. 2023-03-07. Archived from the original on 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
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