Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush, Angela Davis, and other Black thought leaders to attend pre-inauguration Peace Ball
The star-studded Peace Ball hosted by the Busboys and Poets restaurant franchise in Washington, D.C. returns for another year as Donald Trump will be inaugurated for a second time.
While there will be plenty of events celebrating the second inauguration of incoming president, Donald Trump, the weekend before he becomes America’s 47th commander-in-chief, there will be one big special event that isn’t centered on him.
The Washington, D.C.-based bookstore and cafe chain Busboys and Poets will host the 2025 Peace Ball at 8 PM on Saturday, Jan. 18 at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.
The mega bash, where activists, progressive congresspeople, and Hollywood A-listers rub shoulders, will feature live music, dance performances, inspiring speeches, food, and an open bar.
Even though the event began as a celebration of former president Barack Obama’s historical first presidential win in 2008, it isn’t tied to a particular candidate.
Speaking to theGrio ahead of the event, Busboys and Poets founder Andy Shallal said, “[We] realized that there was a real need for this kind of gathering.”
He continued, “People need to have spaces where they can come together and be in community with others who believe that a better world is possible.”
The party is held days before the inauguration and occurs in some capacity regardless of which party’s candidate wins, to further separate itself from endorsing a candidate.
“We wanted these balls, these gatherings, to be about movements, about the people that make the difference,” Shallal explained.
“Elections are a very, very, very tiny part of a democracy,” he continued. “Too often, we put way too much credence in elections, and then we forget about the movements that have created the candidates and the movements that have created the possibilities for a better world.”
Speakers tapped for this year include Angela Davis, Alice Walker, Sonia Sanchez, Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, and Cori Bush, and more. Performances include dance selections by the Farafina Kan dance company, artists from Joe’s Movement Emporium and Black Leaves Dance Company, and live music by Superior Cling Jazz Band, with potentially more to be announced.
Walker, who is no stranger to appearing at Busboys and Poets’ events, said she was inspired to get involved with the Peaceball because she loves to dance. She also saw the event as an opportunity to tap into a greater need following a contentious election cycle.
“At some point you have to just decide that you are not going to be put down in the gutter and moaning and groaning about anything,” she said.
“Not even the disaster you may be feeling in your life,” the Pulitzer-prize-winning author continued. “Things do hurt, and they can last. The hurt can last a long time. But at some point, you have to really look around again at the universe, which is always doing something. The universe actually is always dancing, and our best lesson is to imitate it.”
The popular event tends to pull a star-studded guest list that includes Hollywood A-listers such as Danny Glover, Franchesca Ramsey, Fran Drescher, Elliot Page, and high-profile politicians such as Cory Booker and more. In previous years, performers have included Solange Knowles and Esperanza Spalding.
The 2025 iteration of the ball is themed “Voices of Justice and Liberation,” and ultimately seeks to connect people on the frontlines fighting for progress according to Peace Ball founder Andy Shallal.
“People need to have spaces where they can come together and be in community with others who believe that a better world as possible,” the restauranter said, adding, “and to be able to eat and drink and dance and just be human and be joyful.”
To purchase tickets or to learn more about the 2025 Peace Ball head to the event’s page.
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