When Dee Sanae founded Mosaic Visions in 2020, she intended to create a collective for Jews of Color to find community and visibility in Jewish spaces. As a multiracial Jewish individual, she was well aware of the lack of belonging for JoC, especially for those who did not identify with the dominant Ashkenazi culture, and realized the pressing need for an inclusive space that could cultivate an affirming environment. She also recognized visual and performing arts as a powerful means of self-expression and a catalyst for community-building and cultural preservation.
“I started Mosaic Visions as a testament to my own personal journey of navigating Jewish spaces where I often felt like the only one,” Sanae said. “I wanted to create a space where people could come together [and] share their stories.” Sanae’s previous experiences in journalism, communications, and diversity, equity, and inclusion prepared her for centering Jews of Color and for the rigorous demands of nonprofit work. Mosaic Visions became the first initiative where she could integrate her professional experience and her Jewish identity: “For the first time, I wasn’t just working behind the scenes, I was wearing my Jewish identity as a CEO and founder, pushing the conversation forward,” she said.
In the four years since its founding, Mosaic Visions has evolved and grown into a dynamic organization that facilitates community discussions around social justice, inclusion, and spiritual practice. Artistic expression as a means of fostering cultural connections is also at the core of Sanae’s vision. This is best encapsulated by the Spirit of Humanity Festival, a hallmark of the organization’s programs. First held over Zoom in 2022, the well-attended event attracted dozens of artists from around the globe.
This year’s festival—Mosaic Visions’s first in-person event, held December 1 in Washington DC—was a unique opportunity for growth. In the wake of October 7, 2023 and the resulting war, Sanae found herself wondering how to build coalitions in an increasingly polarized world. In times of difficulty and division, storytelling and art are invaluable tools for people to come together and foster empathy with those who are different from them. “I felt that I needed to take a stance by centering arts, humanities, and culture within our organization,” explained Sanae. As an artist herself who studied the humanities as part of her BA in Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, she was well aware of the transformative power of self-expression. Drawing on her personal and professional strengths, Sanae “kept pulling and pulling on those skillsets and networks to grow.”
By activating the professional and artistic networks she had cultivated, Sanae brought the 2024 festival to life. The Jewish artist of color-centered program expanded to include artists of all religious and cultural backgrounds, from all over the world, to share their unique crafts with one another and with attendees. “It wasn’t just diversity of race, it was diversity of thought and performance,” Sanae said. “There were Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist artists, which was a huge win.”
The artists featured in the 2024 festival were versed in all kinds of media: visual art, music, performance, meditation, and storytelling were all represented—truly a mosaic of art forms—to reflect the rich diversity of the human experience. Spoken word, acoustic melodies, guided meditation, and harp-playing were just a few of the art forms on display that day. “Every single performance was intentional,” Sanae noted. “I curated it with the goal of fostering solidarity, togetherness, and an openness to different experiences. Even if we don’t always agree, we can still show up for one another.”
Just as the 2024 iteration built upon and expanded the original vision of the festival, Sanae has ambitious aspirations for the years to come. “I’m hoping to establish fellowships, residencies, and workshops for Jews of Color and artists. Then, we can all build community together by having people come see performers, and by all feeling the power of speaking a new future into existence.”
