'Tis the season for holiday soirees filled with music, dancing, spoken word, live art, catered dinners and wine tasting. At least that's what you'll find at The Vanguard Launch Party on Dec. 4.

Presented by the Museum of the African Diaspora at a private estate in the Oakland hills, the event will feature performances from singer/songwriter/guitarist Martin Luther and Def Poet and Hot Water Cornbread's Creative Director Scorpio Blues.

"We've been working on this re-launch for a while," explained Courtney Parham, marketing chair of The Vanguard Leadership Committee. "We're going to be a very powerful group for young professionals in the Bay Area, offering great networking opportunities and events that are different from the norm."

Already on board with new group are Renascence Magazine, Young Blacks of the Bay, Top Ten Social and East Bay Black Professionals Association, to name a few.

So why is the San Francisco-based museum launching its young professionals group in Oakland?

"We want to reach a broader audience," Parham said. "The vision is to engage people beyond the city and eventually around the world."

Part of that larger vision also includes fundraising, thus all of the proceeds from Saturday's function are going directly to MoAD to support the museum's programming and initiatives.

The third part of the vision is to "foster long-term commitment" to the museum so every person who purchases tickets to the holiday launch party will receive 40 percent off of a membership.