27th Annual Juneteenth Ally Award by Zoom

27th Annual Juneteenth Ally Award Celebration

Please join the Center for the Healing of Racism as we celebrate Juneteenth 2020 with

– The history of Juneteenth, presented by Madison Trice

– Blues Music by Marcy Jowosky Sweet Mama Cotton

– Spoken Word Artist Performance by Calvin King

– Presentation of our 2020 Ally Award to, and acceptance speech by, KEVIN LOCKE
(Tokeya Inajin is his Lakota name, meaning “The First to Arise”) is known throughout the world as a visionary Hoop Dancer, the preeminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, a traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, recording artist and educator. Says Kevin: “Indigenous North American tradition lacks the concept of arts as entertainment. As an Indigenous North American residing and performing mostly in North America it is challenging to operate in a dominant culture with values and esthetics so diametrically different to the millennia old spiritual heritage of this land. At this late point in my career, it is enriching to present at school settings conducive to educating around underlying spirit, long established in pre-immigrant North America. So often in the contemporary culture of North America, the arts are used as a distraction, something trivial, superfluous or relegated to a means of escaping reality. In Indigenous North America the arts, especially music, is the primary means of connecting to that which is universal, eternal, holy and good… the means of connecting to that which is real and escaping the shadow world of imagination which is destined to fade and disappear. I aspire to present the authentic North American artistic traditions used to connect humankind to the natural world, to meld the physical and secular to the sacred and eternal, to bridge the perceived gap that separates the generations, to bring all people into hoop of life. Every people and culture has folk arts; expressions that have been passed down intergenerational and over time have come portray universal human values of beauty, balance, symmetry, unity. During my 40 year touring career to nearly 100 countries I have found that folk arts have universal validity and appreciation that transcend the vortex of pop culture. It is as if our ancestors are calling out to us and enabling us to offer these gifts as contributions to an emerging global civilization.

My aim as an artist who reaches a primarily younger (school age) audience is to encourage and inspire this younger generation to a global vision in which they see themselves as integral and active participants.”

You will have a chance to meet our Board of Directors and hear from our Executive Director Cherry Steinwender.

The event is free and donations are greatly appreciated. To donate click here. Pre-registration is required.

Learn more about Juneteenth