We’re nearly two weeks away from our inaugural Cultural Week of Action on Race and Democracy, and there’s been a lot of exciting momentum! 

On September 27, the Cultural Week of Action on Race & Democracy will launch with a kick-off event in St. Louis. Join us for an evening of performances, arts and culture, and conversation! The event will feature the following line-up:

• A live performance by the band Gangstagrass (Photo Credit: Cloud Bobby)
• Keynote by Saint Louis native Dr. Philip A. Woodmore and two live songs by The Phil Woodmore Singers
• A panel discussion with Favianna Rodriguez (President of the Center for Cultural Power), Joseph Orzal (Founder and Creative Director of NoMüNoMü), and R-SON the Voice of Reason (a member of the band Gangstagrass). The panel will be moderated by Rinku Sen (Executive Director at Narrative Initiative).
• Performance by Saint Louis Story Stitchers
• The “As I See You Exhibit”—a personal contribution to Michael Brown Jr. ten years later by the Michael Brown Sr. Chosen for Change Organization—will also be installed at the venue

To keep momentum going throughout the week of action, we’ll also be hosting a webinar at 2:00pm EST on October 2— #RaceAnd: The Critical Role of Arts & Culture in Advancing Racial Justice. A panel of practitioners and creatives across sectors will discuss the role of narrative, arts, and culture in this political moment.

Then join us back in St. Louis (and virtually) the evening of October 2 at 7:00pm CDT for The Drum Major Instinct, an innovative project, developed by Theater of War Productions, that will present dramatic readings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final sermon by Chad Coleman (The Walking Dead, The Wire) to frame powerful dialogue. These readings are accompanied by original and arranged music composed and conducted by Phil Woodmore, featuring a diverse choir of singers from St. Louis, including educators, activists, police officers, and members of the faith community. The event will culminate in a guided audience discussion.

And these are just the things that we’ve been working on! Our 14 anchor projects across the country are also hard at work preparing their events and slate of activities to show what “Building the Bigger We” means to their communities. Here’s a sneak peek of some of their projects. 

Other organizations and communities across the country are adding their voices to the Cultural Week of Action as well—learn more about all of the projects taking place on our interactive map. It’s not too late to join us! Organizations and individuals are welcome to add events, activities, and activations to the map; as long as you’re using arts and culture to elevate the need for a multiracial democracy, we want to feature you! Add your project to the map!   

Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we head into the Cultural Week of Action on Race and Democracy! 

In Solidarity,
Race Forward and Americans for the Arts