Vocalist Patricia Albright was one of the first artists to sing for last night’s Women in Music event at the Community Folk Art Center.
Posts Tagged ‘Women’s History Month’
Measuring Up
Friday, March 20th, 2015Lady Sings the Blues
Friday, March 20th, 2015We saw five dynamic ladies participate in the Women in Music series last night at the Community Folk Art Gallery (CFAC). The featured vocalist was Sherri Williams. Her set, complete with a visual slide show, reminded us how much our relationship to music has changed in terms of sharing and appreciating songs. Unlike today’s personal device/social media/digital download environment, back in the day we often listened to music as families, and did our own version of liking and sharing. One particular cut Williams remembered hearing through her uncle’s collection was “For the Love of You” by the Isley Bros. Her rendition of that classic, with Jeff Houston on guitar and Travis Reed on keys, ushered in a sweet wave of nostalgia that felt like a late summer cookout.
Before #Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Mattered
Wednesday, March 18th, 2015Syracuse is extremely fertile ground for poets, writers and story-tellers. Here is a sound clip from a reading done by Jackie Warren-Moore (who we call our poet laureate) during the Apartheid & Identity event in Downtown Syracuse last week. Her tale illustrates that activism by women and social justice also run deep in our roots.
To find out how this story from her childhood ends, check her out during a public reading, or purchase a copy of her work.
Warren-Moore gave the reading along with Georgia Popoff and Vanessa Johnson.
Verse by Verse by Verse
Friday, March 13th, 2015Lean In-and-Out: Follow A Leader
Friday, March 6th, 2015“I am a storyteller, that is what I do.”
-Natalie Daise
Long before there was Sheryl Sandberg, Mayor Miner, County Executive Mahoney, or other female CEOs, we had Harriet Tubman. Remember the abolitionist/nurse/spy/Underground Railroad conductor spent her latter days in nearby Auburn, NY. We feel the leadership strategies that solidified her reputation deserve further examination.
Last night we watched actress Natalie Daise slowly transform into Harriet Tubman during a one-woman show at the Community Folk Art Center (CFAC). We learned several facts during the performance, including the fact that Tubman had a close relationship with John Brown, and was scheduled to be at Harper’s Ferry for the raid. Also Tubman’s original name was Araminta Ross.
Earlier in the week the show played at SUNY Oswego.
Daise, who originally got the theater bug while at Nottingham High School, perfectly captured Tubman in costume, idiom and song during the 1 hour-show.
It has been a while since we visited the Harriet Tubman Home, but we suggest that the newly designated National Park location capture Daise’s work in audio or video and preserve it as part of a permanent educational collection/display.
Happy Women’s History Month.