Posts Tagged ‘Vanessa Johnson’
Help from Grace
Friday, March 10th, 2017Before #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, 2015
Warren-Moore, Johnson and Popoff shared their work at the Atrium at Clinton Square on Thursday.
Critical Conversations
Saturday, May 31st, 2014
The cast of “Doors” (Debra Richardson, Jalayla Finster, Sheena E. Solomon and Sharleen Starks) along with advocates Loren Cunningham, Jennifer Nadler, George Kilpatrick and The PRPAC’s Karin Franklin-King participated in a talk-back session at CNY Jazz Central following the world premiere of the play.
Doors, which was written by Vanessa Johnson and directed by PRPAC’s Ryan Hope Travis, will run for two more shows on Saturday. The play is an emotional exploration of a group of ladies dealing with sexual assault in a family context.
Jennifer Nadler is an abuse survivor and attended the show. She also participated in the talk-back session and thanked the cast because Doors paralleled her own truth journey.
Teach-In
Saturday, March 22nd, 2014“1960 What? 1960 Who…” Gregory Porter
Griot Vanessa Johnson talked about activist Ella Baker during a lunch break for the Cold Case Justice Initiative Civil Rights Conference on Friday.
Sometimes the best part of a conference is at the edges, in-between the forums and formal program. Yesterday during the lunch break of the Cold Case Justice Initiative’s Looking Back, Moving Forward: 50th Anniversary Conference a rich meaningful and dialogue broke-out. This multi-generational instructional chat featured students, educators, panel participants and attorneys. It was preceded by a lunchtime story-telling piece by Vanessa Johnson.
And truth be told, the conversation was sparked by a challenge laid down by Mr. Gil Caldwell.
John Steele, Civil Rights Activist
Retired judge Langston McKinney
Throwback Thursday: Narratives
Thursday, January 30th, 2014
Griot Vanessa Johnson (left) coaxing a student performance during an open-air performance on the Southside about 10 years ago.
Today we recognize Syracuse storyteller Vanessa Johnson. Ms. Johnson is also an actor, writer and quilt-maker.
Generations of Art & Activism
Monday, December 12th, 2011
George Kilpatrick and Sherri Kilpatrick Duchenne at the Opening of “Child of the Universe” at CFAC
I got a chance to check out the inaugural show for mixed media artist and activist, George Kilpatrick, Sr. on Saturday. The show,held at the Community Folk Art Center (CFAC), was attended by community members, artists, as well as the Kilpatrick family.
Media personality George Kilpatrick, Jr. opened the show by reading a poem his dad wrote called “The Artist.” George’s sister Sherri Kilpatrick Duchenne also told a story about how her dad taught the family to harness the power of the pen.
George Kilpatrick, III, a student studying at Howard Unviersity, representing third generation of the family, sang a soulful rendition of “Yesterday,” which reminded me a lot of the Donny Hathaway version.
Unplugged: George Kilpatrick, III, sings “Yesterday” by the Beatles
The show is on display for the rest of this week.
Griot Vanessa Johnson presents George Kilpatrick, Jr. with a quilt