Confronting Racism through Roots Music

​The  musical history of the U.S. constitutes a unique and powerful lens for deepening our grasp of how culture has sometimes confronted—but too often reinforced—oppressive systems that terrorize historically disenfranchised communities. ​

With an emphasis on  women, nonconformists, artists of the African diaspora, each week of this workshop and discussion group explores stories about the true roots of American culture.

Each artist profile will serve to ground participants in historical knowledge as we engage in facilitated, constructive discussions about how participants can use their knowledge and power to effect positive change in their families, workplaces, and communities.

FORMAT

A group of 10  participants meets weekly for 90 minute workshop sessions via Zoom video conference for 8 consecutive weeks starting Tuesday, Dec 1st. (Dec 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Jan 5, 12, 19)

​Each workshop session consists of 

• A quick check-in 
• A brief overview of the current week's story, musician or song.
• A facilitated discussion about the lessons and themes drawn from the presentation.
• The development individual or group stratagems for uprooting racism in our own families, workplaces, and  communities. These strategies will be tailored to each individual's situation, and then implemented over time. Grown from our discussions, each participant's approach will likely combine some of the following  elements:

1. Articulating or refining the personal work we do to align our everyday language and actions with our values.​
2. Heritage work that each person undertakes to identify meaningful dimensions of our personal or family stories. We will discuss and reflect upon how our personal backgrounds and family histories inform our approach to confronting racism.
3. Identifying how both our passions, professions, and relationships position us to create sustainable, meaningful effect on the people and institutions around us--while remaining humble and supportive of others' parallel efforts.
4. Learning to draw stronger connections between historical narratives in American music and the modern realities that these stories both anticipate and reflect.​

• Starting  in Week Three, we begin to support and hold one another accountable to the implementation commitments grown from our sessions.​
• A focus on one bedrock principle of anti-racist work.

 Outcomes: After 8 weeks of workshop sessions, each participant will gain:​

• A deeper grasp of how to effectively address issues of race and social justice in personal and professional life.​
• An  expanded, enduring network of friends and collaborators willing to serve as trusted supporters in the work of forging a more just and compassionate society.​
• A greater knowledge of the history and evolution of American music and culture.
• A toolbox of strategies for uprooting racism and recognizing invisible bias in one's family and society.​
• A wider knowledge of institutions and resources that exist to help us challenge systems of oppression.​ 

FEE

The fee for participation in this eight week course is a one-time payment of $150 or

Select the Membership Offer. That will allow you to sign up for a "membership" for the price of 3 payments of $50. Then when you go back to "purchase" a ticket, you will get one at no cost. 

REGISTER:

We can only allow 10 participants per group. If we fill up easily, we will consider opening another session either concurrently or once this first session is complete. Register Below. 

Next session begins December 1st, 2020 - registration is open now!

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Joe Seamons began his work as an anti-racist activist through engagement with his fellow partners in Seattle's Black & Tan Hall. The experience of engaging in and facilitating monthly White Caucus  events allowed him to explore his love for Black American music and culture more deeply. The work lead him to become Board Chair of the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center.  Struck by the many lessons that emerged from the study and  interpretation of living American musical traditions, as well as the  unique forms or flavors of racism in the Pacific Northwest, he began to  develop the idea for the new Face the Music workshop.

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Joe has completed multiple trainings for anti-racist work from institutions such as The Dialogue Company, and in 2020 was certified as a Conflict Transformation facilitator.

*art by Dee Vadnais