Archived Recording from April 17th, 2021.
2020 began with COVID-19 and quarantine, and the year ended with more hashtags, this time for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. The hurt, anger, and frustration culminated in weeks of protests around the United States, including in the New Hanover County area. But that hurt and anger didn't begin in 2020; rather, it has origins going back centuries. Where does it come from, and how is it passed down from generation to generation?
During Healing Generational Trauma: A Community Arts Experience, we will seek to answer those questions through film, spoken word, movement, and workshops.
Conference Schedule
Opening Remarks
The day will begin with opening remarks from faculty mentors, Dr. Josalin Hunter-Jones (Social Work) and Dr. Anka Roberto (Nursing), and student fellows, Jacobi Lloyd and JT Smith. These groups were paired together as a part of the Arts Equity Fellowship, a new special collaboration between the Office of Community Engagement and Applied Learning and the Office of the Arts.
"The Front Lines" Screening & Discussion
"The Front Lines" is a short artistic film that centers on some of the history of Wilmington, N.C. Through poetry and dance, the film begins to unpack the 1865 Battle of Forks Road during the Civil War, the 1898 Massacre, and the 1971 Wilmington Ten case. The film features an original poem from Johnny Lee Chapman, III plus movement and choreography from Anthony Otto Nelson, Jr. A discussion will take place after the screening with the artists and executive producer, Michael S. Williams. Click here to watch the trailer for "The Front Lines."
"The Front Lines" Breakout Workshops
Attendees will have a choice between breakout sessions with local community artists. These sessions will assist with processing the short film "The Front Lines" using various expressive art forms. Workshops and artists include: Zelda Lockhart (Breakout Room #1: Creative Writing), Anthony (Ant) Toombs Sr. (Breakout Room #2: Playmaking), LaRaisha Dionne & Hannah Kol (Breakout Room #3: Movement & Music). Learn more about each workshop artist here.
Recording not available.
Am I Next? Voices from Wilmington, N.C.
Students in the UNCW Department of Theatre have devised a production that centers on Black lives. They have created a tapestry of voices that interweaves the pain of the past, celebrates Black culture, and exposes the ongoing racism and brutality of the present. Modeled, in part, after Anna Deavere Smith's verbatim theatre practice, the piece is a combination of new work created by the students and verbatim interviews that they conducted with friends, family, local activists, local university professors, scholars, university students, and community leaders. This section includes a performance and panel discussion with the performers.
Director: Robin Post
Performers: Kahlil Allen, Addison Hamlet, John McCall, Cierra Peterkin, Breonte Scarboro, and Davis Wood
Mindfulness Exercise
The first half of the conference will conclude with a short mindfulness exercise led by Jacquelyn Lee, Associate Professor in Social Work and co-leader of Mindful UNCW.
Arts Equity Fellowship Presentation & "Crisis Materials"
The Arts Equity fellows will present works created during the fellowship and discuss the opportunity with the artist mentors. The student fellows are Jacobi Lloyd (English) and JT Smith (Creative Writing) who were mentored by community artists Johnny Lee Chapman, III and Anthony Otto Nelson, Jr.
"Crisis Materials," produced by the VITAL Health team, centers on our mental health and looks at the events of 2020 in the context of all the layers we are all working through as a community.
Closing Remarks & Healing
The conference will conclude on a healing note with resources from Dr. Josalin Hunter (Social Work) and Dr. Anka Roberto (Nursing).
