Black Stories Matter: Truth to Power is a little more than a week away. If you haven’t reserved your seats for what’s sure to be one of the most talked about social justice events in the Hudson Valley…do it today! We’re excited to give you a sneak peek of the stories you’re going to hear and experience next Friday, June 21 at 7:30pm at Pointe of Praise in Kingston. So read on because you won’t want to miss this live performance of brand new stories that attest to the startling varieties and travails of the Black experience in America, and the shared threads of love, loss, fear, and kindness that connect us all.

THE STORYTELLERS
In order of appearance

ZANYELL GARMON (she/her)
In the face of racism and the daily microaggressions churned out in a white world, Zanyall spends years starving herself and self-harming in an attempt to disappear until she finds yoga and starts to feel more comfortable taking her rightful space in the world.

CASSANDRA TAYLOR (she/her)
In a quest to find her true self, Casandra Taylor beautifully illustrates the struggle of a daughter fighting the pressure to conform to her mother’s expectations.

BYRON UTLEY (he/him)
After ignoring blood in his urine and receiving dismissive treatment from the medical community, Byron overcomes bladder cancer and hopes he can inspire other men to admit when they’re scared, and learn how to ask for help before it’s too late.

CALLIE JAYNE (she/her)
Callie shares about the layered struggle of recovering from drug addiction and mental illness while living in a world with a deeply rooted belief that getting help is for “rich white folks.”

TWINKLE BURKE (she/her)
Twinkle might play a teacher or nurse on TV, as the roles for women of color are often typecast for characters who are nurturers, but she’s here to tell you that being black is not just one thing, it’s everything.

EZRA HUBBARD (he/him)
Ezra navigates what it’s like to be of mixed race. He’s half black and half white. But, he realizes that when the police show up, he’s not white at all.

BEETLE BAILEY (they/them)
Until two years ago, Beetle would have described themself as “stupid, happy, and numb.” Then Charlottesville happened. They share the story about how that event transformed them into being unapologetically black.

DR. AJ WILLIAMS MYERS (he/him)
Dr. A.J. Williams-Myers, a prominent Professor Emeritus of Black Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz, believes the spirit of Sojourner Truth has been walking with him since he was a little boy. He shares the story of how her spirit has protected him from snakes, lions, and even a revolutionary soldier.

RESERVE YOUR SEATS TODAY!