Last February, Erica Chase Salerno, a friend, and TMI Project storyteller passed away from Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and while I’ve thought of her every month since her passing, the influx of pink ribbons is sparking memories.
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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.
While our storytellers rehearse their BRAND NEW stories, in preparation for Black Stories Matter: Truth to Power, taking place on June 21st at 7:30pm, we’re diving into TMI Project’s archive. This story by Odell Winfield was presented as part of TMI Project’s first-ever intergenerational Black Stories Matter performance, as part of Black History Month Kingston at Pointe of Praise on February 16, 2019.
In 1954, Odell (he/him) told his third-grade teacher that he wanted to be the President of the United States; she told him it would be at least 150 years until a Negro is elected president. Today, Odell is the Executive Director of the Library at the A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center in Kingston, NY. In his story, he reflects on his life and finds himself standing strong, feeling like the leader he always dreamed of being.
On Friday, June 21st, join TMI Project at Pointe of Praise Family Life Center in Kingston for Black Stories Matter: Truth to Power a live storytelling performance featuring a cast of new storytellers who participated in a recent Black Stories Matter weekend intensive writing workshop. Black Stories Matter: Truth to Power will feature 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 free performance will be live streamed on Facebook, and will be followed by a facilitated community discussion about race, identity, and inclusion.
“Black Stories Matter reinforced that we can see one another’s humanity through stories and conversation. It was incredible connecting, loving, humanizing. Inspiring!” – Abe Young
Last Saturday’s first-ever intergenerational performance of Black Stories Matter was powerful and transformative. With nearly 400 audience members at The Pointe Church in Kingston, NY and over 1,000 live stream views, we are thrilled to report that we’re reaching more communities than ever with these important and timely stories.
In addition, 10 groups from the Hudson Valley and around the country (National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Ohio, Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco, Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, Art Peacemakers in MA, Showing Up for Racial Justice in Eugene, OR and more) joined us by hosting live stream viewing parties!
Special thanks to our workshop leaders Micah (he/him) and Dara Lurie (she/her), our brave and bold storytellers for sharing their truths, and to Radio Kingston for making Black Stories Matter accessible to all via live stream.
“We read stories, articles, the news, books about racism, but nothing makes these issues real like people sharing their stories.” – Amanda Sisenstein
Bring the stories and conversation to your org, school, or party by signing up as a host. The live streamed Black Stories Matter: Stories from Across Generations performance and Q & A as well as our Viewing & Discussion Guide are available on demand.
Click here to watch the recorded live stream on Facebook anytime
Black Stories Matter is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Life Lines: Queer Stories of Survival
November 5, 2018, 7pm
The Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center
New York, NY
In honor of The Trevor Project’s 20th anniversary, a cast of 11 LGBTQ storytellers from around the country, selected from a nationwide call for stories, will take part in a TMI Project true storytelling workshop this November led by Academy Award-winner James Lecesne alongside TMI Project Co-founders Eva Tenuto and Julie Novak. Life Lines: Queer Stories of Survival is the culmination of that work.
The production will feature inspiring true personal stories of triumph in the face of suicidal attempts or ideations with a goal of raising awareness about the importance of The Trevor Project Lifeline and similar suicide prevention services.
