The Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Council of Brighton, Colorado is hosting Norma Johnson and Dexter Payne, storytellers who bring a visceral and creative edge to the discussion of race.
The "Passport to Everyday Race" event is scheduled for 2pm on Sunday, Sept. 30 at Barr Lake State Park, 13401 Piccadilly Rd in Brighton. Admission to the event is free.
Partnered with Barr Lake State Park, the Council delivers an afternoon of inspiration and introspection. Norma Johnson, is a gifted storyteller and performer who offers us passports to join her on a journey through everyday race. Accompanied by clarinetist, Dexter Payne, Norma exquisitely shares renditions of her poetry series: "Letters to My White Friends." Their performance brings heart and a rich textural depth and provocativeness to the stories of living every day in a racially bound society.
Norma Johnson is a healer, writer, poetic storyteller, performer and facilitator. Her poems are used by educators across the country to arouse consciousness about race, privilege and class. Her powerful collection of “Poems for My White Friends” stirs hearts and minds, opening space for inquiry, reflection and dialogue about the inevitable role race plays in our society and in our personal lives every day.
Dexter Payne is a well-traveled player of clarinets and saxophones, a winner at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN and a finalist in DownBeat Readers Poll. From the blues to a thirst for music of many cultures, his current co-creation with Norma brings him full circle to go beyond the American standard of tasting the fruits of black culture, to now nurture the conversation about whiteness and privilege in America.
"I’ve come to understand that most things I’ve done out in the world, seemed to have been influenced by my ability to connect with an inner story, to bring an aliveness and visibility to the creative story that wants to be told, the story that awaits within our imagination, the one that lives in our bodies, pulls on our heartstrings and inspires us to move in the direction of healing, of receiving the blessing of life, the one that connects us more deeply to ourselves… and to each other. We are All In Spirit," Norma Johnson, storyteller, performer.
Register now for this powerful poetic storytelling about living inside of and outside of race, which invites audience participation, shared conversations and interactive, reflective dialogue about everyday race in our lives.
The "Passport to Everyday Race" event is scheduled for 2pm on Sunday, Sept. 30 at Barr Lake State Park, 13401 Piccadilly Rd in Brighton. Admission to the event is free.
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| Norma Johnson |
Norma Johnson is a healer, writer, poetic storyteller, performer and facilitator. Her poems are used by educators across the country to arouse consciousness about race, privilege and class. Her powerful collection of “Poems for My White Friends” stirs hearts and minds, opening space for inquiry, reflection and dialogue about the inevitable role race plays in our society and in our personal lives every day.
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| Dexter Payne |
"I’ve come to understand that most things I’ve done out in the world, seemed to have been influenced by my ability to connect with an inner story, to bring an aliveness and visibility to the creative story that wants to be told, the story that awaits within our imagination, the one that lives in our bodies, pulls on our heartstrings and inspires us to move in the direction of healing, of receiving the blessing of life, the one that connects us more deeply to ourselves… and to each other. We are All In Spirit," Norma Johnson, storyteller, performer.
Register now for this powerful poetic storytelling about living inside of and outside of race, which invites audience participation, shared conversations and interactive, reflective dialogue about everyday race in our lives.
