PURPOSE:
To bring the Five Colors* of humanity into one Circle, in order to:
· seek wisdom in our common struggle against racism
· break out of the traps in which history holds us
· begin to create an inclusive community built on the truth of the absolute equality of all people and the interconnectedness of all beings.
A Gathering of the Five Colors
Our intention is to leverage new energy to heal the wounds of racism, by creating a space for deep listening and acknowledgment of each other's truths, and examining the relevance of the Old Ways of all Five Colors to the work of creating social change.
October 13-15, 2000
at the University of Massachusetts at Boston
Components of the gathering include:
Keynote address by Babatunde Olatunji
Council of Elders of the Five Colors
Small group talking circles, organized in the Open Space format
Cultural performances with the Bamidele Dancers and Drummers, Odaiko New England, and storyteller Guy Peartree
Participative music-making (including a drum circle)
Closing Ceremony of the Four Colors with Tlakaelel
click here for more background details
click here for a report of the Gathering in October 2000
The MSH Steering Committee:
Nanatasis Bluto-Delvental, Abenaki teacher and community activist
Elaine Fong, artistic director of Odaiko New England
Jerrie Hildebrand, member, Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans and First Universalist Society of Salem
Marilyn Middleton, artistic director of Bamidele Drummers and Dancers
Horace Seldon, founder and long-time executive director of Community Change, Inc.
The MSH Advisory Council: Andras Corban Arthen, Deirdre Pulgram Arthen, DeAma Battle, Berta Berriz, Cornell Coley, Reebee Garofalo, David Locke, Pablo Lonesome Wolf, Yvonne Pappenheim.
*The Five Colors are the traditional Four Colors of the Four Directions: Red, White, Yellow, and Black, representing the colors of humanity, with the Fifth Color being Brown, for multi-racial people everywhere.
This project was produced by Jimi and Morwen Two Feathers of Earth Drum Council, in affiliation with Community Change, Inc.