
Berklee and Can We Talk Celebrate Healing Power of the Arts in BIPOC Communities Arts Activation 2024: Harmony and Healing (October 19) unites artists, thought leaders, and healthcare professionals to explore the arts' ability to heal and connect.
By
Daniel Pesquera
October 3, 2024
The Berklee Music and Health Institute and the Can We Talk initiative are proud to host Arts Activation 2024: Harmony and Healing, a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) community-focused celebration of the arts as a force for human connection and healing, Saturday, October 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building in Roxbury.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will convene artists, thought leaders, healthcare professionals, and arts-focused organizations from greater Roxbury and Dorchester for an exchange of innovative ideas and personal stories focused on the intersection of arts and health, as both a response to trauma and a means to foster individual and collective resilience.
Several keynote speakers, performing artists, educators, and health and well-being experts will be featured throughout the program, which includes live performances, interactive workshops, and discussions. In response to global conversations about creative expression as a tool for coping with and confronting trauma, the event aims to elevate local efforts in this space, specifically the arts' long-standing role as a unifying and healing force in BIPOC communities.
We don't know the power we already have. This event is about tapping into who you really are and what's inside of you, said Reverend Liz Walker, community activist and founding director of Can We Talk , a community-based, clinically supported initiative aimed at creating a safe space for those suffering the effects of violence to share their stories and express their pain. When you are traumatized, you are disrupted-your thinking process, your brain, your body-but expression and movement, it frees you. It's the discovery of what we already have as people to empower ourselves, and tapping into that inner joy through the arts. That is why I'm so excited about this collaboration.
The arts have been used for generations in communities of color as a way to heal and connect, said event cochair Brenda Ross, community and partner engagement director for the music therapy ecosystem at Berklee. That's what this day is about-raising up and celebrating the great work happening in our community and linking it to the health benefits that scientific data supports.
Notable participants include Wyatt Jackson, event cochair and expressive arts coordinator for Can We Talk ; Ron Savage, vice president and executive director, Berklee College of Music; Ellice Patterson, founder and executive/artistic director, Abilities Dance; music industry veteran DJ Hustle Simmons (Brandon Arthur); percussionist Stephen O'Neal; and dancers from Urbanity Dance and the Stajez Cultural Arts Center. Singer Carrie Johnson will also give a special performance of the song Harmony in Healing by Latin Grammy-winning artist Gen Rubin.
Themes to be explored at the event include intergenerational trauma, decolonizing creative expression, cultural legacies of healing through the arts, and accessibility and inclusion in the arts and health fields.
This event is an opportunity for us to gather, exchange, connect, take time to truly see and hear each other, and share a smile-reminding ourselves of the work we're doing, individually and collectively, to uplift the health and wellness of everyone in our community, said Shea Rose, assistant professor of performance, who will facilitate a conversation on music, health, and spirituality in BIPOC communities. It's also a moment to explore where our efforts intersect, engage in meaningful dialogue about innovations and possibilities, and weave these advancements into the spiritual wisdom that is foundational to our community's healing journey.
Find more information and register for the event.
About Can We Talk
Can We Talk is a network of concerned community members who abide by people who are hurting and provides a circle of peer support to protect against the isolation and stigmatization often associated with formal mental health treatment. Neighbor offers neighbor a compassionate, judgment-free presence that says: You are not alone. This is a space where we can all be heard, touched, and moved. Formed in response to the tragic death of Cory Johnson, who was killed by stray gunfire outside his father's home, Can We Talk has grown into a nationwide network of therapists, community activists, and caring citizens dedicated to addressing the collateral damage caused by the epidemic of violence in urban communities.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Jim Lucchese
Image by Kelly Davidson
Jim Lucchese Named Berklee's Fifth President A 20-year music industry veteran and a committed artist advocate with deep Berklee roots, Lucchese sets the tone for a new era at the institution.
Latest
Gail Wilson has been named Berklee's vice president of finance, a role she began on September 30.
Kelly Davidson
Berklee Announces Gail Wilson as Vice President of Finance Wilson will oversee Berklee's budgeting, financial reporting, controller's office, and campus services, managing the Finance Department and operating and capital budgets.
Farayi Malek
Image by Najee Visuals
Signature Series Presents Country Music: Black Roots and Branches New Dangerfield, Dom Flemons, Donna McElroy, and Farayi Malek headline this October 29 concert spotlighting Black artists impact on country music.
Students from X-change and B-Girls, two groups formed out of the K-Pop Idol Project, pose at Berklees 2024 fall K-Pop & Beyond Summit.
Dave Gree
North America Stories
02/04/2026
HBO and NFL Films have announced Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Sea...
02/04/2026
Haivision has announced the Makito ONE, a single-blade video encoding and decoding platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform combines dual-channel video encoding...
02/04/2026
Telestream has introduced UP.Lens, a cloud-based multiviewer and monitoring serv...
02/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C5220, April 19-22, Las Vegas Convention Center), marking the company's 60th anniver...
02/04/2026
Net Insight has introduced programmable Trust Boundaries, a feature integrated i...
02/04/2026
Bitmovin has announced support for SGAI (Server-Guided Ad Insertion) in its playback products, using HLS interstitials. SGAI combines elements of client-side an...
02/04/2026
Riedel Communications' SimplyLive RiMotion R12 replay system is supporting B...
02/04/2026
LTN, a managed IP video transport company, and Ateme, a video compression and de...
02/04/2026
Harmonic has announced that TDF, a broadcast infrastructure operator in France, has deployed Harmonic's XOS Advanced Media Processor and ProStream X Video S...
02/04/2026
Eluvio and the United Rugby Championship (URC) have announced first-year results...
02/04/2026
The Kansas City Current and Scripps Sports have announced that ION will broadcas...
02/04/2026
ESPN will debut Courtside at the Women's Final Four Presented by AT&T, an alt-cast airing Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and Sunday, A...
02/04/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are ...
02/04/2026
ESPN's MegaCast Coverage of 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four Begins Friday, ...
02/04/2026
DAZN has announced the launch of DAZN Playmakers, a global influencer program designed to build a network of sports content creators. The programme will give cr...
02/04/2026
Tony Cole, Jessica Lee shift into new roles reporting to ESPN SVP/Content Operations Chris Calcinari....
02/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
02/04/2026
Real-time tracking, virtual production, and Pixar storytelling converge for Apri...
02/04/2026
NASA's long-awaited Artemis II mission has launched four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the moon, marking the first manned launch toward the moon sin...
02/04/2026
(L-R) Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis, and John Magaro appear in Omaha by Cole Webley, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo courte...
02/04/2026
L3Harris has successfully powered the historic launch of the Artemis II mission, providing propulsion and avionics....
02/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/04/2026
Already deployed extensively by NBC Sports, FOR-A Corporation will demonstrate GoVertical! AiDi, the real-time 9:16 autocropping feature of viztrick AiDi, durin...
02/04/2026
Interra Systems, a provider of end-to-end quality assurance solutions for the digital media industry, announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its B...
02/04/2026
Harmonic's Media Processing Solutions Maximize Bandwidth Efficiency for Terrestrial Broadcast Delivery
Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced that TDF, a...
02/04/2026
NBC Sports Deploys viztrick AiDi to Stream Live Events in 9:16 Mobile-First Formats with Auto Tracking, Development Signals Strategic Shift for FOR-A
Long reco...
02/04/2026
Evergent will showcase new innovations in subscriber lifecycle management and monetization at NAB Show 2026 (Las Vegas, April 18 22), including:
New advances i...
02/04/2026
Riedel Communications is proud to be part of Binghamton University, State University of New York, Athletics' milestone year, celebrating the university'...
02/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have today announced new, fully managed, cloud-native Master Control services designed to meet the growing operational demand...
02/04/2026
Avid today announced it will showcase new innovations designed to help media companies win in the new media economy at NAB Show 2026 (April 18 22, Las Vegas Co...
02/04/2026
PlayBox Neo helps AIS PLAY kick-off premier football content direct to fans
PlayBox Neo has provided MIMO Tech with a brand-new major installation to extend it...
02/04/2026
Globo has transitioned its primary content distribution to Secure Reliable Transport over a fully IP-based managed backbone using Synamedia's Quortex PowerV...
02/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/04/2026
Student Spotlight: Al-Fadl Salem The Danish singer recently performed for the queen of Denmark.
April 1, 2026
By
Editorial Staff
Image by Junia Morrow
Wh...
02/04/2026
Taku Hirano's Career Is Defined by Identity Whether he's performing, composing, teaching, or developing instruments, the do-it-all percussionist sees ...
02/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils Official Trailer for The Trials of Winnie Mandela
Entertainment
02 April 2026
GlobalSouth Africa
Link copied to clipboard
...
02/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Start of Production and New Cast for Second ...
02/04/2026
Back to All News
The Trailer for Ronaldinho: The One and Only Features Never-Be...
02/04/2026
GoVertical! AiDi Powers Real-Time 9:16 Autocropping for Immediate Streaming to M...
02/04/2026
By Lance Maurer, CEO
Image generated by AI
Engineering is supposed to be fun....
02/04/2026
No joke - GFN Thursday is skipping the tricks and heading straight into the games. April kicks off with ten new titles, bringing fresh adventures to GeForce NOW...
01/04/2026
As sports media organization continue to seek out new ways to streamline their p...
01/04/2026
The SVG GFX Forum hit New York City earlier this month for a day packed with sessions focused on the creative strategy and technology behind today's cutting...
01/04/2026
Green Hippo is excited to announce the launch of its new Hippotizer Media Server training courses at Pixel Academy, a purpose built AV learning hub combining ha...
01/04/2026
TAG Video Systems, a global leader in IP-native broadcast monitoring, multiviewing, and quality control, today announced a collaboration with Oracle Cloud Infra...
01/04/2026
Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a leading provider of wireless audio solutions and RF management, was on site at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, wher...
01/04/2026
AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV technology solutions, has deployed next , the new IPTV platform of the Austrian telco LIWEST, marking the first st...
01/04/2026
LTN, a leader in fully managed IP video transport, and Ateme, a global leader in video compression and delivery solutions, today announced a collaboration integ...