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Playback Memphis debuts Frayser youth theater ensemble

NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — On September 20, Playback Memphis staged its second annual Frayser Matters performance, but it was a first appearance for the members of its new Playback Memphis Youth Ensemble. The youth ensemble consists of sixth and seventh graders representing several Frayser middle schools including Westside and the Memphis Business Academy.

Published

5 years ago

October 22, 2019

Oakland Post

Members of the Playback Memphis Youth Ensemble gave their first performance at the second annual Frayser Matters event. (Playback Memphis)

By Baris Gursakal

On September 20, Playback Memphis staged its second annual Frayser Matters performance, but it was a first appearance for the members of its new Playback Memphis Youth Ensemble.

The youth ensemble consists of sixth and seventh graders representing several Frayser middle schools including Westside and the Memphis Business Academy.

The youth, along with members of Playback’s adult ensemble, worked together to listen to audience members’ stories then act out or ‘play back’ what they heard.

The players performed a movement mirroring exercise, acted out improvisational scenes in response to audience prompts, and sang songs paired with improvisational dance moves and live music.

“I was excited [to perform] because I learned how to do this last year, and now today, I have more courage than I did last time,” said youth ensemble member Madyson Margette.

Playback theater performances aim to facilitate dialogue around difficult topics and help audience members build empathy as they learn about the experiences, struggles and perspectives of other audience members.

The moving, hour-long performance prompted tears and laughter from the audience.

“I’m a psychologist, and it’s almost like they do psychology really quickly, much more quickly, by having people act out the dramas that people are experiencing,” said audience member Dixie Fletcher. “We used to teach some of the same peacebuilding skills when I was in the school system, but I like the way they do it better than how we did it.”

Related: ‘Playback Memphis partners with Le Bonheur and SCS to reduce bullying and teen pregnancy’

“It’s empowering to be able to work with a group of young people who may have different struggles, ideas, and experiences but are able to come together for the same purpose and be together and open and hear other peoples stories and honor them,” said Leslie Jones, who oversees the Playback’s youth programming.

Audience members were moved to both laughter and tears at the second annual Playback Memphis Frayser Matters event, featuring the first performance of Playback’s youth ensemble. (Jenny Myers, Playback Memphis)

More than An Art

Members of Playback’s youth ensemble began learning their craft in fifth grade as part of Playback’ Be the Peace! school-based program. They then attended its inaugural Be the Peace! summer camp held this year.

The school-based program operated in Corning and Frayser elementary schools until they merged to become Frayser-Corning. Now Playback’s adult ensemble members meet weekly with Frayser-Corning 5th graders for hands-on training and quarterly for school-wide performances. Playback also provides professional development for teachers focused on trauma-informed, mindful school leadership.

Many schools in Frayser struggle with a lack of funding for arts programming, which is one reasons Playback Memphis is working in the area, but the organization does more than provide children with an opportunity to participate in the arts.

It teaches the children about “peacebuilding” which Playback’s director, Virginia Murphy, says strengthens communication and conflict resolution skills and encourages healthy coping mechanisms when faced with both everyday issues and the extraordinary challenges.

Frayser is large and diverse, and the life experiences of its residents vary greatly. However, Playback’ data shows, nearly 80 percent of Frayser’s children live below the federal poverty line, and its crime rate is over 200 percent above the national average.

Over half of people living in Shelby County report at least one adverse childhood experience — such as homelessness, loss of a parent to death or incarceration or abuse in the household — but that figure increases in areas of extreme disinvestment like Frayser.

“Most of these kids are surviving complex trauma on a daily basis,” said Murphy.

Frayser’s schools and families are chronically underserved and often unable to fully address their children’s complex social and emotional needs, let alone find and fund opportunities to strengthen social-emotional learning and build a positive school culture informed by the realities of trauma and survival.

Three of Playback’s adult ensemble members were previously incarcerated and two now live in Frayser. They were first exposed to playback theater as part of their work to rebuild their lives post-release but say if they’d had Playback Memphis as children, they may not have been incarcerated in the first place.

“Applying playback theater in the way that we do is just a beautiful way to share practices of awareness and compassion and really give them some skillful methods of being able to learn the art of generous listening, being able to resolve conflict peacefully, grow in awareness of their feelings and needs, and to pay attention to what other people are feeling and what they need,” said Murphy.

Members of Playback’s adult and youth ensembles performed at the second annual Playback Memphis Frayser Matters performance held on September 20, 2019. (Jenny Myers, Playback Memphis)

Playback’s Steps Forward

Playback is now looking towards expanding its school-based program into additional Frayser elementary schools, as well as partnering with Tim and Kim Ware, who are developing a proposal for an alternative school for high students who drop out of traditional schools. They plan to present to Shelby County Schools in the next few months.

“One of our big areas of focus is going to be how we build up developmental assets in young people with a specific focus on things like restorative practices, mindfulness, and empathy,” said Tim Ware.

“Playback Memphis does a phenomenal job at that,” he continued. “We are interested in seeing if we could partner, if the school is approved, and kind of have it built into the DNA of the school.”

The organization also plans to host a spring performance for the youth ensemble and has plans for another Be the Peace! summer camp in June 2020.

Margette attended the 2019 camp and says she plans on attending again next year.

“I liked the summer camp because we learned how to do more stuff than we did at school,” said Margette comparing the intensive summer experience with her fifth grade experience.

“I learned to have more courage when I speak because I was shy before I came to the camp and before I was in Playback.”

This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.