 If you'd like to move closer to the stage there's plenty of room down here. We don't bite come on down No, one's moving. That's okay Give everyone a couple more minutes Good morning One more time. Good morning Awesome I'm Sugu Mimaki. I'm the chief operating officer here at the ICA We're thrilled to welcome you to the museum and be included as part of the arts equity summit Thank you for coming. At the ICA our goal is to create a museum at the intersection of contemporary art and Civic life and exhibitions that challenge issues of gender identity racism Immigration and social justice to name a few There's an urgent need for museums to tackle these issues of equity access and inclusion and As an institution it's part of our mission to open up the cannon and bring voices to the table that have been overlooked or under represented We are tackling these issues internally as well How can we add more seats at our table? How can we include more voices to ensure a richer and deeper conversation? Our objective is to intensely focus on our staff to build a diverse welcoming environment within And to actively recruit from groups historically underrepresented in the museum professions Our did our dedication and commitment to fostering the pipeline for the field will develop the next generation a Cohort who will contribute global perspectives to our community It's empowering to see us all gathered here today around the issue The arts equity summit and the art the work of arts Connect International is so important and we are honored to be part of this moment With that I'd like to introduce Marion Taylor Brown Executive director and founder of arts connect international Good morning How we all doing Excellent, we made it through the snow Who would have known Boston at the end of the march is unpredictable, but we're so thankful that you are all here It's been a dream come true starting last night to just see the arts equity summit become a reality Over the past couple of years ACI has really been operating as more of an equity incubator within the Boston ecosystem We've been looking at the cultural equity gap from a multiplicity of perspectives Whether it's through our artist leader programming our retreats our artists and residencies or whether it's through empirical research We're really endeavoring to deeply understand What is special? What is important? What are the assets that we have within our different community context within our individuals and our organizations? And how does that play into this greater movement towards cultural equity in the arts and even more? So what does cultural equity even mean? So without offering any type of answer to those complex questions I just want to thank you all for coming to the table and being excited willing and open to Diving into that conversation with us and for really being open and receptive learners One thing as we move through the day and through the rest of the weekend. I deeply encourage everybody to please Take notes. We're learning as we go and we're learning with all of you Any feedback that you have is deeply appreciated and we will be so receptive to it throughout I want to take a second to thank all of our community partners who came out and tabled last night They're beautiful information is in your swag bags. I say swag really funny. I learned that this week swag bags please feel free to check them out and I really want to call out two partners in particular this morning that have just been really integral to this entire process And they're the ones that have made the keynote particularly possible. So first for the Institute of Contemporary Art the ICA Let's give it up and then also for the New England Foundation for the arts NIFA One of our very first partners that really jumped on board and said this is our work We're in it with you and they've been so generous with their time knowledge all of their caring concerns. So thank you to NIFA And on the back of your programs, you'll see the list of all of the incredible sponsors that have made this possible So without exhausting that list, please do make sure to check that out as they've been unbelievable I also really want to thank ACI staff which have just been Devoted to this beyond measure since day one. So to Hanukkah Brie Thank you to Manny Martinez Joy McDowell Allegra Fletcher Who am I forgetting I Think we're good. Sorry, and then to our board of directors that have really not only pioneered this vision But have really made it actualized so to Shreya Snivare who you hear from in a second David Brown Mina Malik And Dan Bailey so thank you to your board of directors and Last but not least Thank you to all of you Again, this is such a community event where you've all come to this space willingly with an open heart and with a desire to learn together and that means more than anything in the world So we thank you. I hope you enjoy the lineup today. They're incredible humans and artists I can't wait to hear from them and we actually have the director of abilities dance Who's going to do a quick intro for her company before they kick us off with the first performance? Good morning everyone My name is Lisa Patterson I am the founder and director of this amazing company abilities dance We're a dance company that seeks to disrupt Antiquated ableist beliefs and it's a mini the power of inclusion through dance Yes We're performing two of the pieces that we actually premiered last night at our annual production and One is called I am home that was created by our guest choreographer from Heidi Latsky dance in New York And the next one is from our resident choreographer Lauren Zava Who is our is in the company and all of our dancers performing and I hope that you enjoy it Our music was composed originally by our amazing director of music Andrew Cho and I'll also be audio descriptions has an access point Thank you. Oh and follow us at ability stands Boston Facebook and Instagram and check out our website for more events Ability stands Boston.org Sarah Cynthia and Shannon stand next to each other they began to walk across slow Gliding determined they all turn forward and rearrange Cynthia and Sarah beside each other toward the front Shannon behind and between them They each bring the right arm forward across their bodies to their left shoulder before sweeping it back and around again bending down arms slack slowly unbending back up a return repeating the sequence with their left arm Forward across sweeping back around down and up again a return They bring both arms across each touching the opposite shoulder and bring their torsos around Leaning around and bending down and up again a return a familiar thing They each bring hands to their faces like flowers opening then bend at the knees Cynthia goes to the ground on all fours Shannon takes a big step to the left in place Right arm raised Sarah doing the opposite. They switch again again again again again Cynthia moved forward on all fours crawling and sliding slightly in place before standing again all three spin around slowly Slowly Bending knees leaning to the left hands open in front of their faces. They lean to the right as If calling out to someone someone familiar they stand Rearrange all facing forward Shannon and Cynthia next to each other Sarah between and behind them Cynthia leans forward Bending twirling on one knee Shannon and Cynthia face each other go back to back and then join hands pulling toward each other Then apart Cynthia stands tall arms in front of her and falls slowly to the ground Sarah falls to the ground Shannon bends over Sarah and Cynthia lay facing each other Shannon and Sarah move slowly Shannon still bending Sarah freezing only her torso as they start to reach out towards Cynthia as Cynthia lies on the ground a yearning for a return Sarah goes back to the ground fully as she and Cynthia begin to roll over Shannon stands takes a step to the right spins Sarah and Cynthia are pulling forward on the ground with her arms Shannon steps spins Cynthia continues pulling forward Sarah turns over on the ground Shannon steps spins as if she is trying to reach them They join each other in an embrace Cynthia on her belly Sarah sitting up on the ground back to them Shannon bending over as if protecting as if returning The embrace continues each of them breathing pulsing as one they slowly come apart Shannon standing walking backwards Cynthia and Sarah stand slowly they rearrange a return Sarah and Cynthia stand next to each other Shannon behind and between them all three raised their arms Sarah and Cynthia bend at the knee a breath Shannon bends her knees arms in front of her then stands Sarah brings her left arm to her right shoulder sweeps across Cynthia stands tall left arm up a beacon to return to all stand with arms up bent at the elbow They step around each other an arm swinging forward in the other like doors to a familiar place They rearrange a return Shannon and Cynthia stand next to each other Sarah between and behind them She raises her left arm and left leg to the right twice them switches to her right arm and leg Shannon and Cynthia do the same a beat behind they repeat repeat repeat repeat Shannon and Cynthia bend slightly at the knee Sarah comes forward Cynthia leaps back and forth as if in a familiar place Sarah joins her Shannon rises on her toes moving toward the back Cynthia leaps again and then rises to her toes arms up over her head She and Shannon balance on their toes Sarah joins them they move in the circle fading away around balanced They lower their arms turn toward each other and then raise them again still balanced still a circle arms lowering turn away again Arms lowering turning toward each other again They move toward each other meeting in the middle hands still overhead Meeting briefly they bow bending and then rising again. They move back from each other Lowering their arms all raise their right leg balanced on one foot They pivot to the right arms out to either side of them right arm swings back briefly then out again Swings over then out again Sarah and Shannon pause here as Cynthia moves forward arms windmilling Then she bends at the knee a jump back She leans back on her left foot one arm over her head the other in front of her She goes forward a jump. She turns around balances on her right foot Extends left arm in front left leg behind Shannon begins to move Sweeps her right leg in front then raises to her left a spin Cynthia repeats her own sequence as Shannon repeats hers. Sarah begins to move. She spins around Once raising her arm in front of her She raises her left leg and lowers it the momentum bending her at the waist and raising her right leg behind her She raises her arms up then spins before going to the ground Spinning on the ground and rises to repeat the sequence All three repeat their sequences all three returning looking Finding something familiar. They rearrange Sarah and Shannon standing next to each other Cynthia behind in between them They bend at the knee left leg behind the right Sarah and Cynthia begin to jump Shannon raises her arms left leg outstretched then right Sarah and Cynthia stop Bend down Shannon joining them Arms hanging down in front of them a simple reach toward us toward home Two dancers sit back to back Facing away from each other Spinning their fingers while their palms stay connected One dancer intensely walks behind them She looks towards them then up and away She then walks in front of them Again looking towards them and then up and away from them They open their arms as she again walks behind them circling them They curve inwards as she steps back Also bending her knees and lowering her torso The seated dancers reach out on the floor in opposite directions Then draw their hands back to touch their hearts The standing dancer reaches up with one arm As the seated dancers shift forwards and backwards in their seat They then trace fingers down their arms As the standing dancer raises and lowers arms by leading with her elbows The two seated dancers then roll away from one another on their bellies To sit with their feet planted in front of them All together raise one elbow and then the other Then sweep their arms across their chest All perform their own movement to rise to their feet Until they are all standing in a triangle facing away from each other They bend their knees and lower their torso Bending at their waist to then step backwards They rise to repeat that drawing closer together as they do They all quickly walk out to a plank walk back and then turn with one knee up After more of their own movement they all reach up Two now stand as one kneels The one kneeling shifts backwards to sit Then crosses his ankles to pitch his legs up and backwards Meanwhile the dancers standing open and close their arms They scoop the air with one arm to turn and then reach up with the other They then reach towards each other while the dancers seated again shifts backwards Each dancer begins to move around the space in their own unique way to their backs There they pedal their legs as if riding a bicycle A couple of times they reach forward and fall back All then shift to form a tighter triangle still on the floor They then raise their arms and sway them side to side They then face forwards and make their own gestures with their hands They all bring a fist to their hearts They look at each other and take three visible breaths In and out In and out In and out They look around the space up and around Let's hear it one more time for Abilities Dance And the second I'll turn it over to my colleague Shreyas for him to introduce our keynote speakers today But I wanted to quickly add in two more gratitudes and thanks And I'll probably be doing this all day. So please forgive me in advance But I wanted to shout out to our Youth United artists who are in this back corner up here. Can you guys stand up? This incredible team of youths have been visionaries and really creating what the Arts Equity Summit would be They've been doing a youth participatory action research process this entire year With Jess and Steven and a whole bunch of our team that's up there with them today So we just can't thank you enough for all that you have done The youth voice and perspective is so deeply important and all the work we're doing Especially when we're talking about incoming and growing leaders in the field. So one more time. Thank you to YUA And then without wanting to be selfish and just thinking my family which are here, which I'm very thankful you're all here I want to thank all the families that have really contributed to all of us being today. So to Your relatives your lineage whoever you call family both chosen biological and otherwise Big thank you to all of the people that brought you here and brought us all together today Now I'll turn it over to Shreyas Good morning everyone So I'm a political cartoonist Usually tend to exaggerate but today there is no scope for exactly Exaggeration because the three keynote speakers are really really incredible So I'm Shreyas and as an ACI board member it is my proud privilege to formally introduce our three Keynote speakers today Jason Lujan is originally from Marfa, Texas and has lived in New York City since 2001 His current work creates layered connections using cultural commercial and political design Often utilizing visual signifiers rooted in asia and north america Previous exhibitions and performances include the herd museum phoenix the national museum of the american indian new york The kuri beta biennial in brazil Continental the artist indigenous contemporaneous at the museo national the cultures popular as mexico city And solo installations summer burial at the museum of contemporary native art in santa fe Together with his wife maria huffield. He administers native art department international A collaborative arts project that has exhibited or appeared at artist space The kitchen the drawing center stamps gallery and gallery seconst in sweden Jason occasionally curates and co-organizes exhibitions in new york city He's also a board chair with the downtown arts nonprofit abc norrio So a big round of applause for jason, please Our next speaker is kaisha johnson who is the co-founder and founding director of women of color in the arts A national service organization dedicated to creating racial and cultural equity in the performing arts field As a staunch advocate for racial and cultural equity on and off the stage Kaisha co-founded voka to help amplify the voices of art administrators of color With the intent of cultivating a diverse and inclusive field As varied in voice and perspective as the community it serves Most recent to her position at voka Kaisha served for over a decade as a program director at the center for traditional music and dance A nonprofit dedicated to building cross cultural awareness by nurturing and presenting the performing art traditions of new york's immigrant communities Having traveled extensively throughout Latin america and the african diaspora working with arts organizations and artists Kaisha has created a niche in the performing arts world Kaisha holds a bachelor's degree in music from hampton university A masters in music business administration from new york university and has done post graduate work in ethnomusicology at hunter college At the city university of new york, please give a round of applause for kaisha Last but not the least Hippolyte tiguridwa identifies as an everyday peace artist His work focuses on using arts to prevent the intergenerational transmission of hate He uses theater as an advocacy healing educating and uniting tool for post-conflict generations and oppressed communities While on residency with aci in boston in 2016 Hippolyte explored theater and artistic techniques That can act as resilience mechanisms to express the witnessing of horrific oppressive and unjust experiences Hippolyte's artistic interests and practices Explore the individual and systemic roles in both oppressing and restoring humanity For the last two years Hippolyte has been managing the british council's east africa arts program in revanda Whereas focus has been on the intersection of art and disability. Please give a round of applause to Hippolyte And with that I hand it over to jason for lighting up the summit with your awesomeness I'd like to express my gratitude and thanks to everyone involved with this arts equity summit Including mary and taylor brown and our hosts at the ica And speaking of hosts I'd like to ask everyone here to join me in paying respect to all indigenous ancestors past present and future We acknowledge that this event is situated on the land known in algonquin as massachusetts meaning by the range of hills This land is traditional to the potucket the wampanoag And several other smaller bands including the nip muck and the po come tuck This area has always been a place for gathering and exchange for many indigenous peoples We respect that many indigenous people continue to live and work here and acknowledge their ongoing contributions to this area Together we can enact positive progress for lasting change and accountability To the native nations leading the movements for resurgence decolonization and reclamation of homelands Thank you A territorial or land acknowledgement is an act of reconciliation that involves making a statement recognizing the traditional territory of leading indigenous people who call this land home before the arrival of settlers and in many cases still do call it home It's an important activation of indigenous culture Its purpose is to help center us and to remind us that in life We are all guests or hosts and reminds us that we are accountable to these relationships Next slide If you've ever walked into an exhibition of native peoples this kind the kind that exhibit I'm sorry. I can't look at the slide and talk. So we'll just The kind exhibiting moccasins baskets drums and masks. You've probably seen a map like this somewhere on the wall It indicates the characteristics to be found in arts made in the region Implying people and things within these bounds share visual cultural similarities and also similar beliefs and concerns It's the product of a 19th century method to illustrate biological variants Anthropology If you walk into any contemporary art exhibition involving native americans today You may still see maps like this in use So i'm from down here in the brown section But i've lived more than half my life up here in the green section In my travels as an artist i've encountered people who are frustrated when my work is not centered about It's not centered on or about what's going on down here in the brown section Or at least what they believe is going on They want to affirm their beliefs with the idea of a fixity of location In fact, a lot of my work is about what's happening outside of this map By being used this map by being used to explain the criteria of contemporary artists This map remains a map of expectations and there are many many maps of expectations Not on the wall, but in people's minds Next slide Maps of expectations in different forms are found everywhere For example maps of social economic expectations Sexuality expectations and of course visible difference expectations When you ask someone what is important to them, you don't just learn what matters you learn what matters to you I was at a museum once walking with a conservator or technician and we passed a series of Apache musical instruments And i commented just really rapidly if you ever need an Apache musician to play these i happen to know someone so The text stopped and he asked me if i was native and when i said yes Then there began a long series of anecdotes and personal history and opinions on Indians Not really talking to me, but i felt like talking at me Then came these questions Not questions necessarily of interest, but rather asking me if i agreed with what he thought For example Those Indians who say he'd beat in moccasin bottoms or burial regalia don't understand the whole history of beating They're being reactive. They don't know what they're talking about, right? At a certain point i began to feel squeezed like a tube of toothpaste and my strategy for moving things ahead is To begin to pretend to just not know even if i do So this was another frustration for him and i could him I could begin to sense him getting ready to tell me at a certain point that He knew more about Indians than i did whatever that means Or that maybe he was actually more Indian than i was whatever that means But it never got there I was there for completely different professional reasons operating under that context right up until the point it became known I was Indian and then these good intentions of sharing and expectations happened and everything changed And my sense is that this kind of experience is not exclusive to Indians The takeaway for me was this method of how not to do things It's important that we remember To prioritize lived experience and interest in others experiences and worldview Next slide One of the questions i'm often asked as an artist is How does one participate in mainstream activities while avoiding situations of tokenism? The answer i give is simple Just do whatever you want Don't be afraid of showing experimental work Try not to make the kind of work expected of you particularly if you're participating in something where the primary link of involvement is your ethnic background In my opinion i found that collaborative art projects are a useful tool They remove the issue of authorship which in turns removes the issue of authenticity Some artists are hesitant to work collaboratively Collaboratively in anything they worry that their brand will be uncomfortably compromised or misdirected or misread They feel that if they must compromise They will not be free. They will be less free They see it as closing off a part of themselves rather than opening new things And i disagree I think one is more free creatively speaking Without these barriers of personal authorship constraining one's choices Do what you want to do be creative worry less about those other factors And then participating by participating in the process through different means one is not just able to abandon Irrelevant distinctions like that map But collapse them entirely Thank you Good morning I need to speak before I have a frog in my mouth Thanks so much To arts connect international and mary and taylor brown For extending the invitation to be part of this community who I saw from last night is um From the opening last night is is a vast Supportive and loving one. So thank you Much praise to Our ancestors for allowing us to breathe The space fresh breath into this beautiful space Um much gratitude for those whose whose land we occupy still And the place we now call Boston mass Speaking of boston I wanted to share some unique narratives And evoke the names of two monumental Black women inextricably tied to boston whose histories might be foreign to some but All too familiar to others In every human breast God has implanted a principle Which we call love of freedom It is impatient of oppression And pants for deliverance The same principle lives in us Those words were uttered by phyllis wheatley Phyllis Wheatley was one of the best known poets of pre 19th century america And one of the most Under-recognized artists in our country's history By by a raise of hand who has heard of phyllis wheatley? Okay Appreciate y'all Both enslaved and educated in the household of a prominent boston businessman from whom she got the name Wheatley phyllis was celebrated in new england and old england where her Poetry was published and lauded She was paraded before the new republic's political leadership and the old empires aristocracy Wheatley was the abolitionist dream She illustrated that black people could be both artistic and intellectual imagine that Her name was a catalyst in the anti-slavery movement So wheatley was stolen from senegal gambia region in west africa When she was about seven years old After she was bought by her masters The wheatleys discovered her bright intellect. So they taught her how to read and write They still kept her enslaved though Her first published poem came at the age of 13. That's black genius y'all In a new england newspaper and by the age of 18. She had enough poems Uh for a collection which were later published in england Uh garnering her international acclaim By the age of 20 in 1773. She had published an entire volume of work Entitled poems on various subjects religious and moral the first volume of poetry by a black american To be published in a place that was not yet america The first volume of poetry The artistic expression of a black woman an enslaved African in america no less cemented in history So rest with that just for a moment Over three centuries later Another notable woman came onto the boston scene and the now fully formed united states of america and her name was elma lewis Does that name ring a bell for some of you? Yes, give her some love I was fascinated to learn more about Miss lewis in my preparation to visit your fine city and to converse with all of you Perhaps some of you were students of miss lewis or have directly or indirectly been Impacted and benefited from her brilliance her passion and love of community and the arts Elma lewis who is frequently described as a cultural icon in boston founded the national center for afro american artists the in say in See triple a in 1968 This was 18 years after breaking barriers And opening the elma lewis school of fine arts in roxbury The arts were so important to lewis that she founded the elma lewis school of fine arts during the 1950s And welcomed black youths to enroll in theater dance music visual arts classes Two decades later with a mission to make the arts widely accessible To boston's black community lewis created the national center of afro american artists a complex That joined her school with a newly formed art museum and is still in existence today Her goal and i quote from the national center of afro american artists Was to bring together in one complex the best in teaching and professional performance While affirming the populist commitment to arts accessibility and ethnic heritage In 1980 the center opened a museum at 300 walnut avenue as a repository of black culture As miss lewis described the project and here's her quote It is where we the blacks are going to state our black heritage and share our culture And the beauty of our arts with all people black and white I understand that more than 6000 students benefited from her educational institution Many of them going on to live full And have significant careers in the performing arts Her commitment to the arts and the community reminds me of another black woman that I know from my own community of harlem dr dorsey manor y'all might have heard her name too She founded the harlem school of the arts in 1964 Just a few years before miss lewis founded the nc triple a For her dedication to her heritage and to the arts lewis was awarded 30 honorary doctoral degrees A presidential medal of art and was named a mac arthur feller fellow That's the genius award by the way Black genius y'all illuminated once again Both of these women fought for equity in their own way whether explicitly or implicitly by fighting for their own right to create They were fighting for so many that came behind them And communities of colors the arts Contribute to wellness and healing self sustainability cultural awareness affirmation of identity and above all freedom So the struggle for freedom is intrinsically tied to the struggle for free expression As people the only thing black people had complete freedom in control over was Expressing themselves and that came out in the form of of art Uh what has now been imitated duplicated and and co-opted Let's be clear though the story that I tell Of neither of these women is complete Elma lewis as the daughter of bajan immigrants who were followers of marcus garvey the founder of the united negro improvement Association that's the unia Was surely inspired by the racial pride and activism of marcus garvey But I can imagine that she was also challenged For her beliefs her will and her determination To fight for her people I don't know the repercussions, but I imagine that they were deep As a three-year-old in 1924 at the ruggles streets nursery school miss lewis's iq had been measured and quote as Is usual with members of her race at a higher peak now than it will be when she grows older According to the newspaper the boston globe It was this kind of racist attitude that prompted her to start her own school We keep saying there's a level playing field dr. Lewis once told the globe, but this nonsense still persists And then on to phyllis wheatley at a relatively young age after all her fame and notoriety as an artist as a writer While she thrived under her master's keep. Yes, she was published, but still in bondage And enslaved african and almost america when she was finally freed she died in abject poverty Banked her up phyllis wheatley died uncared for and alone and I imagine that's how Most of our society and our arts institutions will wind up if we continue along the path that we've been on So you may have noticed that I centered women in this conversation I will not lie. I have much bias for women You may have heard that I lead an organization called women of color in the arts That is built for and by women of color And as a self identified black woman it is always important to For me to lift up the black woman The backbone of our america Both of these black women fought for equality and equity in their own way They were catalysts for movements art and women have a unique way of doing that But it's important to note that the common denominator here is that these women unearth Their work through their work something that was almost unimaginable For the time a taste of freedom In some aspect many of us have the regular opportunity to actually see feel or touch freedom But many of us do not This is inevitably what equity is about Creating spaces where liberation exists and it's something that is tangible for each individual I think at this point it may be helpful to Distinguish between the words Freedom and liberation because oftentimes in our everyday vernacular we use the terms interchangeably The word freedom can be defined as the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved Technically as a black woman. I am free. I mean I don't live in 19. I'm sorry 17 72 Or 1862 the year before the Emancipation Proclamation Meaning that I'm not physically in bondage like our dear miss phyllis wheatley And I can also do what I want for the most part But because we have freedom that that does not mean that we are liberated And this is where equity steps in Liberation can be defined as the act of setting someone free from imprisonment slavery or oppression And in relation to art equity doesn't mean giving people the things that they need to live Doesn't only mean giving people the things that they live Need to live full prosperous lives Arts equity means giving people the things they need to create Full and prosperous lives to be able to exercise their freedom and be liberated One finds liberation through art One can also find art in liberation through art and access to art An equitable practice that reinforces access to art for those that create it Cultivate equitable environments for it for those who champion support it Freedom and subsequently liberation can can be tangible things. They are fully comprehensible and obtainable objects Right for the taking But we must understand one history history to the urgency of dismantling power structures And three not only Shifting policy but how to create all new systems that work in service to everyone So here we stand in the birthplace of the American revolution Clearly it's not lost on me in this inaugural arts equity summit Being held in one of the places that sparked our great nation What is not great? As cultural practitioners as artists as arts administrators, the real Revolution lies in our hands and it can only be achieved not only by advocating for equity But by creating just environments where the arts and those that work Arduously to create to support and to champion it can thrive and in turn creating space For society to thrive Give us liberty or give us death But be sure to create spaces where art allows for liberation Thank you Good morning. Thank you very much for the introduction died by done by ACI member and thank you To everyone who contributed for me to be here from luanda Um as they say them I identify myself as everyday peace artist I am an omnie or artist in residency with Arts Connect International and I am a peace ambassador with an organization called one young world um I use the arts as A tool to prevent and stop the intergenerational transmission of hate and that is rooted in my history because art was the only justice I had in the aftermath of genocide against the tootsie in 1994 in luanda It is the genocide that lasted for 100 days and more than a million people Were killed In that time many from my family Were killed And raped in front of me and I was just seven years old. I saw my dad being killed and Being fed to the dogs to eat And I never had even a chance to bury him I survived by hiding In the bush under dead bodies in the mass graves And sometimes the only drink I had was blood And water mixed I lived like wild animal hiding in the bush But always expecting that the next second I would be killed. I knew many of the killers They were my neighbors family friends And I have played football with their kids But because of the hatred that was taught for so long By the government these people became or they Thought we were their enemies And they wanted to kill us all I was a child slave for the killers for about a month but I escaped To a refugee camp where I lived for more than four months And life in the refugee camp was a miserable life Life with no food life with no security And the only hope we had was to die and leave the misery behind Luckily I survived to eat all My eyes saw what no child should see And my ears had what no child should hear And a few months after The genocide I had to start my primary school For most of my school day I would be sitting in class Remembering the faces of people I had seen murdered Or recalling the screaming voices of children and women and men And the screaming of my relatives that I have seen being raped Even today these are my nightmares I did not speak for Most of my school day my school time For about three years I don't know how I succeeded, but I did By the help of teacher when I was undergoing this stressful moment By the help of teacher I started a student theater club And I was able to tell the stories through that theater club And that was the time I started at least Speaking and healing through and by the arts The club included all ethnic groups, even if Many even that time Those groups were not supported by Any Family But we witnessed the power of performing the arts To bring people together And we challenged the status quo and we started the long process of social change through the arts Luckily I graduated and went to my high school where I continued using my art Expressing My feelings and my healing But when I was 15 I faced one of the most Testing times of my life The classroom and the art had been my only source of healing But I had so little money that I could no longer afford The five-dollar cost of transportation to go to school So I stopped going And all the frustrations of my young life came to the surface I started imagining Ways that I too could become a killer and avenge for my for the death of my father My relatives and The people of my village I kept going back to my plate to the place where my father was killed And from where from there I wrote my play. How can you say that? Which I performed back in 2016 and I was in Boston in as an artist in residence It was outside of the hospital near there where where I met a Congolese medical doctor and He spoke to me and he helped me back to the right path And because of him I went back to school Everything changed in my mind as I realized that ethnicity All bled and fresh was what it was not what was killing us Dwandans But a hatred that was taught for so long For many generations before the genocide and This ideology That was being taught it started by Killing the empathy in human beings After this realization I made the very Very The most important decision of my life I chose to forgive those people who killed my father who killed my relatives and Who killed all those innocent people? I chose to forgive them Now I go back in my village Where my mom still lives I visit these people I lift up their kids I still play football with their small kids I even hug them and invite them to our ceremonies We share food and drinks I have seen and I have thought and I think I'm sure that if we can learn hate We can also learn love and peace I have seen the darkest Of humanity but I also have seen the best side of it I have forgiven these people not because forgiving is An easy task Or an easy thing But I did it because I wanted the world to learn the price of A lasting peace I believe peace is what you give Not what you ask others to give you I founded Ipollit for peace foundation Which is now called be the peace organization And we have a saying of I am your peace be the peace We have a network of be the peace clubs where We use the arts and community activities to bring together post genocide born generation with their parent Including genocide survivors and genocide perpetrators Some of the activities we have dialogues and we perform the arts and we have a community Art project that we work with that work with all those groups And we give we provide cows to some families and they take tons in milking The cows as a sign of friendship forever As I said these approaches They aim at the revival of the empathy collectively Now in adwanda And through the arts and by the arts and other approaches Families have come together And they are rebuilding the country they want We are rebuilding the country we want we are in 2019 and These marks the 25th anniversary of remembering the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi And I will be taking a hundred day performance called be the peace walk Where I will be walking across Rwanda from April and April 15th to July 25th in 2019 And I will be inviting every human to seed peace and love I will be Walking 10 kilometers a day sleeping at the former killing site planting trees every day and listening to the stories of soil of sand of Night of people everyone And the walker will finish at the genocide memorial museum in Kigali In and it will finish with an artistic exhibition of That talks about early childhood You're all invited to get involved by coming to work with me Or to send letters of peace and if you want to check it out. Uh, look at Be the peace net on website. That's the website be the peace net And I'm inviting you all artists non-artists arts managers or everyone who is involved in every human to Resurrect the resurrect the empathy that has been lost by By the teaching of hate and and inequity and justice Let's promote peace everywhere peace with everyone And peace every day Then by the revival of the empathy we will be able To make this world a much better place Thank you very much Let's hear it one more time for our incredible keynote speakers jason kaisha hippily. Thank you And now for our closing keynote performance We're going to have quiesol who will give us a little introduction into latinx future Good morning everyone. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning everyone. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good morning everyone. Good. Good morning everyone Hello I have so much gratitude for being invited into this space to share some music and Just really moved honor to be in this place with you all and these incredible incredible speakers My name is Joseph Kisoul, first name Joseph, last name Kisoul, you can find me on the internet everywhere by googling that, Instagram and that, YouTube and that, you know. And I'd like to invite Allison Rosen and Sherrod Wertheimer Samayoa, two good friends of mine who have been with me for a long time and for a deep time to share in this music. I'm just going to warm it up a little bit with a prayer. What better way to start the rest of your life with the rest of this day, how we're going to do it. So we've got a lot of work to do, so let's get to work. Who's up next?