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Dear Friend / Sir / Madam,
I am writing to tell you about some thought-provoking events coming to the local area and to tell you about a fun way that you can be involved in transforming your community. The Empower Communities Project, originally The Empower Providence Project, is a series that kicked off its inaugural celebration in October 2010 to give local and national artists a chance to showcase their talent and approach to music and grassroots community organizing.
The aims of the Empower Communities Project are to gather resources and audiences around the topic of using art and media for changing communities, and to introduce new audiences to professional artists who play music reflecting community issues and concerns. The series emerged as an alternative way of engaging young people and underserved communities in creating their own solutions and repairing their own cities.
On Friday, January 20, 2012, we will bring a third installment of the newly named Empower Communities Project to the city of New Bedford with Soul Rebels Unite: An Empower Communities Event and Reggae Bashment. Soul Rebels Unite will highlight activists and change-makers from the city alongside regional, national, and internationally-known music acts, including Tem Blessed and the Blest Energy Band, featuring The Empress aka Cita-Light; singer-songwriter and recording artist, The Dubber; and Isis Storm, a collective of female hip hop artists, spoken word poets, visual artists and producers.
Soul Rebels Unite will be held at the Black Watch Pub, 266 Dartmouth Street in New Bedford, MA, with community workshops and a “People of Culture Mixer and Marketplace” going on from 7:00-9:00 pm and with live music and DJ’ing from 9:00pm-2:00am. The event is open to the public and attendees that are 21 or older. Admission is $7 for members of the public, with special rates and tickets available to grassroots organizations and small businesses who want to help sponsor the event.
In the vein of the previous Empower events, activists, entrepreneurs, poets and musicians (including recent New Bedford School Committee candidate, Erik Andrade) will lead the Mixer and Marketplace, and prior to the event, several of the evening’s performers will engage in work with youth – specifically participating in a brown bag lunch discussion and intimate performance with participants of YouthBuild New Bedford.
To learn more about several of the featured bands, or for more information about vendor and sponsor rates, see the pages accompanying this letter or contact Empower Communities lead organizer, Reza Clifton, by email at singsvenus@gmail.com or by phone at (401) 217-9680.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
The Soul Rebels Unite & Empower Communities Organizers & Coalition
(VenusSings.com, Isis Storm, RI Jobs with Justice, Environmental Justice League of RI, Mount Hope Learning Center, We HEAL Sakinah’s Herbs, rhymeculture RI, Collective Thought Media, La Soul Renaissance, YouthBuild New Bedford.)
MORE ON EMPOWER COMMUNITIES ARTISTS
Tem Blessed is a hip hop artist that was born in West Africa, but who currently lives in New Bedford, MA where he performs and uses Hip Hop as a tool to educate, empower and inspire youth and communities. As a Green for All Fellow, and father of two, he has been active in "Greening" New Bedford through work with YouthBuild New Bedford and by making activism-focused Hip Hop music like the "Green Anthem," which he did with another area nonprofit organization, 3rd Eye Unlimited. Musically, he has worked to elevate underground Hip Hop and, along and with his band, Blest Energy, has consistently put out albums, including his 2009 release, "BleSSed Energy.” On January 20, Tem Blessed, Blest Energy and the Empress aka Cita-Light will be supporting their album "Re-Energized," which will officially be on sale beginning on January 11.
THE Dubber is a self-taught singer/songwriter who fuses American Rock, Jazz and Funk along with Reggae, Middle Eastern and Afro Beat styles to express his emotions and complete his distinctive sound. Born in Washington DC, but currently based out of Columbia SC, the Dubber’s performance background also includes turns doing hard core metal and roots reggae. Recently returned from a tour in Europe, the Dubber has blazed a trail internationally with honest and intimate acoustic performances of selections from his albums, including his 2010 release, “Global Warning.” With experience playing such prestige events as South by Southwest in Austin, TX and the Mid-Atlantic Music Conference, The Dubber offers audiences a glimpse at a unique, Black American Roots sound from a seasoned music professional.
Isis Storm is a RI-based collective of women who use art, words and music – primarily poetry, hip hop music and dj’ing – to empower women and underserved communities, specifically through performances, workshops, and media projects. The group was founded by Reza C. Clifton (DJ Reza Wreckage) – an award-winning blogger, DJ, and multimedia producer – and by hip hop artist, poet and scholar-educator, Kalyana Champlain (5th Elament). Clifton and Champlain have traveled throughout the East Coast performing and giving workshops on women’s empowerment, hip hop music, and diversity in the media.
Soul Rebels Unite will be held January 20 at the Black Watch Pub, 266 Dartmouth Street in New Bedford, MA, with community workshops and a “People of Culture Mixer and Marketplace” going on from 7-9:00 pm with activists, entrepreneurs, poets and musicians, and with live music and DJ’ing from 9:00pm-2:00am. The event is open to the public and attendees that are 21 or older. Admission is $7 for members of the public, with special rates and and tickets available to of grassroots organizations and small businesses who want to help sponsor the event; see the accompanying sheet for more information about vendor and sponsor rates. To sign up or receive more information, email singsvenus@gmail.com or call (401) 217-9680.
Other Confirmed Artists:
- Erik Andrade (New Bedford-based Spoken Word Artist)
- King-I (Reggae artist)
- The AS220 Criss Cross Orchestra (Afrobeat band)
- DJ Blade Mon (Radio DJ and regional Reggae DJ)
- Rebel International (New Bedford-based Collective of Reggae DJ’s)
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