This week for our Thursday group activity we visited the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn which was one of the events for the Concerts of Color. This experience at the museum stood out to me greatly. Not only was I able to see the Arab museum but I was able to enjoy their cultural cuisine and hear meaningful talks from inspirational people. There was a speaker and a panel at the event and they were amazing. The speaker was Dr. Thomas who was the author of the book Origins of the Urban Crisis which is the book we are reading for the summer. Next it was the panel of speakers who were a very diverse group of people and they all had different perspectives. At the end they opened up questions to the audience and a meaningful discussion took place. Though some people didn’t agree with one another everyone was very respectful and it was a very nice atmosphere to be apart of. At the end of the speech and the panel that touched on Detroit, racial issues, policy, etc., we had the opportunity to experience music. Abby Dobson was the music artist after the panel and she was AMAZING! I will never forget this performance because it was so touching and meaningful. Ms. Dobson sung her song “Say her name” while a video played in the background that acknowledged the Black women who have died or been harassed and abused by police. Her voice was so strong and absolutely beautiful, she captured the audience with her voice and the room was completely silent while we listened to her performance. It was very sad for me especially since many of the names I did not recognize that have been murdered by police. This just comes to show that the media tends to hide certain tragedies and brush over what happens. That is why The Say Her Name campaign is so important. It challenges everyone to stop and recognize the African American woman of this country because our lives matter too! This performance will always stick with me and I was very glad I had the opportunity to witness it!
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Hi Leah! I agree completely. I thought the whole event was awesome, and this performance was beyond powerful. I liked how before she began she asked everyone to stand up, and sit down as they didn’t recognize the name she said. She started with names like Philando Castile, Michael Brown, Travon Martin, and as she started to say women’s names like Yvette Smith and Aiyana Jones, people sat down. Her point was made clear, and the video and song seemed to touch everyone in the audience. It was a very important and powerful message, and I’m happy to read about it from your perspective. It was a great event, and the food too!