Gates, Borders, Barriers: Resistance Revival Chorus and Pennants & Poets

This afternoon event marked a significant date in the history of freedom as the anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech (1963), the murder of Emmett Till (1955), and the signing of the Slavery Abolition Act (1833) in the UK. The program explored issues of equality, incarceration, and social and racial justice in a powerful and compelling series of vocal and spoken word performances.
For this event, Members of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of more than 60 women and non-binary singers, came together to breathe joy and song into the resistance, and to uplift and center women’s voices.

Additionally, the Fortune Society—a nonprofit that helps individuals with justice involvement rebuild their lives—and artist Jenny Polak presented Pennants & Poets, an installation with spoken word performances. Polak embellished Fred Wilson’s sculptural ironwork panels with 50 flying Pennants as a stage and backdrop. The pennants were printed with poems and messages from people who have been directly impacted by incarceration. For this iteration of the installation, Fortune Society community members shared writing made in response to Fred Wilson’s work.

Writers and Readers from The Fortune Society included:
Helen Taylor, Ryan “Blustone” Bennett, Lionel “Doc da Edutainer” Limage, Hilton N. Webb Jr., Spiritual Activist Marvin Wade, Becky Jane Dunham, Randy Bryant, Daniel Kelly, Erobos Abzu Lamashtu, OKA, “E”, Felix Guzman, and Clemese Jack.

This event was part of “Gates, Borders, Barriers,” a series of public programs in connection with Fred Wilson’s year-long installation Mind Forged Manacles/Manacle Forged Minds. This program was presented in partnership with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, the Dumbo Business Improvement District, DTBK + Dumbo Art Fund, New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, VIA Art Fund, and Pace Gallery.