NOTE: This contribution is for the livestream only and does NOT include the in person event (CLICK HERE for the in person page).

MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION!

ATIBA KWABENA WILSON & KIYOKO YAMAOKA-LAYNE

Atiba Kwabena Wilson is a musician, published poet, storyteller, and the founder/artistic director of both the Songhai Djeli Folkloric Ensemble and the Befo' Quotet Rhythm 'n' Dues Band. He has been a featured artist for several National Association of Black Storytellers festivals, the International African Arts Festival and at FESTAM International Music Festival, Inc. in Dakar, Senegal. Atiba also served as the artistic director of the Music Meets Poetry series at Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza from 1999 to 2009, and wrote a poetic narrative for, and performed in, Harlem School of the Arts' presentation of the Kwanzaa Nutcracker from 1996 to 2002. He has also recorded with Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber.
Atiba can be contacted at befoquotet@hotmail.com

Kiyoko Yamaoka-Layne is a classically trained pianist from Kyoto, Japan. She was a member of the well-known Japanese Gospel Choir the Naniwa Black Peppers and later moved to the US to study Jazz and Gospel at the Berklee College of Music, where she earned a degree in Jazz Composition. Since moving to Harlem in 2008, Kiyoko has performed in numerous jazz clubs, in the house band at the Jazz Foundation of America's Monday Night Jam, and at United Nations Plaza, while also working as music librarian for the Duke Ellington Orchestra and teaching. Her first CD, “Kiyoko in Harlem,” came out in 2009.
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Listen to Atiba and Kiyoko performing "If I Smile"

 
THELMA RUFFIN THOMAS

Thelma Ruffin Thomas is the artistic director of Pearls of Wisdom, a touring ensemble of elder storytellers. She has brought her lively, spirited, authentic presentations to Tanzania, Brazil, Ghana, Costa Rica, The Gambia, South Africa, Russia, Australia, Kenya, and Cameroon, continuing the tradition of elder folk art stories.
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FREEDOM IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE,  featuring:

Spoken word: Elijah Dixon Owens is a 2019 graduate of Earlham College. He spent three years teaching various grades in Japan and then taught history and English Language Arts to 5th-grade students at a Bronx middle school. Elijah loves music and was a member and leader of an a cappella group in college, amongst other activities.  He also loves debate, politics, and public speaking. For several years, Elijah served as a volunteer for the Central Brooklyn Martin Luther King Commission -- a non-profit organization founded by his grandfather, the late Congressman Major R. Owens (D-NY). Elijah is interested in urban planning and public transportation. 
  
Reading: Bracha Lieberman, a social worker and career counselor, is President of the Peoples’ Voice Cafe Board of Directors and has also served on the Steering Committee of the People's Music Network. She sings with the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus, does some songwriting, studied acting at Circle in the Square and HB Studios, played a variety of roles in community theater productions. She believes that community counts. She is dedicated to taking action to make the world a better place. Her personal motto is "Start your day off with an act of kindness!"
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Song: Judy Gorman's singing and guitar work are infused with blues, folk, and jazz. She has performed for the UN, festivals, universities, clubs, and concert halls, and at peace, environmental and human rights events around the world. Judy has shared stages with Pete Seeger, Odetta, Harry Belafonte, Whoopi Goldberg, Sweet Honey in The Rock, Suzanne Vega, and Richie Havens.
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FREEDOM SONG SING-ALONG, led by:

Gary David Allard is a socially conscious acoustic singer-songwriter.  He has created his unique gospely, folk soul sound from singing and or playing acoustic guitar in diverse choirs in Brooklyn, New York. From childhood to the present time, he has had the opportunity to sing in Catholic, classical, folk, jazz and gospel choirs. This Brooklyn native composes his lyrics from his own social and personal experiences, striving to connect with his audience through inspirational yet powerful emotional singing.
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Lindsey Wilson is an NYC singer-songwriter with a flair for nostalgia with her memorable mix of 70’s style urban folk rock and conscious lyrics. Her repertoire includes love songs, protest tunes and lyrics of empowerment. Her songs “Stand for the People” and “The People Shall Rise” have caught the attention of culturally diverse audiences throughout the country. Lindsey’s influences stem from a myriad of musically conscious voices such as Odetta, Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell, and Joan Armatrading. 
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(Looking for in-person event? STOP! This page is for livestream! See above for the in-person link.)

Check out other PVC events happening soon