17 Nov Building a Vocal Community with Ysaye Barnwell

Last weekend, our community spent three days with world-renowned song elder and wisdom keeper, Dr. Ysaye Barnwell. A former member of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Dr. Barnwell was instrumental in weaving community singing into the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. We gathered with 140 voices in Toronto to dive deep into the history and worldview of African-American community singing – from spirituals and gospel, to songs of the Civil Rights movement. It was a powerful call to action, and a life-changing experience of understanding the power of song as an instrument of change. Thank you Dr. Barnwell for coming to sing with our community, and for your tremendous wisdom, humour, and compassion.