Attend the No Tears Project Memphis
By Oxford American
Memphis, Tennessee
June 10-14, 2023
Free to the Public
Community Concerts | Panel Discussions | Education Events
No Tears Project Memphis is a series of events that uses music and conversation to engage communities in learning about civil rights. The multi-day residency will triangulate the stories of Memphis; Jackson, Mississippi; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Education Concert
Saturday, June 10, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. CDT
Hooks Central Library (children’s area)
Seating is limited and reservations are required
Free to the public
A 60-minute education concert for youth and families featuring No Tears Project ensemble members. The artists will play short selections of music interspersed with dialogue that highlights key moments and people from Memphis, Little Rock, and Jackson involved with the civil rights movement.
Community Concerts
Sunday June 11, 2023 - 2:00 pm CDT and 6:30 pm CDT
Crosstown Arts - Green Room
Seating is limited and reservations are required - Register for the 2:00 show here. Register for the 6:30 show here.
Free to the public
A 90-minute concert from the No Tears Project ensemble led by Christopher Parker (piano) and Kelley Hurt (voice). The band will perform the world premiere of new works written by and in collaboration with Memphis artists, including saxophonist Robert “Bobby LaVell” Garner. A new arrangement of Memphis pianist Donald Brown’s song “Poem for Martin,” written by Marc Franklin, as well as selections previously written by Oliver Lake, Parker, and Hurt, in honor of the Little Rock Nine will also be performed. Poet and spoken word artist Treasure Shields Redmond, and dancer Ashley Tate will also join the ensemble as special guests for both community concerts.
Recognition Before Reconciliation
Tuesday, June 13, 2023 - 6:00 pm CDT
Hooks Central Library
Seating is limited and reservations are required
Free to the public
A panel discussion featuring civil rights heroes and activists including Memphis 13 member and daughter of Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles Dwania Kyles; Little Rock Nine member Elizabeth Eckford; and activist Reena Evers-Everette, daughter of Medgar and Myrlie Evers. Dr. Russell Wigginton of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis will moderate the discussion. Superintendent Robin White of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site will provide opening remarks and context for the discussion.
From left to right: Dwania Kyles, Reena Evers Everette, Russell Wigginton, Elizabeth Eckford
Youth Summit with Elizabeth Eckford
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 10:30 am CDT
Hooks Central Library
Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis
Free to the public
Capping the No Tears Project Memphis residency is a 60-minute youth summit book reading and talk-back with Little Rock Nine member and heroine Elizabeth Eckford. Eckford will share personal experiences and read from her book, The Worst First Day: Bullied While Desegregating Central High in a two-way conversation with children. Eckford, who as a 15-year-old in 1957 faced an incensed mob of segregationists and soldiers alone, will inspire the next generation with her words and story.
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