No Tears Project: Meet Us in St. Louis!
St. Louis, Missouri
April 2023
Free to the public
Community Concerts | Panel Discussions | Education Events
Meet us in St. Louis. Join the Oxford American, Gateway Arch National Park, and Jazz St. Louis for No Tears Project–St. Louis: a multi-day residency of free events that will use music and conversation to engage communities in civil rights education and storytelling.
The residency includes panels and programs at the Gateway Arch National Park, culminating with two nights of performance at the Ferring Jazz Bistro.
Left to right: Oliver Lake, Treasure Shields Redmond, Ashley Tate, Brian Owens
Social Change Through the Arts
Sunday, April 2, 2023 - 2:00 pm Central Time
Gateway Arch National Park Theater
Free to the public
Register Here
A panel discussion featuring artists from the forthcoming No Tears Project St. Louis concerts, including composer/pianist Christopher Parker, vocalist Kelley Hurt, saxophonist/clarinetist and President & CEO of Jazz St. Louis, Victor Goines; choreographer/dancer Ashley Tate, and singer/songwriter Brian Owens. Poet, educator, and community arts organizer Treasure Shields Redmond will moderate the panel. The conversation will explore both the contemporary and historic role of music and the arts as vehicles for addressing civil rights and inciting social change, while highlighting the additional No Tears Project programs set to take place April 26-29 in St. Louis. Sign up here.
Recognition Before Reconciliation
Wednesday, April 26, 2023 - 6:30 pm Central Time
Gateway Arch National Park Theater
Free to the public
Register Here
A panel discussion featuring civil rights heroes and activists including Percy Green, founding member of ACTION; Little Rock Nine member Elizabeth Eckford; Lynne Jackson, great-great granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott and president/founder of Dred Scott Heritage Foundation; and others. Superintendent Robin White of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, whose career with the National Park Service has focused on the preservation of American civil rights sites and stories, will provide opening remarks and context for the discussion. News anchor and journalist Carol Daniel, current President of the Association of Black Journalists will moderate the discussion.
As the inaugural event to the four-day No Tears Project residency, the conversation will reiterate St. Louis's role, alongside Little Rock's, as part of the legacy of the American Civil Rights story, highlighting the Gateway Arch National Park, Old Courthouse, and Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. The 60 minute program will be followed by a reception in the lobby with food and drinks, where books will be available for purchase. Sign up here.
Left to right: Percy Green; Lynne Jackson; Elizabeth Eckford; Carol Daniel
Community Concerts
Friday, April 28, 2023 - 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm Central Time
Saturday, April 29, 2023 - 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm Central Time
Jazz St. Louis Ferring Bistro
Free to the public
Reserve your seats
The No Tears Project jazz ensemble, led by pianist Christopher Parker and vocalist Kelley Hurt, will premiere new works created by and in collaboration with luminary composer Oliver Lake, poet Treasure Shields Redmond, dancer Ashley Tate, and singer Brian Owens that recognize St. Louisans and the city’s legacy in the broader American civil rights story. The band will also play selections from the No Tears Suite, which Oxford American commissioned in 2017 to honor the Little Rock Nine.
Join us in St. Louis, Missouri, for a free, multi-day residency of No Tears events!
Get your Tickets!The No Tears Project at the Oxford American uses music and conversation to educate and engage communities with stories about civil rights. As an arts outreach program, the No Tears Project strives to create recognition as a precursor to reconciliation. Learn more about the project here.
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