The David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts is continuing this season with a series it started after the murder of George Floyd, as a way to bring the voices of black and indigenous communities to the forefront.
After taking a summer break, Voices of the Community restarts on Facebook Live and Zoom Sept. 23 with Giving Voice: The evolution of the dynamic artistic and social power of spoken word, hip hop and its Caribbean elder, reggae.
Each VOC townhall begins at 8 p.m.
“We began this as a live event after the tragic passing of George Floyd and part of our commitment to IDEA, which is Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access,” said Alice Santana, Straz Center Vice President of Education and Community Engagement. It is part of the center’s commitment to anti-racism.
“As part of that we thought it was very important for us to hold space for those types of conversations. We launched last July during the pandemic, and it was received very well. We got great interaction and were able to engage several speakers from the Tampa Bay area and nationally. We want to make sure this is becoming embedded in what the Straz Center does.”
This year, the town halls will take place every other month.
As for how it has affected what The Straz presents, “that is a constant conversation, in terms of our programming,” Santana said. In some instances, the center has paired the townhalls with performances in its Arts Legacy Remix on The Riverwalk.
For the entire schedule and for registration, visit The Straz website.
