Gratitude
CMS’ 64th National Conference in Upstate New York was bookended by a Thanksgiving Welcome by the Seneca people that acknowledged - through song, poetry, and dance - America’s past with systemic genocide and a biographical account of present day lived experiences with racism - as told through music, film, and narration - by world-renowned pianist, Awadagin Pratt.
Music expressing unspeakable truths.
In a keynote delivery, xwélmexw artist and Stó:lō scholar Dylan Robinson (who holds the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts at Queen’s University, Ontario), unpacked the complexities of structural colonialism and offered a path towards reconciliation (or “creative conciliation”). The presentation toggled with ease between the voice of a seasoned scholar and the dance of a spoken word poet.
