When political times get turbulent and emotions are stirred up to spilling over, creative minds are sometimes the best equipped to clear the air with considerate thought.
Pushpa Iyer may agree. She is an associate professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, director of its Center for Conflict Studies, and founded its Allies at MIIS, which programs events exploring and countering various strains of discrimination.
Their newest foray into that contested arena is Race n’ Rhymes, a night of poetry and prose by four invited guest performers – Christopher Siders, River Navaille, Chris Cuadrado and Marie Butcher – a panel Q&A with them, and an open mic session for anyone to step up and speak on not just race but gender, sexuality, age, physical ability, nationality, religion, etc.
“[Attendees] can use up to five minutes, in any creative form,” Iyer says. “It can be a reading or music or poetry. But it has to tie to the themes of equity and justice.”
The event is co-sponsored by JT Mason of Whites for Racial Equality, a local group of allies in the struggles of marginalized people.
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