BLACKOUT Artists Give DC a
Revolutionary Shout-Out!

Article and photo by Retta Morris

“Rise up, rise up…my people, rise up. Rise up, my people, rise up!” The 100-member audience filling the church basement chanted along with the five artists. With each stanza, the voices rose in pitch and intensity. “I rise up against police brutality.” “I rise up against the war on the poor.” “I rise up against homophobia.” “I rise up against George Dubya.” “I rise up for all my brothers and sisters who aren’t here to rise up.” And the declarations went on. This was just a piece of the audience participation induced by members of the Blackout Arts Collective when they brought their Lyrics on Lockdown Tour: Slammin’ the Prison Industrial Complex to DC this past July. This particular multimedia performance took place on July 15, 2002 at St. Stephen’s Church and was co-sponsored by the DC Chapter of the Black Radical Congress.

BLACKOUT is a national organization founded in 1997 by a group of students, artists and activists of color committed to empowering communities of color through arts, education and activism. Since their inception in New York, they now have chapters in Boston, New Haven, Philadelphia and Houston. The organization hosts monthly performance showcases that provide space for artists of color to hone their skills, youth development programming providing youth with the tools to use art as a vehicle for social justice and their newest campaign which is the Lyrics on Lockdown Tour: Slammin' the Prison Industrial Complex.

The campaign began in 2001 with a group of eight artists and poets performing in detention facilities and in communities, coast to coast raising awareness about the prison industrial complex. Washington, DC was fortunate to be the group’s first stop this summer. The performance at the church involved Hiphop, dance, theatre and spoken word in an educational and riveting call to expand the movement to abolish prisons. The five talented artists who came to DC shared their poetry, original songs, theatrical vignettes, lyrics, dance compositions and most of all, their revolutionary spirits. The crowd that enthusiastically received them was a multi-ethnic, intergenerational group of neighborhood youth, community activists, youth workers, students and fellow artists.

Jasmine Brown, a recent Howard University graduate, was impressed by the way the artists “integrated singing, music and interpretive dance” to get their message across. She also vibed with their “revolutionary lyrics and anthem-type sing-along-songs.” After an approximately 45-minute performance, the members of Blackout opened the floor for discussion and movement-building dialogue, stressing that it was important to use the time that folks were all in the same space together to strategize and build with one another. Taking heed, participants raised pertinent issues and requests relevant to local organizing efforts underway in DC. Elder Ronald Freeman, an original Oakland Black Panther, reminded us of the important need to keep the plight of political prisoners central to our discussion. Representatives from organizations such as Project South and Critical Resistance were also in the house to share information on their respective upcoming events and opportunities to get involved in local organizing campaigns. After the event concluded, participants stuck around to eat and mingle with one another. The artists talked with many individuals about their work, next stops on their tour and opportunities to utilize artistry and creative expression for social change.

As a tour opener goes, Blackout’s DC stop was unparalleled. Their lyrics were tight and the message was clear. The next step rests in our hands as we decide whether to answer the call and join the movement or be on lockdown.

For more information about the Blackout Arts Collective and the LOL Tour, please contact Piper Anderson at (856) 371-5718 or turquoise_moonbeam@hotmail.com.

Retta Morris is a youth worker, community organizer and self-proclaimed sistah soul revolutionary who resides in
Washington, DC. You can contact her at
Divinedaughter25@aol.com.

From the Arts Education Coordinator by Nicole Hodges