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Community Activations

June 15-July 20
20+ events across the city
20+ civic partners

The Ritual of Breath Is the Rite to Resist is a call to justice.

Throughout the summer, we will be co-hosting community activations with civic partners across the five boroughs of New York City. Many of these events are anchored in Staten Island, where Eric Garner lived and died.

These activations will speak to the root causes of systemic injustice that impacted the lives of Eric Garner and his daughter Erica, and offer Black and non-Black communities alike spaces to center collective wellness, ancestral healing and an ongoing commitment to the value and sanctity of Black lives. 

Upcoming Activations

Activation Listing
THAT'S RIGHT OPEN MIC: Presented by Maya da Poet
Jul 12
Hub17NYC
THAT'S RIGHT OPEN MIC: Presented by Maya da Poet
Hub17NYC

Maya Da Poet hosts a supersized version of the monthly open mic series in Staten Island, featuring artists: poet Ellen T Dotts, rapper Westside Buddah and others.

Hub17NYC
Arts & Hearts Wellness Festival: Staten Island
Jul 13
Snug Harbor Cultural Center
Arts & Hearts Wellness Festival: Staten Island
Snug Harbor Cultural Center

Join Staten Island-based healing practitioners for a full weekend of art & wellness activities. Each day will feature gentle yoga classes led by BE YOGA & DANCE; African Dance classes by Miss Cheryl's Dance Company; and a Black Women's Healing Circle led by Somaliah Williams.

Snug Harbor Cultural Center
Arts & Hearts Wellness Festival: Manhattan
Jul 14
New York Live Arts
Arts & Hearts Wellness Festival: Manhattan
New York Live Arts

Join Staten Island-based healing practitioners for a full weekend of art & wellness activities. Each day will feature gentle yoga classes led by BE YOGA & DANCE; African Dance classes by Miss Cheryl's Dance Company; and a Black Women's Healing Circle led by Somaliah Williams.

New York Live Arts
BRANDON MICHAEL NASE, FEAT. KUHOO VERMA & MORE!
Jul 15
BRANDON MICHAEL NASE, FEAT. KUHOO VERMA & MORE!

Join Brandon Michael Nase as he makes his NYC and 54 Below solo concert debut.

STATEN ISLAND ARTISAN MARKET: A Pre-Opera Fair
Jul 19
Lincoln Center
STATEN ISLAND ARTISAN MARKET: A Pre-Opera Fair
Lincoln Center

Before our presentation of the opera The Ritual of Breath Is the Rite to Resist join us at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park for an open-air vendors market featuring Black & Brown owned businesses from Staten Island artisans and creatives.

Lincoln Center
RITUAL 7: A Community Gathering in the Park
Jul 20
RITUAL 7: A Community Gathering in the Park

Join with other co-conspirers to commune, reflect and commit to continuing the movement to protect the sanctity of Black lives and breath.

TO BREATHE IS TRIUMPH: Irreversible Entanglements / Shara Lunon
Jul 20
ISSUE Project Room, Brooklyn Arts Council
TO BREATHE IS TRIUMPH: Irreversible Entanglements / Shara Lunon
ISSUE Project Room, Brooklyn Arts Council

A concert featuring the Black liberation-oriented free-jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements and afrofuturistic vocalist/improviser Shara Lunon.

ISSUE Project Room, Brooklyn Arts Council

Upcoming Staten Island Activations

Activations Full Listing
THAT'S RIGHT OPEN MIC: Presented by Maya da Poet
Jul 12
THAT'S RIGHT OPEN MIC: Presented by Maya da Poet

Maya Da Poet hosts a supersized version of the monthly open mic series in Staten Island, featuring artists: poet Ellen T Dotts, rapper Westside Buddah and others.

Arts & Hearts Wellness Festival: Staten Island
Jul 13
Arts & Hearts Wellness Festival: Staten Island

Join Staten Island-based healing practitioners for a full weekend of art & wellness activities. Each day will feature gentle yoga classes led by BE YOGA & DANCE; African Dance classes by Miss Cheryl's Dance Company; and a Black Women's Healing Circle led by Somaliah Williams.

Past Activations

Featured
joyontheedge: Documentary Screening
Jul 8
joyontheedge: Documentary Screening

Following last year's heartfelt exposition of Black liveness on Staten Island's North Shore, join us as Black creatives bring their stories to the city at large. Hosted by organizers sadé powell and Shawnakay Salmon, this screening is part of their ongoing effort to uplift local artists and their evolving narratives.

TAKING UP SPACE: Dance it Out
Jun 29
TAKING UP SPACE: Dance it Out

Dance together in jubilation and Pride, uplifting our collective joy as a necessary act of resistance.

SAFE IN THE CITY: Summer Celebration
Jun 21
SAFE IN THE CITY: Summer Celebration

A festival featuring DJs, vendors, art exhibitions, and a performance by Afro-Caribbean soul band Afro-Dominicano

'Except this time nothing returns from the ashes' an exhibition by Asmaa Jama and Gouled Ahmed
Jun 18
'Except this time nothing returns from the ashes' an exhibition by Asmaa Jama and Gouled Ahmed

To the specter. The ghost. Those left out of the canon. What keeps you tethered to this realm? Join us for an evening of experimental sound and spoken word performances by exhibiting artist Asmaa Jama and guest artists Ladan Osman, Caleb Giles and others.

BREATHE IN: a Gospel Celebration with Sing Harlem
Jun 15
BREATHE IN: a Gospel Celebration with Sing Harlem

Join us as we kick off a summer of city-wide activations and partnerships with a gospel celebration of joy and community at the Perelman Arts Center.

Civic Partnerships

Find us on Instagram

Thank you @ghettofilmschool for partnering with us on tonight's (7/8) documentary screening of joyontheedge. Event starts at 6:30 pm and is FREE! More details in our bio 📷 sadé powell #joyontheedge #theritualofbreathistheritetoresist
Join us July 8 at @ghettofilmschool for a screening of joyontheedge. Following last year's heartfelt exposition of Black liveness on Staten Island's North Shore, Black creatives bring their stories to the city at large. Hosted by organizers sad&eacut
This Saturday! Let's dance together in jubilation and Pride, uplifting our collective joy as a necessary act of resistance. Join us at Playwright's Horizons @phnyc to celebrate with @tmtcharlem 🎶 More details in our link in bio #ritualofbreathisther

NYC Community Producing Team

  • Bryan Joseph Lee

    Producer, Civic Partnerships & Community Activations

    Bio >

  • Jahtiek Long

    Associate Community Producer

    Bio >

  • Sidney Erik Wright

    Associate Community Producer

    Bio >