What we hear most from people on the street is: "Please, don't stop. Keep going!" And so we are. All month we are partnering to produce public forums, performances, a 9/20 festival celebrating links between DC and New Orleans--two musical cities threatened by gentrification and displacement. These events expand partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution documenting the movement and launch a new partnership with The Eaton Workshop.
5 p.m. Thurs. 9/12. “Big Chair Sessions: Don’t Mute DC.” Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. Roundtable conversation featuring Don’t Mute DC Pioneers: Metro PCS owner Donald Campbell, DC activists Tony Lewis Jr. and Ronald Moten, Howard University professor Dr. Natalie Hopkinson and Universal Music Group Producer and 2X Gold Record producer Tone P. MODERATOR: Chris L. Jenkins. Washington Convention Center.
8-10 p.m. Thursday, 9/19. “Don’t Mute DC Presents: The First Ladies of Go-Go.” Performance by an all-star roster of female go-go artists from bands including Chuck Brown Band, What? Band, Black Alley, Sirius & Co., Backyard Band. Appearances by New Orleans, Atlanta and DC preservationists hosted by Don’t Mute DC Pioneers. The Eaton Workshop Rooftop.
7 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday, 9/20. “BATTLE OF BANDS & BBQ: DC vs. Nola.” A friendly culinary and musical battle between two gentrifying cities whose musicians are on the front lines of fighting back against cultural displacement. The New Orleans-based Big Six Brass Band will match note-for-note against DC go-go band Proper Utensils featuring Jas. Funk and Black Alley. DC’s Own Catering by John will square off against Louisiana-native Trés Creole chef Eric Tyson. The Gateway Pavilion, St. Elizabeth East. FREE and OPEN to the Public.
6 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday 9/22 “The Sound of Chocolate Cities: Exploring Gentrification through Music and Culture.” Panel discussion featuring Melissa A. Weber, Curator, Hogan Jazz Archives at Tulane University; Natalie Hopkinson, DMDC pioneer and author of Go-Go Live, and Maurice L. Hobson the Atlanta-based author of The Legend of the Black Mecca in a conversation about gentrification and cultural activism in New Orleans, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. Cuisine from DC and New Orleans and performance by BACKYARD BAND. *Private ticketed event
COMING IN NOVEMBER 2019: The Go-Go Awards, #DontMuteDC Conference and Call to Action, Go-Go Pop-Up Museum.
BACKGROUND
The #DontMuteDC uprising began in April after neighbor complaints to police and corporations briefly silenced a 24-year tradition of go-go music playing outside the Metro PCS in D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood. On July 10, #DontMuteNola became a trending topic on social media after New Orleans police arrested trumpeter Eugene Grant while playing with the Young Fellas Brass Band after a Frenchman Street business owner called 911.
Of all the “Chocolate Cities” in the United States, D.C. and New Orleans have among the oldest free black communities dating from before the Civil War. These September events highlight national gentrification trends, celebrate black resilience in the face of displacement and cultural erasure, and the social power of music.
Pull up and support the people making the music, the food and the culture. RSVP for this free 9/20 HERE.