The Weight of Words Live-stream Facebook Discussion with Shani Richards

Join us live for an interactive discussion derived from the residency work of Akron artist, Shani Richards.  Akron Soul Train opened Shani’s exhibition “United” on March 5th and subsequently closed the show a week later due to COVID-19.  Shani Richards, a trained metalsmith, created 100 pendant necklaces of racial and ethnic slurs, sexual orientation and gender pronouns.  Show attendees were encouraged to take selfies wearing a necklace and post it on social media in order to create a dialogue.  The collective noise level from the conversations throughout the gallery on the night of the exhibition opening made it clear that further discussion was warranted.

While the exhibition focused on “taking back the word”, the panel discussion will examine the burden of these words and their usage in public spaces.  As the President of the United States refers to a pandemic that has killed over 120,000 Americans as the “kung flu”, it is time to share stories and open dialogue exploring the effects of word usage on people’s lives.  

The Panel is made up of individuals who use words in their professions: Akron musician Alan Manley Jr. of Red Rose Panic, Multimedia Journalist Yoly Miller, Poet Barbara Marie Minney, Poet and Pan-African lecturer John Dayo-Aliya, Gallery Director and lecturer Arnold Tunstall, moderated by Shani Richards.