CMU School of Drama


Monday, September 08, 2014

Ferguson Moments: Artists Respond

HowlRound: The Ferguson Moment is not an organization. It is not an event, a play, a poem, an article, an idea. It has no shared agenda, just a shared community, and a shared desire to respond.

On Saturday August 9, 2014, Mike Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri. Artists from all over the United States quickly began connecting by phone, email, and social media over the ensuing militarized police action, protests, violence, and reconciliation taking place. Over the weekend of August 22-24, two weeks after Michael Brown was killed, five theater artists traveled from Ashland, Oregon; Boston, Mass; and New York City to St. Louis and Ferguson where they volunteered, created and saw work, and met with members of the community.

1 comment:

Emily Bordelon said...

It's scary to think that Ferguson is being forgotten, but it is a little comforting to see dedication to the community through art. It's been over a month, and Darren Wilson still has not been charged with murder, placed under arrest, or tried for any form of crime. It is truly horrible what has happened, both in Ferguson and across the nation in regards to police violence, racism, and other tragedies involving both issues. I hope that this art movement will help to immortalize the horrors that this nation has faced, and will not let this issue die out along with its victims.