Sign up for Feb. 27 “Elevating Arlington’s Voices of Color: How to Tell One’s Story”

Elevating Arlington’s Voices of Color archive collection is an opportunity for community members of color to share their stories and elevate their voices. Too often community members of color are spoken for or about, and the purpose of this project is to restore the power of sharing one’s own narrative. Using a variety of mediums, community members are invited to create, share and explore their stories and experiences as Arlingtonians of color. Throughout 2021, as part of this project, programming and workshops were held during the curating phase to encourage and guide residents in crafting their stories.
The EAVoC virtual panel discussion will be with the two artists who hosted workshops as part of this project: Lynette Benton and Charles Coe. Lynette Benton is a published writer and frequent instructor of Robbins Library writing courses. She has led a three-part writing workshop and offered writing prompts and feedback, encouragement, and guidance as participants crafted their stories to share experiences of life in Arlington. Charles Coe is known for his powerful readings and unusually warm and compassionate voice. Charles’s poems speak to the heart and mind as well as the ear, as he combines subjects as diverse as Afro-American history, myth, jazz, and family as well as surprising observations of those unexpected moments of joy to be found in a work-a-day city. Charles hosted a poetry workshop for people of color to talk, brainstorm and write together in a safe space.
Join a virtual panel discussion on Sunday February 27, 2 – 3:15pm on the importance of narrative sharing, and how to share one’s story in a variety of ways. This program is part of Elevating Arlington’s Voices of Color (EAVoC). Register Here.
Sponsored by the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Division, Robbins Library, and the Arlington Commission for Arts & Culture. For information please contact: dei@town.arlington.ma.us