A Garland for May Day

Come celebrate this ancient Celtic spring festival and honor the wisdom of our folk traditions that connect us to the land. This date was chosen as International Workers Day to both memorialize the Haymarket Riot and to affirm the resilient, resurgent movements for labor rights that are part of the fight for life. Also, this is the feast day for St Joseph the worker.

You can expect to learn some history and songs and participate in a planting ritual in the center of our garden to welcome the coming of spring. This event will feature the poetry and teachings of Jim Perkinson, a biblical scholar and activist from Detroit, and the songs and leadership of Saro Lynch, a singer, songwriter, folklorist, and documentarian from Western, NC. 

Afterward, we will share a community potluck and stories around a bonfire. You are encouraged to bring a dish, but we want you there regardless of what you can or can’t bring. All are welcome to this free event!

Schedule:

• • 4:00 pm- Teaching and ceremony
  • 6:00 pm- Community potluck
  • Fire and storytelling

James W. Perkinson is a long-time activist and educator who has lived for 35 years as a settler on Three Fires land in inner city Detroit.  He is currently teaching as Professor of Social Ethics at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary and lecturing in Intercultural Communication Studies at the University of Oakland (Michigan). He holds a Ph.D. in theology from the University of Chicago, is the author of five books on theology/spirituality and two poetry chap books. He has also written extensively in both academic and popular journals on questions of race, class and colonialism in connection with religion and urban culture.  He is in demand as a speaker on a wide variety of topics related to his interests and a recognized artist on the spoken-word poetry scene in the inner city.

Saro Lynch-Thomason is an award-winning singer, song leader, folklorist, documentarian, and illustrator from Asheville, North Carolina. She has studied and taught traditional song and balladry from Appalachia, the American South, the British Isles and Ireland for over a decade. Saro believes that old songs can help us understand the beliefs and struggles that shape human history, and that in turn, these songs enable us to build a more compassionate and just future. She uses teaching, documentary, illustration and more to explore the amazing people and history behind songs ranging from Appalachian lullabies to American labor anthems, Southern work songs and Scottish ballads. Her projects include the Songs that Speak YouTube series, the CD and multimedia project Blair Mountain: A Musical Exploration of America’s Largest Labor Uprising, and several albums. Saro’s song “There Are More Waters Rising” has gained international attention, becoming an anthem in the movement to end global warming and garnering praise in the Huffington Post. Saro holds an M.A. in Appalachian Studies from East Tennessee State University and a Certificate in Documentary Studies from Duke University.