By Serah Blackstone-Fredericks
The 32nd Social Justice Summit is a week-long event that hosts a forum for humility to reside on campus via workshops, knowledge sharing and dancing. This year’s theme, “Moving Together: Expression in Action,” was felt, heard, and seen deeply. When I walked into Dandha Da Hora’s workshop, I did not know what to expect. As I sat recovering from the flu, I could not shake that I wanted to be well enough to attend Da Hora’s talk midweek. Something about the messaging whispered I needed to be in her presence.
Marjie Wolfe, a graduate student in the Environment and Community program, was heavily involved in Da Hora coming to Humboldt. “When I heard the theme, I thought Da Hora’s body of work would be perfect for this event,” Wolfe said.
Upon arriving, I was grateful to be seated near the speaker herself. A warm presence enveloped the room as Da Hora dove right into the connection between community and liberation within the Afro-Brazilian community in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, where she is from. She invited attendees to move in closer to spend time together collectively and to embrace connection. Da Hora shared about Ilê Aiyê (Ee-leh Ah-ee-yah), a community that created a space and movement to empower youth to dream bigger and explore outside of their hometown. Her talk wove a beautiful tapestry of oral history, from the oppression and exclusion of Black and Brown bodies in Brazil at Carnival, to the work her community has invited with Ilê Aiyê, and closed with a beautiful crescendo of rhythms with a vibrant music presentation. She paid respects to everyone who taught her and supported her to be where she is today, and by the end of her talk, I felt so captivated I wasn’t ready for it to be over.
“Samba keeps us alive and maintains our tradition,” Da Hora said.
At the end of the presentation, organizers of the summit provided lunch for the attendees. The food did not disappoint — tenderly prepared by Pupuseria San Miguel, we enjoyed delicious pupusas with bean and cheese, accompanied by two salsa choices: mild and spicy, along with curtido, a delicious tangy side of veggies to top the pupusas. After having one, I realized I needed to save the other or I’d be too full to dance.
I then migrated outside, a bit tardy for a dancing component. The participatory movement brought me to life; I felt the rhythm starting to move and lift me. The drums beckoned my hips to sway, my feet to spin and my arms to open. As a generous group of us all moved together, the rain oscillated from pouring to misting, yet no one seemed to feel cold. Bystanders were invited to join as the group continued to grow. The audience enjoyed watching the brave humans that decided to take up dancing in the rain. The beat of the rum, rumpi, lê (room-room-pee-lei) in our hearts and within us. As the dancing portion finished, Danda invited us to sing a song together. At the end, we closed out with appreciation and aché (ah-shay) to the heavens. We shared how we felt, and we connected eyes with strangers in a way that brings a stillness of nostalgia to the page as I think about the moment.
I returned later that evening for Da Hora’s dance class, which was filled with students, dancers, her accompanist, Annie and community members alike. After one of the best dance warmups of my life, we jumped right into a flowing routine of movement that connected each dance phrase to the next with intense passion and care.
Danda made the eight hour trek from Santa Cruz, California with some of her musicians, to grace us with her lively presence, dynamic speaking, and community connective song and dance.
There is something about embodying authenticity that draws community to you; in turn, the community will replenish your cup. In arriving with an open heart, I learned more about myself and about how I can support my individuality within blossoming. With the beat of the rum, rumpi, lê reverberating in my heart, the wisdom of Da Hora’s words linger many days later. I can’t wait until she returns to Humboldt.
Serah Blackstone-Fredericks is a cross-disciplinary anthropology major, minoring in arts in health and narrative medicine. A multidisciplinary artist, mother, and multilingual global citizen, you can find her prancing in her garden or in her kitchen baking, fermenting, and exploring natural dye via experiments. Her work explores storytelling from a perspective of cultural humility, ever curious on shaped connections and how we live and heal. Feel free to connect with her at sb625@humboldt.edu.