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Rock Against Racism gathers bands of all styles in Schenley Park
Friday, August 18, 2000 By Caroline Abels, Post-Gazette Cultural Arts Writer
A spring of violence in which Pittsburgh was forced to confront the racial hatred of two mass-murderous gunmen has sparked local peace activists to stage a concert and rally against racism tomorrow at the Schenley Park overlook in Squirrel Hill.
WHERE: Overlook Drive, Schenley Park
WHEN: Tomorrow at 1 p.m.
Musical lineup:
1 p.m.: Soma Mestizo, a hip-hop band.
2 p.m.: J.G. Boccella, a jazz-funk artist.
2:50 p.m.: The Gospel Lights, a classic gospel group.
3:40 p.m.: Cloud, a techno band.
4:30 p.m.: Concrete Elete, a rap group.
5:25: The Little Wretches, a rock band.
6:25: Mwambu, a singer from Kenya.
Tim Stevens will speak and perform jazz as part of his Tim Stevens Project at 4:15 p.m. Folk singer Anne Feeney will perform at 6 p.m.
INFORMATION: For more details, or to volunteer, call the Thomas Merton Center at 412-361-3022
The rally, sponsored by the Thomas Merton Center, will be as inclusive as the organizers want our society to be. It will feature hip-hop artists, jazz musicians, a techno band, rappers, a folk singer, a neo-punk band, an African singer and gospel performers. Additionally, it has been promoted among religious groups ranging from Shadyside Presbyterian Church to the Islamic Center.
"We're trying to generate some positive energy in the city by helping people answer the question, 'What do we do about racism?' " said Lori Rizzo, anti-racism organizer for the Merton Center. "This is not a problem that will go away with one concert, but it will give people options on how to solve it."
The idea for the rally was born after the April killing of five people -- two Asian, one Jewish, one Indian and one black -- allegedly by Richard Baumhammers, a white man. That incident followed the March killing of three people in Wilkinsburg, allegedly by Ronald Taylor, a black man who police said was motivated by his hatred of whites.
Although the recent incidents were the impetus for this concert, the Merton Center has been trying to attack the problem of racism for the last five years with its "Neighborhood Collaboratives Against Racism."
The program establishes community groups of neighbors "who want to be racial reconciliators and figure out where the welcome mat is not out, so they can put it down for everybody," Rizzo said. So far, groups have been established in East Liberty and Oakland, and they meet once a month.
The free event tomorrow will begin at 1 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. In addition to music, there will be on-site silk screening, poets, storytellers, clowns and a blood drive. Tim Stevens, head of the local branch of the NAACP, is scheduled to speak, and people are invited to bring picnics.
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