Step by Step: The Ruby Bridges Suite

1211 Southwest Main Street,Portland OR 97205

02 April, 2022

Description

An Emotional Portrait of a Pivotal Moment in US History SATURDAY PERFORMANCE + SEWELL LECTURE Followed by a conversation with Reverend Bill Sinkford & Darrell Grant, the 2022 Marilyn Sewell Social Justice Lecture. Doors Open at 6:30p // $30 at the Door ***PROOF OF VACCINATION [OR NEGATIVE TEST WITHIN 36HRS] & MASKS REQUIRED TO ENTER ***Limited free parking in lot across from church. The image of a six-year-old black girl accompanied by the National Guard as she makes her way to school has become one of the iconic symbols of America’s civil rights era. The story of Ruby Bridges, the first African-American child to attend an all-white public elementary school in the American South, is a tale of courage that resonates across generations. The 2022 Marilyn Sewell Social Justice Lecture at First Unitarian Portland presents, Darrell Grant’s Step by Step: The Ruby Bridges Suite. A multi-movement composition for instrumentalists, choir, vocal soloists, and narrator that draws on jazz, gospel and spiritual traditions, Step by Step weaves together music, historical speeches from W.E.B. Dubois and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., poems, newspaper articles, Supreme Court rulings, iconic images from the civil rights era, and the words of Ruby Bridges herself to paint an emotional portrait of a dramatic time in U.S. history. Step by Step has been performed in Nashville, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and most recently at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History in June 2019. PERFORMERS / MUSICIANS / VOCALISTS Composed by Darrell GrantDirected by DeReau FarrarChoral Arrangements by Jason SheltonNarrated by Reverend Bill SinkfordVocal Soloist Marilyn KellerFirst Unitarian Music Ministry with Darrell Grant, Chris Brown, Eric Gruber, Ryan Meagher, Roger Woods[Getting there: There is a Thorns Game Saturday night so there will be limited parking. We recommend public transportation if possible: Trimet Trip Planner. Please plan your time accordingly] [Check out our Sunday Performance]