Faces & Voices
South Africa
Larry Long worked in South Africa through a grant from the U.S. State Department. While there, Larry held a collective writing workshop with students, migrant workers and union stewards, worked with youth choirs from the townships of St. Wendolin’s and Chester, and held two performances at the Awesome Africa Festival at the Swanimi Reserve. Awesome Africa features popular and traditional singers throughout the continent of Africa. More...
Mrs. Rosa Parks Museum
Larry Long and the youth of rural Alabama had the honor of performing for Mrs. Rosa Parks for the dedication of the new Rosa Parks Library and Museum at Troy State University in Montgomery, Alabama. The museum is constructed on the site of the old Empire Theatre where Mrs. Parks made her courageous and historic stand in 1955.
The ceremony was held on the 45th anniversary of the Montgomery bus boycott when Mrs. Parks, after refusing to give up her seat to a white male passenger, was arrested. This sparked a wave of protests across the country that changed the course of history in the United States. Several women of the movement spoke, including Drs. Juanita Abernathy, Johnnie Mae Carr, Dorothy Height, Coretta Scott King and Mammie Till-Mobley.
The students performing with Larry Long are from the PACERS communities of Notasulga, Loachapoka, and Camp Hill. All of the songs, recitations, and poems were written collectively by the students with Larry Long. Thanks to the good work of the teachers, principals, parents and students, and the leadership of Mrs. Ruth Turner, Larry Long and the choir were honored with a rousing standing ovation.