Festival of awareness

Photo courtesy of the artist

FOLK SPIRITS. Local folk musicians Steve and Kristi Nebel will be playing their brand of music inspired by social inequalities at the third annual So’Just fall festival 2009.

The third annual So’Just fall festival to be held on Oct. 17 at Evergreen State College’s Tacoma campus will bring together many forms of art, music and dance all in the name of social justice.

A group of lead coordinators and co-chairs brought this event together a few years ago under the guidance of Dr. Dexter Gordon, chair of African American Studies at University of Puget Sound (UPS), who initially brainstormed the idea. He also co-leads The Conversation which, according to its blog, is “a group of South Sound residents committed to building diverse, critically engaged communities grounded in social justice. We believe that the WE in ‘We the people’ is all of us.”

“He recognized that our group (The Conversation) had artists that were part of it and wanted to start an event that would recognize local artists in the Tacoma area,” said Keith Blocker, event coordinator for The Conversation.

This year’s event will host many local organizations also trying to focus aspects of their groups on a range of social justice issues both locally and on a more global scale. They include Tacoma Community College, UPS’ Black Student Union, Tacoma’s Korean Women’s Association, Tacoma Medicare and MultiCare. One group in attendance will also be offering free tests for STDs and HIV.

A kids’ zone for youth will be part of the activities and will have a leader showing youngsters how to take pictures as well as opportunities to get their faces painted. One major aspect of the event is the food and clothes drive, which has always been integral to the event.

“We’re providing free food with the donation of food and clothes. The food donation will to go to FISH food banks of Pierce County,” Blocker stated.

A few of the local bands that will be entertaining for the feel good fest are: 2012, a local hip-hop group that writes social justice songs and songs that empower young people; Steve and Kristi Nebel, a folk outfit that frequents the Tacoma music scene; and Misfits, a local jerk dance crew that was recently highlighted in City Arts Tacoma magazine. The food offerings will consist of a spread of spaghetti, salad, bread and other side dishes catered by local playwright, director and fellow Conversation member Rosalind Bell.

Additionally, this year is the first that the chairs of So’Just festival applied for and received arts projects funding from the Tacoma Arts Commission in the amount of $1,000, which greatly helps the event take place according to Blocker. “During the first two years all funds came from volunteer donations, from people and groups in the community such as Black Collective and The Conversation, mostly people in our group. We have raised $3,000. We want the event to be free and to have free food,” Blocker affirmed.

The So’Just 2009 festival planners mostly want to affirm that this event aims to gather a multitude of diverse peoples together, all in support of the same unifying cause. “It’s open. We want as many people from as many diverse backgrounds as possible. How many events can you think of that have hip-hop and folk and a woman playing a harp?” Blocker stated. He went on to affirm that the most important thing is young people will be performing, including Mt. Tahoma High School students, a young UPS student, a female hip-hop artist, a Japanese R&B singer, youth poets, and the event will honor two youth in the community for both their artistic skills and dedication to community service.

So’Just 2009 takes place on Oct. 17 from 2-6 p.m. at Evergreen State College Tacoma campus at 1210 6th Ave. The event is free, but attendants are asked to bring canned food or a used coat or clothing donation for admittance. For more information, e-mail or call Keith Blocker at (215) 221-2123.

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