W.E.B. Du Bois: I’ve Known Rivers
Saturday, August 27, 2022 2 pm – 5 pm.
Riverside festival of music, poetry, more.
Ceremonial release of water carried from Du Bois’s resting place in Accra.
FREE
W.E.B. Du Bois River Park, 20 River Street, Great Barrington.
Walking tour of Du Bois sites in Great Barrington.
Reception at the Du Bois Freedom Center., located at the historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church, 9 Elm Court.
Let us know you’re coming. CLICK to Register
Or write for details: river@gbriverwalk.org, www.gbriverwalk.org
FOR MORE DETAILS…
W.E.B. Du Bois’s special connection to rivers lends special meaning to his achievements in civil rights and social justice.
His lifelong dedication to environmental justice and to rivers everywhere began when he was “born by a golden river,” as he declared, referring to the Housatonic River near his Great Barrington birthplace. Our riverside celebration —“I’ve Known Rivers”—takes its name from Langston Hughes’s poem, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” first published by Du Bois in the June 1921 issue of The Crisis. Festivities will take place on the anniversary of Du Bois’s passing in Accra, Ghana, on August 27, 1963, the eve of the seminal March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Organizations throughout Berkshire County will honor our Great Barrington native with readings, poetry, and musical offerings:
Local writer and artist Delano Burrowes will provide a recitation of Langston Hughes’s “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”.
Berkshire NAACP president Dennis L. Powell, having carried water from the Housatonic River to Du Bois’s resting place in Accra, will release water he collected in Accra into the “golden river” where Du Bois was born nearby.
Dr. MaryNell Morgan-Brown will interpret sacred and secular songs about rivers from Chapter 14, “The Sorrow Songs” in Du Bois’s classic work, The Souls of Black Folk, as well as more recent popular songs, and songs she has written.
From New York, jazz specialist James Browne brings cornetist/trumpeter Graham Haynes, son of the legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes, for a special tribute respectful of Du Bois’s African and American duality.
Following the program, there will be a walking tour of sites in downtown Great Barrington that helped to shape the town’s iconic native son.
The walk will conclude at the Du Bois Freedom Center, located at the historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church, 9 Elm Court, with a reception and refreshments on the lawn.
In the event of rain, the program will be held at First Congregational Church on Main Street.
About the W.E.B. Du Bois River Park
The Great Barrington native often wrote that he was “born by a golden river,” referring to this spot along the Housatonic River. The Great Barrington Land Conservancy dedicated the park in 2002 to honor his love of the Housatonic and his campaign for the restoration of rivers around the world. The park enters the town’s community-created Housatonic River Walk, a National Recreation Trail; it is a site on the Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail. CLICK for more.
About the W.E.B. Du Bois Freedom Center at the historic Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church
The Clinton African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, formed in the 1860s as the A.M.E. Zion Society, served as the cultural, spiritual, and political home for the local African American community for 150 years. Scholars have called the church, the first Black institution of W.E.B. Du Bois’ life, “a crucible that nurtured the spirit and honed the skills of ‘Willie’ Du Bois” and “a place of continual and important social reference for him.” The church, which was deconsecrated after closing its doors in 2014, is currently under restoration by the nonprofit W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Freedom and Democracy. The mission of the Center is to educate the public about the life and legacy of civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois and the rich African American heritage of the Berkshires. CLICK for more.
Lead Sponsors: River Walk/Great Barrington Land Conservancy, the Du Bois Freedom Center, and NAACP Berkshires
Participating organizations: Great Barrington River Walk, Great Barrington Land Conservancy, the Du Bois Freedom Center, NAACP Berkshires, Housatonic Heritage, UMass Amherst Public History Program, Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail, W.E.B. Du Bois National Historic Site, Women of Color Giving Circle/ Rites of Passage & Empowerment Program, Town of Great Barrington, and First Congregational Church of Great Barrington
The participation of musician Graham Haynes is made possible through a generous grant from the Cheswatyr Foundation.
For more details: river@gbriverwalk.org, www.gbriverwalk.org
