Join TRANSART for the “1st Annual Pinkster: Joy Is An Act of Resistance” Celebration!

Rooted in the shared history of Ulster County residents, TRANSART’s Pinkster celebration is a contemporary expression of this historic celebration. This Afrofuturist reclamation asks the question “What would Pinkster be like if it was never abolished?” The answer is an Afrofuturist exploration that offers a foray into virtual reality and the metaverse, a day party featuring AfroHouse, hip-hop and soul music, reenactments, live percussion, fusion food inspired by Ulster County’s culinary history, a curated vendors market, informative panel discussions, film screenings, dance and more! Stay tuned for the full calendar. And join us as we celebrate Pinkster! Share the joy!

SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2022

Congolese Dancers! – RSVP
2 PM – Walkway Over the Hudson Park
Raw Truth, A Short Play About Sojourner Truth – RSVP
2:45 PM – Walkway Over the Hudson Park

Seeking Truth VR/Metaverse Experience – RSVP
4 PM – Virtual Experience! Join us online from home
or, at the Center for Creative Education.

‘Seeking Truth’ is a virtual museum that tells the life story of Sojourner Truth.
SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2022

PINKSTER SUNDAY AT THE OLD DUTCH CHURCH

Share the joy as we explore Pinkster through music, discussion, and history.

Pinkster Talk: Joy Is An Act of Resistance! – 10:30 AM – RSVP

Moderated by Daniel Dawson, panelists include Chief Baba Neil Clarke, Lavada Nahon, Alex LaSalle and Cesi Davidson! The panel will be preceded by musical and dramatic performances by the Pinkster Players (a reenactment group), actor Aixa Kendrick portraying Sojourner Truth, and others.
Pinkster Walk! – 1:00 PM – RSVP
Led by the Pinkster Players, Chief Baba Neil Clarke, and Pastor Rob, this faith walk will celebrate the religious roots and joyous spirit of Pinkster. Join us as we trek from the Old Dutch Church, to St. James Church – where the great Sojourner Truth worshipped, to the Pinkster celebration at Academy Green Park. Assembly begins at 12noon at the Old Dutch Church.

PINKSTER CELEBRATION: A DAY PARTY & MARKET – 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM – RSVP

Academy Green Park
Experience music by DJ Stormin Norman, drumming, song, and more!

– Food Giveaways and History by Tonya Hopkins: The Food Griot
– Pinkster Players feating Chief Baba Niel Clarke
– Congolese dance by FUSHA Dance Troupe
– RAW TRUTH: A Short Play About Sojourner Truth
– Alma Moyo (percussion)
– Family History Booth
– Vendors!
7 PM – Screening and Director Talk! – Get Tickets

Join us for a discussion with filmmaker Haile Gerima and a screening of his celebrated classic film Sankofa!

SANKOFA – Directed by Haile Gerima – 1993, Drama, 2hr 5m

SANKOFA follows Mona (Oyafunmike Ogunlano), a Black American fashion model on a photoshoot in Cape Coast, Ghana. Through Mr. Gerima’s imaginative storytelling, she undergoes a journey back in time to a plantation in North America. There she becomes Shola, an enslaved African woman who labors in the master’s house and experiences the horrors of slavery firsthand. In becoming Shola, Mona recovers and confronts her ancestral identity and experience.
PINKSTER HISTORY

In early 17th century New York, during the observance of Pinksteren (Pentecost), Dutch settlers spent the week in church, eschewing all other activities and they freed their enslaved Africans, on which their economy and households were dependent. The enslaved took the opportunity to see those from whom they were separated; it was the sole time that the enslaved had agency over their own affairs. The Africans celebrated their time together with drumming, dancing, food, and the ritual of shared parables. Through this expression of art and culture, the African community sustained itself; the rigors of oppression were ameliorated. The joyful spirit of Pinkster attracted everyone in the community to join the festivities, momentarily bypassing color and class. Pinkster festivals continued into British rule and flourished into the 19th century. This coming together is credited as a factor in New York state’s abolition of slavery in 1827.