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Welcome
June 2025
Dear Friends of Peacebuilding and the Arts Now,
What does art awaken in times of shattering violence?
Five years ago a white police officer took the life of George Floyd, an African American man, in broad daylight, suffocating him for close to nine minutes on a street in Minneapolis. Mr. Floyd’s depraved murder, along with that of many other Black citizens by the police in numerous U.S. cities, ignited a world-wide spotlight on anti-Blackness. People across the globe demonstrated, demanding through chants, posters, speeches, murals, dance, and song, an end to this enduring form of state violence against Black people in the U.S. and elsewhere. Political authorities, corporations, non-profit organizations, and educational and other institutions proclaimed that it was time for a reckoning: They issued statements about their pursuit of new laws, policies, regulations, and approaches to their work so as to address this blatant and insidious reality of systemic racism. But where are we five years later? The momentum garnered by the Black Lives Matter movement seems to be a distant memory as we witness the banning of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies, and the defunding of racial justice initiatives. In this issue of PBA Now, we share some thoughtful writing about the site of George Floyd’s murder itself – George Floyd Square – and the debates about its future, including its sculptures and murals, as well as about art and memory, and art as witness in the face of racial injustice.
Our “Artist Spotlight” features the words of Ukrainian Playback Theatre practitioner Lena Kalashnykova. In this interview, she takes us with her to Lithuania, where she now lives in exile with tens of thousands of other Ukrainians, and where she is developing a Playback Theatre community. She also takes us on Playback Theatre tours in Ukraine, where, in the past, she worked with internally displaced people following Russia’s initial invasion in 2014, and where now, as we write this letter, she is focusing on women in wartime.
Another artist, a composer from Myanmar, reveals on-the-ground experiences of the ruthless 2021 military coup d’état there, and his eventual response, through a musical composition. “Shutting people’s mouths and blinding their eyes—that is the very first act of any dictatorship,” writes Wai Hin Ko Ko. In his essay, he reflects upon how he attempted to “shape sound into remembrance—into a trace of the voices that once filled the streets.” And Kamila Haieva (Brandeis MBA ‘25), offers a short “Letter to the World” about how some of her emotions and thinking related to her native Ukraine have been in flux, especially since very recently hearing live music and songs of her homeland.
Sophia Fedus (Brandeis ‘24), on the staff of the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, in Washington, D.C., introduces us to the Center’s annual Folklife Festival. In particular, she writes about the past year’s event which highlighted aspects of Indigenous cultures of the Americas, and this current year’s gathering – scheduled for July 2-7 – titled “Youth and the Future of Culture.”
We are pleased to be announcing, in our “Resources and Initiatives” section, the publication of Indigenous Canadian artist Jaime Black-Morsette’s book, REDress/Art, Action, and the Power of Presence. Jaime Black-Morsette (Red River Métis) was featured in PBA Now in 2021. Her REDress Project calls upon us to confront the scourge of violence against Indigenous women and girls across North America.
Take a look at the initiatives listed, too, which include efforts related to the situations in Sudan, Myanmar/Burma, and Israel and Palestine, among others. And do check out the upcoming opportunities and events. They offer chances for gathering in, and building, community.
We have added a new section this time: “Recent Events: Information and Recordings.” We were lucky to have participated in or heard about each of these. One of the recordings is of a playwright, composer, and actor, all reflecting on a 2007 (and first-ever) Cambodia/America rock opera that tells the story of a Cambodian genocide survivor. Their program marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the genocide.
We are grateful for the time you spend perusing the stories and information included in the newsletter, and for your contributions toward more vibrant, just, and peaceful communities. As always, we would appreciate your feedback, and your news.
Toni Shapiro-Phim, Director
Armine Avetisyan, Program Manager
Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts
Brandeis University
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Source: The New York Times
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| Black Lives Matter: Five Years After the Murder of George Floyd
What is the Future of George Floyd Square?
By Ernesto Londoño/The New York Times/ May 18, 2025
“The intersection of 38th Street East and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis was forever altered the day a police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck five years ago, killing him. The killing led to a national reckoning over police misconduct and racism, and here, it spawned a site of protest, art, grief and remembrance that feels to some in this community like an open wound. Wooden sculptures in the shape of raised brown fists mark either end of the street. Arresting murals nearby have been defaced and touched up repeatedly…”
“On this there is little debate: George Floyd Square gave rise to a movement that changed the United States. But what will its legacy and future be?”
Five Years Later, America Looks For a Way Forward After George Floyd
TIME Magazine Special Report/ May 1, 2025
Inside this special issue of TIME, we’ve highlighted these three articles:
“Art is a Powerful Tool to Fight Racial Injustice”
By Imani Perry
“The Battle for Our Memory is the Battle for Our Country”
By Kimberlé Crenshaw
“The Artist as Witness in the Era of Black Lives Matter”
By Mikael Owunna, André Ramos-Woodard, Irene Antonia Diane Reece, Alanna Styer, Cornell Watson, Carrie Mae Weems, and Alex Christopher Williams
The Arc of the Moral Universe: Reflecting on 5 Years Since the Murder of George Floyd
By Dylan Matthews/Peace Direct/ May 29, 2025
“In the weeks that followed [the murder of George Floyd], I found myself consumed by those 8 minutes and 46 seconds, scarcely believing that in the 21st century we could witness, in slow motion, the racist killing of a black man by a white police officer in full view of a group of bystanders. Little did I know then how this event would shape the next five years of my work at Peace Direct and the sector I care so deeply about.”
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Lena Kalashnykova. Photo courtesy of the artist.
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| Artist Spotlight - Lena Kalashnykova
In conversation with Toni Shapiro-Phim
Lena Kalashnykova is, as of this moment in early June 2025, in her native Ukraine, working on a Playback Theatre project. She was the director of Ukraine’s Playback Theatre school for six years. In February 2022 she and an ensemble of her Ukrainian Playback colleagues were in Lithuania for a performance tour when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of their homeland. They couldn’t return. But they could, and did, get to work immediately, coordinating evacuation transport so that others would be able to join them. They secured emergency aid for the arriving refugees as well.
In May 2025, before her latest trip back into Ukraine, and while still in Lithuania, Lena spoke with me about her life as a Playback practitioner, especially during wartime. What follows are excerpts of Lena’s words from that conversation, after a short description of Playback Theatre.
Read the full story.
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Zeya Thaw leading a street protest against the military coup. Photo from Irrawaddy - English News Facebook page
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| Shutting Mouths: A Composition of Silenced Voices
by Wai Hin Ko Ko, Ph.D. student, University of California, Berkeley
All internet networks across Myanmar were abruptly cut when I woke—strangely—at 4 a.m. MMT (UTC+6:30) on February 1st, 2021. Burmese people living abroad began to worry about their families inside the country—and vice versa. Myanmar was blinded and unheard. In the days that followed, the streets of Yangon and other major cities began to fill—slowly at first, then swelling—as news spread that the military had detained the entire recently-elected government and declared a coup on state television, the only source of information in those early hours.
The Uprising
Home Wi-Fi networks became a fragile thread of hope for those on the streets, supporting their freedom of expression. One by one, houses along the roads removed their passwords—this was how people in Myanmar fought to access reliable information. The politicians and public voices who might have led the people were blindfolded, silenced, and detained. Yet, thanks to the bold voices of celebrities—like actor Daung, singer Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein, and model Myat Noe Aye—the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) slowly came to life.
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Kamila Haieva at the "Unissued Diplomas" exhibition, Brandeis University. Photo Credit: Kamila Haieva
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| A Letter to the World
from Kamila Haeiva, Brandeis University International Business School MBA‘25
In 2024, I was honored with a Maurice J. and Fay B. Karpf & Ari Hahn Peace Endowment Award from Brandeis University’s Samuels Center for Community Partnerships and Civic Transformation (COMPACT). I used the award to participate in a 2025 conference on Ukraine, my homeland, and hope for its future. The gathering provided a chance for strategizing, sharing insights and knowledge, and for inspiring each other to action. Even with all of that, it was a concert at the conference featuring The Women's Bandura Ensemble of Chicago and The Indiana Slavic Choir that moved and indeed stuck with me the most. Below are some reflections on what I have been thinking about, and feeling, in response to that music and those voices.
Each of us carries stories shaped by loss. For some, it is the loss of loved ones. For others, it is the quiet, daily proximity to death or uncertainty.
February 24, 2022. Kyiv.
I woke at 4 a.m. to the deafening sound of explosions. It felt like the worst dream of my life had come true. I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock. This was supposed to be just another ordinary day—a day to go to work, study, and go to training. But in that moment, I stood frozen, unsure of what to do. At the time, I worked for Ukraine’s national postal operator, a government-run company that had remained operational even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic due to its strategic importance.
My instinct was to go to work—business as usual. But when I looked out the window, I saw a flood of cars leaving the city. That early in the morning, traffic usually moved into Kyiv, not away from it. The contradiction stopped me. Everyone was leaving.
Am I supposed to stay? If I leave, where would I go? Do I even understand what’s happening?
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Sophia Fedus at the Festival #Folklife sign on the National Mall, 2024. Photo courtesy of Sophia Fedus
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| The Smithsonian Folklife Festival
By Sophia Fedus, Festival Program Assistant, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage/Brandeis University ‘24
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is a free, public cultural and educational event produced annually in Washington, D.C. by the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Since 1967, the Festival has brought millions of people together on the National Mall to explore community-based traditions from around the world, having featured more than 100 countries and every U.S. state.
The Festival is a place where culture bearers across all kinds of tradition come together to share their stories. As a 2024 Brandeis graduate, where I studied Anthropology and Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation (CAST), I feel overwhelmed with gratitude to now have the opportunity to work on the curatorial team for the Festival.
Last summer, I was an intern on the Music, Dance, and Sports curatorial team, for the 2024 program, Indigenous Voices of the Americas. I had a wonderful and enriching internship experience. My role during the Festival was to stage manage the Sports and Games pavilion, which meant I spent a lot of time working closely with culture bearers to ensure their presentations ran smoothly. We presented several extraordinary sessions, which included Haudenosaunee lacrosse workshops, maracá relay races put on by Pataxó artists from coastal Brazil, and native Hawaiian Hei string demonstrations.
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Upcoming Events
- Engage with strategies for navigating complexity
- Explore creative tools for systemic impact
- Connect with peers to co-create resilient approaches to change
22nd Century Conference: Forging a People-Powered Democracy
June 19-22
Atlanta, Georgia
“The 22nd Century Conference: Forging a People-Powered Democracy gathers the pro-democracy movement to weave relationships, sharpen strategies, and equip people with skills and resources to effectively block the rise of authoritarianism while advancing pro-democracy strategies and campaigns.” The closing plenary session (plus brunch!) on June 22nd will highlight “Artists and Cultural Workers in the Pro-Democracy Space.”
THOSE WHO REGISTER BY MONDAY, JUNE 16TH FOR VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE AT THE CONFERENCE CAN LIVESTREAM THIS SESSION.
Register online.
Award Ceremony: Cannes Lions Honours Sonita-Ali Zadeh as its 2025 LionHeart
Cannes International Festival of Creativity, Cannes, France
June 20
“The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced that its 2025 Cannes LionHeart is Sonita Alizadeh. One of the Festival’s most prestigious Awards, the accolade is given to a person who has harnessed their position to make a significant and positive difference to the world around us. Through her work as the first professional Afghan rapper, a human rights activist and an author, Alizadeh has used her platform to be a global voice for women’s rights.” The award will be presented on June 20.
Film Screening and Fundraiser: Money Has Four Legs/Myanmar Earthquake Benefit
Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael, California
June 22, at 4:30 pm
“A devastating earthquake struck Myanmar, claiming thousands of lives and further ravaging communities already grappling with the effects of the military coup and civil war. Families are in desperate need of food, water, and medicine. This is a critical moment for action… This one-time special event is co-presented by California Film Institute and Buddhist Film Foundation. 100% of proceeds from the Myanmar Earthquake Benefit go to grassroots humanitarian aid.”
View more events.
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Opportunities, Announcements and Resources
Book: REDress/Art, Action, and the Power of Presence
By Jaime Black-Morsette/Highwater Press
“A powerful anthology uniting the voices of Indigenous women, Elders, grassroots community activists, artists, academics, and family members affected by the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people from across Turtle Island. In 2010, Métis artist Jaime Black-Morsette created the REDress Project—an art installation consisting of placing red dresses in public spaces as a call for justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S). Symbolizing both absence and presence, the red dresses ignite a reclamation of voice and place for MMIWG2S. Fifteen years later, the symbol of the empty red dress endures as families continue to call for action.”
Podcast: Luce Change/The Henry Luce Foundation
“Hosted by Sean Buffington, Interim President of the Henry Luce Foundation, this biweekly series explores how grantees are reimagining and reinvigorating democratic culture by partnering with communities, expanding knowledge, and forging new approaches to justice and civic life. This podcast takes an honest look at how democracy, local and global, can build more inclusive and self-determined futures for its citizens.”
Initiative: Artists Call for Ceasefire Now
Updated May 28, 2025
“Since October 2023, Artists4Ceasefire has echoed the call of millions of people around the world, demanding that our leaders take action to achieve a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the delivery of lifesaving aid to civilians in Gaza. The reality is that this is now the bare minimum of what is required in the face of 19 months of catastrophic destruction of life. Our call remains loud and clear. For the sake of our shared humanity, we are dedicated to ensuring a permanent and lasting ceasefire takes hold, as this is the first step toward survival, healing and rebuilding. Human rights are for all of us, and a lasting peace can only be achieved when all people in Palestine and Israel live in freedom, safety, and equity. Together, Artists4Ceasefire will continue to raise our voices for the equal protection of precious lives, and for a just and lasting peace.”
Recent Events: Information and Recordings
Online Meeting: “Fostering Inclusivity and Peacebuilding Through the Transformative Power of the Arts”
The Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers
April 2025
“Held in conjunction with World Art Day, 87 participants and distinguished speakers explored how their communities can utilize the arts to promote sustainable and inclusive peacebuilding efforts.”
Festival: Roma Heroes 2025
Independent Theater, Budapest, Hungary
May 2025
This festival, which pays “tribute to independent theatre artists, their dramatic heroes, and Roma communities…, is part of the European Roma Theater Festivals project.”
Online Presentation: Disability and Deaf Performance: A Conversation
Howlround Theatre Commons
May 2025
“A Conversation with Disabled and Deaf Theatremakers Exploring How Embodied Difference is Reshaping Contemporary Theatre Aesthetics”
Arts and Human Rights Festival: Thinking Peace
DAH Theater, Belgrade, Serbia
June 2025
DAH Theatre’s fourth “Art and Human Rights” Festival brought together artists from around the world under the theme Thinking Peace, showcasing performances, installations, workshops and more that speak to freedom, dignity, and human rights for all living beings.
Explore more resources and opportunities.
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Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts
Global Community Engagement, COMPACT
Brandeis University
415 South Street | MS 086 | Waltham, MA 02454-9110
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