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Reclaim Artist Collective
HOME OF THE AMERICAN GRIOT PROJECT
Our Mission
Through programming that focuses on process over product, the theater and literary arts professionals of
Reclaim Artist Collective (RAC) provide a pathway to empowerment, consciousness-raising, wellness and creative expression for artists and individuals in marginalized communities.
Our Signature Program
Reclaiming My Time: An American Griot Project is an award-winning choreopoem written by poet/playwright Maria James-Thiaw, co-founder of Reclaim Artist Collective. Reclaiming My Time is based on the oral histories of real women (griots) who lived through the Jim Crow era. We refer to our storytellers as griots in the West African tradition, of those that kept the history of and for their people and told it in the form of poetry and song.
You can be a "griot" too!
Through the American Griot Project Residency Program, you can help history come alive to high school and middle school students in marginalized communities. We need storytellers of all ages to share their experiences. Were you a witness to a historical event? Do you remember the Vietnam War? Did you march to end gun violence? Your story could be used to help students learn history, improve their writing skills and use the art of poetry and theater to inspire others. To become a griot, sign up here.
The Rev. Dr. Eleanor Moody-Shepherd spoke with audiences of Reclaiming My Time: An American Griot Project about her time as an activist with Martin Luther King Jr and the impact of the Civil Rights movement on today's culture.
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