Let’s Rise Up!

Global Citizen and The Riverside Church have joined together to create an afternoon of dynamic performances and key speakers commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s Beyond Vietnam speech. 

• Rev. Al Sharpton is Founder and President of National Action Network. Internationally renowned civil rights leader, activist, and founder and President of National Action Network (NAN), the Rev. Al Sharpton has dedicated his life to the fight for justice and equality.  For decades, he has turned the power of dissent and protest into tangible legislation impacting the lives of ordinary people.  As former President Barack Obama once stated, Rev. Sharpton is a “voice for the voiceless” and a “champion for the downtrodden”. As head of NAN, which currently operates over 125 chapters across the country including a Washington, D.C. bureau and headquarters in Harlem, NY, Rev. Sharpton has taken the teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and applied them to a modern civil rights agenda.  He has been a tireless advocate for everything from police reform and accountability to protection of voting rights and education equality.  A 2016 Vanity Fair profile described him as “arguably the country’s most influential civil rights leader.” In March 2016, Rev. Sharpton was honored with the “Mandela Legacy Hope, Success & Empowerment Award” in recognition of his long history of achievements in advancing civil rights causes around the world.  Connecting the dots between domestic challenges in a global context, Rev. Sharpton often addresses international audiences and issues impacting people around the globe.  In 2015, he delivered a resounding speech on civil rights, race relations and more at the prestigious Oxford Union in England.  At the end of his speech, he received a 10-minute standing ovation. Incorporating Dr. King’s nonviolent teachings, Rev. Sharpton has organized strategic campaigns to challenge discriminatory policies in multiple facets of society.  He has diligently fought to eliminate racial profiling laws in certain states across the country and was instrumental in getting an end to stop-and-frisk policing in New York City.  He was the first to organize a rally to protest the tragic death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin who was shot by a neighborhood watch volunteer as he walked home with a bag of skittles and an iced tea.  He brought the case to national attention and stood alongside the family in their difficult quest for justice. Rev. Sharpton has been on the frontlines advocating for people of color, immigrants, the LGBT community, women, the poor and all disenfranchised people.  In fact, 2017 marks NAN’s 26thanniversary; 26 years of social justice work, activism and pushing for equality.

• Forest Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. Whitaker has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird, Platoon, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and The Butler, and for his work in independent films and for his recurring role as LAPD Internal Affairs Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the Emmy Award-winning television series The Shield.
  For his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland, Whitaker won the Academy Award, British Academy Film Award, Golden Globe Award, National Board of Review Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and various critics groups awards.

• Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts received her Ph.D. from the Division of Educational Studies at Emory University in 2014. Relying on ethnography and narrative inquiry as her primary research methods, Chelsea explores the lived experiences of individuals across multiple communities. Chelsea’s most recent research utilizes the lived experiences of Black teen yoga practitioners who use yoga and storytelling as mediums for critical literacy development. Working primarily within marginalized communities, Chelsea seeks to understand the ways in which power and privilege impact lives at the intersection of race, class, and gender.

Sir the Baptist

Sir the Baptist, hip hop’s holistic lyricist, is proving himself to be a chaplain of the modern rap culture. He’s an internationally known artist signed to Atlantic Records, BET award nominated and acknowledged by Forbes, Jay Z, Billboard, CNN, Stevie Wonder, Late Night with Seth Meyers, People Magazine, BBC Radio 1, NPR, The Grammys, Sway and many others for his trailblazing cause of “Healing Hip Hop.”
 

Sir the Baptist // Photo by David Brendan Hall

 
As a second generation cultural minister, growing up in historically rich Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago, the idea of cleansing the culture has be a path Sir has been set out on since birth. CNN states that Sir is achieving this through a “balance between religion and life”. By using the power of hip hop’s influence, The Baptist records compelling stories about real people as modern parables to strip away the shame and embarrassment that too often keep people from seeking help. Learn more.
 
 

Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University

Formed on the campus of Howard University in 1968, the Howard Gospel Choir (HGC) is a body of students, alumni and community members dedicated to using the gift of music to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. As one of the first college gospel choirs, HGC is a trailblazer for all Gospel music ministries across collegiate campuses in the nation. HGC is a Howard University religious life organization under the auspices of the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel (Rev. Dr. Bernard Richardson, Dean of the Chapel).
 

With a legacy of four decades committed to excellence in music ministry, this musical aggregation has bred and shared with many of the most prolific people of this century. Some of their most noted alumni include include Grammy Award© winners Richard Smallwood and Coré Cotton (member of Sounds of Blackness), as well as Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark of the legendary Clark Sisters, R&B star Ángela Winbush. The choir also travels extensively throughout the United States and most recently headlined tours to Italy and Slovakia [Europe]. The choir is currently under the direction of Reginald A. Golden, a fine arts degree candidate from Cleveland, OH.

With such a rich legacy of excellence, the Howard Gospel Choir, a beacon light in the Howard University community, will continue to fulfill its calling to the world using Christ centered music as a means of healing, restoration and empowerment.
 

Joey Alexander

Born on June 25, 2003 on the island of Bali, pianist Joey Alexander originally learned about jazz from his dad, who exposed his son to a variety of classic albums from his extensive collection. At the age of six, Joey began teaching himself to play piano using a mini electronic keyboard given to him by his father. He was immediately able to pick out the melody of Monk’s “Well, You Needn’t,” but he didn’t stop there. Joey’s dad nurtured his gift of swing and improvisation by taking him to jam sessions with veteran musicians in Bali and Jakarta.

Joey’s musicianship and grasp of jazz fundamentals developed at a remarkable pace, and at age eight UNESCO invited him to play solo piano for an elated Herbie Hancock during the piano great’s visit to Indonesia. Joey later remarked to Hancock, “You told me that you believed in me, and that was the day I decided to dedicate my childhood to jazz.”

 
At nine, Joey won the grand prize at the first Master-Jam Fest, an all-ages competition in Ukraine which included 200 competitors from 17 countries. By 10, he was performing at jazz festivals in both Jakarta and Copenhagen. An invitation from Wynton Marsalis led to his U.S. debut appearance at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall in 2014 where he amazed the audience with his musicality, followed by appearances before the Jazz Foundation of America at the Apollo and the Arthur Ashe Learning Center at Gotham Hall. Wishing to encourage the continued development of Joey’s prodigious playing, his parents sold the family business in Jakarta and relocated to the United States. Success did not arrive overnight, however. Promoters were skeptical that an 11 year-old could drive substantial ticket sales and captivate discerning jazz audiences, but soon recognized his ability to absolutely delight audiences, despite the challenges associated with learning a new language. Joey experienced a major stroke of luck when he received an invitation from impresario George Wein to perform on two stages at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival. Joey took full advantage of the opportunity and brought audiences to their feet with his playful musicality and keen sense of swing. Learn more
 

String Orchestra of Brooklyn

The String Orchestra of Brooklyn (SOB) is a unique community of musicians who come together in a supportive environment to enrich the life of our communities through music. Embracing an inclusive approach to music-making, the SOB seeks to democratize both 
the production and reception of concert music. Founded in 2007 by artistic director Eli Spindel, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn is “quickly solidifying its role as a major orchestral figure in the borough” (I Care if You Listen), providing an enriching creative outlet to hundreds of musicians, and accessible, adventurous programming to thousands of concertgoers and community members.

To date, the SOB has given over 90 concerts and presentations of over 400 new and existing works for string orchestra, full orchestra, and chamber ensemble. Praised for its passionate commitment to the music of our time by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, I Care if You Listen, The New Yorker, and more, the SOB places a special emphasis on the work of living composers. Upcoming highlights for 2017 include the organization’s third annual String Theories Festival, a multi-evening festival featuring over 50 artists and composers from around the world. The festival has commissioned and performed over 20 world premieres. Now in its 10th season, the SOB releases its inaugural album, AfterImage, on June 21, 2017.

Other recent highlights include a 6-hour installation piece for the grand opening of the new Whitney Museum of American Art in collaboration with the late Tony Conrad and John Cale. The orchestra is featured on Richard Carrick’s album Cycles of Evolution, and has presented world premieres by such composers as Anthony Coleman, Alexandra Gardner, Judd Greenstein, Katherine Young, Alex Mincek, Catherine Lamb, Scott Wollschleger, Christopher Cerrone, and more. Upcoming commissions include the work of the internationally-based W4 New Music Collective.

The orchestra collaborates with vital Brooklyn-based organizations, including Roulette, ISSUE Project Room, American Opera Projects, GHOSTLIGHT Chorus, the Fort Greene Park Conservancy, and the Noel Pointer Foundation. Guest soloists and conductors have included such stars as Tito Muñoz, Charlers Neidich, Steve Beck, Matt Boehler, David Kaplan, Spencer Myer, and MIVOS and Argus String Quartets.

Philanthropy

 
Global Citizen is the trading name of Global Poverty Project, Inc, a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Global Citizen is a social action platform for a global generation that wants to solve the world’s biggest challenges. On the Global Citizen platform you can learn about issues, take action on what matters most and join a community committed to social change. Together, we can end extreme poverty by 2030, because of the collective actions of Global Citizens across the world.

 

 

Since 2012, millions of Global Citizens around the world have taken over ten million actions to solve the world’s biggest challenges. That’s ten million emails, tweets, petition signatures and phone calls targeting world leaders to end extreme poverty by 2030.

To date, the actions by Global Citizen’s global community along with the organization’s high level advocacy efforts and with their partners, have resulted in 130 commitments and policy announcements from leaders, including financial aid valued at over $30 billion that is set to affect the lives of 1 billion people.

Donate

Venue

The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10027

The Riverside Church is located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, on Riverside Drive and 120th Street near Columbia University where Harlem and the Upper West Side meet. The Riverside Drive entrance is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while the Claremont Avenue entrance (91 Claremont Avenue) is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Agenda

• September 15: Youth Summit
• September 17: Jane Goodall
• September 17: Breaking the Silence
• September 19: Movement Makers
• September 20: Investing in African Health Systems