(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Just ADD Sound presents 2023 National Day of Racial Healing on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 7:00pm on ZOOM and Facebook LIVE. Through interviews, performances and a Q & A, Just ADD Sound explores “Redefining and Rebuilding Community” related to race and racism. This event is Free and Open to the Public but audiences must register in advance.
The event hosts are RescuePoetix TM & Dujuana Sharese. The night features: Summer Dawn (In Full Color), Juan Papo Santiago (CAPICU), and Don Krypton (EvoluCulture). DJ /Soundscape: Don Wood (Call Me Cleve). Tech Support & Marketing: Crystal Letters. ASL English Translation: Natural Languages. The event is Produced & Curated by: RescuePoetix & OpenRoad Poetry
This event is FREE and open to the public but audience must register online in advance.
This event will have an English ASL interpreter. This is a bilingual event.
New Jersey Arts Events for the National Day of Racial Healing are made possible in part by The Creating Change Network, a collaborative program of New Jersey Theatre Alliance and ArtPride New Jersey, in partnership with the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center at Rutgers University - Newark. The activities of the Creating Change Network are supported by the Grunin Foundation.
See the full lineup of New Jersey Arts Events celebrating the National Day of Racial Healing here.
Susan Justiniano | Host | RescuePoetix | 2022-2024 State of NJ Beat Poet Laureate. Susan Justiniano (RescuePoetix), (her/ella) is a self-taught bilingual poet, with a deep love for knowledge, music, coffee, food, dogs, and the color red (not always in that order). She is twice honored Poet Laureate: The first Puerto Rican woman Poet Laureate of Jersey City, NJ (2020-2022) and State of New Jersey Beat Poet Laureate (2022-2024). Words are embedded in her life. Her passion for them started at age 9 with a dictionary, notebook, and the latest paperback she could get her hands on. More info: You can find her everywhere and book a meeting: https://linktr.ee/rescuepoetix
Dujuana Sharese | Co-Host | Facilitator, Spoken Word Artist, Podcaster: Dujuana is an explosive spoken word artist, master of ceremonies, podcaster and performer who has the ability to tantalize with the sound of her voice. Dujuana has been enticing audiences with her truth and comedic energy through spoken word and music. Sharese is the tone setter for any atmosphere she lands in. As a Master of Ceremonies she streamlines the timeline as well as having audiences elated, entertained and satisfied.
Don Krypton | EvoluCulture - Don Krypton (he/him), Elizabeth NJ Native, General Manager Evoluculture Founding member of the Newark Poetry Council, Author of the Book Ill-Logical, Host of A.M. Mayhem Podcast on Twitch, Host of Coffee & Community Poetry Show, Host of Poetry in the Promenade, Host of Raw Truths Live Sessions on Instagram, Full time IT Specialist, Part time Poet, Part time Pomedian, Part Time Actor, Part time Writer, Part time Audio/video editor, Amateur DJ, And much much more... Affectionately known as the Renaissance Man of Evoluculture, Don Krypton is quite literally a jack of all trades. You name it he probably can do it. Don Krypton has been all over NJ helping further spark the poetry resurgence in NJ!
Summer Dawn | In Full Color - Summer Dawn (she/ella) defies multi-hyphenation as a writer, director, actor, teaching artist and more! She's the founder/director of In Full Color, an arts organization which empowers BIPOC artists and has received two commendations from the NJ State Assembly and the Jersey City Arts Council's Performing Arts Award. Summer teaches for Young Audiences, Lincoln Center Theatre and Storytelling Arts. She's an Administrative Coordinator for the NJ Theatre Alliance. In other lives, she's won the NJ Governor's Award in Arts Education, been a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and sings pop-R&B as Vero Verano.
Juan PaPo Santiago | CAPICU: Juan PaPo Santiago is an award-winning community organizer, Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican writer in the Nuyorican tradition, co-founder of the ‘Capicu Cultural Showcase’ reading series and ‘La Sopa NYC: The School of Poetic Arts’ writing workshop which has been granted residencies at Boricua College, The Loisaida Center and the Nuyorican Poets Café.
PaPo is also a founding senior member of the Community Navigator Program and Community Navigator Institute at the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work, a peer workforce model he helped develop in East Harlem/El Barrio NYC from 2017-2022 for justice and system-involved youth and families. Through this work he was also a core member of the Taskforce for Racial Inclusion and Equity which created youth and family projects informed by community wishes.
PaPo believes community is best healed from within by people who understand its needs and honor its strengths, people who draw from their lived experience to tell authentic stories and share gifts and wisdom.
Don Wood | CallmeCleve - CallmeCleve (Donald Cleveland Wood) (he/him) was born in New York, NY. While working at Epic Records he remixed (under the pseudonym Dangerous D) Prince of House’s “Get It Started”. After switching his moniker to Cleveland Allen he remixed Brandy's "Baby" for the DMC label but it was his house remixes of Groove Theory’s “Tell Me” (which went gold) and "Keep Tryin'" that proved to be the most memorable. Cleve currently lives in Jersey City. You can listen to his dance music podcast "Call Me Cleve" at callmecleve.podbean.com or by searching any podcast app. @CallmeCleve
Natural Languages | Sign Language Interpreter: Natural Languages is committed to delivering precise and seamless communication to the stakeholders that need it the most. Humanity, Language and Culture are intertwined. From our first ‘hello,’ our team at Natural Languages takes the time to understand your communication needs. We empower you with the knowledge you need to make the best decisions moving forward. You will receive a custom solution personalized to your exact needs and legal requirements, where applicable.
Crystal Letters | Tech Support and Marketing - Crystal Letters is the poetry and creative writing blog of Crystal Davis. Crystal Davis is a multidisciplinary and mixed media performance artist, poet, painter, freelance writer, editor, and social media marketer. She was born and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey and is the author and creator at Crystal Letters (CL). Her art and writing projects, CL, has collaborated with arts non-profit organizations and artists across the Tri-State area, nationally, and internationally.
Crystal Letters LLC. provides freelance editing, writing, personalized poetry, abstract illustrations, mixed media painting, public relations, promotional, and social media marketing services. All services are available to artists, poets, and collaborators from all artistic walks of life, arts organizations, nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
OpenRoad Poetry | Co-Producer - OpenRoad Poetry is an artistic partnership between Jersey City-based women owned businesses, Crystal Letters LLC. and RescuePoetix™, as a subsidiary partnership of parent company, Crystal Letters LLC. OpenRoad Poetry celebrates the arts and the creation of art. ORP is known for hosting Live and Virtual Poetry & Open Mic events benefiting local venues & non-profit organizations, and provides non-profit businesses and for profit businesses with technical and professional development services. ORP believes in extending artists a platform to network, grow and share their work, their voices and their stories. A poetic road of limitless possibilities.
