Art Prevails Project
UMOJA CYPHER SESSIONS
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL
WE-Making is a suite of resources that explores the relationship between place-based arts practices and social cohesion as a means to advance health equity and community wellbeing. This We-Making story is one example of how place-based arts and cultural strategies uniquely contributed to social cohesion and wellbeing in this community. Throughout this story you’ll see terms paired with actions in parentheses (e.g., social capital, collective action, place attachment, civic engagement, self-determination of shared values). This is to denote for the reader how the WE-Making framework was specifically incorporated. Explore the WE-Making framework and resources.
Cities throughout the U.S. have sections that were once thriving bastions of community culture and commerce. These towns, small cities or sub-sections often came with descriptors that let you know what it had to offer, and that Black people proudly occupied that space. “Harlem of” this City, “Black” fill in the institution, “Broadway” of a region far away from a New York city street.
Historic Sistrunk in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is one such community. Historic Sistrunk has stood at the center of African American culture and heritage in Fort Lauderdale since the earliest recorded settlers migrated from Georgia, South Carolina and the Bahamas more than 100 years ago.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as communities were growing further apart and people becoming more divided, Art Prevails Project ventured to put unity at the center of its offerings. In May of 2021, Art Prevails Project launched a series of monthly gatherings that took place in Historic Sistrunk and in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood next door. Umoja Cypher Sessions, named for the Swahili word, Umoja, which means unity and the concept of “cyphers’, which technically mean circle but commonly refer to groups of freestyle rappers passing the opportunity to showcase their lyrical prowess from one person to the next.
While isolated cultural clusters foster like-minded group think, the Umoja Cypher Sessions is a welcoming space that aims to be a catalyst for change through meaningful dialogue and community building (mindset- orientation toward the common good).
Each gathering is grounded in a social theme and is explored through the lens of a feature art discipline, whether it’s a poetry reading, vocal performance or visual art piece. Together, participants deconstruct the social theme through discussion and the creation of their own artwork with the support of teaching artists. Topics explored include racism, mass incarceration, gentrification, police brutality and more. Art Prevails Project collaborated with numerous artists, organizations, scholars, community advocates and residents to create a robust experience.
Moving the dial with Umoja Cypher Sessions...
Umoja Cypher Sessions began after another initiative in the Sistrunk neighborhood was met with great success. Saturday Sessions were a sort of “family reunion” experience on a small piece of land in the middle of the neighborhood (place attachment). On a bi-monthly basis, Art Prevails Project would bring artists and vendors for a free community gathering. Saturday Sessions were fun and full of amazing talent. Residents got to experience quality artistic offerings with no barriers to entry.
What these sessions didn’t have, was the ability for community members to fully engage. They were audience members and spectators. Art Prevails Project wanted to make sure that residents were more a part of the experience and got their hands dirty. (They literally got their hands dirty during mural making workshop, candle-making sessions and yoga in the grass.) The Umoja Cypher Sessions provided this overtly engaging opportunity for all attendees.
Place-based arts and culture strategies…
Each Umoja Cypher Session is steeped in a social justice or culturally relevant theme and is supported by and/or explored through a creative arts lens.
Every session begins with an art or cultural experience. Poetry, Dance, Visual Art, Singing, Live Music were available during these intimate sessions. Residents were then introduced to the theme. Experts, educators and activists all provided residents with valuable information, but what many attendees loved most was the space for open dialogue around these issues . Residents were encouraged to ask questions and offer their ideas on everything from education and voting rights to healthy recipes passed down through generations (social capital- bridging). These monthly events occur in two locations.
…amplify the driver of social cohesion…
The Old Dillard Arts and Heritage House sits in the middle of the Sistrunk community. Surrounded by low-income housing and single-family homes that have been in place for decades, this cultural building seeks to provide a place for community members to learn and create (place attachment- creating rewarding experiences in community spaces). Named for Broward County’s first Black principal and first Black school, this location provides easy access for community members of all ages. There is no need for many residents to go more than a block or two; some even stand or sit on their porches or balconies to experience the music and conversation. Many times, the sounds bring them out of their houses and to the Arts and Heritage House where they can fully engage (civic engagement- willingness to participate; high opportunity, low barrier).
The second location of the event was less than a mile away in distance, but in a neighborhood that seemed a hundred miles away from the Black community. The Flagler Arts and Technology Village (FAT Village) is an art and business district just east of the tracks…literally. The railroad separates Black residents from the rapidly expanding rows of condos, artist spaces and micro-breweries.
Umoja Cypher Sessions have proven to provide an opportunity for cross-cultural exchange for the many members of the diverse South Florida community. While the Historic Sistrunk neighborhood is a predominantly Black area, attendees came from all over and represented a microcosm of South Florida’s demographic makeup: Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Colombia, England, Senegal, etc.
During the Session focused on mental health in the Black community, the day begin with a brief mindfulness and grounding experience and was followed by vocal performances by two community/Art Prevails Project members. The performances were followed by a community conversation featuring two mental health professionals (mental health- social support).
The therapist led an open conversation with that audience about generational trauma, depression, therapy and other concepts taboo within that Black community but were intriguing to the mostly Black residents sitting outside a backyard turned cultural gathering place on this sunny South Florida day (creative responses to trauma and racism).
After the conversation, it was time to galvanize all of the sessions into the cypher. Professional drummers from the Love and Peace Wellness Institute guided the entire group in drumming lesson. Everyone sat in a circle and was given a drum. The facilitators, a couple of elders and a younger master drummer, treated everyone to a dazzling display of rhythm, followed by interactive history lesson on the drum, its origins and uses and contributions throughout time (celebration and preservation of culture).
Then, the lesson began.
By the end, there was a beautifully powerful improvisational song created by a mixture of master drummers and novices. It didn’t matter the skill level; everyone was able to play them. Spontaneous songs were sung in English and Swahili, and the entire group discussed what they felt during the experience.
…to increase equitable community well-being.
At the core of each Umoja Cypher Session, is a chance for community members to authentically engage and walk away with either tangible resources and tools or a deeper sense of self and community. At sessions, participants registered to vote, scheduled counseling sessions, received health and wellness plans, and many were provided with information regarding immigration concerns (civic capacity for structural and policy change- aligning with structural change goals to create collective efficacy). Additionally, many participated in their first mindfulness experience, formed a community choir, joined a group yoga session and laughed with people they would have never met (collective action- facilitating dialogue for deeper engagement). Over the months, many residents showed up for more than half of the sessions. A few residents made sure they were present on a monthly basis. A resident led a workshop on quilting and many more were able to showcase their small businesses. Community members are eager for Umoja Cypher Sessions to resume in 2023.
Holding Umoja Cypher Sessions is extremely intentional. Old Dillard makes these cultural experiences accessible to community members that may face myriad barriers if the experience isn’t brought to them. Ms. Mary, a local resident kept a calendar of when the Sessions would be across the street from her so that she could quickly walk over and participate. Placing the activities in the Historic Sistrunk area also created an opportunity and reason for Fort Lauderdale residents who were not native to the community to experience a community and group of people of which they may have had erroneous preconceived notions.
Placing half of the Umoja Cypher Sessions in FAT Village served as a bit of a reclamation. That area was once an extended part of the Sistrunk community, but over the years, many Black residents dared not venture into that area. They didn’t feel welcome. Art Prevails Project Executive Director, Darius V. Daughtry, wanted the area’s Black residents “to feel that this is their home and they be their full selves in these spaces, too.”
Over the twelve months, many residents showed up for more than half of the sessions. A few residents made sure they were present on a monthly basis. A resident led a workshop on quilting and many more were able to showcase their small businesses. Community members are eager for Umoja Cypher Sessions to resume in 2023.
