Building a Liberatory and Regenerative Community at Song Village
Building a Liberatory and Regenerative Community at Song Village
We get there together or never get there at all – Josh Blaine
We aspire to cultivate a liberatory and regenerative community at Song Village. When we say liberatory, we mean that we are shifting intentionally away from many of the principles centered in the culture of colonization – principles like domination, extraction, appropriation, competition, racism, and other forms of discrimination – toward principles that better serve us – such as interdependence, reciprocity, love, humility, and complexity. When we say regenerative, we mean that we are working to mimic the astonishing ability of the natural world, and of many indigenous groups worldwide, to grow and thrive in a way that simultaneously replenishes and sustains life more broadly.
Building a liberatory and regenerative community aligns with the overarching purpose of Song Village, enhancing collective well-being and fostering a sense of belonging for all members. Community singing serves as a collective healing process, but its efficacy relies on inclusivity. True inclusivity requires standing in solidarity with marginalized communities. Without intentional efforts to dismantle systemic injustice, society’s inertia perpetuates harm towards marginalized groups. These efforts are necessary to realize the community singing movement’s vision for a peaceful, loving, and sustainable world.
Acknowledgement: Our ideas around liberation have been inspired by thought leaders in the queer Black feminist movement and beyond. Our ideas around regeneration were inspired by Native American thought leaders and also by the natural world itself. We’ve included a small handful of resources from these thought leaders below.
Building a liberatory and regenerative community aligns with the overarching purpose of Song Village, enhancing collective well-being and fostering a sense of belonging for all members. Community singing serves as a collective healing process, but its efficacy relies on inclusivity. True inclusivity requires standing in solidarity with marginalized communities. Without intentional efforts to dismantle systemic injustice, society’s inertia perpetuates harm towards marginalized groups. These efforts are necessary to realize the community singing movement’s vision for a peaceful, loving, and sustainable world.
Acknowledgement: Our ideas around liberation have been inspired by thought leaders in the queer Black feminist movement and beyond. Our ideas around regeneration were inspired by Native American thought leaders and also by the natural world itself. We’ve included a small handful of resources from these thought leaders below.
In order to uphold this vision, we commit to
- Center access for people who are often marginalized, for example by providing an all-gender restroom, and seating toward the center for people who require seating
- Offer scholarships to reduce financial barriers
- Provide a low-barrier way to let organizers know if there is something to improve
- Tithe to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band
- Care for the environment by bringing our own dishes
- Continue to explore opportunities for diverse, distributed leadership
- Keep growing and changing as we learn
In order to uphold this vision, we invite everyone at Song Village to
- Take care with one another while sharing this space. Support each person’s freedom to participate in the event in ways that serve them well.
- Co-create the conditions for healing, learning, and growing –
- Be compassionate and loving with ourselves and one another
- Do our best to hold multiple truths and work with differences in order to disrupt harmful dynamics and make space for healthier dynamics to emerge
- Know that every voice matters. If you have ideas for how to uphold this vision, share them! If someone else does, listen!
Do your best until you know better. When you know better, do better – Maya Angelou
Song Village celebrates the richness of cultural diversity, recognizing its potential to bring healing and balance to our lives. Many of us hunger for perspectives that the dominating cultures of the earth have all but drowned out. Thus, we heartily welcome participation from those who have experience in different traditions, be they from distant lands or from subcultures within the USA.
However, we also acknowledge the potential for cross-cultural song-sharing to perpetuate dynamics reminiscent of colonization. Historical injustices, including racism, slavery, and genocide, have left deep wounds that continue to affect communities worldwide. Thus, when individuals from dominant cultures lead songs from oppressed cultures, it can evoke feelings of pain and appropriation.
Song Village celebrates the richness of cultural diversity, recognizing its potential to bring healing and balance to our lives. Many of us hunger for perspectives that the dominating cultures of the earth have all but drowned out. Thus, we heartily welcome participation from those who have experience in different traditions, be they from distant lands or from subcultures within the USA.
However, we also acknowledge the potential for cross-cultural song-sharing to perpetuate dynamics reminiscent of colonization. Historical injustices, including racism, slavery, and genocide, have left deep wounds that continue to affect communities worldwide. Thus, when individuals from dominant cultures lead songs from oppressed cultures, it can evoke feelings of pain and appropriation.
While such sharing may be intended as an expression of respect and gratitude, it is essential to remain sensitive to the complexities of cultural exchange. We understand that different perspectives exist within communities, shaped by lived experiences of oppression and racism.
Recognizing the complexity of this issue, Song Village organizers refrain from imposing strict guidelines. Instead, we offer some promising practices, and encourage open discussion, fostering empathy and understanding among participants. Our aim is to create a space where all voices are heard, feelings are validated, and mutual growth is nurtured.
Promising practices for holding songs with respect
These guidelines are informed by collective understanding and encourage open dialogue and mutual respect.
- Learn about the author/origin, context and cultural significance of songs, instruments, and rhythms you’re sharing. Acknowledge this when sharing them to ensure proper credit.
- Clarify your motivations for singing a song and respect its original purpose, without altering it.
- If regularly performing songs from other cultures, actively contribute to those communities.
- Recognize that good intentions do not shield against harm, and acknowledge historical injustices.
- Center attentive listening and learning from mistakes as we progress together.