cycles of uprising |
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Cycles of Uprising collective in St. Louis before taking off for New Orleans
Cycles
of Uprising is an interactive, bicycle village, folk music show, circus,
dance party and adventure that celebrates historic and future uprisings
for personal empowerment, social liberation and environmental health
and justice. We are a collective of six folks, three musicians, radical
folk singers Shannon Murray and Adhamh Roland of the Riot Folk! collective
and Thistle, bike activist and folk singer from the West Coast, and
three amazing and talented activists, artists who are an integral part
of performances and mobile village life. We are biking from St. Louis
to New Orleans carrying with us, instruments, stories, songs, stereos
and juggling balls. Our music can be heard at www.riotfolk.org,
www.shannonmurray.com and
www.thistlespace.org
Together
we span a 17 year age range. We are a female, queer and transgender
tour. We are all white. We come from Indiana, California, Wisconsin,
Missouri and Ohio from both rural and urban backgrounds. We are aware
of our privilege and access to resources as we take off on this journey
and wish to be responsible in the choices we make and the exchanges
we have with people of different backgrounds along the way. We have
chosen to do this route during hurricane season to shed light on changing
weather patterns and the precarious situation climate change puts We use music and performance as tools to inspire social and environmental justice organizing in our communities and the communities we visit. All six of us are opposed to capitalist economics and believe that another world based on mutual aid, cooperation and humyn-powered machines is possible. We ride as a statement to others and we ride for the Earth but we also ride for ourselves. We wish to demonstrate that slowing down and using our own human power is a viable and enjoyable alternative to high-speed motorized travel. We seek to reclaim a sense of adventure and empowerment outside of the mundane context of capitalism. In the spirit of direct action, we use our bodies and our autonomous mobility to reclaim roads, highways, and other public spaces for non-commercial use. As the wheels of our cycles turn, we take the time to reflect on the cycles of social movements for peace and justice, the cycles of nature and our own cycles of personal liberation. As we follow the current of the Mississippi, we remain conscious of this route and the historic uprisings this land has barred witness to. From the civil rights Freedom Rides of the 1960's to the Share Croppers strike of Southern Missouri in 1939 to Indigenous struggles for survival in the midst of colonization and genocide—there is much to learn about the oppression that has stained this country and the uprisings that have fed the flames of hope for the future. We believe in practicing economic solidarity which is why all of our shows and CD’s are sliding scale. All the money we make will go to support this tour. Our collective makes decisions by consensus. We hope you enjoy our performance and will take what is useful back to your communities. We also hope to inspire direct people to people access to entertainment by demonstrating that all folks are artists and performers when nurtured in a supportive, non-commercial environment. We envision a world where human ingenuity and creativity is used to bring about a socially just and livable environment for generations to come instead of for selling impersonal products. Thanks for coming out and may the creative positive forces of social change be with you as we work for change in these trying times. To
contact the cycles of uprising tour, you can email thistle@riseup.net |