An evening of great stories and music is in store as friends and members of LEPOCO welcome Reggie Harris to our Annual Gathering on March 11, 2023, at First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem. The evening will begin with a social hour at 6:00 pm; dessert and beverages will be served. The program will begin at 7:00 pm. Our featured guest, Reggie Harris is a singer- songwriter, storyteller, world-renowned song-leader, and powerful interpreter of the global music narrative. As an expert on the music of the Underground Railroad and the Modern Civil Rights Movement Reggie Harris is known for focusing energy on the important role of music in the struggle for human rights using the lessons of history. He was mentored by and is inspired by Pete Seeger, Bernice Johnson Reagon, and other elders of cultural music. He has performed and presented for thousands of all ages at colleges, schools, festivals, symposiums and concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. In 2021 he was the winner of the Spirit of Folk Award from Folk Alliance International and the W. E. B. Du Bois Legacy Award. In 2018 he was the recipient of a Magic Penny Award from the Children’s Music Network for lifetime achievement in music. Reggie is a charismatic community builder who was featured in 2020 on CNN’s Silence is Not An Option with Don Lemon and in the New York Times discussing his familial connection as the descendant of slavery with his White cousins. He is a great-great-great grandson of confederate General Williams Carter Wickham and his slave Bibhanna Hewlett. A teaching artist in the Kennedy Center’s CETA program (Changing Education Through the Arts) and a fellow for the Council of Independent Colleges lecture program. He also serves as Co-President and Director of Music Education for the Living Legacy Project, an advocacy group that sponsors Civil Rights pilgrimages throughout the South and online education seminars worldwide. Reggie is a featured artist in the “Americans Who Tell the Truth” Portrait Series by Maine artist Rob Shetterly. We are delighted that Reggie Harris is finally able to be with us for a LEPOCO Gathering. He was scheduled to join us for the March 2020 Annual Dinner that had to be canceled due to covid. Please make your reservation for the March 11th Annual Gathering asap (see enclosed flyer). This will be an inspiring evening. Help assure that we have a large audience for this impressive musician and leader for peace and justice.

– written by Janet Ney for the LEPOCO Newsletter – January 2023