On behalf of the Center for Law and Justice and the New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany, Dr. Alice Green and Paul Grondahl announce winners of Time for Reckoning Microgrant Awards whose projects will serve to raise awareness and examine the impact of systemic racism on Capital Region communities.
Through a series of events last fall, The Time for Reckoning: Confronting Systemic Racism, Seeking Justice and Reimagining Society created a collaborative space for community organizers, public officials, and nationally known experts to discuss and debate social issues, find common ground, and learn new ways to work collectively to create a more just society. More information and links to several of these microgrant projects can be found at https://www.timeforreckoning.org.
The Time for Reckoning programs, events, and microgrants were funded by a generous gift from the Steve McKee Foundation. Noreen McKee, who resides in Troy, created the foundation in memory of her late husband Steve, a journalist, author, and playwright who died in 2014.
"Always determined to pursue his art despite encountering enormous barriers, Steve knew the power of ‘getting a break’ so when his time came to give back, he never hesitated to do whatever it took to help young, fledgling writers,” said Noreen McKee. “Now that he’s gone, I hope that his spirit of generosity, creativity and dogged determination to overcome any obstacle in his path, will take flight, and I can think of no better way to do it than by seeding these microgrants."
Grants were awarded to the following local activists, grass-roots community groups, artists, writers, and filmmakers:
• The Black Theatre Troupe of Upstate NY, under the direction of Jean-Remy Monnay
• “Womanist,” a collaborative art exhibit by Keion Hennessey and D. Colin
• Creative Action Unlimited’s “Whitewashed” project
• All Of Us Community Action Group
• Carol R. Daggs’ visual narrative “Saratoga Soul Brandtville Blues”
• Sacred Ground Productions, led by Cynthia Stephens
• People's Perception Project, led by Sierra Sangetti-Daniels
• Scholastic Talent Showcase, led by Dwayne Bass
• Gregory Hitchcock’s docudrama showing the interplay among white settlers, African-American enslavement, and Native Americans within the Colonial period in the Mohawk Valley
• The Antiracism and Intersectionality Justice Committee at the University at Albany (Sarah Giragosian)
• The Titi Chronicles: an educational YouTube channel for the young, gifted, and Black (Eliana A. Rowe)
Our congratulations and gratitude to all the award winners for stepping up and raising awareness of community concerns. Again, please visit https://www.timeforreckoning.org. for more information. Online press kit.
The Time for Reckoning is a production of The Center for Law and Justice and the Writers Institute, joined by collaborators WMHT, the Times Union, the Justice Center of Rensselaer County, All Of Us, Youth FX, Amnesty International USA, Price Chopper's Golub Foundation, and other community partners.
(Jean-Remy Monnay, D. Colin, Eliana A. Rowe, All Of Us Community Action Group, Times Union photo)
Carol R. Daggs, Cynthia V. Stephens, Eric Chase Kossoff & Sierra Sangetti-Daniels, Gregory Hitchcock)