Recently my friend who returned from the Pilgrimage of Peace 2011 sent me a web site from Mumbai all about Mahatma Gandhi that offers a thought from Gandhi each day sent via email. The thought for a recent day was: “The music of life is being in danger of being lost the music of the voice.”

Recently a white peace friend has been sending me stuff via Facebook about a Capita production of ”We are the Drum”, a “Celebration of the African American Journey Though Music.” Not being familiar with the group and the fact that the production was at North Division High School, in the heart of the central city, my wife was at first hesitant to go. But she said let’s go and we did.

Outside of the founder of Capita Productions, a long time music teacher at North Division and choir leader at various Catholic Churches, we were the only white persons present. The audience was small but the production was Big.

It was an outstanding show of African American Music from the time in African through slavery, country western, Gospel, Jazz, blues, Civil Rights,rock n roll to African American music of our own time. The singing and dancing of the youth and young adults was captivating and by the end, after an extensive production of recent African American recording artist, everyone was up and clapping in rhythm to the final production of “We are the Drum.”

At the end of few adult leaders urge persons in attendance to spread the word of this production so that in future productions the auditorium at North Division High School would be full. I already had thought of doing this. You can purchase tickets online or at the door of the two productions tomorrow Sunday, or at the five productions next weekend.

Peace activist in Milwaukee are almost all white. We often say we should reach out for more African American participation. A first, but important step, may be to attend this production of “We Are the Drum”. The drum is in all of us and the heart of work on peace and justice.

I said to a young boy as we leaving the auditorium as we were leaving “you are the drum”. He turned to me and said “you are the drum”. If we can quiet our voices for awhile and listen to the beat of the drum in our hearts and in this music we can all say: “We are the Drum”.

We Are the Drum

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