On May 23, Claudette Lindsay, host of WEAA's Caribbean Exchange, moderated WEAA’s lecture series event, From Trenchtown to Sandtown: Finding Marley’s Message in the Music, in conjunction with Center Stage's production of the musical, Marley.
The conversation focused on how Marley used his platform to identify oppressors and agitate for social change, while simultaneously allowing listeners to forget their troubles and dance. In light of the recent uprising in Baltimore, panelists also explored how area artists are inspired by and can learn from Marley to use their music to bring attention to issues including police brutality, overincarceration, poverty, and joblessness now being raised in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray.
Panelists included Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director for Center Stage and writer of Marley; actor Mitchell Brunings, who plays Bob Marley in the production; Dera Thompkins, Bob Marley expert and music activist; and Jahiti, a Baltimore-based singer-songwriter and member of the hip-hop-reggae group, Brownfish.