The violence and uprising after Freddie Gray died in police custody ten years ago shook Baltimore to its core. We ask executive director Todd Marcus and Rikiesha Metzger, interim director of the Jubilee Arts program at Intersection of Change, a community center in Gray’s Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, what’s changed, and what hasn’t.
On April 30 from 7-9pm Intersection of Change will host Remembering Freddie Gray: This Too Shall Pass
Details: Jubilee Arts program will be hosting a memorial show to honor the life of Freddie Gray and the aftermath of the Baltimore Uprising. If you have artwork of all forms (painting, music, poetry, dance, and more) that reflects upon this moment in time and the movement surrounding its events, our team wants to hear from you!
TO SUBMIT: Contact [email protected] OR call 410.728.1199
FOR DROP OFFS/IN PERSON SUBMISSIONS: Visit us at 1947 Pennsylvania Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21217 through April 24 between 10am-5pm.
Artist Statement for “Remembering Freddie Gray: This Too Shall Pass”
While this may seem like a contradiction in language, the title reflects a greater truth: that in this life, we will face moments of joy and moments of pain. There will be heartache. There will be suffering. Yet in all of this, we must remember that this world is not our final destination.
'This Too Shall Pass' reminds us that life moves in seasons. No one knows how long we will be here, but what matters most is what we choose to do with the time we have been given.
This commemoration honors the life of Freddie Gray and the injustice he endured. It is not meant to dismiss the pain or erase the tragedy, but to call us to action. To remember is not only to look back, but also to ask where do we go from here.
In a world where the human spirit is suffering, a world in search for love, justice, and healing, how do we hold on to hope? How do we build peace, nurture joy, and stay rooted in our shared humanity, even as this world continues to pass away?
Though our time on this planet is brief, our impact can be lasting. Let us reflect not only on the good or the bad, but on the fullness of life such as the life of Freddie Gray and the lives of so many others who have been taken too soon. Let us carry their names not as burdens, but as seeds. May their memory plant something righteous within us. Something enduring. Something true. And may we do this knowing that there is an everlasting love that can heal us all.
Dr. Rikiesha Metzger
