And, Perhaps, To Bloom May 3, 2026 @ 4:00pm | Longy’s Pickman Hall

And, Perhaps, To Bloom explores the driving will cast deep in the heart and blood of a people seeking freedom, life, humanity, and peace. Their mass exodus - be it to swamps to form maroon societies or the Great Migration to the north and midwestern cities like Detroit - were arduous journeys to find a place where, perhaps, they may bloom. Where there would be no more weeping or crying. Where shouting, glory and freedom would be bountiful. Where something like a great day, dreamed up and willed into existence through prayer and song, would await.

3:15-3:45pm lecture with L'Merchie Fraizer
The lecture will explore the Great Migration and other forced migrations of Black peoples through a historic and literary lens. L'Merchie Frazier, former Director of Education and Interpretation at the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket, will lead this lecture preceding the concert performance.

4-5:30pm performance (no reception)
Tracing journeys from swamps and maroon societies to northern and midwestern cities like Detroit, this program explores the Great Migration and the enduring resilience of Black communities seeking freedom, life, and humanity. Works include Undine Smith Moore’s Before I’d Be a Slave, Carlos Simon’s Warmth of Other Suns, and Shawn Okpebholo’s Great Day.

Funded in part by The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, and Mass Humanities.

And, Perhaps, To Bloom

By Castle of our Skins, Inc

And, Perhaps, To Bloom