• By Mabel Pais

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) will host an in-person ‘Standing in Solidarity’ (SIS) program that is also a live broadcast of ‘Notes from America’ with Kai Wright on Sunday, September 29, at 6PM in the Chase Room. ‘Standing in Solidarity’ is NJPAC’s ongoing series of social justice conversations and film screenings.

‘The Young Vote’, a documentary that follows a diverse group of students and activists in 2020 to understand young people’s perceptions of voting and civic engagement, will screen at 4PM.

Following the film, Wright will moderate a conversation with a panel of experts about the political priorities of the youngest generation of American voters. What can be learned about the emerging politics of Gen Z? What new debates and concerns are top of mind? Audience members will be invited to participate in the live radio show.

“NJPAC is honored to welcome Kai Wright and ‘Notes from America’ to Newark,” says Donna Walker-Kuhne, Senior Advisor, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, at NJPAC. “Wright is a skilled interviewer and he will draw insights from our expert panelists on the mindset and mentality of our young voters so that we can encourage them to show up to the ballot box in November. Exercising our freedom to vote is the one of the best ways to effect change.”

‘Notes from America’ is about the unfinished business of U.S. history and how we break its grip on our future. The live, weekly program is hosted by veteran journalist Kai Wright and is heard by an estimated 250,000 listeners each week on 140 public radio stations across America.

PANELISTS

The panel includes Alexis Williams, NYU engineering student, computer coder, social media influencer and activist who works at the intersection of technology and social justice. To learn about each panelist, visit njpac.org/event/notes-from-america-with-kai-wright.

MORE ACTIVITIES

The ‘Standing in Solidarity’ event also includes activations in the Prudential Hall lobby including voter registration and other resources from the NAACP (njpac.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c11140bec28b9475d4783dab&id=91593225bf&e=d1d576769e) and Project Ready (projectreadynj.org).

“I’ve covered electoral politics for decades, and what interests me most now, is the opportunity young people have to break free from the tired political debates of past generations and invest fresh energy in what’s important and relevant to them as engaged citizens,” says Wright, host of ‘Notes from America.’ “We are poised to learn a lot about the issues that will shape our electorate from the way they engage in 2024, whether it’s voting, community and campus organizing or some other civic action. I’m so excited to speak with young Americans about their political priorities in a pivotal election year.”

RSVP

To RSVP and for more information, visit ‘Standing in Solidarity’ (njpac.org/series/standing-in-solidarity).

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)

NJPAC, located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States.  It is the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey — where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day.  As New Jersey’s anchor cultural institution, NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city.  Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts.  NJPAC has attracted more than 12 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997 and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.  Visit NJPAC.org for more information.

Notes from America with Kai Wright

‘Notes From America with Kai Wright’ is a show about the unfinished business of our history and how we break its grip on our future. The live, weekly program is hosted by veteran journalist Kai Wright and is heard by an estimated 250,000 listeners each week on 140 public radio stations across America.  Offering insight and connection in divisive times, ‘Notes From America’ delivers on the promise to present diverse perspectives and narratives by inviting its audience to be a part of the conversations it convenes each Sunday live on the air, and part of a community of people who embrace living in a plural society.  Previous live shows have included tapings of the program for WNYC’s annual Martin Luther King Day celebrations at The Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY in 2023 (wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anxiety/episodes/young-gifted-and-black) and 2024 (wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anxiety/episodes/reclaiming-woke-celebrating-legacy-martin-luther-king-live-apollo), and a Juneteenth special from Houston, TX in 2024 (wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anxiety/articles/how-black-people-built-american-democracy-a-juneteenth-celebration).

WNYC

With an urban vibrancy and a global perspective, WNYC is New York’s public radio station, broadcasting and streaming award-winning journalism, groundbreaking audio programming and essential talk radio to the city and beyond. WNYC is a leading member station of NPR and broadcasts programs from the BBC World Service, along with a roster of WNYC-produced programs that champion the stories and spirit of New York City and the surrounding region. From its state-of-the-art studios, WNYC is reshaping audio for a new generation of listeners, producing some of the most beloved nationally-syndicated public radio programs including ‘Radiolab’, ‘On the Media’, ‘The New Yorker Radio Hour’, ‘Notes from America with Kai Wright’ and local radio shows and podcasts ‘The Brian Lehrer Show’ and ‘All of It’. WNYC broadcasts on 93.9 FM and AM 820 to listeners in New York and the tri-state area, and is available to audiences everywhere at WNYC.org (wnyc.org), the WNYC app and through major digital radio services.

(Mabel Pais writes on Social Issues, The Arts and Entertainment, Spirituality, Cuisine, Health & Wellness, Business, and Education)