Bakersfield residents from various cultures, ages and gender gathered together in a peaceful matter on March 27 to celebrate peace and the lives of some figures that have fought for it in the past.
Portia Choi, board of director’s member for the NXCC, said that this is the first time the event has been held in Bakersfield. She goes on to say that “the use of non-violence is the most dynamic power to make change.”
The event was held at 3819 River Blvd, only four blocks from campus, at 7 p.m., but the doors opened at 6:30 p.m.
When entering the building there was a woman sitting at the front displaying poetry. Toward the back of the building there was a larger room where the concert was being held. At around 6:40 some of the performers began arriving. Some people carried instruments, some showed up to recite poems, and some spoke about peace. Mary Holder was seen practicing her fiddle to play Irish music.
Choi invited Tanya Dixon, from Bakersfield, to the event who knows Choi from the open-mic events that are also held in the same building. Dixon was invited to the peace concert to recite the speech “I have a dream” from Dr. Martin Luther King.
“I want to encourage all those who are creative to come out and participate in these types of events but I also want to encourage people to come out and try something new,” Dixon said.
She also went on to say that it was important for people to be knowledgeable about the thoughts of some historical peace figures such as Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.
Before the concert began, Choi went up to the stage and welcomed everyone. A majority of the seats were filled with performers of the event. Choi introduced herself, spoke about the event, and also mentioned some other events that would be happening during that weekend.
Lisa-Ann LoBasso, board of director’s member said, “The turn out was good, I was really surprised.” LoBasso also said that she was pleased that the performers were able to keep the “audience engaged.”
Of all the performers that were scheduled to perform on March 27, only one was not available. David Nigel Lloyd wasn’t in attendance because his wife was in the hospital, but another performer was available to fill in for him. His name was J. BanCren.
“The concert is called peace concert, we want to emphasize how important peace is…you know we still live in a world of violence, and I think everybody is aware of that everywhere,” Choi said.
LoBasso encourages people to attend future events that will be put together.
For more information on NXCC and for future events put on by NXCC, visit the their website at nxcc.org.