The History and Poetry of Resistance Invigorate Slater Mill this March
(Pawtucket, RI) In 1824, a Blow Out had nothing to do with services at a hair salon. At that time ??? a time of growing unrest among the working class ??? the Blow Out referred to the act of extinguishing the oil lamps that lit the textile mills in the winter, and the return to a slightly shorter workday scheduled around natural light. This transition was marked with a celebration at the end of March.
On the evening of Friday, March 31, Slater Mill will celebrate the observance with its annual Blow It Out! Labor History+Poetry Tour, uniting patrons and poets for a powerful interpretation and performance at the site recognized as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. This annual tour explores the museum in the context of early worker rights, acts of resistance and strikes, unionization, and the end of child labor. Fittingly, the tour is led by local labor historian and activist Joey LaNeve DeFrancesco. A former Slater Mill staff interpreter, and renowned punk-rock guitarist (the Downtown Boys), DeFrancesco is educated in Labor History and an active member of a network of labor activists in Rhode Island that stand for hotel worker rights, among other concerns. DeFrancesco developed this tour in partnership with Slater Mill and the National Park Service in 2013.
“With an ever-more-grim political situation today, it’s essential that we understand how we got here. The history of industry in Rhode Island is deeply rooted in dark themes of slavery, child labor, and confrontations between workers and bosses,??? remarked DeFrancesco. ???We need to grapple directly with that history in order to better act in our present.” To reinforce the narrative, two contemporary poets with diverse and poignant understandings of labor will share their original works. Laura Brown-Lavoie is a writer, performer, and educator who self-describes as ???a farmer with a pen clipped to her belt loop…????? She is joined by Vatic Kuumba, a renowned slam poet, rapper, and activist who most recently wrote and produced ???A Furtive Movement: The Use of Farce,??? a play that radically critiques institutional racism. ???By integrating a critical discussion of the American Industrial Revolution, and a contemporary take on the revolutions of today, we hope to present a very powerful and relevant program this year,??? said Erika Davis, program manager for Slater Mill.??
Davis suggests purchasing tickets in advance, as they are limited to 40 and have sold out each year. Visit blowitout.brownpapertickets.com, or call 401-725-8638 x.100 to purchase off-line. The tour will begin at 7:30 p.m. on March 31.?? Doors open at 7:00 p.m.?? Slater Mill is located at 67 Roosevelt Avenue in downtown Pawtucket, RI.