TEAM HARMONY 2020 UPDATE: Issue No. 3

 March 17, 2020

As we send this Team Harmony Update, we realize the world is in the midst of dealing with the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic crisis. As with all worthy battles, no doubt we will persevere. We hope that you and yours remain safe and healthy and that the threat of COVID-19 will dissipate quickly!

News from Team Harmony-Atlanta:

We are excited to announce the support of the Atlanta Public Schools!  In addition to bringing students to Team Harmony, they have committed the APS Drumline to open the program at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. Also, iHeart Media-Atlanta has joined our team. iHeart will be providing on-air talent to host the Atlanta event and will also be assisting in identifying potential performers for the Rally. Special thanks to the Ben Marion Institute for Social Justice, Georgia Equality and the JumpSpark Initiative of the Jewish Federation of Atlanta for joining our coalition and working with us to develop the Atlanta program.

News from Team Harmony-Boston:

First, a big thank you to Boston Mayor Martin Walsh who has signed on to be an Honorary Co-Chair of the campaign! Team Harmony continues to build our broad-based coalition and we are proud to announce that joining our effort are the following prominent organizations: Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth; the NAACP, New England Area Conference; the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA); the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)-New England; the Congress of American Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Massachusetts; and Generation Citizen-Massachusetts.

Additionally, the Boston Bruins and the Sports Museum have joined our community coalition and we are speaking with the Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox about producing social media PSA’s with some of their players.

Team Harmony is also working iHeart Media-Boston and we are excited to announce that DJ Pup Dawg from JAM’N 94.5 will be one of our hosts for the Boston Rally. We are also thrilled to announce that the international drumming network, Grooversity, under the leadership of Marcus Santos, will be opening the Boston program.

Christian Picciolini, a former white-supremacist skinhead, now committed to combating extremism and racism, will be one of the Rally’s keynote speakers talking to the students in Boston, and via technology, in Atlanta. Christian has appeared on CNN and MSNBC and is an author and public speaker and founder of the Free Radicals Project, a global network of people who are working to prevent extremism and helping people disengage from hate movements and other violent ideologies.

Team Harmony Awards

The TEAM HARMONY AWARDS Call for Nominations has been distributed in both the Boston and Atlanta areas. If you know of any students/student groups that have been on the frontlines promoting unity and social justice and combating hatred and prejudice, please nominate them for consideration.