Paramount Center for the Arts to host ‘Road to Unity’

On Saturday, May 3, Paramount Center for the Arts invites the community to gather for a free, family-friendly event, “Road to Unity,” celebrating the creativity of Black, Minnesota-based authors, illustrators, performers, and visual artists.

Developed in collaboration with artists Shayla Michelle and Leonard Searcy, this -festival-style event is free and open to the public thanks to generous funding from the Central Minnesota United Way, Black Youth Network Cultural Heritage Series, Minnesota Humanities Center, and the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. This work is funded in part by MHC with money from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund that was created with the vote of the people of Minnesota on Nov. 4, 2008.

Schedule of events:

• 10 a.m.: Author Shayla Michelle and illustrator Kprecia Ambers read their children’s book, “Echo in the Distance,” a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. Free copies of the book will be distributed to attendees.

• 11 a.m.: Premiere of “We Still Hope,” a documentary film, and discussion with filmmaker and artist Leonard Searcy.

• 1 p.m.: “Brave Connections: Cultivating Empathy and Courage in a Divided World,” an interactive workshop with Brittany Clausen.

• 2 p.m.: “The Meeting” – a theatrical imagining of a conversation between Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X – with Leonard Searcy.

• 7 p.m.: Performance with rising hip-hop star Nur-D (tickets are free, but reservation required).

Ongoing throughout the day: Book signing, chalk activities, and community art projects. Registration for daytime events encouraged, and ticking for Nur-D performance required. Please visit Paramount’s website at paramountarts.org, or call the box office at (320) 259-5463.

The mission of the Paramount Center for the Arts, located in downtown St. Cloud, is to engage, educate, enrich, and entertain through inspiring arts experiences. The Paramount Center for the Arts includes an 800-seat historic theatre – which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021 – plus more than 8,500 square feet of visual arts studios, community outreach programs, and three gallery spaces. Find out more at ParamountArts.org.