One Earth ReggaeFest was a free celebratory festival that took place from noon on July 6th until midnight. For 12 hours festival goers enjoyed music, dancing, local vendors, and food. Musicians and DJs performed on two stages: the Highmark Blue Shield Community Stage and the Levitt Pavilion stage. The performers primarily played reggae music that provided an easy feeling of peace in the audiences, but upbeat hip-hop and R&B could also be heard during the festival. Local DJs were also included in the lineup, including DJ Menace who opened and closed the festival. The varied lineup, including Elephants Dancing, Mighty Mystic, RASTABIGGZ, and Cheezy and the Crackers, had attendees dancing throughout the venue from the walkways to the grass.
Much like the long list of performers at the festival, there was also an impressive amount of local vendors lining the walkways in front of the ArtsQuest building. The vendors offered goods ranging from handmade jewelry and tie-dye clothing to Jamaican memorabilia. The inclusion of so many local vendors at One Earth ReggaeFest further serves to emphasize just how committed the festival was to prioritizing the local community. The vendors were able to promote their small businesses while meeting other small business owners and potential customers. Genuine connections were able to be made in the vendors’ stalls.
While ReggaeFest certainly offered great music, its primary goal this year was to promote an end to gun violence in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. Presented by Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley and Movement Moves Media, the festival aimed to bring the community together not only through food, music, and dancing, but also through reflection on the need for community responses to gun violence and to cultivate a safe environment for the Valley’s local children. Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley is an organization that aims to nurture and support local children in the neighborhoods of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. According to their website, Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley strives for “shared resources, shared accountability, and shared outcomes” for the children and families in our region. They strive towards these goals with programs focused on building and supporting local leadership and health equity. Importantly, Promise Neighborhoods also runs a program called Zero Youth Violence that works to stop the spread of violence in Lehigh Valley neighborhoods. The program utilizes a violence interpreter in their target area who identifies the root of violence as well as high-risk individuals with the goal of achieving group-level change. This means that a trained professional identifies where violence in a community is coming from, and works to eliminate and stop the spread of the violence. Like Promise Neighborhoods, Movement Moves Media organizes local community events in Allentown and Bethlehem in hopes of enhancing the lives of local young people. They also work to empower the local community to celebrate their differences “through music and the arts.” Movement Moves Media focuses on providing creative outlets for the local youth community, encouraging them to work through their feelings productively.
To conclude the festival, a representative from Movement Moves Media took the Levitt Pavilion stage. They articulated how important it is for Lehigh Valley locals to come together to create safer spaces for local children. They also explained how important it is for all people to have access to creative outlets for their emotions. Despite the severity of the topic, Movement Moves Media was able to keep the mood energetic by encouraging the audience to chant, “End gun violence!” The attendees’ chanting was powerful as it united the crowd in commitment to addressing gun violence.
Accessible events such as One Earth ReggaeFest are crucial for cultivating a Lehigh Valley community that prioritizes safety and the emotional wellbeing of local children. Promise Neighborhoods and Movement Moves Media were both able to educate the community while also encouraging locals to let loose and enjoy one another’s company. In order to celebrate our differences and make progress towards creating a safer, healthier environment, it is essential that Lehigh Valley locals spend time together and have positive conversations about community issues. One Earth ReggaeFest allowed the Lehigh Valley community to do just this, and successfully encouraged festival goers to work together to fight against gun violence.
To learn more, visit Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley and Movement Moves Media.
