Meet Hope
Choreographer/Dancer
*For Keepsakes: Love, Jim Crow: Hope B. Byers illuminates the dark history of lynching that is part of the American story. She reminds us that while many African-Americans found refuge in northern cities, for the thousands murdered, as well as for white children damaged by exposure to racist violence, no refuge could be found.
"The hard truth—lynching is a profound part of the American legacy. From the thousands of African Americans who were killed by mobs during Jim Crow, to the millions of African Americans who fled racial violence in the south to seek sanctuary in the north and west, to the countless white children who were indoctrinated into a culture of racial terrorism, lynching significantly shaped America in many social, political, geographic and economic ways."
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
“As we witness reinvigorated, blatant acts of racism in America, I often hear “I can’t believe that happened…why or how could they?…” I believe that our history holds the answers. The way I cope with the present is to unearth and analyze our past and use dance as a medium to create awareness, provoke dialogue and inspire change.”