Vienna Carroll & the Folk Present Self-Evident Truths: We Freed Ourselves From Slavery | A Concert in Stories and Song

7 Stories Up at SNFL continues to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with this immersive performance featuring the roots sounds of Harlem-based ensemble Vienna Caroll & The Folk. Their original show "Self Evident Truths" brings to life powerful tales of self-emancipation from chattel slavery, resilience, and bravery through storytelling and songs.

This event will take place in person at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on the 7th Floor. A recording will be available after the presentation on YouTube here.

To join the event in person | Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form 30 minutes before the program.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Vienna Carroll is a Harlem-based singer, actor, storyteller/playwright, historian, and herbalist. Her soulful voice and powerful storytelling draw from her roots in the Black church and her Alabama family traditions. A graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in African American Studies, she performs Afro Future Roots Music, reimagining spirituals and Black folk songs for today. She has performed solo and with her band The Folk at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Langston Hughes House, Schomburg Center, Bitter End and sea music festivals celebrating and preserving Black cultural and spiritual legacies. Carroll’s theater credits include her award-winning musical docudramas in the NYC Fringe Festival and as resident artist at the Hudson River Museum.

The Folk are Keith Johnston (Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Jon Hendricks) on guitar; Stanley Banks (George Benson) on bass; and Newman Taylor Baker (Matthew Shipp, Henry Grimes, Ebony Hillbillies) on washboard. 

Find the Stories at NYPL

Harriet Tubman in Combee : Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War, by Edda L. Fields-Black.

Joseph Keene in Freedom Ship : The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea, by Marcus Rediker.

David Walker in his own words, "Appeal To the Coloured Citizens of the World, but in Particular and Very Expressly, to Those of the United States of America".

The world of Edmund Moody in Black Jacks: African American Seamen in the Age of Sail, by Jeffrey W. Bolster.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTES

In-Person

• Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue.


• ASL interpretation and real-time captioning (CART) are available upon request. Please submit your request via this form or contact SNFL at least two weeks in advance.


• This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

A recording will be available after the performance HERE.

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Please submit all press inquiries to Connor Goodwin at least 48 hours before the event: email [email protected].
 

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All programs are subject to change or cancellation. All events at The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library are subject to recording and photography. 

This performance by Vienna Carroll & The Folk is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts. The 7 Stories Up Series at SNFL is made possible by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).