‘More than a concert series’: local music festival promotes civic engagement

Sunny skies hung over Raleigh this Saturday as hundreds of people gathered in Red Hat Amphitheater for nearly eight hours of live performances from a variety of musical genres, ranging from neo-soul to rap music. 

Between these acts, various guest speakers took the stage. Poet CJ Suitt read his poem “Eminent Domain,” detailing the consequences of gentrification. Desmera Gatewood with Democracy NC encouraged attendees to not rest until a democracy by and for the people is achieved.

This blend of activism and art is an integral part of CarolinaDaze —a new music and arts festival presented by voting non-profit Common Cause North Carolina.

Gino Nuzzolillo, Common Cause N.C.’s campaigns manager, conceptualized the festival after he led a town hall tour for Common Cause last year. This tour allowed residents in over 20 N.C. counties to discuss a series of restrictive laws approved by N.C. governing bodies. 

Nuzzolillo said that in his experience, younger people are often disengaged in politics due to empty promises from politicians and a lack of representation in government. 

He said he wanted to create a fun experience for young adults to become politically involved and prepare to fight against injustices. 

“So, it’s more than a concert series,” he said. “It's a call to action for the long term.”

The festival opened with Chapel Hill artist Elora Dash, whose smooth vocals and soulful music filled the venue. Five musical acts followed, including iconic performers such as Moses Sumney and Tierra Whack. Many of these performers and speakers live or previously lived in North Carolina.

Beyond the stage, 21 booths run by nonprofits and local businesses lined Lenoir Street. These booths ranged from representing Planned Parenthood to selling jewelry.

While attendees checked out the booths on Lenoir Street, the musical sets could be heard in the distance. 

Staff members of Hot Girls Vote — an initiative by NextGen America promoting voter engagement — handed out surveys to attendees at one of these booths. 

Sydney Meeks, regional organizing director at NextGen America, explained that these surveys let the organization know what issues concern voters. This information can be forwarded to legislators and affect the laws that are passed.

"If we vote the way we as young people feel we want the world to see, things change and things happen," she said.

At the far end of the street, a large bus was parked next to the American Civil Liberties Union booth. This booth is one stop in the ACLU’s “Know Your Rights” bus tour, which aims to educate citizens about their voting rights. 

At the booth, attendees played a trivia game quizzing them on their voting rights and received free tote bags, fidget toys and other items.

Drag queen Kornbread Jeté, who was with ACLU, hosted trivia sessions on stage in between a few of the musical performances. 

Jeté said that the trivia questions are an easy way to give people information, even if participants get the questions wrong. 

“When they walked away from the stage, they knew the answers to each one of them — they knew what early voting was, they knew what they needed to get in order to vote,” she said. 

Kathy Nguyen, a Raleigh resident, said she heard about the event through her friend and that she enjoys how the speakers highlighted important topics. 

“I think it's made me more aware of how otherwise you can be involved with the election besides just volunteering at polling centers,” Nguyen said. 

Diamond Ridgeway, a local teacher and CarolinaDaze attendee, said she loves seeing the Raleigh community come out to try and get people registered to vote. Ridgeway said she was most excited to see Janelle Monáe. 

"Love of my life, low-key," she said about Monáe. 

Monáe closed out the festival with a one-hour performance where they performed high-energy songs like “Champagne Shit” and “Electric Lady” that had the crowd dancing along. Her set included numerous outfit changes, starting the set wearing a coat covered in flowers and ending it in a black and white suit. Monáe also invited eight people from the crowd to dance with her on stage. 

Part of the festival’s proceeds will be used to support six nonprofits, including Carolina Migrant Network and Campaign for Southern Equality. 

However, last Saturday’s festival was only the beginning. In the coming weeks, CarolinaDaze will be hosted in Asheville and Charlotte. More information can be found on the festival's website.