"Ella's Song" - Memorial Day Collaboration with Minneapolis VA

"Ella's Song"
by Bernice Johnson Reagon
Yasmin Bradshaw & Jada Eliece, soloists
OutLoud!, featured ensemble
A collaboration between Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus and Minneapolis Veteran's Affairs Hospital - Memorial Day 2021
Minneapolis VA Speakers:
Brad Doboszenski, Public Affairs Officer
Quentin "Q" Mason, Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist
“Ella’s Song” creates a poignant intersection honoring those who served and those who serve our communities today through their efforts to create equity in social justice. The opening line states, “We who believe in freedom cannot rest.” Those words are strong reminders that our personal freedoms are protected daily by our military service members. Equally, those words remind us that for some, freedom is not equitable, and that complete freedom will not be reached by those who give up. In a not too distant past when people who are trans were banned from serving in the military, or when the country sees a disproportionate amount of police brutality towards people of color, the existing inequities are obvious. -Dr. Gerald Gurss, TCGMC Artistic Director
Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus thanks those who have served our country and stands with those who are currently working for social freedoms.