Blues to Green, best known as the nonprofit that presents the free, annual Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival, utilizes music and other arts to center the cultures of the African diaspora within American culture, nurture personal freedom, strengthen multicultural community, and catalyze action for racial and climate justice. Inspired by famed musician Charles Neville and founded by his wife, we are a small, but mighty nonprofit led by Black Springfield community leaders. Learn more at bluestogreen.org.
Programs:
- Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival – A free, family-friendly annual music and arts in downtown Springfield, MA showcasing music & culture of the African diaspora, including: jazz, blues, funk, Latin, & African music, plus dance, spoken word, education connecting music history to racial and climate justice, & local crafts. The festival promotes arts access, social justice, environmentalism, & economic revitalization in Springfield.
- Arts for Racial & Climate Justice – Concerts and talks throughout the year offer music of the African diaspora and fascinating talks on its connections with racial and climate justice. This connects Black people with their heritage, combats racism, and promotes the arts as a tool for personal resilience and for racial and climate justice.
- Legacy Project – A program bringing acclaimed Black and Afro-Caribbean musicians into majority Black and Latinx Springfield public schools to use music of the African diaspora as a vehicle to teach Black history and literature. The Legacy Project helps correct white-centric education, combat racism, connect Black and Latinx students with their heritage, inspire students through the arts, and use the arts to engage students in school.
- Celebrating Charles Neville – Programming that shares the legacy of Charles Neville, inspiration for Blues to Green. “Horn Man: The Life & Musical Legacy of Charles Neville” is a museum exhibit on display at the Wood Museum of Springfield History, traces Neville’s fascinating life and musical influences. From growing up in a poor, New Orleans family surrounded by Mardi Gras music and Voodoo, to touring the segregated South as a Black musician, to imprisonment by the racist justice system, to decades of struggle with addiction, to worldwide fame, Neville’s story is an inspiration.
