IWTAS was thrilled to hear about the return of Thao Nguyen to Off Broadway, this time with her band The Get Down Stay Down in tow (last time she played STL, she captivated a packed house at OB on the Thao + Mirah tour). More thrilled were we to join KDHX as a host of the show soon after it was announced, which allows us the editorial license to gush about the upcoming event all over the Internet.

Photo by Nick Waller.

Aside from her spectacular 2013 album, We the Common, ‘Thao the Person’ has spent the last several years building herself a meaningful life somewhat apart from ‘Thao the Musician’.

Nguyen’s work with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners provides an example of artists — in a media age that seems to require tireless self-promotion — who can leverage their creative pursuits to accomplish positive work on behalf of others. We the Common was not necessarily a by-product of Nguyen’s time with the CCWP, but the record borrows heavily from her experiences with the prisoners and their often harrowing stories. WtC is an album that reveals a musician who listens as earnestly as she speaks; the music and the message are better for it.

In every city on her tour, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down have chosen a non-profit to promote at the show. A stop in St. Louis this time around means support for Safe Connections, a wonderful organization about which we were excited to learn more and to share with our readers.

Lauren Keefer, Safe Connections on Campus Coordinator, spoke to us about SC’s mission, their role at the Thao show, and how creative arts and advocacy can intersect:

First off, Lauren, tell me about Safe Connections, its role in St. Louis, and also your role at SC.

The mission of Safe Connections is to reduce the impact and incidence of relationship violence and sexual assault through education, crisis intervention, counseling, and support services. We were founded in 1976 and remain the St. Louis region’s oldest and largest locally-established nonprofit specializing in domestic and sexual violence prevention, intervention, and recovery.

I’m really proud to be a part of this organization because, simply speaking, we help survivors of trauma in inclusive ways. We have a 24-hour crisis helpline run by a really well-trained group of volunteers and staff. I recommend our helpline for all people to use. It’s great for getting guidance on how to help a friend. Seriously, I leave our helpline cards around town on bulletin boards in coffee shops and in bar bathrooms! We also have free therapy services for all genders of youth and anyone that self-identifies as an adult woman. I am very proud to say that we are planning on expanding our counseling services by 2015 to serve all genders of adults! Traditionally, these “issues” have been associated exclusively with women, but we know that men, transfolks, and LGB folks are all affected by relationship and sexual violence as well.

Our Prevention Education team has educators working in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and alternative settings across the St. Louis Metro Area. We talk about dating violence prevention, sexual assault prevention, and most recently, creating safer schools and communities for LGBTQ young people. I got started 3 years ago at Safe Connections as a Project HART Educator, working with middle/high school age youth. What an amazing experience! Kids LOVE talking about relationships and crave the opportunity to learn about how to have healthy relationships. For a Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies major who nerded out on violence prevention in college, this job was a dream come true! Then, in January 2012, I took over as Coordinator of our Safe Connections on Campus program.

Safe Connections on Campus’ goal is to engage students, faculty and staff on college campuses in the movement to end relationship and sexual violence. We provide resources for those seeking help, facilitate presentations and workshops, and help organize campus-wide events. Our programs focus on the primary prevention of sexual violence through promoting campus environments that encourage respect, equality, healthy relationships, and healthy sexuality.

Thao is spending time on tour promoting women’s health orgs (as she’s done in the past). What’s the nature of your involvement in Sunday’s show, and how did your people get in touch with Thao’s?

Two years ago, when Mirah + Thao were on tour, I found out they were supporting local organizations that serve women and children affected by abuse. First of all, I said to myself: “OMG, Mirah + Thao!” (no joke) Then, I said: “OMG, that’s my personal mission and Safe Connections’ mission!” It was pretty exciting stuff. If I’m remembering correctly, you and I corresponded a bit because IWTAS was one of the sponsors of the show (so cool!), and I also corresponded with Air Traffic Control (ATC). As it turned out Mirah + Thao were already working with another local organization, but that began a really neat relationship between Safe Connections and Air Traffic Control. ATC “provides strategy and support to cultural leaders so they can play an effective and vital role in the promotion of social justice” (www.atctower.net). They are an organization that is passionate about making the connection between art and advocacy. Seriously, how cool is that?

Last summer, ATC connected My Morning Jacket with Safe Connections, and they chose us as a “tour beneficiary.” A few coworkers and I had a really neat experience getting to set up a table at the Peabody and interacting with all the stoked fans on their way into the venue.

This Sunday, I’ll be at Off Broadway for the Thao and the Get Down Stay Down show, with Safe Connections materials in hand! We are so incredibly excited that Thao and her band chose us as a local organization with the help of ATC.

Describe a project or event at Safe Connections about which you’re especially proud.

This is a tough question because I am really proud of some seemingly small moments, connecting with youth (getting them to laugh or be excited about an issue), providing resources to a survivor, empowering someone to take action in their community. Those are really proud moments.

In terms of projects or events, I’ve been really proud of my college students coming together to create some really engaging and moving events during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (which happens every year in April) and Domestic Violence Awareness Month (which happens every month in October).

I’ve worked with young people to plan a Take Back the Night event that involved some aspects of a poetry slam, while also honoring the history of the event with silent vigils and speak outs. I was both nervous and excited when they asked me to close out the night after the vigil—I ended up doing a poem-ish speech. I think it’s somewhere on YouTube, but be warned that sometimes I pace a lot when I am pumped about a subject!

I’m also really proud of an event I planned last October, called Night of Healing, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It was sponsored by a couple of local coalitions that Safe Connections is a part of, and we were so lucky to have the event at the Regional Arts Commission. The event was in honor of survivors in our lives and community, as well as us re-envisioning our city as a community free from violence. I emceed the event, with a handful of speakers (poets, survivors, musicians) and local organizations there to provide resources. The event was so moving. Every time I am in a space like that, it makes me proud to be a part of a group of people that are taking time out of their busy days to talk about something heavy, to bear witness to suffering, and to dedicate themselves to changing their community. It’s powerful.

As a side note: on a whim, I asked Tef Poe (St. Louis Rapper & RFT Music Contributor) to speak at the event after reading his piece “Does Hip-Hop Respect Women?” We assumed he would be too busy with his tour schedule, but he surprised us all with an enthusiastic “yes” about three minutes after I messaged him on Facebook!

Aside from Thao, give us another artist, band, or music project that you appreciate from an advocacy standpoint.

This is a tough question, Jess. I respect a lot of artists for their advocacy (which can look really different depending on your definition of advocacy). I am going to say… Yoko Ono. I just love her.

Advocacy and music (along with other creative arts) have always intermingled. How can we make giving back to the overall community a more active part of the STL music community?

First of all, I love to think of the term advocacy in a really universal sense. Too often it ends up exclusively feeling like a professional title, when in reality anyone can and should be an advocate. The beautiful thing I see uniting artists and advocates is a devotion to vision, a drive to follow one’s gut, and the potential to effect so much change in this world.

Music is this perfect example of how plastic this concept of advocacy can be. On the one hand, music can have a deeply personal effect on an individual, inciting an infinite amount of feelings or actions. On the other hand, musicians can very specifically or directly advocate through the songwriting, through attachment to a “cause,” or even through financial support.

It usually follows that people are more interested in building and advocating for anything they feel some sense of ownership toward. I use the term ownership here in a “power to” not a “power over” sense. In St. Louis, it would make the most sense to put action to the “think globally act locally” idiom. St. Louis musicians are probably (hopefully) going to be invested in St. Louis. This follows that same “St. Louisans should get out and support St. Louis music” idea except we can add the dimension of “supporting St. Louis causes.” If your passion is the environment or education or getting people to bike to work or eradicating sexual violence—you can do that here! On a national level, it is really amazing that professional touring musicians are localizing their advocacy the way Thao Nguyen or Mirah Zeitlyn or My Morning Jacket has done through ATC. Choosing agencies in each city, giving that city the opportunity to connect and be proud on a totally different level.

All of this being said, my partner is a local musician. So I know it’s not the most lucrative gig (says the activist/educator), especially if you’re writing original music. I would never expect local musicians to fork over the bit of money that they made at a show—especially when you consider: the door person (see what I did there?), sound person, and venue will take a cut, and they probably are dividing it among several bands or potentially handing it all over to the touring act.

Do most local nonprofits need financial help? Yes. But, there are other things musicians can do to engage personally as well as encourage engagement. Volunteer. Play your music for clients at a local agency (get their consent first!). Teach a songwriting class. Bring some drums for kiddos to bang on. Let agencies put resources out next to the merch booth. TALK ABOUT THINGS YOU CARE ABOUT! Write songs about it. Draw attention. It’s okay to be mad about something you care about, just don’t alienate people with your anger in the process. Find ways to connect and communicate with other human beings. And what do they say is the universal language? Music.

When I am in classrooms or speaking at events, I like to end with: “No one has to do everything, but everyone can do something.” To me, that is the core of advocacy—I tell young people all the time that we can change the world together by being compassionate, speaking truth to power, and intervening (safely) as a bystander when we see something we’re not cool with. I am aware it can come across as cheesy or maybe even naive, but I really believe this! I believe in magic; I believe that our world is constructed and can be changed.

For more information on Safe Connections:

Safe Connections
2165 Hampton Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63139

Office: 314.646.7500
24-Hour Crisis Helpline: 314.531.2003

www.safeconnections.org
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Safe-Connections/78552217908
https://www.facebook.com/ProjectHART
https://www.facebook.com/SafeConnectionsonCampus

@SafeConnections
@ProjectHART
@SConCampus

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down will play Off Broadway this Sunday, August 18th with (the very, very amazing) Lady Lamb the Beekeeper. Tickets are still available here. Thanks for your support.