Soul Value, April Brown and Jessica Pearson
October 21, time TBD
Location TBD

Soul Value, performed by April H. Brown and Jessica T. Pearson, brings to life the stories of New England Black women—Elleanor Eldridge, Elizabeth Freemen, and Margaret Kinnicutt—and the men of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment during and after the American Revolutionary War. Through a dynamic blend of monologue, dance, ritual, and song, Soul Value highlights the untold contributions of Black men and women in New England history, focusing on their advocacy, resilience, and survival.

Jessica T. Pearson (she/her) is a Professor of Dance at Rhode Island College. Ms. Pearson is a dancer, educator and choreographer who danced with the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, Gesel Mason, Concepts In Motion (Bermuda), and Denizen Arts. As an educator of modern dance traditions, she has been invited to teach at Ballet West Summer Intensive, Brown University, Providence College, Urbanity Summer Intensive, University of Kentucky Lexington, Festival Ballet, and has taught overseas. Her choreography has been selected to perform at Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, Southern Vermont Dance Festival, and Collective Thread (NY). Urbanity Next, Utah Regional Ballet, Rhode Island College, Salve Regina University, University of Kentucky Lexington, University of Utah, and Providence College have commissioned choreography by Ms. Pearson. Ms. Pearson is currently training with Isaura Oliveira and Power of Skirts in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was a principal dancer in Hocus Pocus 2 and recently joined SAG-AFTRA. Prior to Rhode Island College, she was a Post MFA Fellow at the University of Utah. She received her MFA in Dance from the University of Colorado Boulder where she studied dance pedagogy and choreography and BFA in Dance from Towson University in Towson, Maryland.

April H. Brown is an educator, ordained minister, poet, singer, actor, and nationally recognized nonprofit leader whose work bridges the arts, education, and social justice. Based in Providence, Rhode Island, April brings over 25 years of experience in community development, cultural leadership, and educational equity. She also serves as Co-Director of the Langston Hughes Community Poetry Reading Committee, that amplifies Black literary voices through civic poetry gatherings. She is a fellow with Ocean Nexus within the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. Most recently April served as the Director of the Racial and Environmental Justice Committee, where she led strategic fundraising, stakeholder partnerships, and community-based initiatives to advance equity and sustainability.  April holds a Bachelor of Arts from American University and a Master of Education from the University of Rhode Island. She has worked in a wide array of professional and cultural settings, including with the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the National Museum of American History, where she helped produce landmark public events such as the National World War II Reunion and the Folklife Festival. Locally, she has collaborated with Rhode Island Black Storytellers, the National Association of Black Storytellers, and served as the African Marketplace Director. A deeply respected educator, April has served in various roles from Head Start Teacher to Local Program Director of Turnaround Arts: Providence, where she supported arts integration across public schools. She has designed culturally responsive curriculum, mentored educators, and led professional development that centers equity and artistic expression. Her extensive experience in pre-K through post-secondary education has focused on uplifting low-income, first-generation students and cultivating pathways to lifelong success. April was a Commissioner on the City of Providence’s Special Committee for Commemorative Works, where she helped shape inclusive public memory and civic representation. Her leadership was been instrumental across numerous initiatives involving environmental justice, youth empowerment, arts education, and volunteer engagement. Her areas of expertise include curriculum and program design, nonprofit leadership, stakeholder management, fundraising strategy, and community-based storytelling. April is a compelling public speaker and writer, April has performed across the U.S., Japan, and Israel, and continues to integrate the arts into every facet of her leadership practice. “For April, arts practice is the way we speak life into humanity.”