D/FW Interfaith Councils Unite Community through the Arts

Featured Photo: Thanksgiving Square, Dallas, Texas. (Stock photo) All other photos for this story are by Anne Perry and Peggy Williams.

Interfaith activities in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex take varied forms, requiring months of planning and coordination. Two such events happened on Saturday, November 12, with audiences and participants experiencing both artistic and cultural enjoyment.

Since 2020, the Festival of Gratitude, sponsored by the Interfaith Council of the Thanks-Giving Foundation, has offered art and music from faith communities in the area. The first art-themed venture was virtual because of COVID; artists displayed works via video as they explained their inspiration. Artists did come to The Crow Museum of Asian Art for interviews and a panel discussion on one day. This broadcast can be viewed here. The festival venue moved in 2021 to the Winspear Opera House in Hamon Hall. The artists were students from the Dallas Independent School District. Middle schoolers were asked to reflect on the topic of gratitude. An element of the written word was added, with high school students invited to share their responses.

The 2022 festival again celebrated student art but moved to Dade Middle School in South Dallas. This campus enrolls 100% economically disadvantaged students. The quality of their art, however, exceeded all expectations. Painting on the topic of gratitude, these students revealed a sensitive understanding of the impact their families have had on their success: Their inspiration was “remember who planted the tree when you pick the fruit,” an old Vietnamese proverb. A wide variety of subjects were depicted—from pets to video games, sunsets to flowers. Nearly 300 works were displayed.

High school students wrote on gratitude as well. Many wrote about members of their families: mothers, fathers, grandmothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, godmothers and stepmothers, aunts and uncles. One student mentioned Fritz Pollard and Bobby Marshal, the first African-American players in the National Football League in 1920. Pollard went on to become the first African-American NSL coach. A number of students wrote about the effects that loss and grief can have. The pandemic has not been easy for them, but they reflected on Amanda Gorman’s statement: “So don’t ignore the pain. Give it purpose. Use it. In testing times, we became the best of beings.” As with the art, variety was remarkable. Students wrote about everything from families and friends, to shoes and small gestures, from milpas (a field for growing corn) to favorite music groups (Youngeun and Prince.) The writers know who their #1 fans are, too, and gave them credit for bringing them this far in life.

Their words were brought to life in a dramatic reading performed for the audience by Ayra Perryman and her student, Malaysia. Other groups included the Dade Cheer Squad, Native American dancers, a Folklorico soloist, traditional Indian dancers, the Comstock Dancers (a girls’ dance troupe from Lincoln High), and Exzavier, a hip-hop dancer. A moving moment of the event happened when the leader of the Native American group asked the audience to join her onstage for a circle dance, and other performers came as well.

Members of the Dallas Interfaith Council committee (Almas Muscatwalla, Rosie Stromberg, Anahita Sidhwa, Mary Ann Taylor, Peggy Williams) joined with the ONE+ONE Dallas representative for Dade Middle School (LaTonya Gunter and rev. Holly Bandel) in this effort. ONE+ONE pairs schools in South Dallas/Fair Park area with faith communities that provide volunteers and other support. Two teachers collaborated directly with the committee and functioned as liaisons with their students. LaTonya Gunter at Dade and Ayra Perryman at Lincoln High School are art teachers, but they do much more on their campuses. They sponsor chess clubs, coach volleyball, and prepare participants for UIL competitions.

US Representative Colin Allred prepared a letter of congratulation to all the participants, read by Judith Tankel.

The Southern Dallas Interfaith Council event held Saturday night also took extensive planning. Members of the Council, community members from the Baha’i, Muslim, and Jewish faiths along with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints met for an interfaith dinner celebrating the culture of Mexico. Beautiful decorations were provided by Linda Guajardo. Youth from two Spanish-speaking congregations performed Folklorico dances before the dinner of traditional Mexican dishes including mole and posole. Serafin Romero sang and later taught salsa steps with his wife, Ivon. A group of mariachi musicians, led by Nadia Eimandoust, performed several numbers and invited the audience to dance to the last two, with great success.  Santiago Jimenez, originally from Mexico, presented a brief video showing aspects of the history, food, and cultures of his home country. He serves in church leadership for the area. Mark Romney, another leader, was born in El Paso, but his grandparents had left what was known as the Mormon colonias in Mexico when driven out by Pancho Villa. He, too, is fluent in Spanish and addressed the group in closing.

Because of the close association with members of the Baha’i faith, the Southern Dallas Interfaith Council announced the next international dinner will feature Persian (Iranian) food on February 25, 2023. The faith originated in the 19^th century in Iran and other parts of the Middle East, but it now has adherents throughout the world. Anne served as one of the emcees of Saturday night’s program. She and her husband Tim have just completed a Baha’i-themed film called Abdul-Baha’ in France 1911-1913 and plan its premiere in Dallas soon.

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Mary Ann Taylor is communications director for the Dallas Texas Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Duncanville.