Jackki Boyd remembers that first year at Station Hope, as the two groups she and others were representing, the African American Quilt & Doll Guild with the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers, were relegated to the basem*nt of the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.
“It was cold and dark down there,” Boyd says during a recent phone interview, “but no one complained.”
That’s because they thought of the runaway slaves who’d spent time hiding in that same space roughly two centuries earlier, as the church is Cleveland’s first authenticated Underground Railroad site.
“Cleveland was known as ‘Station Hope’ because they had hope if they reached this far,” Boyd says. “When they passed over to Canada, Canada was heaven. There was hope they could get to heaven (from Cleveland).”
Furthermore, she says, hearing all the revelry above them at that Station Hope — a presentation by Cleveland Public Theater, which will put on the 11th incarnation of the event on May 25 at the St. John’s — made them think about how those African-Americans on the run for their lives no doubt heard church services being conducted as they stayed quiet while hiding a level below.
“That’s how we related to that,” Boyd says.
Billed as a “unique social justice festival,” Station Hope this year will feature more than 100 artists performing social justice-inspired works. According to a news release from CPT, participants will include Djapo Cultural Arts Institute, African dance group Mojuba! Dance Collective, playwright Eric Schmiedl, Afro-fusion/hip-hop dance group Blakk Jakk Dance Collective, spoken word artist Fatima Matar, Restore Cleveland Hope and musical acts Anuvybe and New Genesis.
Outside, patrons will find the Activation Hope tent, which will serve as a hub for local social service agencies and other partnering non-profit organizations, the release states.
Another tent is designed for interactive activities for kids and adults alike.
Oh, and if you come hungry, food trucks will be ready to serve.
Again, you’ll find the groups represented by Boyd in that historically significant basem*nt, offering history and perspective both verbally and visually. There is a good deal of crossover between the groups.
“All the quilters are not storytellers, and all the storytellers are not quilters, but (some) are members of both,” she says. “And initially when they told us about the Station Hope program, we thought it was a great idea — not only for us to participate but to represent our groups.”
According to its website, the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers is a nonprofit organization “dedicated to the preservation and proliferation of the African Oral Tradition. As such, we serve a broad community base as performance artists, workshop facilitators, artists-in-residence, teaching artists and educators, with the African Oral Tradition always as the platform.”
Barbara Eady, Lucinda Stevens and Wanda Owens founded the organization in 1995, and Boyd once served as its president, she said.
Information about its annual Sisterhood Luncheon, on June 8, is available on its website.
The African American Quilt & Doll Guild was formed about a decade later, in 2006 “by three quilters and a dollmaker who wanted to explore quilting as an art form,” its website states. “Thirty-five women met for that first meeting. Since then, the group (has become) diverse (and) has grown to 70 members, including men. We ‘teach each other.’”
“We encourage young people to get into quilting,” Boyd says. “Quilting (has been done) forever — before we arrived on these lands. People have quilted for comfort (but also) to teach, and we consider our fabric artists.”
A retired educator, Boyd talks a lot about the importance of teaching younger generations.
“I love the way Station Hope has included groups that have interpretive dance or they’re representing other groups that have gone through certain injustices or certain situations (and) want to express to others how they felt about those situations,” she says. “And this (event encourages) all august to be involved — that’s one of my things.
“The young people are learning the history and enjoying learning the history and asking questions about it, and they come look at the quilts.”
She is thrilled that among those young people taking that interest are two grandchildren, Kai and Zoe, who, she says, will be with her this year at Station Hope.
“They can tell the stories, and they’re learning the history of this day and age,” she says.
While the two groups also focus on contemporary issues with their work — she mentions a quilt being made of then-President Barack Obama one year to celebrate the milestone of a Black person leading the free world, and while less pleasant subjects such as the death of George Floyd have spurred creation — she plans to focus this year on educating Station Hope patrons about other Civil War-era safe houses located in Ohio.
That brings us back to the church, itself a draw of Station Hope.
“While onsite,” states a news release from CPT, “one can’t help but look at the old church bell in the corner and wonder how many of the enslaved African-Americans made their way to freedom by the sight and sound of it.”
Boyd, who grew up in segregated schools in 1960s Cleveland, fears those she sees as wanting to take the country backward.
“We will have quilts about voting because that’s the No. 1 thing” right now,” she says, worrying that young folks especially will be less motivated to turn out on election day than “people who want to go back to the good old days.”
She adds, “I fear that, but I don’t worry about it because no matter what happens, we’ve been through worse times. We’ll get through this.”
Station Hope
When: 7 to 10 p.m. May 25.
Where: St. John’s Episcopal Church,2600 Church Ave., Cleveland.
Admission: Free.
Info: cptonline.org.
Quilt and doll show’
The African American Quilt & Doll Guild’s eighth biennial quilt and doll show,“Stitching Stories: Celebrating Our Heritage,” takes place May 17 at the Church of the Savior, 2527 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights.
