The Reclaiming Folk Event Series is a celebration of people of color in Folk Music. Folk Music is traditional music, folk music is storytelling, folk music is music of the people, folk music is a voice for what’s happening in the world today.

In our society, there is often no space for marginalized people to tell their stories. The Reclaiming Folk seeks to make space for musicians of color to tell their stories and tell the stories of our past, so that our future can be a more inclusive place for all.

We are Reclaiming Folk, because history has forgotten that people of color have always been at the root of American Folk music. From field calls to Blues to Gospel, the origin of American Folk Music is connected to people of color.

This 90 minute program includes a 60 minute performance by Massachusetts-based folk artists of color singing songs in a round. This event features artists Naomi Westwater, Ronnica, and Prateek. Each musician will play original songs and one traditional folk song by a musician of color. Following the performance will be a 30 minute talk back and discussion where the musicians will talk about their songs and their experience as folk musicians and then the discussion will open up to a Q&A.

Naomi Westwater, Event Creator (they/she) is a queer, Black-multiracial singer-songwriter from Massachusetts. Their work combines folk music, poetry, and spirituality. Their hope is that through ritual and storytelling they can aid nature in the end of capitalism and the return of community, creativity, and collective joy. 

Naomi holds a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance and Production from Berklee College of Music and she is a part of The Club Passim Folk Collective, where she produces Re-Imagining Lilith Fair: a tribute to the feminist music scene of the 1990s with an intersection lens for today. Naomi was nominated for a 2021 and 2022 Boston Music Award for best singer-songwriter, and has been featured in The Boston Globe, Under The Radar, WBUR, WGBH, and The Bluegrass Situation.

Naomi is on faculty at Club Passim and Not Sorry Productions teaching songwriting, tarot, and poetry, and leads the Boston Chapter of We Make Noise. She is also an event producer and has produced shows at The Apollo Theatre, The Beacon Theatre, The Bell House, and more. Currently, Naomi is producing a series called Reclaiming Folk: A Celebration of People of Color in Folk Music.

More info @naomiwestwater and www.naomiwestwater.com.

Ronnica
Ronnica was born and raised in Boston in the neighborhood of Dorchester. She started Mint Green with drummer Daniel Huang in 2015. After two EPs, Mint Green released their debut LP "All Girls Go To Heaven" in June of 2022 on Pure Noise Records and have since won a Boston Music Award for Rock Artist of the Year. Mint Green has toured all over the U.S. and the U.K. and most recently have performed at festivals such as Boston Calling and In Between Days Fest. Mint Green's music hits the sweet spot between indie rock, pop, and alternative and speaks to the members of the rock community that are POC, queer, women, and non-men. Mint Green hopes to continue transcending physical borders and societal barriers with their unique and evolving sound.

More information at https://www.instagram.com/mintgreenmusic

Prateek
With his heartbreakingly powerful voice and incisive lyrics, Prateek (pruh - TEEK) has been described as “Not just any guy with a guitar…” by The Boston Globe. When you hear his music, you'll believe it too. Evolving away from the spare, Dylan-esque sound of his first EP, Prateek’s latest album “‘Til June” adds gritty electric guitars, silvery backing vocals, and a driving rhythm section, all in service of his tightly written, evocative songcraft. Prateek has been a Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Finalist and has been nominated for Singer-Songwriter of the Year at both the New England Music Awards and the Boston Music Awards. His music has seen rotation all over the radio including Sirius XM, 98.9 WERS, and 92.5 The River. Listen to "'Til June" now wherever music is sold or streamed.

Website: https://www.prateeksongs.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prateekmusic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prateekmusic