NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Cousinz Festival and JustUs Ideas partnered Friday to put on a non-partisan pre-festival summit at the Waterside District in downtown Norfolk.
Cousinz Festival partners with JustUs Ideas for “CousinzCon”
The summit included state and national organizations, as well as leaders focusing on educating, training and mobilizing around culture, criminal justice reform and civic engagement.
“You gotta have the conversation, you gotta plant the seed, you gotta find some inspiration from somewhere,” said Between the Lines founder Lamont Tory. “It’s a bunch of community leaders that are getting together and really talking about how we can influence change, ultimately, in the community.”
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“There’s gonna be thousands of concert-goers listening to music and enjoying themselves,” said Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party. “I think it’s actually really groundbreaking and exciting that we’re merging these two worlds. We’re merging the world of culture and music with the world of politics, advocacy, organizing and we’re bringing them together.”
Norfolk city councilman John “JP” Paige said the summit is a testament to the community’s desire to see real change…