Trees use the hoarding tendencies of squirrels to their advantage to reproduce, producing nuts that are odorless and surrounded by tough shells so that their unwitting collaborators will forget the location of their stash, allowing the nuts to germinate.

“Wake Up! Wake Up! A Choral Tapestry Honoring Our Earth” is a program of choral settings of music that anticipates and was inspired by the Environmental Justice movement, with a musical message transcending class, race, religious, and political boundaries: that all of creation is worth protecting. The program is interspersed with narration by the preeminent Environmental Justice scholar and author Dr. Dorceta E. Taylor, reading selections from her book Toxic Communities, in the role of a modern prophet giving a sermon on the damage wrought by environmental racism.

The program will feature a choral preview of excerpts from Earth Requiem, a newly commissioned four-movement symphony with a libretto by Diana Wege. The excerpts are from the third and fourth movement, composed by the critically acclaimed British composer Errollyn Wallen and five time Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal respectively. Earth Requiem is a multidisciplinary art project by Wege that incorporates music, literature, and painting. This socially distanced performance is presented as part of the Make Music New York festival. Entrance is free to the public, but seating is limited on a first come, first served basis. The concert will also be streamed live on WOVEN's Facebook page. Contact earthrequiem.project@gmail.com for more info.

Make Music New York a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization whose mission connects New Yorkers through music, bringing bold new artistic creations to life, and uniting diverse communities in a spirit of celebration, energizing the New York City’s shared social spaces.

It is also a unique festival of free concerts in public spaces throughout the five boroughs of New York City that take place annually on June 21st, the first day of summer and longest day of the year. Make Music New York is open to anyone who wants to take part. Along with concerts by individual artists, Make Music New York proudly partners with dozens of fellow NYC presenters and cultural institutions. Make Music New York is inspired by France’s “Fête de la Musique,” a national musical holiday inaugurated in 1982.

Serves 4

2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight & drained

2 medium heads cauliflower

1 medium-small ripe tomato, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons lemon juice

¼ cup cider vinegar

4 tablespoons chili powder

¼ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon oregano

A pinch of ground cumin

A pinch of ground cinnamon

A pinch of ground allspice

Chopped parsley

1. Cut each of the cauliflower heads in half lengthwise through the stem, then cut away the rounded top, so that you have four 1-inch thick “steaks” held together by the stem. Reserve the leftover cauliflower florets.

2. Add chili powder, cashews, about 2 cups of the leftover cauliflower florets, tomato, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, and vinegar to a large pot and pour over 2 ½ cups of water. Add the salt, cumin, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes uncovered, stirring frequently.

3. Allow the mixture to cool and carefully add to a food processor or blender and process to a smooth purée.

4. Place the cauliflower steaks in a large container and pour the cooled sauce over, then cover and let marinate, shaking to coat, about 30 minutes while you prepare the grill.

5. Remove the cauliflower from the container and reserve the sauce, wiping excess sauce from the cauliflower.

6. Place the cauliflower on the grill and cook each side for about 6 minutes.

7. To serve, place the grilled cauliflower on a plate and spoon the sauce over them. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Toxic Communities: Environmental Racism, Industrial Pollution, and Residential Mobility by Dorceta E. Taylor

Dr. Dorceta Taylor is a professor at the Yale School for the Environment. Prior to that she was a professor of environmental sociology at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) for 27 years. She was the James E. Crowfoot Collegiate Chair and the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SEAS. She also held a joint appointment with the Program in the Environment. Dr. Taylor is the former Field of Studies Coordinator for SEAS’ Environmental Justice Program and a past Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Environment and Technology Section. Professor Taylor received her PhD and master’s degrees from the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the Department of Sociology at Yale University in 1991, 1988, and 1985.

Taylor’s 2014 book, Toxic Communities: Environmental Racism, Industrial Pollution, and Residential Mobility, examines the racial and socio-economic dimensions of exposure to environmental hazards in the U.S. Dr. Taylor also authored a landmark national report in 2014, The State of Diversity in Environmental Institutions: Mainstream NGOs, Foundations, and Government Agencies. She authored a second diversity report in 2014 entitled, Environmental Organizations in the Great Lakes Region: An Assessment of Institutional Diversity.

Dr. Taylor was honored by the Smithsonian Institution in 2019. She is the recipient of several awards including the National Audubon Society Women in Conservation Award, the National Science Foundation Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, the Burton V. Barnes Award for Academic Excellence from the Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Charles Horton Cooley Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the Michigan Sociological Association, and the Frederick B. Buttel Distinguished Contribution Award from the Environment and Technology Section of the American Sociological Association.