Silkroad Connect

In 2022, Sunset Cultural Center was pleased to bring Silkroad Connect to North Monterey County Middle School. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma conceived Silkroad in 1998 as a reminder that even as rapid globalization resulted in division, it brought extraordinary possibilities for working together. Silkroad Connect, launched in Fall 2021, was a partnership between Silkroad, The Kennedy Center's Turnaround Arts program, and middle school classrooms in under-resourced communities of color across the country that positioned the arts as a social justice and advocacy tool.

During this three-year pilot, Silkroad Connect offered students the opportunity to learn firsthand from Silkroad musicians, participate in the process of creative development, and examine how music and storytelling can confront erasure, retell historical untruths, and amplify the voices and contributions of marginalized communities.

Participating Schools Included:

• Orchard Gardens Pilot School John C. Fremont Elementary School, Boston, MA 
• Fremont School, Stockton, CA 
• North Monterey County Middle School, Castroville, CA 
• Parkway Middle School, Broward County, FL 
• Standing Rock, ND