Madison Square Park: ‘Procession of Angels for Radical Love and Unity’

Harlem Art Park, 'Dos Alas (Two Wings)' Mural, & El Museo del Barrio

Procession of Angels for Radical Love and Unity is a collaborative initiative that brings together a multigenerational procession of people throughout New York City to envision how communities can gather as a collective force with a common purpose in turbulent times. Organized by Madison Square Park Conservancy in partnership with Harlem Art Park and conceived by artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Procession of Angels for Radical Love and Unity convenes participants to walk together from Harlem Art Park to Madison Square Park, tracing the steps of the past in order to build an inclusive future.

Across two mornings (September 7 & 20), seven stops along the route mark sites that were historically filled with agency, optimism, or trauma. Selected for their significance to New York City populations including Black, Cuban, and Cuban-American communities, each stop on the walk will be activated by poetry readings, culminating with an artmaking workshop and music performances.

Saturday, September 7, from 9 AM to 12:30 PM: First procession, which will include the following:

• Harlem Art Park: The procession convenes with welcome remarks by Campos-Pons and leadership from Harlem Art Park and Madison Square Park Conservancy, a poetry reading by Richard Blanco, and a performance by neighborhood musicians.
• Dos Alas (Two Wings) Mural: A stop at this forty-foot mural representing revolutionaries Ernesto Che Guevara and Pedro Albizu Campos includes a poetry reading by Marina Ortiz.
• El Museo del Barrio: The procession concludes with a poetry reading by ten-year-old Kayden Hern and an artmaking workshop including the creation of puppets, flags, and signs to be used for the procession on September 20. With participation by Zenan Calero and Rubén Darío Salazar, Puppeteers, Teatro Guiñol Nacional (National Puppet Theater Company) of Cuba.