Back Pages Books &  The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice  Present    DAMIAN PLATT  Culture is Our Weapon Making Music and Changing Lives in Rio di Janeiro In 1993 the Brazilian police massacred 21 people in Rio di Janeiro.  Out of the tragedy Grupo Cultural AfroReggae emerged - a community-based organization that takes youth out of shantytown gangs and fights back against violence with art. Join us for a panel discussion with activist, journalist, and author Damian Platt as he discusses how culture has put violence and terror on notice in one of the most dangerous places in South America. Panelists include: SAPNA PADTE, Director of Consulting & Training, Teen Empowerment, Boston KIM DAWSON, Director of Programs for ZUMIX, an organization that serves empowered urban youth through music.  MARCUS SANTOS, a contemporary percussionist and educator, and native of Bahia, Brazil.  Damian Platt was born in Nairobi and grew up in West London. He was a Brazil Campaigner for Amnesty International between 1997 and 2005, where he researched human rights in the USA, Colombia, Haiti and Brazil among other countries. Between 2006 and 2008 he was the Coordinator for International Partnerships at the cultural group AfroReggae in Rio de Janeiro. He is currently involved in a number of cultural projects in Rio, including the setting up of a cultural centre in Providência, the first officially recognized favela in Brazil.  This event is free and open for all and is co-sponsored by Back Pages Books and The Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice.