FINDING MY TEAM: LITTLE AMAL VISITS GULFTON

In Gulfton, the “Ellis Island” of Houston, the public is invited to walk with Little Amal, the internationally-celebrated 12-foot-tall puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl, as part of her epic 6,000-mile journey across the United States.

DiverseWorks and Brave Little Company, together with artists and organizers Afsaneh Aayani, Adam Castañeda, Eepi Chaad, Sherry Cheng, Hessam Dianpour, Bennie Flores Ansell, Apollo Chamber Players, WindSync, the Amaanah Refugee Services, Madres Del Parque, Connect Community, and Culture of Health – Advancing Together (CHAT), and others, will amplify Little Amal’s message of hope and the bravery of refugees and immigrants everywhere through a live welcoming performance by local artists, musicians and neighborhood groups in Burnett Bayland Park.

Fast-moving soccer players, skateboarders, and dancing flowers, choreographed by Adam Castañeda, will lead Little Amal through Burnett Bayland Park to find a game just her size. Participating soccer teams include the Amaanah Lions and SER-Niños Middle School Eagles. The performance will conclude with a meet and greet with community leaders and a live concert of music by Syrian, Brazilian, and U.S. composers performed by the Apollo Chamber Players and WindSync that aim to create harmony and resonance with Amal’s efforts to inspire conversations about the refugee stories of America.

Together we will amplify her message through her incredible journey, empowering the voices of those she represents and the communities she’ll meet in Houston. We can’t wait to welcome Little Amal to our city and spread hope!

Amal’s visit to Houston is part of Amal Walks Across America, a nationwide journey spanning more than 40 cities and towns, 100 events, and 1,000 artists and organizational partners.

While Amal is in Houston, besides visiting Gulfton at 3:30 PM, she will also walk Downtown (12:30 PM, event organized by Alley Theatre) and in Third Ward (6:30 PM, event organized by Ensemble Theatre).

Thank you to our community partner organizations:
Amaanah Refugee Services
Amaanah Lions
BakerRipley
Connect Community
Culture of Health – Advancing Together (CHAT)
Developing Today’s Potential Foundation (DTP)
Houston Public Library
Madres Del Parque
MECA (Multicultural Education and Counseling through the Arts)
PAIR (Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees
SER-Niños Middle School – Eagles
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church – Gethsemane
The Alta Arts

Thank you to our community supporters:
The Alliance, Asia Society Texas Center, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, CRECEN, The Future Beyond Charity, Houston Coalition Against Hate (HCAH), Institute for Global Engagement, Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council #27, YMCA International Services.

SUPPORT

Finding My Team: Little Amal Visits Gulfton is produced by DiverseWorks and Brave Little Company in collaboration with the national Amal Walks America production. Support for this project is funded in part by a City’s Initiative Grant from the City of Houston through the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Houston Arts Alliance, and an Arts Respond Grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts. Additional support is from the Brown Foundation, Inc., Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, Houston Endowment, and Ruth Foundation for the Arts.

Amal Walks Across America is produced by The Walk Productions in association with the Handspring Puppet Company. Amal Walks Across America was made possible with an inaugural investment from the Doris Duke Foundation, as well as leadership support from the Bezos Family Foundation. Additional generous support was provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Choose Love, The Conrad Prebys Foundation, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, the McMillan Stewart Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, The Shapiro Foundation, and Students Rebuild. U.S. Producing Partner THE OFFICE performing arts+film. Impact + Outreach The Soze Agency. Marketing Cause Lab. PR + Communications DKC.