Ingrid Askew and the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage

Black in Boston and Beyond

In this episode Dr. Hettie V. Williams is in conversation with the formidable Ingrid Askew. Williams is the current director of the Trotter Institute at University of Massachusetts Boston and Askew is a well-known activist and culture worker and Executive Director of the Crossing the Waters Institute for Cultural Exchange located in Boston. Askew is also an African American actress, stage director, educator and cultural activist. In this discussion Askew discusses here life in the arts, faith and social justice activism including her role in helping to advance the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage Retracing the Journey of Slavery. The Interfaith Pilgrimage from 1998 to 1999 that involved walking from New England, down the eastern coast of the USA, across the Atlantic and walking on foot through West Africa. This journey took a total of thirteen months and involved people from various faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds. It has been profiled on PBS in the series This Far By Faith. The Interfaith Pilgrimage has been recognized by the Parliament of World Religions in 1999 as a Gift of Service to the World. For more about Askew’s work click here: Crossing the Waters Institute for Cultural Exchange