Salem To Host Voices of Belonging Event At Palmer Cove Park

Salem and the North Shore Community Development Coalition will host Salem 400+ Voices of Belonging on Sept. 5 at Palmer Cove Park.

The free public event is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. at the park at 38 Leavitt Street, with attendees asked to bring their own seating.

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The event is part of Salem 400+, the city's ongoing quadricentennial initiative honoring Salem's past, present and future.

The Voices of Belonging series has historically been hosted by North Shore CDC to celebrate local culture, support community engagement and build neighborhood pride.

The city said the series highlights the people and stories that make up Salem's neighborhoods, aligning with the goals of Salem 400+.

"Salem 400+ is a reflection of the incredible diversity and community spirit of our city today," said Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo. "Partnering with the North Shore CDC to celebrate local artists, in one of our recently improved Signature Parks, is a powerful way of doing precisely that.

As our year-long quadricentennial celebrations continue, we're so excited to bring Salem 400+ Voices of Belonging to Palmer Cove Park."

Felicia Pierce, CEO of North Shore CDC, said the organization's work in Salem dates back decades and includes advocacy tied to housing, youth development, historic preservation, climate justice and economic opportunity.

She also pointed to the group's public art initiative and its history in the Point neighborhood.

"Since 1978, North Shore CDC and our founding organization have worked alongside residents of the Point neighborhood and throughout Salem to uplift their voices, share their stories, and advocate for community priorities from affordable housing and youth development to historic preservation, climate justice, and economic opportunity," she said. "Through our internationally recognized public art initiative, the Punto Urban Art Museum (PUAM), we have celebrated the Point's rich history as a welcoming community for generations of new arrivals while using public art to uplift community stories, beautify the neighborhood, and support economic growth."

The afternoon will include food from the Copacabana Food Truck, a panel discussion with artists Sheila Farren Billings, Kedrin Alexander Frias and Vicky Ortega, and a performance by Salem Youth Poet Laureate Lianna Galvan.

The artists are expected to discuss artwork celebrating Salem's history and the history of the Point neighborhood.

After the panel discussion, attendees can join guided tours of NSCDC and the Punto Urban Art Museum's Muñeca sin Rostro sculptures in the park or take a mini-tour of the open-air museum aboard the Salem Trolley.