Center for the Study of Slavery
Center for the Study of Slavery
Michaela Harrison, a black woman with long braids, wearing a blue and white dress, sings at a microphone on stage. Behind her is a pianist, also singing.
Past Events

D.C. Emancipation Day Events Featuring Michaela Harrison

April 16, 2026

In commemoration of D.C. Emancipation Day 2026, the Center for the Study of Slavery and Its Legacies was honored to host two events featuring the work of Michaela Harrison (SFS ’92). On April 16, Micheala and her band presented “Wade In The Water” in Gonda Theatre, a musical and multimedia experience exploring the Black Atlantic through her project, Whale Whispering. Harrison’s work incorporates live performance and communal singing to explore themes of survival, adaptation, interdependence, and ancestral wisdom from the Middle Passage to contemporary movements for liberation, environmental justice, and repair.

As an accompaniment to the musical performance, on April 18, Michaela led a waterfront ceremony to honor the history of Black communities on the Potomac River and support current efforts to clean and heal the Potomac using practices that have sustained people of African descent throughout the diaspora. The waterfront event was hosted by the Potomac Boat Club.

To learn more, a profile of Michaela’s work was featured in the Spring 2025 Georgetown Magazine.

Michaela Harrison and her band, consisting of a pianist, a bassist, and a drummer, perform on a large stage. Behind them is a screen showing a beach scene.
A large group of people walk through an outdoor brick archway.
Michaela Harrison, a black woman wearing all white, stands on a wooden pier and sings into a microphone. A table with a bouquet of flowers sits beside her.
A group of people stand on a wooden pier. One man throws a small flower into the water.
Michaela Harrison pours water next to the base of a small tree. Two other people stand behind the tree, leaning towards the tree.