‘Barefoot on the Boulevard’ to link music, food
and sustainability on April 6

SMU’s student-organized “Barefoot on the Boulevard” sustainability and music festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6, on the Bishop Boulevard lawn, just south of the landmark SMU flagpole.

SMU's Barefoot on the BoulevardDALLAS (SMU) – SMU’s student-organized “Barefoot on the Boulevard” sustainability and music festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 6, on the Bishop Boulevard lawn, just south of the landmark SMU flagpole.

Free and open to the public, “Barefoot” will feature a short talk and concert at 4:30 p.m. by former Sudanese child soldier and hip-hop humanitarian Emmanuel Jal, whose appearance is being made possible by the organizers of Engineering & Humanity Week.  Jal’s international hit, “We Want Peace,” features strings by musician Peter Gabriel, and his message has garnered support from actor George Clooney, musician Alicia Keys, billionaire businessman Richard Branson and Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the U.N. For his SMU appearance Saturday, Jal will be accompanied by musicians from the Meadows School of the Arts.

Sponsored by Students For a Better Society and the SMU Sustainability Committee, “Barefoot on the Boulevard” also will feature student bands, food and booths featuring environmental organizations and vendors as well as caricature and henna artists.

“We are putting this together so we can encourage the student body to be involved with environmental organizations at SMU and in the DFW area,” said “Barefoot” organizer Jennifer Lauren Smith.  “And you get free sunshine, music and atmosphere!”

Smith said the student bands will play in this order:  The Southern Gentlemen, JSpear, Sean Hadeler, Adam the Bard, Chris Escarfullery, Sudie and Dan Howard.  Food will be available from Chipotle, Spiral Diner, Pluckers and Kalachandji's.  Jal’s performance will close the festival.

Find out about other sustainability-related events in April, including the Sustainability Film Festival and Engineering & Humanity Week, at http://www.smu.edu/News/2013/sustainability-events-28march2013.

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