Nomination for the Bah ai' Unity of Humanity Award

Written by Dottie Henderson for the Nomination of Dana Clark, January 2010

Any Bexar County resident may be nominated. The committee will recognize a person who makes deliberate, conscious efforts to unite people and work together for the betterment of our community.

1.  Please briefly give reasons for nominating this individual:

Dana Clark is in service to humanity and the world through a ministry of music as a singer, song writer, musician, poet, music teacher, and writer.  A review of her work consistently presents themes of unity, harmony and oneness in the world, healing differences, and treating everyone with dignity and respect.  Recognizing the importance of music to facilitate social change, Dana founded the San Antonio Peace Choir in 2006, a powerful, strategic tool that brought together people who had never before raised their voices and taken a stand for a community united in peace, love and brotherhood.  Dana brought this group of diverse singers together for the San Antonio Season for Nonviolence.  Serving as Producer of the CD Increase the Peace and as Project Coordinator of the CD Peace is Our Birthright, Dana brought together dozens of talented Texas and nationally known song writers and led the groups to the successful production of the musical message of harmony, unity and love.  Proceeds from the sale of these two CDs provided services for the homeless and for abused children in San Antonio.  Dana authored an article, "The Healing Power of Music", which was published in INSIGHTS ON THE JOURNEY.  In this article, Dana discusses "the power of music to enrich our human experience by calling forth a subtle variety of emotions and promoting healing and transformation by helping us integrate body, mind and spirit."  Listening to the words in Dana's music provides a window into her soul, a soul that stands for upholding the highest and best for all humanity.  In her article, "The Magic of Peacemaking with Music", she writes that "...music unifies us, creates a powerful vision of a better world, and makes us all believe we can make it come true."

2.  Promoted tolerance and brotherhood:

Dana's music goes beyond tolerance to an appreciation of the uniqueness of each individual and loving acceptance of all.  In her song, "World of Justice, World of Peace," from her Trust Your Heart to Lead You Home CD, she acknowledges that together we can walk hand in hand... "until all the dreams we dream will be reality..." creating the world that we want by working together.  In her song, "Rise and Take a Stand" from the same CD, she addresses the human problems of today's world and inspires changing the world one small step at a time.  Her words are reminiscent of Mother Teresa's example of doing small acts with great love.  In this song, Dana inspires a sense of community and belonging when she challenges us to see our neighbor with compassion, to love our neighbor, and to lend a helping hand.  Dana's recording, "Let's Be Friends", from the Disguised as Poetry CD, encourages love, tolerance and unity in an upbeat and playful melody.  She sings:  "It's very plain to see you're not the same as me, but together we can find out how good friends can be.  We will know each other's hearts before we're done.  For on the inside where it counts, we are one."

3. Appreciates other cultures:

Dana wrote and recorded "Singing the Same Song" from the CD Trust Your Heart to Lead You Home to celebrate the strength that comes from diversity.  Dana sings, "We seem to be so different, no two of us the same.  Yet we share a common purpose, though we may give it different names.  United in a hope that we can find a better way, trusting in each other we work toward a better day."  In Dana's mind, the world is one community.  She celebrates the commonalities that bind us together for all times while simultaneously appreciating the uniqueness of each one.  By including songs of peace and unity in different languages in her performances, Dana demonstrates how the energy of the song transcends the language it is sung in and brings forth the message of unity, oneness and hope.  Listen to the words from her song "World of Justice, World of Peace:  "Seven billion of us on a planet that's so small, someday we may realize we're family after all.  And when we reach out to heal each other, set each other free, we'll find only sisters, brothers, not one enemy."  In creating the Peace Choir, Dana's intent was to be as inclusive as possible and draw from a wide range of cultures to create a "rainbow of diversity".  The result was over a hundred singers from all socioeconomic backgrounds ranging in ages 4 years to 82 years of age.  Dana emphasized that singing in the Peace Choir was not about vocal technique.  In her article, "The Magic of Peacemaking with Music:  San Antonio Peace Choir", she states, "It is about being willing to allow oneself to become an instrument for the music of peace to sing itself into the world.  And so the Peace Choir was born and was brought together during the Season for Nonviolence, performing at various venues throughout the community.

4.  Peacefully resolves conflict:

Dana's finely tuned listening skills and the love that she brings to every human encounter make her a master of conflict resolution.  While working with both volunteer and professional singers, some participants complained to Dana that one singer was singing off key.  Dana listened carefully and thoughtfully, and then she responded.  She placed her fingers on the piano keys for the A7 chord.  However, she played only the A and G keys which produced a discordant sound.  Then she played all four keys of the A7 chord producing a harmonious sound.  Dana said this explains how choirs can sound good even when someone is singing slightly off key.  Then Dana went on to explain that when community choirs sing together over time, they innately begin to blend their voices and naturally create an organic harmonious sound.  Dana's point was that there is a place for everyone who wants to sing regardless of their ability, training or experience.  She then proceeded to demonstrate that in the rehearsal.  It didn't take long for everyone to understand and agree.  But, the lesson truly was about much more than music.  The real lesson was about love, acceptance, unity, and oneness.  Dana consistently ensures that everyone who wants to give the gift of song has the opportunity to do so.  To observe Dana in action resolving conflicts between musicians and weaving the various levels of musical contributions together is an amazing process... it is much more than just making music.  It is a testament to human possibilities and how we can learn to live together peacefully.

5. Eliminates prejudice in all its forms:

Dana accepts music students of all ages, abilities and disabilities.  While she has had great success with talented and gifted students as they often perform well in music competitions (with one of her students winning first place in the San Antonio Symphony's 2009 Future Stars Competition), there is no effort to screen out those who have little to no hope of performing on stage.  Dana believes that music is the domain of all humanity, not just the talented few.  In teaching students with learning disabilities as well as physical and emotional problems, Dana witnessed the success they had with music generalized to other areas of their lives.  Children developed self confidence and performed better in school.  Adults learned to express themselves and became empowered to take on other life challenges.  Again, the lessons Dana teaches are more than about music.  Her students look up to her as a role model and often participate with her in community service projects and then go on to volunteer with international service organizations to help meet basic needs and bring hope and peace to developing countries.  In Dana's song, "We Can Bring About What We Sing About" from her CD Disguised as Poetry, she inspires hope for the world.  Referring to world unity and harmony and showing the power of our voices to bring about hope and a better world for all, she states:  "We can bring about what we sing about, we sing about it to bring it about."  Dana speaks from such a strong core of peace that she lovingly addresses anything that might be taken or mistaken as a prejudicial comment in a manner that allows all parties to rise up to their highest self and see the highest and best in each other.

6. If you were introducing this nominee as a recipient of the Unity of Humanity Award, briefly explain what you would say: