Voices of Myanmar

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The Voices of Myanmar Gospelchoir was founded in 2010 when refugee communities from Myanmar sought a way to say thank you for the opportunity to find refuge in this country. The civil war in Myanmar, from which these Karen children were rescued, is the longest civil war in the history of the world, having begun in 1948. But each of the different people groups have their own war against the Burmese government. Thus the Chin and many other groups have begun to immigrate to our shores. The VOM choir demonstrates the contribution immigration has made to America, even today.

Through music, the choir offers a platform for expression, healing, and connection. It brings together voices that carry stories of resilience, unity, and faith.

MarkRitchie.Me

Check him out at his website where you are encouraged to leave a comment. Ritchie is especially fond of those with contrary viewpoints, i.e., critics.

Mark Andrew Ritchie grew up in the poverty and strangeness of Afghanistan, the deep south of Texas, and an Oregon-coast logging town. The Vietnam War crystallized his love of rebellion. He became an occupational vagabond-funeral home operative, Chicago Transit bus driver, gambler, long-haul trucker, jail guard, and more. After graduate studies in philosophy of religion, he went straight to the take-no-prisoners financial markets of Chicago. (Everyone in those pits comes from somewhere very different.) It was an unlikely backdrop for launching a career in finance where he became one of four founding partners of CRT, a certified yelling and screaming floor trader, a participant in Schwager’s, New Market Wizards, and creator of the RR trading app. After traveling extensively in the third world, he did a series of book and lecture tours with an ex-shaman from the jungle of Amazonas. His friend was publicly labeled a “token N-word.”(Can’t print that here). He raised five children with his wife, then followed after her dream-working with orphans in Asia where he became immersed in barefoot banking. After hearing the children sing, he founded and directed Voices of Myanmar Gospel Choir, seen on YouTube. Today he is Chairman of the Board of RTM2, a trading group, and lives near Chicago.