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 Rama on Instagram: "Missing the time where meeting my friends don’t require scheduling an appointment weeks in advance 😭

#adulting #adultfriendships #Free99"

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57K likes, 843 comments - ramalauw on December 30, 2023: "Missing the time where meeting my friends don’t require scheduling an appointment weeks in adva..."

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Stacye Branche ™ (@stacyebranche) | TikTok

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Stacye Branche ™ (@stacyebranche) on TikTok | 214.7K Likes. 64.5K Followers. #Soundbath #ASMR #gardener #Spiritual.Watch the latest video from Stacye Branche ™ (@stacyebranche).

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Natives in Tech Conf 2022 happening on November 4th-5th! Click here for details

Cultivate a tech ecosystem of Native technologists crafting free and open source technology for Native communities.

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Natives in Tech Conf 2022 happening on November 4th-5th! Click here for details Cultivate a tech ecosystem of Native technologists crafting free and open source technology for Native communities.

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What is cross-Disability solidarity? And how do we make accessible culture and gathering spaces? Join us in a 6-week relaxed virtual space with asynchronous options to discuss ways cross-Disability communities collaboratively hold accessible gathering and cultural spaces.

Each recorded two-hour session features an embodiment warm up led by a Disabled artist, a short text read aloud by live participants, and group discussions to reflect on the reading. Each session covers different material and doesn't have to be followed in a particular order. We will also invite each participant to use their own personal bodymind experience of Disabling circumstances as a primary source of information. This is an anti-ableist, anti-racist, queer- and trans-positive space centering the needs and voices of multiply-marginalized Disabled folks, and is open to all.

Dis/Rep 2023 is co-produced by The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Catalyst Consulting Associates.

Session Access

Our Zoom sessions feature baseline access of ASL by a Deaf and hearing interpretation team, as well as automated captions. Facilitators will describe visuals. It is ok to be off camera, and it is ok to arrive or leave at your comfort. Each session will cover different material and you may join as many as you want, or just access recordings to participate.

Agendas are sent at least a day before each session, and readings will be available before the session and read together. We also take at least one break per session.

Get Access to Dis/Rep

We estimate filling this out and completing registration could take 5 to 20 minutes.

Tell us who you are, where you live, and how we can make this workshop accessible for you.

After you register, you will be taken to a page with instructions on how to finish registering. You will also get two emails: the first will invite you to set up a password, the second will have more details about Dis/Rep 2023.

Support Our Present
Support Our Future

Dis/Rep is available free to members of the public living in Portland, Oregon thanks to funding from the City of Portland Office of Community and Civic Life. However, we are asking that if you live outside of Portland or want to offer more support, please pay what you can so more people can experience this important work.

This workshop series is valued between $1,500 and $10,000 per participant. We invite you to contribute at whatever level works for you.

Are you an individual or organization who wants to sponsor free participation for people who live outside of Portland? Do you work for a company or organization that pays for professional development? Are you a member of an Employee Resource Group or organization that wants accelerated learning on Disability and Accessibility? Or do you simply want to support by paying what you can?

Consider taking part in one of our tiers of support. You will be given the option to pay what you want after registering.

Pay What
You Can

The Dis/Rep series is valued between $1,500 and $10,000 per participant. We invite you to pay what you can for this program.

Pay What
You Can

Professional Development

Taking part in Dis/Rep workshops will help you develop skills for improving accessibility in meetings, events, and other social gatherings.

Pay $300
or more

Dis/Rep
Sponsorship

Fund Dis/Rep's future.
Become an individual or organizational sponsor. We'll mention you on the homepage and during live sessions.

Pay $1,500
or more

Please send us an email if you have any questions.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in Dis/Rep do not necessarily represent those of the City of Portland. (Regardless of how clever, accurate, or outlandish they may be.)

About Dis/Rep

Dis/Rep (Disability Representation) is a yearly series of virtual engagements focused on Disability, accessibility, and culture that began in 2020 as a relaunch of the program started by Disability Art and Culture Project. It utilizes a variety of formats, including book club-style discussions, a Discord server for asynchronous participation, web content, and remote engagement activities. The project is designed as an anti-ableist, anti-racist, queer, and trans-positive space, centering the needs and voices of the Disability community.

Dis/Rep 2020: Reading the Disability Justice Primer

Dis/Rep 2020 was produced by The Curiosity Paradox and Calling Up Justice. During four workshops, we explored the Sins Invalid Statement on Police Violence, the Principles of Mixed Ability Organizing, Disability Liberated, and Disability Justice Timelines from Skin Tooth and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People. These topics were particularly relevant at the time, as George Floyd had been murdered and the entire country was reacting to the incident and the widespread protests that followed.

Dis/Rep 2021: #AccessIsLove In Action

In Dis/Rep 2021 we discussed #AccessIsLove, with concepts such as valuing disabled expertise and expanding what "access" means. In 2021, producers from from Calling Up Justice, The Curiosity Paradox, and Rebel Black joined with creative access consultant Deanna Yadollahi and guest facilitator Jennifer Kemp. Embodiment artists Maya Johnson, Paula Rupert, Yulia Arakelyan, Sidoney O'Neal, Matthew Reynolds, and Scott Selby led embodiment exercises for the 2021 sessions.

Dis/Rep 2022: Liberating Words

Dis/Rep 2022: Liberating Words had everyone exploring ideas from National Disability Theater, Sound Theater, Claudia Alick, Grant Miller, Jonathan Paradox, Rebel Sidney Black, Sins Invalid, TL Lewis, Sunaura Taylor, Kimberly Crenshaw, Audre Lorde, Keri Gray, Imani Barbarin, Stacey Milbern, Dustin Gibson, Unsettling Dramaturgy (The Crip and Indigenous Process Design Research Colloquium), Aurora Levins Morales, Rebel Sidney Black, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Mia Mingus, John Lee Clark, and Luticha Doucette on Philosopher Éduoard Glissant. All our sessions were facilitated by experienced professionals and featured readings, embodiment exercises, group discussions, and other interactive elements. This was a coproduction of The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Leaping Water Consulting, with disabled embodiment artists Anita Hollender, Luticha Doucette, Monetta Wilson, India Harville, Toby McNutt, and Carmen Papalia, leading exercises in the 2022 sessions. Luticha also joined as a guest facilitator. Dis/Rep is continuing in 2023 with Catalyst Consulting, The Curiosity Paradox and Calling Up Justice.

Dis/Rep is a valuable resource for disabled individuals and our supporters, empowering us to engage with contemporary issues and be heard and understood. It is a testament to the importance of centering disabled voices, particularly multiply-marginalized Disabled people, in contemporary discussions and events and works to create a more inclusive and accessible world for all.

Back to Top

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Dis/Rep (Disability/Representation) is a yearly series of virtual dialogues focused on Disability, accessibility, and culture. It is currently co-produced by The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Catalyst Consulting Associates LLC.

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www.maaa.org/centering-bipoc-artists-and-creatives

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Navigating art ecosystems can be challenging, especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Being a BIPOC artist in the Midwest can also feel isolating and it may be challenging to unite with like-minds across vast geographies. That's why Centering the Margins exists, to cultivate a community of care that can feel and be very hard to find.

What is Centering the Margins?

Centering the Margins is an online gathering series designed for participants to process, learn, find one another, and find joy in camaraderie. It's a space thoughtfully designed so people can candidly talk, process their experiences, and learn new things about navigating as a creative professional together-inviting those who feel they are on the outside to share their experiences, moving the margins to the center.

Logistically, Centering the Margins will host four virtual events, beginning this October and continuing through June, which create spaces where the voices of BIPOC individuals are at the center.

"We're creating a container, a vessel, for people to BE themselves, without white gaze," says Diane Burkholder, co-creator of Centering the Margins and founder of the DB Approach LLC. "To not feel pressure to perform for others or be in 'professional mode,' ready with an elevator pitch about themselves/their work-it's been wonderful to hold space with so many amazing creatives."

Shaping our arts ecosystem

Centering the Margins is based on an understanding of the need for a supportive community where everyone can feel heard and validated. Serving BIPOC arts professionals and emerging creatives in M-AAA's region of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, the program created and shared space with approximately 130 people across our six-state region and beyond in its first year.

Now returning for a second season of online programming, Centering the Margins continues its aim to foster solidarity amongst peers and to develop an understanding of the current state of relationships between artists, communities of color, arts institutions, and our shared society.

"The joy, the radical honesty, the vulnerability folks show while we're together demonstrates WHY these magical spaces are so vitally needed," Burkholder explains. She believes that centering the voices and experiences of BIPOC individuals can shape the future of our arts industries.

Burkholder describes the space as one where participants have felt comfortable sharing stories and thoughts about rest, love, preservation, as well as about teaching, unearthing histories, and more.

For Desiree Kane, co-facilitator of Centering the Margins, this program is also about giving back: "Creative industries, like many others, are at a pinnacle moment of transformation. It has been inspiring to see the support network that has formed around Centering the Margins. It was something I needed when I was in my earlier career and it's wonderful to be supportive of a space like this for others who may need it now."

Kathy Liao, M-AAA access and inclusion program officer, explains that Centering the Margins is unique because it was born out of a community need. "The community identified this need across our region, it came together organically, and M-AAA is honored to give the critical support to a programming series that many artists feel is needed regularly in the arts community."

Programming and Sessions for 2023-2024

The themes were chosen through a collaborative in-person and online visioning session last summer where 27 participants across the region showed up to shape the program's future. BIPOC artists and creatives who were invested in their own long-term success as well as their broader arts ecosystems gave ideas central to Centering the Margins' theory of change: igniting creativity, collaboration, and connection across the Midwest.

Pre-register now and join in on the dynamic, fulfilling, and restorative conversations happening during Centering the Margins Season 2. We'd love to have you join! Registering for one registers you for the following, all at once.

FREE Program Dates

Centering the Margins: SHOW & TELL (October 18, 2023) 2:00-4:00 p.m. Central Time

Centering the Margins: SHAPING (February 14, 2023) 2:00-4:00 p.m. Central Time

Centering the Margins: COMMUNICATING (April 17, 2024) 2:00-4:00 p.m. Central Time

Centering the Margins: COALESCE (June 12, 2024) 4:00-6:00 p.m. Central Time

Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrdOusrj0pG9YajreYPiZVc8JyDIvVqn1E#/registration

Sessions will not be recorded, but resources will be shared after each program.

Centering the Margins is a program of DB Approach, LLC and is led by community leaders Diane Burkholder and Desiree Kane with support from Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Meet the organizers
Diane Burkholder, co-creator and co-facilitator of Centering the Margins
Diane Burkholder (she/her) is Black mixed-race, queer equity consultant, and community organizer who considers herself half Midwesterner, half Californian. She is the founder of The DB Approach, providing anti-oppression and social justice facilitation, coaching, and training to creatives and arts organizations, NPOs, universities, and healthcare facilities. Diane co-founded One-Struggle KC, which received a 2015-2016 Rocket Grant , and the Missouri HIV Justice Coalition, which focuses on improving the state's HIV-criminalization laws. When not chasing sunsets and taking pictures of foliage and landscapes, she lives under the rule of her cat, Rosa (Parks).
Desiree Kane, co-facilitator of Centering the Margins
Desiree Kane (she/they) is a Miwok activist and journalist who collaborates with collectives, nonprofits, organizations, and individuals to organize and produce journalism and art highlighting social justice issues. She is currently creating and stewarding an Indigenous language immersion metaverse. During the COVID-19 shutdowns, Desiree co-hosted an Indigenous food-culture show. She also founded the Missing Indigenous Sisters Tools Initiative (M.I.S.T.I.), which provides resources for families of missing Indigenous Peoples.

Desiree is committed to providing workshops and training on anti-oppression and anti-racism to build inclusive and equitable communities that foster safer spaces. Her work has been recognized by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where she has served on the Charlotte Advisory Board, furthering her goal of creating a more equitable world for all. She currently sits on the board of Natives in Tech, a collective of Native technologists crafting free and open source technology that empowers Native peoples.

Centering the Margins Support

Kathy Liao, access and inclusion program officer at M-AAA

Kathy Liao (she/her) is a creative and connector. Since moving to the Midwest nine years ago, Liao found belonging through facilitating and organizing spaces towards a more inclusive and equitable arts and culture ecosystem for creatives to thrive. As a Taiwanese American artist, Liao looks for patterns and repetitions that weave through the immigrant families' experience in her mixed-media work. She is a recipient of various awards, including the 2023 Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship, 2022 21c KC Artadia Award, and 2020 Charlotte Street Foundation Visual Artist Award. She also received a public art commission for the new Kansas City International Airport. Formerly, Liao was Director of the Painting and Printmaking department at Missouri Western State University. She was nominated "Most Influential Professor" in 2019.

In addition to her role as access and inclusion program officer at Mid-America Arts Alliance, she continues to learn and to advocate for well-being and holistic support for creatives at the interpersonal and systems level.

Questions about Centering the Margins?

For questions about the program or help with registration, contact Kathy Liao, M-AAA access and inclusion program officer at kliao@maaa.org .

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Centering BIPOC Artists and Creatives - Mid-America Arts Alliance

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Centering the Margins is a virtual workshop series where voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are at the center.

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Shop small on Saturday, November 25, 2023.

Saturday, November 25, 2023 is Small Business Saturday - a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. This year, we know that small businesses need our support now more than ever as they navigate, retool and pivot from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Please join SBA and organizations across the country in supporting your local small businesses by shopping at a small business.

Founded by American Express in 2010 and officially cosponsored by SBA since 2011, Small Business Saturday has become an important part of small businesses' busiest shopping season. Historically, reported projected spending among U.S. consumers who shopped at independent retailers and restaurants on Small Business Saturday reached an estimated $17.9 billion according to the 2022 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey commissioned by American Express.

The highly successful team of SBA, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), and American Express will be kicking off the 2023 holiday season by encouraging consumers to support our nation's nearly 32 million independent businesses this Small Business Saturday and all holiday season long.

How You Can Participate

For shoppers

For small business owners

For partner organizations
Cosponsorship Authorization #23-59-C. SBA's participation in this cosponsored activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any cosponsor or other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

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Shop small on Saturday, November 25, 2023. Saturday, November 25, 2023 is Small Business Saturday - a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. This year, we know that small businesses need our support now more than ever as they navigate, retool and pivot from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

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What is cross-Disability solidarity? And how do we make accessible culture and gathering spaces? Join us in a 6-week relaxed virtual space with asynchronous options to discuss ways cross-Disability communities collaboratively hold accessible gathering and cultural spaces.

Each recorded two-hour session features an embodiment warm up led by a Disabled artist, a short text read aloud by live participants, and group discussions to reflect on the reading. Each session covers different material and doesn't have to be followed in a particular order. We will also invite each participant to use their own personal bodymind experience of Disabling circumstances as a primary source of information. This is an anti-ableist, anti-racist, queer- and trans-positive space centering the needs and voices of multiply-marginalized Disabled folks, and is open to all.

Dis/Rep 2023 is co-produced by The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Catalyst Consulting Associates.

Session Access

Our Zoom sessions feature baseline access of ASL by a Deaf and hearing interpretation team, as well as automated captions. Facilitators will describe visuals. It is ok to be off camera, and it is ok to arrive or leave at your comfort. Each session will cover different material and you may join as many as you want, or just access recordings to participate.

Agendas are sent at least a day before each session, and readings will be available before the session and read together. We also take at least one break per session.

Get Access to Dis/Rep

We estimate filling this out and completing registration could take 5 to 20 minutes.

Tell us who you are, where you live, and how we can make this workshop accessible for you.

After you register, you will be taken to a page with instructions on how to finish registering. You will also get two emails: the first will invite you to set up a password, the second will have more details about Dis/Rep 2023.

Support Our Present
Support Our Future

Dis/Rep is available free to members of the public living in Portland, Oregon thanks to funding from the City of Portland Office of Community and Civic Life. However, we are asking that if you live outside of Portland or want to offer more support, please pay what you can so more people can experience this important work.

This workshop series is valued between $1,500 and $10,000 per participant. We invite you to contribute at whatever level works for you.

Are you an individual or organization who wants to sponsor free participation for people who live outside of Portland? Do you work for a company or organization that pays for professional development? Are you a member of an Employee Resource Group or organization that wants accelerated learning on Disability and Accessibility? Or do you simply want to support by paying what you can?

Consider taking part in one of our tiers of support. You will be given the option to pay what you want after registering.

Pay What
You Can

The Dis/Rep series is valued between $1,500 and $10,000 per participant. We invite you to pay what you can for this program.

Pay What
You Can

Professional Development

Taking part in Dis/Rep workshops will help you develop skills for improving accessibility in meetings, events, and other social gatherings.

Pay $300
or more

Dis/Rep
Sponsorship

Fund Dis/Rep's future.
Become an individual or organizational sponsor. We'll mention you on the homepage and during live sessions.

Pay $1,500
or more

Please send us an email if you have any questions.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in Dis/Rep do not necessarily represent those of the City of Portland. (Regardless of how clever, accurate, or outlandish they may be.)

About Dis/Rep

Dis/Rep (Disability Representation) is a yearly series of virtual engagements focused on Disability, accessibility, and culture that began in 2020 as a relaunch of the program started by Disability Art and Culture Project. It utilizes a variety of formats, including book club-style discussions, a Discord server for asynchronous participation, web content, and remote engagement activities. The project is designed as an anti-ableist, anti-racist, queer, and trans-positive space, centering the needs and voices of the Disability community.

Dis/Rep 2020: Reading the Disability Justice Primer

Dis/Rep 2020 was produced by The Curiosity Paradox and Calling Up Justice. During four workshops, we explored the Sins Invalid Statement on Police Violence, the Principles of Mixed Ability Organizing, Disability Liberated, and Disability Justice Timelines from Skin Tooth and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People. These topics were particularly relevant at the time, as George Floyd had been murdered and the entire country was reacting to the incident and the widespread protests that followed.

Dis/Rep 2021: #AccessIsLove In Action

In Dis/Rep 2021 we discussed #AccessIsLove, with concepts such as valuing disabled expertise and expanding what "access" means. In 2021, producers from from Calling Up Justice, The Curiosity Paradox, and Rebel Black joined with creative access consultant Deanna Yadollahi and guest facilitator Jennifer Kemp. Embodiment artists Maya Johnson, Paula Rupert, Yulia Arakelyan, Sidoney O'Neal, Matthew Reynolds, and Scott Selby led embodiment exercises for the 2021 sessions.

Dis/Rep 2022: Liberating Words

Dis/Rep 2022: Liberating Words had everyone exploring ideas from National Disability Theater, Sound Theater, Claudia Alick, Grant Miller, Jonathan Paradox, Rebel Sidney Black, Sins Invalid, TL Lewis, Sunaura Taylor, Kimberly Crenshaw, Audre Lorde, Keri Gray, Imani Barbarin, Stacey Milbern, Dustin Gibson, Unsettling Dramaturgy (The Crip and Indigenous Process Design Research Colloquium), Aurora Levins Morales, Rebel Sidney Black, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Mia Mingus, John Lee Clark, and Luticha Doucette on Philosopher Éduoard Glissant. All our sessions were facilitated by experienced professionals and featured readings, embodiment exercises, group discussions, and other interactive elements. This was a coproduction of The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Leaping Water Consulting, with disabled embodiment artists Anita Hollender, Luticha Doucette, Monetta Wilson, India Harville, Toby McNutt, and Carmen Papalia, leading exercises in the 2022 sessions. Luticha also joined as a guest facilitator. Dis/Rep is continuing in 2023 with Catalyst Consulting, The Curiosity Paradox and Calling Up Justice.

Dis/Rep is a valuable resource for disabled individuals and our supporters, empowering us to engage with contemporary issues and be heard and understood. It is a testament to the importance of centering disabled voices, particularly multiply-marginalized Disabled people, in contemporary discussions and events and works to create a more inclusive and accessible world for all.

Back to Top

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Dis/Rep (Disability/Representation) is a yearly series of virtual dialogues focused on Disability, accessibility, and culture. It is currently co-produced by The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Catalyst Consulting Associates LLC.

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Leia’s Cottage🏳️‍⚧️Trek🖖 (@cottagetrek) | TikTok

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Leia’s Cottage🏳️‍⚧️Trek🖖 (@cottagetrek) on TikTok | 939.4K Likes. 46.2K Followers. 🇺🇸🇯🇵🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ TXT CEASEFIRE 51905 volunteer/shout/keep learning/LISTEN.Watch the latest video from Leia’s Cottage🏳️‍⚧️Trek🖖 (@cottagetrek).

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The Curiosity Paradox, Grant Miller and Jonathan Paradox Lee, are Access Artists who are queer, non-binary, Disabled people with white settler ancestry. They are organizers of the current iteration of Disability Representation () and the co-creators of Threshold Practice, an assistive technology for theater, meetings, and any time two or more human or non-human people spend time with each other.

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No BID Roc - The future of Rochester is everyone's business

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"A BID is a concerted effort to further empower the powerful"
Max Rivlin-Nadler "Business Improvement Districts Ruin Neighborhoods" The New Republic

What's a BID?

"Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are bounded geographic areas in which additional assessments are levied on businesses or property in order to fund security, maintenance, communication, and lobbying programs administered by private entities. BIDs use government-collected property assessments to advocate for the enactment, preservation, and strengthening of local and state laws that violate the rights of poor and homeless people." ( via WRAP) BIDs hire private security often called " ambassadors " whose primary purpose is to keep people "who aren't ideal for commerce" out of the district.

What's happening in Rochester?

The Rochester Downtown Development Corporation (RDDC) attempted to create a BID in Rochester in 2014. It was rejected by City leaders and small businesses. Recently, RDDC again started to quietly lobby for the creation of their BID. Despite considerable pushback including a petition, survey and public outcry, City Council approved RDDC's desire to start planning a BID.

If they are successful, the RDDC will expand to become the Partnership for Downtown Rochester. The PDR will be able to tax every property in the district and spend those funds in the interests of the biggest property owners, with little oversight or recourse from the community. BIDs are extremely difficult to get rid of once in place. Progressive communities throughout the US are trying to claw back power from BIDs and undo the harm they've caused. In Rochester, activists, small business owners, community groups, and artists are joining together to demand transparency and educate our community.

What the Rochester community has to say about the push for a BID:

Robert Rogalski

Anthony McCabe

Latest News

A Closer Look: Why "Split the Bill?"

In the September Legislation, the administration submitted Introduction #369 (the local equivalent of a bill) that grouped Opioid Prevention funding... Read more: A Closer Look: Why "Split the Bill?"

Tell Miguel: SPLIT THE BILL!

While the programs have a similar name that might suggest a common purpose, the reality is quite different. We need... Read more: Tell Miguel: SPLIT THE BILL!

FEDERATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS, IUE-CWA 81381 SAYS "NO BID!"

Growing Coalition Challenges RDDC's Push For Unjust Business Improvement District, Ambassador Program [ Rochester, NY - September 18, 2023 ] The... Read more: FEDERATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS, IUE-CWA 81381 SAYS "NO BID!"

"Business improvement districts (BIDs) sit at the intersection of these twinned forces of privatization and criminalization of the unhoused"
Tyler Walicek "Business Improvement Districts Allow for Aggressive Policing of the Unhoused" Teen Vogue

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The future of Rochester is Everyone's Business. Stop the privatization of our downtown. Stop the BID. Development without displacement.

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Speak Up! It is not that complicated - Calling Up Justice!

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Speaking Up for Palestinian Human Rights: The Simple Act of Condemning Genocide

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HARNESSING THE LAW OF ONENESS FOR COMMUNITY-CENTRIC FUNDRAISING

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HARNESSING THE LAW OF ONENESS FOR COMMUNITY-CENTRIC FUNDRAISING

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By embracing the principles of community-centric fundraising (CCF) through the lens of the Law of Oneness, we unlock access to our collective consciousness that transcends our individual efforts and maximizes our impact toward equity, social justice, and community well-being. We become the transformative change we're yearning for and cause an exponential ripple effect around us.

The Universal Law of Oneness is the idea that we are all connected, that we- meaning everything- are all one, and that we represent different variations of the same oneness.

In my personal journey, I have explored the Law of Oneness in order to understand and overcome my anger. I encountered the concept of the 12 Universal Laws , which further deepened my connection to nature, the Earth, the Universe, and our collective existence that I have been cultivating while living in a remote and rural area of the world, Nuquí, Chocó, Colombia.

I found myself mesmerized by the intricate happenings of life in the forest. The ants working away as a team, the plants ever so slowly- in our perception of time- moving towards the light, growing leaves and flowers in specific patterns and textures. I got to experience more of this wisdom of nature in the way their systems work for a reason. Watching the river flow gave me the lesson of continuing to flow myself. This invitation reflected back at me to keep moving along with my tasks instead of getting stuck and caught up in things I don't actually care about. Breathing in the oxygenated air in the forest and then breathing out the carbon dioxide that the forest needs helped me tap into the pure reciprocity that comes from being alive on this planet.

Now, I feel drawn to share these insights and contribute to the CCF movement.

Accessing a powerful heart-anchored interconnectedness to increase our compassion

By accessing this profound heart-anchored interconnectedness, we are able to understand compassion in a deeper way

It starts with the heart. By grounding ourselves in our heartbeat, we connect to the core of our being and so connect to the core of the Earth. By connecting to the Earth, we connect to the Sun, and the vast universe that encompasses our existence. By connecting to the universe we connect to the origin of the universe- all that was, is, and will be. There's a unity in who we are.

As we contemplate the interconnected nature of our existence, we realize that we are all composed of the same fundamental particle wavelengths.

Sherri Mitchell, in her book, Sacred Instructions discusses how our DNA is shared with every other living being- we share approximately 98% with primates and 35% with plants. We're all made of the same foundational elements that exist as a vibrational frequency. We are sounds like the Big Bang that created this existence was a sound.

This realization opens the door to accessing the universal frequency through our hearts and cores, and aligning with the essence of the Earth, the Sun, and the expansive universe. Within us, the steady rhythm of our heartbeat is a gateway, inviting us to tap into our inner knowing and wisdom.

We shift away from relying on intellect, on thinking our way through, and on a colonial and oppressive perspective. We shift towards embracing the wisdom that emanates from our heart, our connection to the source, everything, and each other. The way that the cells in our body are part of our body, we, as individuals, are part of a larger ecosystem.

By accessing this profound heart-anchored interconnectedness, we are able to understand compassion in a deeper way too.

I recognized that my life is a mirror reflecting back to me my own lessons, experiences, and interactions. What frustrates or angers me in others reflects what frustrates or angers me in my own actions. I hate when someone isn't treating others fairly, justly, or equitably, and I also hate when I do or have done that to others. By tapping into the gifts of our emotions, we receive information about ourselves. By cultivating self-compassion, we open ourselves to extend compassion to others. As we release hatred towards others, we simultaneously release the internal hatred we harbor.

By becoming a sacred witness to my own fear, holding space for it, and taking a moment to separate from it, I'm able to move beyond allowing it to guide my actions. By doing this internally for ourselves, we create space for the collective fears of our society and our communities to be acknowledged and transcended, going beyond the limits of these fears.

How our new compassion can be used to improve our community-centric fundraising practice

The Law of Oneness can be applied to all the principles of CCF. I welcome you to journal, sing, draw, meditate, or otherwise reflect on your own about each of the principles and how you are one with them (as well as everyone else who is applying them or not to this collective work).

When we begin our journey in community-centric fundraising we start with training to help us ground ourselves in race, equity, and social justice. I change my perspective of being angry that my organizations or others aren't making more effort to educate themselves, and instead, I look inward.

I ask, where in my life am I frustrated at myself for not doing enough? I create actionable steps to look toward addressing my own gaps of understanding. By taking an anti-racist training myself, I am able to have a transformative experience, share the information and teachings from that training with others, and get others excited about training. Perhaps I also meet others in that training that now allow me to feel less alone in this work, and we build community.

All of a sudden, there is a ripple effect. By making the frustration or the problem part of me - one with me - I accept it as part of me, address it within me, and offer healing around me.

I'm part of a group called Artist Co-Creating Real Equity (ACRE) which I joined after taking the Undoing Racism Training with the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. Continuing to go to these meetings with ACRE is about continuing being in community for our anti-racist work. Our work in solidarity with each other is ongoing and never ending and so the training continues and evolves into practice.

In the next step in our journey in community-centric fundraising, we encourage donors to think about race, equity, and social justice. To begin, I ask myself, where am I being a donor?

To many around the world, $1 USD a month makes a real impact. As U.S. workers, we can make a global impact with our "small" donations. We also know from our community-centric principles that we can support local community organizations we benefit from by donating our skills, time, and material goods they may need. As a fundraiser, I've found it essential to be a donor, too, and to consider my own privileges, especially in a global context.

When it comes to investing in fundraisers who come from the communities that we serve-I turn that inward, too, and ask how can I invest in myself as a fundraiser for my own community? What are the services or places that are supporting me, and how can I believe in myself as a fundraiser for my own community?

To address the practice of inequitable Trickle-Down Community Engagement, I ask where can I redistribute funding that comes in directly to a marginalized community I am representing? Mica Rose talks about this in a podcast episode on Building Our Own Tables. "I sometimes go to queer resource centers at colleges," Mica shared, "I teach parts of my practice and all of the money we charge up big because the institutions, they got it. These places with endowment, they got it. And we take all of that money and we find the ways to get it back to the communities facing the direct violence and opposition of the state."

The Law of Oneness can be applied to all the principles of CCF. I welcome you to journal, sing, draw, meditate, or otherwise reflect on your own about each of the principles and how you are one with them (as well as everyone else who is applying them or not to this collective work). Here are some statements you can use as reflection tools to help you get started:

First principle - I embrace racial equity and social justice, acknowledging my privileges and investing in my growth as a fundraiser for my community. I redistribute resources to uplift marginalized communities.

Second principle - I align my mission with the collective community, and I regularly assess its relevance and responsiveness. I adapt, collaborate, and pause when necessary.

Third principle - I practice generosity and mutual support, giving to others with the understanding that I, too, receive support. I actively participate in other's events and identify other community groups to uplift.

Fourth principle - I respect, appreciate, and recognize my value to the community I strengthen by being a staff member, by serving on boards, by being a volunteer, and by being a client.

Fifth principle - My time is as valuable as my money, and I donate it accordingly. I honor and appreciate those who donate their time to support me.

Sixth principle - As a donor (of time and money), I seek to deepen my understanding of race, equity, and social justice. I engage in transparent and occasionally challenging conversations with those I support.

Seventh principle - I invest in spaces where I feel a sense of belonging, and I let go of spaces where I am made to feel "othered" or in need of being "saved."

Eighth principle - I personally benefit from my donations (time and money), recognizing that investing in other causes strengthens our community as a whole.

Ninth principle - I donate holistically and transformationally, supporting core "overhead," which creates lasting impact.

Tenth principle - I am committed to economic justice and actively address the root causes of inequity in my life. I acknowledge the effects of capitalism and work to dismantle them, inspiring change in myself and others.

The power we have in adjusting our energy, our state of being, our thoughts, and our love towards ourselves affects how we can be with others. One interaction with another can change the way they interact with everyone else, and we have a ripple effect when we focus on the internal.

Through this transformative journey of self-reflection and embracing the Law of Oneness, we can align ourselves with the interconnected fabric of existence. As we tap into the wisdom of our hearts, I invite you to join me in exploring what arises from this shift-an invitation to decolonize our source of answers and solutions to the challenges we face. By recognizing the interconnectedness of our lives and embracing compassion and unity, we pave the way for collective healing and foster a society and community guided by love, understanding, and shared purpose.

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Harnessing the Law of Oneness for Community-Centric Fundraising

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The Law of Oneness can be applied to all the principles of CCF. I welcome you to journal, sing, draw, meditate, or otherwise reflect on your own about each of the principles and how you are one with them (as well as everyone else who is applying them or not to this collective work).

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The Melanin Collective is a minority-, woman-, and disabled-owned business collective. Our team comprises disabled BIWOC+ subject matter experts in disability and racial justice across the Americas. We are leaders, scholars, and independent small-business owners with lived and learned experiences who share a lineage and history of colonization, genocide, and oppression. Liberation for us includes being codeswitch-free and unapologetically ourselves. Hire us to speak at your next event.

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Meet Our Team of Subject Matter Experts

Yura Sapi

After years in the corporate diversity world, Yura Sapi (they/them) extends beyond borders and prioritizes anti-racism and decolonization for our globally just futures with their nonprofit LiberArte, working with rural and urban Black, Indigenous, and LGBTIQ+ communities across Latin America. Yura creates liberated spaces described as "centering, calming, and helpful" by participants. They host the Building Our Own Tables Podcast spotlighting creators of color at the intersections of gender, sexuality, disability, and other marginalized identities. Yura holds degrees from Boston University and CUNY Brooklyn College.

Dr. Ahmmad Brown

Ahmmad Brown is a scholar-practitioner who provides educational experiences and consulting services to equip people committed to moving the needle on DEI with the skills to do so. Ahmmad's approach to DEI work is informed by his academic training in organizational behavior and management and his personal experiences growing up as a low-income Black male with two disabled parents in a predominantly-white suburb in California's Central Valley.

As president and co-founder of EBDI Consulting, Ahmmad works with leaders and executives across sectors to conceive and effectively implement sustainable and impactful DEI strategies. Ahmmad also serves as an assistant professor in the masters and executive programs in learning and organizational change (MSLOC and ELOC programs) at the Northwestern School of Education and Social Policy, where he is also the faculty lead for the Leading Equity and Inclusion (LEIO) certificate program.

His academic work focuses on inequality in organizations, how minoritized people generate and use social capital in organizations and allyship in workplaces.

Janice Peña Rosario

Janice Peña Rosario (she/hers/ella) is a La Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo/The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic graduate. She has a master's in applied linguistics to teach the English language and is currently an English Professor. Janice has dedicated herself to community development in the Dominican Republic, connecting foreign institutions in the valley region of the island with local organizations like Fundación Tarbiat, Fundación Félix Bautista, and the Foundation for the Development of Azua, San Juan, and Elias Piña (FUNDASEP).

As an ambassador of Dominican culture and a history buff, Janice has a passion for educating people on the history and colonization of the island of Quisqueya. In addition, Janice is a subject matter expert in the Taíno people and the indigenous people of the Caribbean and works in the community to elevate and celebrate the island's African roots.

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Meet Our Team of Subject Matter Experts After years in the corporate diversity world, Yura Sapi (they/them) extends beyond borders and prioritizes anti-racism and decolonization for our globally just futures with their nonprofit LiberArte, working with rural and urban Black, Indigenous, and LGBTIQ+ communities across Latin America.

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Are you an artist or creative activist looking to turn your ideas into reality? Then the Strategic Planning Institute is the program for you!

This mentorship program provides you with the skills, tools, and support you need to create transformative projects and plans for yourself and your community.

The Strategic Planning Institute provides a scaffolded approach to strategic planning and execution, covering topics such as mission, vision, and values, SWOT analysis, non-hierarchical structures, social location, transformative justice, creating a strategic plan, and identifying accountability partners. You'll also be connected with accountability partners and join the community Network of Visionaries for ongoing support and encouragement.

The program creates a decolonized and liberated space for participants to work in, empowering you to develop an artist-activist career plan, create a plan for a new project, transform an existing project, or develop a plan for your life path, work/career, learning investments, next steps, and overall personal and community goals. Upon completion of the program, you'll leave with a personalized plan to take forth into your life journey, as well as a supportive community to continue your journey with.

Join us and turn your ideas into reality!

Our Strategic Planning Institute cultivates visionaries who create transformative projects and plans for themselves and their communities. Participants focus on either:

an artist-activist "career" plan for themselves,

a plan for a new project they are creating,

or a plan for an existing project are transforming.

This group space is for those who want to create and follow through with a plan for a new (or transforming) organization, collective, initiative, movement, practice or project.

This space is also for those who want to create and follow through with a plan for their life path, work/career, learning investments, next steps, and overall personal and community goals.

Participants are guided through scaffolded exercises that create a foundation for their plan of action. These include reclaimed concepts of mission, vision, and values; SWOT analysis; non-hierarchical structures; social location; transformative justice; creating a strategic plan; and identifying accountability partners.

Participates will join our community Network of Visionaries, which provides support to those who are envisioning and producing in our new world paradigm.

You will leave the Institute with a personalized plan to take forth into your life journey. This will be a decolonized and liberated space.

Sign up to be notified about our upcoming cohort registration.

Get Program Updates

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Strategic Planning Institute - Fellowships - Honest Charity | LiberArte Inc. - Jackson Heights

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Are you an artist or creative activist looking to turn your ideas into reality? Then the Strategic Planning Institute is the program for you! This mentorship program provides you with the skills, tools, and support you need to create transformative

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LiberArte on Instagram: "🌟 Overcome Scarcity Mindset and Transform Your Life 🌌✨

Join us with @yurasapi @minkabrooklyn on this first Thursday of the month for a unique workshop that taps into your innate abundance. Shift from scarcity to limitless possibilities and amplify your receiving energy.

🪐 Align with Jupiter's Energy
🧘‍♂️ Experience Guided Freedom Meditation
💡 Gain a Unique Perspective
🤝 Join a Supportive Community

Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your abundance mindset and connect with like-minded individuals. Reserve your spot now and step into a new world of love. 🚀🌠

#abundance #prosperity #positiveenergy #community #transformation #scarcitymindset #overcomer #werisetogether #freedommeditation"

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8 likes, 0 comments - liberarte_inc on October 2, 2023: "🌟 Overcome Scarcity Mindset and Transform Your Life 🌌✨

Join us with @yurasapi @minkabroo..."

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We Been Here:  Celebrating International Hip-hip artists with Disabilities

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We Been Here:  Celebrating International Hip-hip artists with Disabilities

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WE BEEN HERE! Celebrating Disabled Hip Hop Artists - Calling Up Justice!

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WE BEEN HERE! Digital showcase of International Movement of Disabled Hip Hop Artists celebrating 50th anniversary of hip-hop

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Our mission is to nurture artists co-creating joyful and abundant futures in harmony with each other and Mother Earth.

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LiberArte | Arts Organization and Art Programs | Jackson Heights

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Based in Jackson Heights, LiberArte Inc. empowers artists to end racial, social, and climate injustice. Join us in our coaching sessions, events, and more to create a more just and equitable world.

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The Building Our Own Tables podcast supports leaders along their journeys of creation for our collective liberation. Knowing we are all one. Healing. Transforming. Medicine for those who are building our own tables and creating our own spaces that are healing, decolonizing, and leading from love. The experience is a combination of words, music, poetry, body-breath practices, meditations and visualizations, folks sharing their specific stories, science, history, and rituals.

We center voices of the global majority-Black, Brown, African, Indigenous, Native, Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern, Mestiza, and dual or multi-race creators-as a solidarity and honoring of our unique cultural wisdoms as we work to build racial, social and climate justice worldwide.

This podcast stems from Yura Sapi's experience as a multi-disciplinary creator and facilitator of initiatives, collectives, practices, and organizations expanding beyond borders. Years ago, they heard about efforts for marginalized folks to "get a seat at the table" decision-making at arts organizations in the United States. They decided they would rather build their own table. Knowing they were not alone, they looked to the community building and oral history recording of the podcast medium, and with the support of HowlRound, the Building Our Own Tables podcast was born.

Your donation to Advancing Arts Forward supports liberated spaces like this one that uplift, heal, and encourage us to change the world.

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The Building Our Own Tables podcast supports leaders along their journeys of creation for our collective liberation. Knowing we are all one. Healing. Transforming. Medicine for those who are building our own tables and creating our own spaces that are healing, decolonizing, and leading from love.

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Palestinians carry their possessions on their heads as they flee from a village in Galilee about five months after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 [File: Reuters]

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced many millions of people and has its roots in a colonial act carried out more than a century ago.

With Israel declaring war on the Gaza Strip after an unprecedented attack by the armed Palestinian group Hamas on Saturday, the world's eyes are again sharply focused on what might come next.

Keep reading

Hamas fighters have killed more than 800 Israelis in assaults on multiple towns in southern Israel. In response, Israel has launched a bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 500 Palestinians. It has mobilised troops along the Gaza border, apparently in preparation for a ground attack. And on Monday, it announced a "total blockade" of the Gaza Strip, stopping the supply of food, fuel and other essential commodities to the already besieged enclave in an act that under international law amounts to a war crime.

But what unfolds in the coming days and weeks has its seed in history.

For decades, Western media outlets, academics, military experts and world leaders have described the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as intractable, complicated and deadlocked.

Here's a simple guide to break down one of the world's longest-running conflicts:

What was the Balfour Declaration?

More than 100 years ago, on November 2, 1917, Britain's then-foreign secretary, Arthur Balfour, wrote a letter addressed to Lionel Walter Rothschild, a figurehead of the British Jewish community.

The letter was short - just 67 words - but its contents had a seismic effect on Palestine that is still felt to this day.

It committed the British government to "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people" and to facilitating "the achievement of this object". The letter is known as the Balfour Declaration.

In essence, a European power promised the Zionist movement a country where Palestinian Arab natives made up more than 90 percent of the population.

A British Mandate was created in 1923 and lasted until 1948. During that period, the British facilitated mass Jewish immigration - many of the new residents were fleeing Nazism in Europe - and they also faced protests and strikes. Palestinians were alarmed by their country's changing demographics and British confiscation of their lands to be handed over to Jewish settlers.

What happened during the 1930s?

Escalating tensions eventually led to the Arab Revolt, which lasted from 1936 to 1939.

In April 1936, the newly formed Arab National Committee called on Palestinians to launch a general strike, withhold tax payments and boycott Jewish products to protest British colonialism and growing Jewish immigration.

The six-month strike was brutally repressed by the British, who launched a mass arrest campaign and carried out punitive home demolitions, a practice that Israel continues to implement against Palestinians today.

The second phase of the revolt began in late 1937 and was led by the Palestinian peasantresistance movement, which targeted British forces and colonialism.

By the second half of 1939, Britain had massed 30,000 troops in Palestine. Villages were bombed by air, curfews imposed, homes demolished, and administrative detentions and summary killings were widespread.

In tandem, the British collaborated with the Jewish settler community and formed armed groups and a British-led "counterinsurgency force" of Jewish fighters named the Special Night Squads.

Within the Yishuv, the pre-state settler community, arms were secretly imported and weapons factories established to expand the Haganah, the Jewish paramilitary that later became the core of the Israeli army.

In those three years of revolt, 5,000 Palestinians were killed, 15,000 to 20,000 were wounded and 5,600 were imprisoned.

What was the UN partition plan?

By 1947, the Jewish population had ballooned to 33 percent of Palestine, but they owned only 6 percent of the land.

The United Nations adopted Resolution 181, which called for the partition of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states.

The Palestinians rejected the plan because it allotted about 55 percent of Palestine to the Jewish state, including most of the fertile coastal region.

At the time, the Palestinians owned 94 percent of historic Palestine and comprised 67 percent of its population.

The 1948 Nakba, or the ethnic cleansing of Palestine

Even before the British Mandate expired on May 14, 1948, Zionist paramilitaries were already embarking on a military operation to destroy Palestinian towns and villages to expand the borders of the Zionist state that was to be born.

In April 1948, more than 100 Palestinian men, women and children were killed in the village of Deir Yassin on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

That set the tone for the rest of the operation, and from 1947 to 1949, more than 500 Palestinian villages, towns and cities were destroyed in what Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or "catastrophe" in Arabic.

An estimated 15,000 Palestinians were killed, including in dozens of massacres.

The Zionist movement captured 78 percent of historic Palestine. The remaining 22 percent was divided into what are now the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip.

An estimated 750,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes.

Today their descendants live as six million refugees in 58 squalid camps throughout Palestine and in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

On May 15, 1948, Israel announced its establishment.

The following day, the first Arab-Israeli war began and fighting ended in January 1949 after an armistice between Israel and Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

In December 1948, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 194, which calls for the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

The years after the Nakba

At least 150,000 Palestinians remained in the newly created state of Israel and lived under a tightly controlled military occupation for almost 20 years before they were eventually granted Israeli citizenship.

Egypt took over the Gaza Strip, and in 1950, Jordan began its administrative rule over the West Bank.

In 1964, the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) was formed, and a year later, the Fatah political party was established.

The Naksa, or the Six-Day War and the settlements

On June 5, 1967, Israel occupied the rest of historic Palestine, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Syrian Golan Heights and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula during the Six-Day War against a coalition of Arab armies.

For some Palestinians, this led to a second forced displacement, or Naksa, which means "setback" in Arabic.

In December 1967, the Marxist-Leninist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was formed. Over the next decade, a series of attacks and plane hijackings by leftist groups drew the world's attention to the plight of the Palestinians.

Settlement construction began in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. A two-tier system was created with Jewish settlers afforded all the rights and privileges of being Israeli citizens whereas Palestinians had to live under a military occupation that discriminated against them and barred any form of political or civic expression.

The first Intifada 1987-1993

The first Palestinian Intifada erupted in the Gaza Strip in December 1987 after four Palestinians were killed when an Israeli truck collided with two vans carrying Palestinian workers.

Protests spread rapidly to the West Bank with young Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli army tanks and soldiers.

It also led to the establishment of the Hamas movement, an off-shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood that engaged in armed resistance against the Israeli occupation.

The Israeli army's heavy-handed response was encapsulated by the "Break their Bones" policy advocated by then-Defence Minister Yitzhak Rabin. It included summary killings, closures of universities, deportations of activists and destruction of homes.

The Intifada was primarily carried out by young people and was directed by the Unified National Leadership of the Uprising, a coalition of Palestinian political factions committed to ending the Israeli occupation and establishing Palestinian independence.

In 1988, the Arab League recognised the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people.

The Intifada was characterised by popular mobilisations, mass protests, civil disobedience, well-organised strikes and communal cooperatives.

According to the Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem, 1,070 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during the Intifada, including 237 children. More than 175,000 Palestinians were arrested.

The Intifada also prompted the international community to search for a solution to the conflict.

The Oslo years and the Palestinian Authority

The Intifada ended with the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and the formation of the Palestinian Authority (PA), an interim government that was granted limited self-rule in pockets of the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The PLO recognised Israel on the basis of a two-state solution and effectively signed agreements that gave Israel control of 60 percent of the West Bank, and much of the territory's land and water resources.

The PA was supposed to make way for the first elected Palestinian government running an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with its capital in East Jerusalem, but that has never happened.

Critics of the PA view it as a corrupt subcontractor to the Israeli occupation that collaborates closely with the Israeli military in clamping down on dissent and political activism against Israel.

In 1995, Israel built an electronic fence and concrete wall around the Gaza Strip, snapping interactions between the split Palestinian territories.

The second Intifada

The second Intifada began on September 28, 2000, when Likud opposition leader Ariel Sharon made a provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound with thousands of security forces deployed in and around the Old City of Jerusalem.

Clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces killed five Palestinians and injured 200 over two days.

The incident sparked a widespread armed uprising. During the Intifada, Israel caused unprecedented damage to the Palestinian economy and infrastructure.

Israel reoccupied areas governed by the Palestinian Authority and began construction of a separation wall that along with rampant settlement construction, destroyed Palestinian livelihoods and communities.

Settlements are illegal under international law, but over the years, hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers have moved to colonies built on stolen Palestinian land. The space for Palestinians is shrinking as settler-only roads and infrastructure slice up the occupied West Bank, forcing Palestinian cities and towns into bantustans, the isolated enclaves for Black South Africans that the country's former apartheid regime created.

At the time the Oslo Accords were signed, just over 110,000 Jewish settlers lived in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Today, the figure is more than 700,000 living on more than 100,000 hectares (390sq miles) of land expropriated from the Palestinians.

The Palestinian division and the Gaza blockade

PLO leader Yasser Arafat died in 2004, and a year later, the second Intifada ended, Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip were dismantled, and Israeli soldiers and 9,000 settlers left the enclave.

A year later, Palestinians voted in a general election for the first time.

Hamas won a majority. However, a Fatah-Hamas civil war broke out, lasting for months, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians.

Hamas expelled Fatah from the Gaza Strip, and Fatah - the main party of the Palestinian Authority - resumed control of parts of the West Bank.

In June 2007, Israel imposed a land, air and naval blockade on the Gaza Strip, accusing Hamas of "terrorism".

The wars on the Gaza Strip

Israel has launched four protracted military assaults on Gaza: in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed, including many children, and tens of thousands of homes, schools and office buildings have been destroyed.

Rebuilding has been next to impossible because the siege prevents construction materials, such as steel and cement, from reaching Gaza.

The 2008 assault involved the use of internationally banned weaponry, such as phosphorus gas.

In 2014, over a span of 50 days, Israel killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians and close to 500 children.

During the assault, called Operation Protective Edge by the Israelis, about 11,000 Palestinians were wounded, 20,000 homes were destroyed and half a million people displaced .

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What's the Israel-Palestine conflict about? A simple guide

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It's killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. And its future lies in its past. We break it down.

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The Transmogrification of Lenore Evermore 

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The Transmogrification of Lenore Evermore 

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Trans-mog-ri-fi-ca-tion: "To change or alter greatly with magic. To change completely, transform into some other person or thing as if by magic; often with grotesque or humorous effect" 1650s, a word of unknown origin.

The time for change approaches. In the coming months, Lenore Evermore (garden, collaborator, and friend of The Curiosity Paradox) will hike up her skirts and wander to a new location, scattering seeds of spirit, verve, and well-wishes as she goes.

The Curiosity Paradox invites friends of Lenore to this hybrid experiment in Access Art. Through Zoom portals and on-site, come pay a visit, rehome plants, make offerings. Together, we support Lenore Evermore's transition into a digital garden, a garden at a new place, and a spirit of granting wishes.

We may have a play reading, singing, dancing, and more. There will be dates and times shared in advance about when on-site and hybrid events will happen.

Bring your fabulous drag, your art projects, your creative spirit, a sense of wonder and possibility. More baseline access and agendas for the week will be sent out in advance and added to the form as they are developed. Activities and access negotiations will also emerge in the moment, depending on who is present. Come bathe, rest, wish, witness.

To stay on the list for more updates, please register. Fast track registration should take up to a minute. Long-form registration with access negotiation may take between five and ten minutes.

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Register Now for The Transmogrification of Lenore Evermore Oct 15-20 - The Curiosity Paradox

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The Transmogrification of Lenore Evermore

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findingnoma (@findingnoma) on TikTok | 38.4K Likes. 844 Followers. Sagittarius•SAG AFTRA•healing and deconstructing• $/@:findingnoma 🎭♐️🌈🐶💙💛.Watch the latest video from findingnoma (@findingnoma).

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Noma V on Instagram: "A (semi literal frm the 1st pic) SAG-AFTRA photo dump. It’s been a wild few months. And Friday at Universal was the wildest energized day I’ve had so far. We gon be on strike! (Till we get a fair contract) #sagaftra #sagaftrastrong #sagaftrastrike #1u"

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119 likes, 7 comments - findingnoma on August 7, 2023: "A (semi literal frm the 1st pic) SAG-AFTRA photo dump. It’s been a wild few months. And Friday ..."

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Work From Home Introduction (Course Recording)

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This is a recording of my class on getting started with finding Work From Home Jobs. The value of this course is $300, but is currently discounted at $50. Sections cover Job Searching, Networking, Optimizing LinkedIn, Resume Writing.

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Jonathan Paradox Lee on Instagram: "Images of Jonathan Paradox peaking from behind a yellow rose. This is covered by a mountain lake, and then a sheet of sheer luminescent pink fabric, and then finally a collage of flowers. I created the first two images in the new photoshop generative fill using the prompt “a life-giving contamination of the normal.” #aiart #generativefill #ioscutout #jonathanparadox #thecuriosityparadox"

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16 likes, 0 comments - jonathanparadox on August 31, 2023: "Images of Jonathan Paradox peaking from behind a yellow rose. This is covered by a mountain lake,..."

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visualartchannel Archives - Calling Up Justice!

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Calling Up Justice is fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which allows us to offer you tax deductions for your contributions. Please make checks payable to Intersection for the Arts, and write "Calling Up Justice" in the memo line.

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Julie Nowak: The Seasonal Body | Twitter, Instagram | Linktree

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Project & (soon) podcast about nature, disability, food justice, body liberation

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Are you looking for a dynamic and multi-talented professional to elevate your digital projects and campaigns? Look no further than Maia Mills-Low, also known as Maiamama! With her extensive expertise as a digital producer, podcaster, performer, digital designer, and social justice activist, she brings a unique and powerful perspective to every endeavor.

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they/them/theirs

Ex-Microsoft, ex-Goldman Sachs

7 years of product leadership & technology entrepreneurship

Commended by Michelle Obama and #1 New York Times Bestselling Authors

Contributor to The Huffington Post and Points in Case

EY National Finalist for Corporate Finance Woman of the Year

Reiki 2 attuned yoga & herbal wellness teacher; will be "Yoga Alliance certified" in 2023

B.A. Biological Basis of Behavior (Neuroscience), University of Pennsylvania

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they/them/theirs Ex-Microsoft, ex-Goldman Sachs 7 years of product leadership & technology entrepreneurship Commended by Michelle Obama and #1 New York Times Bestselling Authors Contributor to The Huffington Post and Points in Case EY National Finalist for Corporate Finance Woman of the Year Reiki 2 attuned yoga & herbal wellness teacher; will be "Yoga Alliance certified" in 2023 B.A.

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Pricing - Pricing Calculator: for VAs and Freelancers who know their worth by DNK

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Calling Up Justice Digital Residency - Calling Up Justice!

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Are you ready to embark on a transformative artistic journey that merges creativity with social impact? The Calling Up Justice Digital Residency is your gateway to a unique experience that fosters both artistic growth and personal development. Open to individuals from high school students to adults, this innovative digital residency program spans three enriching sessions conducted over the internet.

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NeuroSpicy Networking - Calling Up Justice!

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In our meetings we will delve into overcoming your obstacles. My goal is to help you find solutions so that you can move forward with confidence and purpose.

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Treaty Talk - Sharing the River of Life is a 50 minute teaching tool to better understand a collective responsibility to treaty. The purpose of this video is to build understanding, allyship and bridges for better relationship and work together. This film combines local storytelling and traditional Cree teaching.

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Privacy-First Consent-Driven Marketing Platform

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Our Privacy-First Consent-Driven Marketing Platform is the perfect solution for local businesses looking to increase discoverability and engagement. Build relationships that drive more sales and loyalty by ensuring customers are always in control of the messages they receive, allowing them to opt-in to personalized offers and promotions.

No contracts ever.

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Segmented & Personalized Location-based Marketing On Mobile

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Get Started with location-based marketing with Nodat Geo-targeting personalized push notifications and SMS marketing platform. $149/mo +

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If you are an artist, organizer, or gatekeeper, odds are you have a lot on your plate. Our consulting practice helps intervene in everyday oppression by modeling access in real time, discussing obstacles to action, and devising ways forward. Meeting duration, frequency, and topics are negotiable. $400 per hour, sliding scale available.

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Resource from Tashmica

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Creating safer spaces, cultivating care practices + seeding dreams.

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Creating safer spaces, cultivating care practices + seeding dreams.

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Creating safer spaces, cultivating care practices + seeding dreams.

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Resource shared by conversation

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Dreaming Disability Justice

Finalist, Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction

In their new, long-awaited collection of essays, Lambda Literary Award-winning writer and longtime disability justice activist and performance artist Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha explores the politics and realities of disability justice, a movement that centres the lives and leadership of sick and disabled queer, trans, Black, and brown people, with knowledge and gifts for all. Leah writes passionately and personally about creating spaces by and for sick and disabled queer people of colour, and creative "collective access" -- access not as a chore but as a collective responsibility and pleasure -- in our communities and political movements. Bringing their survival skills and knowledge from years of cultural and activist work, Piepzna-Samarasinha explores everything from the economics of queer femme emotional labour, to suicide in queer and trans communities, to the nitty-gritty of touring as a sick and disabled queer artist of colour.

Care Work is a mapping of access as radical love, a celebration of the work that sick and disabled queer/people of colour are doing to find each other and to build power and community, and a toolkit for everyone who wants to build radically resilient, sustainable communities of liberation where no one is left behind. Powerful and passionate, Care Work is a crucial and necessary call to arms.

Leah knows that the world we deserve is a world shaped by the honest, messy, skillful genius of disabled queer femmes of color. Reading this book allows you to live inside the gorgeous, uncomfortable, emergent, compassionate world that disabled femmes of color have been making all along. Leah cares for us all with this work, but not in the apologetic, default, mommy mode you may be trained to expect. This care is the survivor-sourced, survivor-accountable, saltysweet truthtelling we need to (guess what?) SURVIVE. -Alexis Pauline Gumbs, author of M Archive and Spill, co-editor of Revolutionary Mothering

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha has written a brave and brilliant book that captures the messy gestation and wildly liberating vision of disability justice. With passionate integrity, she tells the collective story of a movement that transforms the idea of care into a force capable of unraveling all the braided injustices of our lives. -Aurora Levins Morales, author of Medicine Stories and Kindling: Writings On the Body

Page after page, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha documents the necessity, power, and sheer brilliance of disability justice. Be prepared for her words, stories, and political thinking to shake up what you know about care and access, revolutionary dreaming, and present-day resilience. -Eli Clare, author of Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure and Exile

We have mad crip dreams. In those dreams there exists a decolonized, liberated future in which none of our bodies and lives are disposable. With Care Work, Leah LakshmiPiepzna-Samarasinha reminds us that turning these dreams into radical practices have already been done, are happening right now within disability justice movements, and will continue to build a future where we are all free. This book is a touchstone for our journey. -Qwo-Li Driskill, author of Asegi Stories: Cherokee Queer and Two-Spirit Memory

An instant classic, Care Work is equal parts on-the-ground dispatch from the disability justice movement and practical field guide to liberatory access. Rather than something to be begrudgingly tacked on, accessibility, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha shows us, might be joyous and collective. - Smithsonian Magazine

As a Black disabled activist, cultural worker, and collector of art, books and music by people of color with disabilities for more than twenty years, I'm excited and thirsty for Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha's Care Work. As one of the original thinkers of Disability Justice, I'm overjoyed that artists and activists like Leah are writing books like this one that helps water the roots of Disability Justice. This book is coming from the bed, the streets and on stages that Leah has spoke, taught, performed and struggled on -- thats why it's so accessible and brings lived knowledge into our outdated, stiff institutions and activist movements. In this era of hyper capitalism, toxic hypermasculinity, and White supremacy, we desperately need Care Work. -Leroy F Moore Jr. , co-founder of Sins Invalid, co-founder of National Black Disability Coalition

Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice is a collection profoundly necessary at this moment . .. the essays share a fundamental hypothesis: to achieve social justice, ableism must be destroyed. Personal narratives and accounts of organizing are voiced from Black and brown and queer disabled people, radically reimagining the ways our society is structured, uplifting visions and models for care webs that create collective access. - Broadly (Best Books of the Year)

Leah writes brilliantly about sick/disabled/mad/neurodivergent genius, collective care work, and all-too-familiar patterns of abuse and trauma that happen even/especially in radical spaces/marginalized people's communities. Care Work is a necessary intervention for those in queer/trans people-of-color spaces and white disability spaces alike, but more importantly, it's an offering of love to all of us living at multiple margins, between spaces of recognition and erasure, who desperately need what Leah has to say. This book is an invitation to dream and to build and to love, as slowly and imperfectly and unevenly as we need to. -Lydia X. Z. Brown, co-editor of All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism

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Finalist, Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian NonfictionIn their new, long-awaited collection of essays, Lambda Literary Award-winning writer and longtime disability justice activist and performance artist Leah ...

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Leveraging AI to simplify local search; Digital Ethics; Consumer Privacy Advocate; Black Tech Ecosytem Developer

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Thinker (@ngrowth) on TikTok | 4.8M Likes. 270.6K Followers. 🗣 Thought Provoking Convos About Untold History. Subscribe YT ⬆️ thx 300K 💯.Watch the latest video from Thinker (@ngrowth).

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Wakancé (@wakance) on TikTok | 308.3K Likes. 8.2K Followers. Mimosa fund: $wakance #ImYourCousinNow #BlockEmSis #BeTheChaos.Watch the latest video from Wakancé (@wakance).

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Calling Up Understanding Land Acknowledgements - Calling Up Justice!

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The Calling Up Justice practice integrates decolonizing greetings for our in person and digital gatherings. This is a performance of creating access for those who feel alienated by the denial of colonization. It is important to interrupt normalized white domination.

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Brunch and Budget Podcast.  Financial Literacy! 

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Brunch and Budget Podcast.  Financial Literacy! 

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Presentation of the information via the Internet is not intended to create, and receipt does not constitute, a financial planner-client relationship. Internet subscribers, users and online readers are advised not to act upon this information without seeking the service of a professional financial planner.

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Hip Hop Financial Frestical with Dyalket

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Hip Hop Financial Frestical with Dyalket

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VOL. 3 COMING APRIL 25, 2024

What's your money story?

Let's change the way we talk
about money through hip hop!

Most people think that you should only budget in your NEEDS, but actually, if you don't include your WANTS or the things that bring you joy, you will never stick to your budget.

That's why the best way to build wealth is to make a plan and spend time, energy, and - yes, money, on the things that matter to you.

The Hip Hop Finfest is changing the "common sense" around money to...

(1) Inspire Lyrics with finance lessons & songwriting tips from experts sharing knowledge 📚

(2) Create Social Change with Song Competition for middle & high school students 💰

(3) Amplify Money Talks with Virtual Concert that brings our communities together 🎶

It all starts with a song contest for YOU to voice and share the wants and needs of your community.

Are You Ready to use YOUR talents to create change?

What would you do if you won $1000 dollars, a "Pocket Studio", and mentorship for the next year?

Calling all Middle and Highschool Students : Amplify your voice to share what your community needs to know about finance and inspire others with your songs & stories. Win over $5000 in prizes including:

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$1,000 in cash

"Pocket Studio" equipment with ZV-1 Camera, Wireless Bluetooth® Shooting Grip and Tripod,WH-CH510 Wireless Headphones with Microphone,Rechargeable Battery Pack, Tough M 64GB Memory Card, Portable Bluetooth® Wireless Speaker, Shotgun Microphone

Monthly mentorship sessions with hip hip legends and business changemakers.

ALL THAT AND...YOU'LL PERFORM at the FPP Conference at the legendary Disney Springs, and then celebrate with your family at a theme park of your choice* - hotel and travel is on us!

PLUS...As the winning student's teacher you'll get a 1:1 Coaching Session to increase their own comfort around personal finances & access to the award winning Beyond Budgeting curriculum.

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*Choose between Disney World and Universal Studios

Meet Our Judges

Heading 3

Sway Calloway

American Journalist, Host of Sway in the Morning, Hip Hop Producer

Sway Calloway is an American journalist, radio personality, executive producer and former rapper. Known as Sway, he is known for hosting music, news, and culture programming. He was the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show The Wake Up Show as one half of the duo Sway & King Tech. Sway now hosts "Sway in the Morning" on SiriusXM Shade45 as well as the MTV show TRLAM.

G-Dash

Co-CEO of SwishaBlast / Swishahouse

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Dash serves such an important part of taking a local label and turning it into a global brand. His hands and guidance have been on nationwide hits such as "Tippin' On 44's", Who is Mike Jones?, Paul Wall, Lil Keke just to name a few. Dash is an industry veteran with a lot of insight and experience under his belt that can benefit the younger artist. Dash serves on various boards across the state and keeps the label actively involved via community and philanthropic efforts.

Delores Terry

Business Development (FinTech)

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Delores leads Business Development and securing partnerships with minority lead/founded financial technology platforms. Her team is dedicated to identifying and developing partnerships with mission driven fintech platforms that are minority lead and dedicated to making a more equitable financial system. They work to remove barriers in the payments ecosystem that minority founders often face such as funding & access to community.

Your support empowers youth to take control of their finances and inspire others with their creativity and art. Giving students tools and opportunities to share financial knowledge and dispel money myths with their peers, mentors, and wider community. Learn More about Sponsorship

Finances have an impact on your lives and communities. We've put together a team of the best Hip Hop and finance educators from around the country to share tips, tricks, and the real f'real about income, wealth, and the path to both.

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Check out each challenge for a wealth of information about saving, earning money, and the systemic inequalities that make things more difficult. There are tips and lessons on writing and recording from the pros. We've got beats for youth artists too, made by students from around the country.

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We can't wait to hear the original songs about finance you all put together!

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Click below to get started

Hip Hop FinFe$t Vol. 2

Partners & Supporters

any questions?

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions!

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VOL. 3 COMING APRIL 25, 2024 What's your money story? Let's change the way we talk about money through hip hop! Most people think that you should only budget in your NEEDS, but actually, if you don't include your WANTS or the things that bring you joy, you will never stick to your budget.

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Dyalekt (@dyalekt) on TikTok | 44 Likes. 28 Followers. Watch the latest video from Dyalekt (@dyalekt).

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Check out the Deconstructing Neuro Podcast

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Check out the Deconstructing Neuro Podcast

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T Jamaica Pogue | Twitter, Instagram | Linktree

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View tjamaicapogue’s Linktree. Listen to their music on YouTube, Spotify here.

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What We Do

Disabled Hikers is an entirely Disabled-led organization. We celebrate disabled people's experiences in the outdoors. We help facilitate those experiences with information, resources, and events, including trail guides and group hikes. We are also committed advocates for justice, access, and inclusion, and work with parks, organizations, brands, and more. With disabled hikers and our allies, we are committed to making the outdoors accessible to all. We aim to accomplish this through community, resources, and action.

Who We Are

We challenge the dominant narrative of who is considered to be valid and which experiences matter in the outdoors. Whether enjoying the outdoors means sitting by your window or thru-hiking a trail, you are welcome here.

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We are cross-disability led and grounded in disability justice. We are hikers, birders, climate activists, homebound nature lovers, creators, and more.

The Disabled Hiker's Guide to
Western Washington and Oregon

How Our Guides Are Different

There are an endless number of blogs and guidebooks out there about the outdoors, giving hikers access to information about trail conditions, difficulty, and directions, but there is one problem:

The majority of the information out there assumes that the person reading it isn't disabled.

This website is different.

Written by disabled hikers for disabled hikers, we give you information that other guides overlook.

Our descriptions include detailed information for every stage of hiking - from getting to the trail, amenities and accessibility information, trail conditions using our signature Spoon Rating System, and more.

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Disabled Hikers | Disability community and justice in the outdoors

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Together with disabled hikers and our allies, we are committed to making the outdoors accessible to all. We aim to accomplish this through community, resources, and action. We celebrate disabled people's experiences in the outdoors through resources, group hikes, trail guides, and more.

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Blessings I'm Sunaina Madhav Dasi! I teach yoga, mentor & model! Offerings below

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IG @ziyatmahamaya/

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A Comprehensive Guide for Visual Descriptions in Gatherings - Calling Up Justice!

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At Calling Up Justice, inclusivity lies at the core of our values, and as part of our commitment to accessibility, we have implemented visual descriptions in all our gatherings. This practice ensures that visually impaired individuals and those joining through audio-only channels can fully engage and participate.

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One Free Community. A glimpse into the future!

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One Free Community. A glimpse into the future!

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One Free Community: A Glimpse into a Future Made Possible - Calling Up Justice!

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One Free Community App has played a significant role in making this a reality. Through this app, everyone has access to supportive communities and resources, and society has become more inclusive, with greater acceptance and support for neurodiversity. Mutual aid has become an expected part of society, and people find joy and hope in helping others.

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Jesenia🌻 NeuroSpicyNetworking (@neurospicynetworking) on TikTok | 145.1K Likes. 10.2K Followers. Decolonizing Latinx Native $DesertFlowerArts Biochemist & Disability Advocacy.Watch the latest video from Jesenia🌻 NeuroSpicyNetworking (@neurospicynetworking).

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A universal designer, innovator, and Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC). I am also a black, neurodivergent, queer, disabled woman who lives with largely non-visible, chronic disabilities.

I reimagine accessible services, products and experiences across industries and my professional "special interest" is opening access to ease, joy and advancement for people with disabilities.

Do you also want to reimagine accessibility and inclusion?

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A universal designer, innovator, and Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC). I am also a black, neurodivergent, queer, disabled woman who lives with largely non-visible, chronic disabilities. I reimagine accessible services, products and experiences across industries and my professional "special interest" is opening access to ease, joy and advancement for people with disabilities.

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What is cross-Disability solidarity? And how do we make accessible culture and gathering spaces? Join us in a 6-week relaxed virtual space with asynchronous options to discuss ways cross-Disability communities collaboratively hold accessible gathering and cultural spaces.

Each recorded two-hour session features an embodiment warm up led by a Disabled artist, a short text read aloud by live participants, and group discussions to reflect on the reading. Each session covers different material and doesn't have to be followed in a particular order. We will also invite each participant to use their own personal bodymind experience of Disabling circumstances as a primary source of information. This is an anti-ableist, anti-racist, queer- and trans-positive space centering the needs and voices of multiply-marginalized Disabled folks, and is open to all.

Dis/Rep 2023 is co-produced by The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Catalyst Consulting Associates.

Session Access

Our Zoom sessions feature baseline access of ASL by a Deaf and hearing interpretation team, as well as automated captions. Facilitators will describe visuals. It is ok to be off camera, and it is ok to arrive or leave at your comfort. Each session will cover different material and you may join as many as you want, or just access recordings to participate.

Agendas are sent at least a day before each session, and readings will be available before the session and read together. We also take at least one break per session.

Get Access to Dis/Rep

We estimate filling this out and completing registration could take 5 to 20 minutes.

Tell us who you are, where you live, and how we can make this workshop accessible for you.

After you register, you will be taken to a page with instructions on how to finish registering. You will also get two emails: the first will invite you to set up a password, the second will have more details about Dis/Rep 2023.

Support Our Present
Support Our Future

Dis/Rep is available free to members of the public living in Portland, Oregon thanks to funding from the City of Portland Office of Community and Civic Life. However, we are asking that if you live outside of Portland or want to offer more support, please pay what you can so more people can experience this important work.

This workshop series is valued between $1,500 and $10,000 per participant. We invite you to contribute at whatever level works for you.

Are you an individual or organization who wants to sponsor free participation for people who live outside of Portland? Do you work for a company or organization that pays for professional development? Are you a member of an Employee Resource Group or organization that wants accelerated learning on Disability and Accessibility? Or do you simply want to support by paying what you can?

Consider taking part in one of our tiers of support. You will be given the option to pay what you want after registering.

Pay What
You Can

The Dis/Rep series is valued between $1,500 and $10,000 per participant. We invite you to pay what you can for this program.

Pay What
You Can

Professional Development

Taking part in Dis/Rep workshops will help you develop skills for improving accessibility in meetings, events, and other social gatherings.

Pay $300
or more

Dis/Rep
Sponsorship

Fund Dis/Rep's future.
Become an individual or organizational sponsor. We'll mention you on the homepage and during live sessions.

Pay $1,500
or more

Please send us an email if you have any questions.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in Dis/Rep do not necessarily represent those of the City of Portland. (Regardless of how clever, accurate, or outlandish they may be.)

About Dis/Rep

Dis/Rep (Disability Representation) is a yearly series of virtual engagements focused on Disability, accessibility, and culture that began in 2020 as a relaunch of the program started by Disability Art and Culture Project. It utilizes a variety of formats, including book club-style discussions, a Discord server for asynchronous participation, web content, and remote engagement activities. The project is designed as an anti-ableist, anti-racist, queer, and trans-positive space, centering the needs and voices of the Disability community.

Dis/Rep 2020: Reading the Disability Justice Primer

Dis/Rep 2020 was produced by The Curiosity Paradox and Calling Up Justice. During four workshops, we explored the Sins Invalid Statement on Police Violence, the Principles of Mixed Ability Organizing, Disability Liberated, and Disability Justice Timelines from Skin Tooth and Bone: The Basis of Movement is Our People. These topics were particularly relevant at the time, as George Floyd had been murdered and the entire country was reacting to the incident and the widespread protests that followed.

Dis/Rep 2021: #AccessIsLove In Action

In Dis/Rep 2021 we discussed #AccessIsLove, with concepts such as valuing disabled expertise and expanding what "access" means. In 2021, producers from from Calling Up Justice, The Curiosity Paradox, and Rebel Black joined with creative access consultant Deanna Yadollahi and guest facilitator Jennifer Kemp. Embodiment artists Maya Johnson, Paula Rupert, Yulia Arakelyan, Sidoney O'Neal, Matthew Reynolds, and Scott Selby led embodiment exercises for the 2021 sessions.

Dis/Rep 2022: Liberating Words

Dis/Rep 2022: Liberating Words had everyone exploring ideas from National Disability Theater, Sound Theater, Claudia Alick, Grant Miller, Jonathan Paradox, Rebel Sidney Black, Sins Invalid, TL Lewis, Sunaura Taylor, Kimberly Crenshaw, Audre Lorde, Keri Gray, Imani Barbarin, Stacey Milbern, Dustin Gibson, Unsettling Dramaturgy (The Crip and Indigenous Process Design Research Colloquium), Aurora Levins Morales, Rebel Sidney Black, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Mia Mingus, John Lee Clark, and Luticha Doucette on Philosopher Éduoard Glissant. All our sessions were facilitated by experienced professionals and featured readings, embodiment exercises, group discussions, and other interactive elements. This was a coproduction of The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Leaping Water Consulting, with disabled embodiment artists Anita Hollender, Luticha Doucette, Monetta Wilson, India Harville, Toby McNutt, and Carmen Papalia, leading exercises in the 2022 sessions. Luticha also joined as a guest facilitator. Dis/Rep is continuing in 2023 with Catalyst Consulting, The Curiosity Paradox and Calling Up Justice.

Dis/Rep is a valuable resource for disabled individuals and our supporters, empowering us to engage with contemporary issues and be heard and understood. It is a testament to the importance of centering disabled voices, particularly multiply-marginalized Disabled people, in contemporary discussions and events and works to create a more inclusive and accessible world for all.

Back to Top

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Dis/Rep (Disability/Representation) is a yearly series of virtual dialogues focused on Disability, accessibility, and culture. It is currently co-produced by The Curiosity Paradox, Calling Up Justice, and Catalyst Consulting Associates LLC.

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The Association of Black Psychologists, Inc.

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The Association of Black Psychologists, Inc.

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The Association of Black Psychologists has grown from a handful of concerned professionals into an independent, autonomous organization of over 1400 members.

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S|GNS (Science | Government, Institutions & Society) Summit was a network-wide meeting for emerging and established leaders across fields to share knowledge, build community, and develop their skills as science advocates, educators, and organizers.

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S|GNS (Science | Government, Institutions & Society) Summit was a network-wide meeting for emerging and established leaders across fields to share knowledge, build community, and develop their skills as science advocates, educators, and organizers.

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S|GNS (Science | Government, Institutions & Society) Summit was a network-wide meeting for emerging and established leaders across fields to share knowledge, build community, and develop their skills as science advocates, educators, and organizers. S|GNS Summit is a project of the March for Science and was held in Chicago, IL on July 6-8, 2018.

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WESTAF is thrilled to share the upcoming launch of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Artist Fund, a new fund designed in partnership with WESTAF's Leaders of Color Network that provides resources to and for BIPOC artists living and working in the 16 states and jurisdictions in the WESTAF region to advance their own artistic practice and goals. WESTAF is investing in the wellbeing and safety of BIPOC artists, cultural practitioners, and collaboratives by providing no-strings-attached funding and support.

Thank you to the design team, which spans across eight different Emerging Leaders of Color cohort years, for their help in creating the artist fund, emphasizing self-determination for BIPOC artists and their communities.

The application will close at 11:59 p.m. MST on Sunday, February 12, 2023.

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WESTAF Announces the BIPOC Artist Fund - WESTAF

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WESTAF is thrilled to share the upcoming launch of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Artist Fund, a new fund designed in partnership with WESTAF's Leaders of Color Network that provides resources to and for BIPOC artists living and working in the 16 states and jurisdictions in the WESTAF region to advance their own artistic practice and goals.

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Our mission... We provide health justice training and consultation, engage in healing justice movement building, and incubate community-driven solutions, which generate health abundance and alleviate the devastating health burden of social injustice and environmental racism.

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Alina-Gene (@alina.gene) on TikTok | 3.1M Likes. 103.1K Followers. Unpacking Intersectionality Venmo @AlinaGene / $AlinaGene.Watch the latest video from Alina-Gene (@alina.gene).

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Rights and Justice: Disability Advocates Blazing Trails - Calling Up Justice!

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Judy Heumann seemed to be a bit taken aback by this. For clarity, from my mother's perspective, litigation was not applicable. The so-called justice system is not just and was not built for or intended to work for those who are Black and Brown.

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Tse shá'íí Chíníí (@diamond_dog74) | TikTok

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Tse shá'íí Chíníí (@diamond_dog74) on TikTok | 4.5M Likes. 120.4K Followers. Lipan Apache, Shoshone, SWANA, historian Goth Decolonized History Two Spirit𓂀.Watch the latest video from Tse shá'íí Chíníí (@diamond_dog74).

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OneFreeCommunity (@onefreecommunity) on TikTok | 26.3K Likes. 9.6K Followers. Building an app&community to help connect people & community resources. Join ⬇️.Watch the latest video from OneFreeCommunity (@onefreecommunity).

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7.4K Likes, 360 Comments. TikTok video from Mik (@mikoolerthanu): "Reply to @nikkikikinicole it's ridiculous #woc #nonprofit #retaliatory #wrongfultermination #nonprofitindustrialcomplex #fyp #PostitAffirmations #toxicworkplace". original sound - Mik.

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Specialties: Anti-Racism, Community Organizing, Meeting Facilitation, Fundraising, Event Coordination, Anti-Oppression Training & Coaching, Program Evaluation, Qualitative Research, Program Management, Capacity Building, Case Management, Client Advocacy, STD and HIV Education, Employment Counseling, LGBTQ Advocacy

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Diane Burkholder - Long Beach, California, United States | Professional Profile | LinkedIn

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Specialties: Anti-Racism, Community Organizing, Meeting Facilitation, Fundraising, Event Coordination, Anti-Oppression Training & Coaching, Program Evaluation, Qualitative Research, Program Management, Capacity Building, Case Management, Client Advocacy, STD and HIV Education, Employment Counseling, LGBTQ Advocacy

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Log in to follow creators, like videos, and view comments.

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AJ Sisneros (@renaissance.mouse) TikTok | Watch AJ Sisneros's Newest TikTok Videos

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AJ Sisneros (@renaissance.mouse) on TikTok | 23.4K Likes. 1.2K Fans. I teach kids to physics I love to learn new things I make stuff 34

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A discreet way to make the invisible visible

Wearing the Sunflower discreetly indicates to people around the wearer that they have individual access needs - this could be simply be needing additional support, understanding or a little more time.

A global presence

Since the Sunflower was established in the UK in 2016, it has been adopted globally by organisations to support both their colleagues and customers.

Awareness of the Sunflower continues to grow across North America where it has been adopted by approximately 80 airports - discover them here. The US airports have formed a Sunflower group that shares ideas on how to implement, train, and distribute the Sunflower to travellers. Notably, Jet Blue airlines is the first US based airline to purchase and support the program with a full roll-out planned during the first quarter of 2022 and in Pennsylvania, an Amazon fulfilment centre now supports their employees with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.

The US also has three Sunflower-friendly US cities: Visit Mesa AZ, Visit Visalia CA, and Visit Vacaville, CA. In these cities, the Sunflower is distributed at the visitor centre and select local shops and is recognized at hotels, museums, attractions and parks.

The Sunflower is available locally in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UAE, the UK and the USA. The Sunflower is now globally recognized across a broad range of sectors - ranging from retail, financial services, transport including over 180 airports, travel and tourism as well as over 450 universities, schools and colleges, all of the UK railway network, theme parks, supermarkets, leisure facilities, healthcare, financial services, emergency services, theatres and over 350 charities.

Businesses in countries like France, Norway and Lithuania have also recently introduced the Sunflower.

Above all, it is used anywhere where people meet. Find out where it is known near you using our Sunflower location map

How did it all start?

By 2016, the Accessibility team at Gatwick Airport were already assisting over 500,000 passengers a year but recognized that some passengers had a non-visible disability. How could they assist them too?

Following an evaluation which included the Gatwick team, the Airport Passenger Advisory Group and local and national charities, a green lanyard with a yellow sunflower was chosen for passengers to discreetly choose to indicate they have an invisible disability and may need some support, assistance or simply a little more time when moving through the airport.

The success of the Sunflower lanyard and the positive response it has received, has increased awareness of the barriers that adults and children with invisible disabilities can face.

Our history

Why did we choose a sunflower?

Without a visual cue, it can be difficult for others to identify, acknowledge, or understand the daily barriers faced by people living with am invisible disability.

We wanted a discreet sign which was still clearly visible from a distance as well as being distinctive, joyful, and dynamic. We chose a sunflower as it suggests happiness, positivity, strength as well as growth and confidence and is universally known.

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The Sunflower is for people with non-visible disabilities

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A discreet way to make the invisible visible Wearing the Sunflower discreetly indicates to people around the wearer that they have individual access needs - this could be simply be needing additional support, understanding or a little more time. A global presence Since the Sunflower was establish

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chris! (@irresponsiblegarlic) on TikTok | 1.3M Likes. 22.5K Followers. 27 / Việt / virgo they/he goofy bitch I have a dog his name is puppy 10/10.Watch the latest video from chris! (@irresponsiblegarlic).

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Crip Create Online Disabled Coworking Space

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Crip Create Online Disabled Coworking Space

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CripCreate, A weekly online co-working space by and for all Deaf and Disabled people. This is a Disability Justice-centered co-working space for all Disabled (sick, Disabled, Mad/mentally ill, Deaf, Hard of Hearing, low vision/blind, neurodiverse, or otherwise chronically ill) people.

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We welcome Larissa Harari as Client Engagement Manager at The Global Good Fund Consulting Services, where she is responsible for the relationship with the clients and overseeing the Program's operation and management. She supports research and analysis, program design for new proposals, and program evaluations.

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Creating safer spaces, cultivating care practices + seeding dreams.

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Creating safer spaces, cultivating care practices + seeding dreams.

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Creating safer spaces, cultivating care practices + seeding dreams.

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Identify and destroy ableism's deep, racist roots. Support and uplift Black disabled leaders. Confront ableism and racism by educating each other. The complexity of our multiply marginalized identities becomes more apparent when celebrations and discussions do not have an intersectional lens.

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https://beacons.ai/catalystconsultingassociates

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Sign-Up for The Calling Up Justice Ko-Fi 

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Sign-Up for The Calling Up Justice Ko-Fi 

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Follow for updates on events, access our book shop and to find out more!

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The REAL team remains in solidarity with our community and our Mayor in dismantling the systems of oppression that have lead to the underlying disparities impacting our community's health and well being. We encourage all businesses to not just declare a statement of equity but to embed equity into their policies, practices, procedures, structures, and relationships within and across organizations. Now is the time to act.

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City of Rochester | Let’s Get REAL - Race, Equity and Leadership

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On Jan. 22, 2019, Mayor Lovely A. Warren, City Council President Loretta Scott and Bob Duffy, CEO of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce signed a historic charter, known as Project Let’s Get REAL (Race, Equity and Leadership) that provides a framework for Rochester to implement specific strate…

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Check out this great example of Equity Plan

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Check out this great example of Equity Plan

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Following the outbreak of COVID-19, we were struck by the remarkable responses developed to combat this pandemic. Governments, institutions, and individuals largely pivoted-reallocating resources, questioning assumptions, changing daily routines and practices-in some instances at great personal risk, for the greater good of community health and collective well-being. We have seen that we can change-and change quickly.

Racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression continue to harm and kill uncounted millions. We are making a commitment to address these issues with the same urgency with which we are addressing the ongoing pandemic.

The Gallery's strategic plan states that we will "visualize and help advance Indigenous rights." Indigenous communities are calling for rapid, systemic change to end the violence (economic, psychological, and physical) perpetrated against Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities. We recognize that historical efforts toward equity at the MacKenzie have been directed primarily toward inclusion of Indigenous peoples, and we wish to address an inadequate engagement with Black and POC (people of colour) communities. Executing our strategic plan, and decolonizing our institution, cannot happen without addressing accessibility, gender identity/expression, racial justice, and other inequities within our communities. Because these inequities cannot be addressed purely through our programming or performative gestures, the Equity Task Force has been charged with reviewing all corners of our institution, including-but not limited to-staffing, collections, visitor experience, policy, and partnerships.

Our communities are demanding reform across our sector. We intend to respond to this call with boldness, transparency, and accountability. In order to proceed, we have identified actions-past, present, and future-that the MacKenzie has implemented, is currently implementing, or intends to implement to fight systemic oppression. We will be working with community partners to help identify blind spots and provide guidance in areas where we do not have expertise.

We gratefully acknowledge the work of the many individuals and groups who have graciously offered guidance to museums on paths toward positive change. The work we have been doing owes a particular debt to the recommendations outlined in A Culture of Exploitation: "Reconciliation" and the Institutions of Canadian Art, by Lindsay Nixon; the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); the Task Force Report on Museums and First Peoples; the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action; an open letter to New York City's cultural institutions, by #ForTheCulture; and an open letter to artist-run centres in Quebec, titled Moving Beyond Statements of Solidarity.

This list will be updated as we make progress and new commitments toward these goals.

Respectfully,

The MacKenzie Art Gallery Equity Task Force

John G. Hampton, Executive Director and CEO
Lillian O'Brien Davis, Assistant Curator
MacKenzie Hamon, Communications Coordinator
Caitlin Mullan, Head of Strategic Initiatives
Nicolle Nugent, Curator of Education
Brittany Yang, Director of Development

Regina, 11 January 2021

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Vision and Values - MacKenzie Art Gallery

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Following the outbreak of COVID-19, we were struck by the remarkable responses developed to combat this pandemic. Governments, institutions, and individuals largely pivoted-reallocating resources, questioning assumptions, changing daily routines and practices-in some instances at great personal risk, for the greater good of community health and collective well-being.

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We believe in liberation for all.
We fund grassroots movements working to dismantle injustices that have harmed our communities and planet for far too long. We support emerging organizations and change makers on the frontlines fighting for social, racial gender, disability, economic, and environmental justice.

We center the wisdom and agency of our communities most impacted by injustice in order to upend broken systems that hoard and consolidate power and wealth.

We work to transform philanthropy—from top-down and extractive to justice-driven and regenerative.

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Capturing the potential of small beginnings We’ve reimagined Donor-Advised Funds with a new program where donors AND community benefitLearn more about Donor-in-Movement Funds Previous Next We know philanthropy can be different It can be transformative and community led. It can be about activist…

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retreat + summer camp + unconference
for change makers

GREENERMIND SUMMIT

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Greenermind is a community of change-makers in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Washington, D.C. We host the Greenermind Summit -- one part adult summer camp, one part unconference, and one part restorative retreat.

UPCOMING EVENT DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.

Is there a talent show? Yup. Do we make music around the campfire? Yup. Will you learn about cutting-edge ways people are solving wicked problems like sanitation in the developing world, gender bias at work, oceanic plastic pollution, affordable housing policy, and more? Duh - it wouldn't be Greenermind without some serious nerding out.

At Greenermind you'll meet mission-driven people from diverse backgrounds. We are entrepreneurs, educators, designers, scientists, nonprofit leaders, corporate managers, artists, policy experts, front-line activists, and more.

Your experience is exactly what you make it. You can dive into facilitated activities or relish unstructured time. The entire weekend is sourced from our stellar community; you're invited to present a workshop, lead a hike, create art, or bring anything you'd like to share.

If you have passion to share, if you want to grow and explore, if your soul needs a pickup from this crazy world-join us. We hope to see you this year.

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Greenermind is a community of change-makers in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Washington, D.C. We host the Greenermind Summit -- one part adult summer camp, one part unconference, and one part restorative retreat. UPCOMING EVENT DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON. Is there a talent show? Yup.

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Claudia Alick provides individual consultations on Anti-Racism, Disability Justice, Leadership, Board Management, Accessible Design, Dramaturgy, Gender Justice, Communications, Producing, Development and Fund-Raising, and Intersectionality. These services are not just for the rich. Access what you need to improve now. Consults are available to anyone from a parent’s getting advice on how to advocate for their kids to executive leaders of national businesses working on a professional challenge. Sign up now to empower yourself.

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Claudia Alick Personal Consultations - Calling Up Justice!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Claudia Alick provides individual consultations on Anti-Racism, Disability Justice, Leadership, Board Management, Accessible Design, Dramaturgy, Gender Justice, Communications, Producing, Development and Fund-Raising, and Intersectionality. These services are not just for the rich. Access what you need to improve now.

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At the Curiosity Paradox, we consider the seemingly benign aspects of gathering people together and reframe them as a fertile ground of solidarity, resistance, learning, and creativity.

Systemic oppression is often hiding. Power imbalances are baked into everyday decision processes like meeting agendas, work schedules, and event registrations.

We work with our clients and audiences to slow down, expose power dynamics, and experiment with power redistribution.

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As an organization founded by two Disabled white people, we want to acknowledge that predominantly white institutions have an implicit bias toward white, work-ready bodies.

At the Curiosity Paradox, we consider the seemingly benign aspects of gathering people together and reframe them as a fertile ground of solidarity, resistance, learning, and creativity.

Systemic oppression is often hiding. Power imbalances are baked into everyday decision processes like meeting agendas, work schedules, and event registrations.

We work with our clients and audiences to slow down, expose power dynamics, and experiment with power redistribution.

Through consulting, creatively led workshops, and interactive artworks that center and model Disability access, we support essential and embodied changes in the ways groups of people make everyday decisions.

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As an organization founded by two Disabled white people, we want to acknowledge that predominantly white institutions have an implicit bias toward white, work-ready bodies. At the Curiosity Paradox, we consider the seemingly benign aspects of gathering people together and reframe them as a fertile ground of solidarity, resistance, learning, and creativity.

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About The Justice Producers Collaborative

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About The Justice Producers Collaborative

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About the Justice Producer's Collaborative - Calling Up Justice!

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UPCOMING! What is the Justice Producer's Collaborative? The Justice Produces Collaborative (JPC) gathers in three virtual spaces: Cultivation Calls, Organizing Calls,and the Discord server. We like to imagine it as a community garden. JPC holds synchronous (cultivation calls and organizing calls) and asynchronous connective space (Discord server) so Justice producers can tend our community garden ...

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Luticha André Doucette, owner of Catalyst Consulting graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in Bioinformatics where she developed protein surface prediction algorithms. In 2017 she authored a report on wage disparities across race, gender, and disability in Rochester and Monroe County in conjunction with the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative and in 2018 authored a follow-up report on employment barriers for disabled people in Rochester and Monroe County. She is a graduate of the Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship program and an AUCD Emerging Leader. She is committed to helping organizations examine equity across race, gender identity, and disability in policies, practices, procedures, and relationships.  ​​Areas of focus: Equity, Disability Justice, Health Advocacy, STEM/Research

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I am a queer, quirky, disabled black femme. Lover of cats and justice. I was nicknamed "The Catalyst by my older brother as he says I'm " always starting something and getting people to rethink things" .
My brother was definitely on to something!

Luticha André Doucette, owner of Catalyst Consulting graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in Bioinformatics where she developed protein surface prediction algorithms. After graduating, she was a Fellow at the University of Rochester where she worked in a genomics lab that focused on analyzing the venom of parasitoid wasps to develop new drug therapies for various diseases. In 2017 she authored a report on wage disparities across race, gender, and disability in Rochester and Monroe County in conjunction with the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative and in 2018 authored a follow-up report on employment barriers for disabled people in Rochester and Monroe County.

She is a graduate of the Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship program and an AUCD Emerging Leader. She is committed to helping organizations examine equity across race, gender identity, and disability in policies, practices, procedures, and relationships.

She lives in Rochester, NY with her two cats:

​Areas of focus: Equity, Disability Justice, Health Advocacy, STEM/Research

Anita Cameron
(she/her/hers)

Jeiri Flores (she/her/hers)

"I believe in the power of the people and that everyone should have an opportunity to pursue the life they desire."

Jeiri Flores is a strong, passionate Puerto Rican disability justice activist from Rochester, NY. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in the study of Sociology and African-American Studies at SUNY Brockport in 2014. Currently she is pursuing her masters degree in Human Development at the University of Rochester's Warner School. Jeiri serves as a resource for residents in her community by connecting them to existing services and supports. As a disability advocate Jeiri shares her unique perspective at various colleges and conferences where she introduces attendees to the struggles and invisibility people with disabilities face.

She provides insight regarding inclusion, citizenship, disability intersectionality and challenges that remain unaddressed by society. She hopes to influence young disabled people to fulfill their purpose and create a new narrative for what it means to be disabled.

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I am a queer, quirky, disabled black femme. Lover of cats and justice. I was nicknamed "The Catalyst by my older brother as he says I'm " always starting something and getting people to rethink things" . My brother was definitely on to something!