What happens when I come unpolished into community care ?

Black Feminist Thought: Black women’s experience does not have to always be tied to oppression. Our story never started with oppression nor ends with it.

• Self care is political !

Alice Walker: In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens

• womanism is to feminism as purple is to lilac

Mari Matsuda, a law professor at the University of Hawaii who was an early developer of critical race theory argued that "The problem is not bad people". “The problem is a system that reproduces bad outcomes. It is both humane and inclusive to say, ‘We have done things that have hurt all of us, and we need to find a way out.’” Cite: Fortin, J. (2021, July 27). Critical race theory: A brief history. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-critical-race-theory.html?searchResultPosition=4

The embodiment practice Movement of the People Dance Company's Hair Ties is a multidisciplinary piece inspired by America's fear of Black power and beauty. We each shared our favorite hairstyle, taught it to others, and reflected on our memories. I brought my mother's vintage scarf to incorporate into my embodiment. We explored movement with the fabrics and then collectively identified the gestures created without them.

Sobha Kavanakudiyil- "Endarkened storytelling (storywork) uplifting counter narratives"

This was the first time I learned about and heard of Endarkened Storywork/Storytelling, a term coined by S. R. Toliver. Endarkened Storywork is a research storytelling format that builds on Endarkened Feminist Epistemologies, Indigenous Storywork, and Afrofuturism.

Dr.Sharon Counts

• "Community building needs to be built on reciprocity."

• "We must consistently maintain the community building seeds"

• "Change comes with/from loss and when we ask people to change we are asking them to give something up"

• Ronee Penoi, Interim Executive Director of the Office of the Arts & Director of Artistic Programming at ArtsEmerson

  • "Show up for communities that are not (your)/their own."

  • "It is a risk to have community work tethered to one person."

• Giselle Byrd, Executive Director of The Theater Offensive

  • "Arts and culture is no longer a luxury. The new role of arts and culture is going back to the social justice roots."

The questions that remains is: What comes next? In what ways do I continue to learn from the ancestors through memory? What vision and future will I imagine with youth when I become an elder?