UF CAME Afrofuturism Week 2026 by Lindo,Abigail C

Welcome to Afrofuturism Week 2026

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 21:04:55 UTC

The Center for Arts, Migration, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Florida is pleased to welcome you to the 2026 Afrofuturism Week! We have an array of events and offerings for participants to learn, celebrate, and participate - beginning with the MLK Lecture in Pugh Hall and Kick-Off Party in the Blount Center at Santa Fe College. We hope you can join us! Comment on the event you are most looking forward to!

Reading Afrofuturism

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 21:33:38 UTC

Here is a list of Afrofuturist books compiled by members of CAME. Have you read any of them already? Do you have a favorite? If not, do any of the titles spark your interest?

Afrofuturism exists as a sensational reality, often understood through visual art and sound, but its roots lie in literature. In various books, authors like Octavia Butler, Amos Tutuola, and Zora Neale Hurston wrote with the future in mind to shape what would later be called Afrofuturism. Science fiction emerges as a dominant idiom of Afrofuturist writing in the mid-to-late 20th century. Many of these titles are available at the Lynx Bookstore.

2025 Afrofuturism Week Recap

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 21:39:44 UTC

You don't want to miss this year's festivities!

2026 MLK Lecture

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 21:47:48 UTC

You are in for a treat! This year's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. lecture will feature Dr. Kathi Earles Ross, a talented physician and artist exploring a wealth of mediums to powerfully depict Black life. The lecture will take place at Pugh Hall, located near Turlington Hall (off of Buckman Drive). Attendance is free!

Manifestations of MLK's Dream

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 21:53:34 UTC

This thoughtful reflection on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream Speech" acknowledges the time period and setting of its creation. Do you see manifestations of MLK's charge to organize and collaborate for greater change in our local communities?

Hearing Afrofuturism

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 22:00:42 UTC

Enjoy this playlist of music by artists who sonically shaped Black imaginaries and futures using fantasy, spirituality, improvisation, technology, and science fiction. Across jazz, Neo-soul, hip hop, and R&B (among other genres), their innovations through sound signal liberation, ancestral wisdom, and the celebration of the possibilities for Afrodiasporic expression!

Who is your favorite Afrofuturist artist? Any familiar songs on the playlist?

Come to the Kick-Off Party!

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 22:02:24 UTC

There is something for participants of all ages at this festive gathering that officially marks the beginning of Afrofuturism Week! Attendance is free!

Gospel's Importance in Imagining Black Futures

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 22:09:06 UTC

How do African American spiritual traditions shape a future rooted in justice and multicultural harmony?

Join us for an evening of spirituality, singing, and celebration at the Greater Bethel AME Church.

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 22:12:01 UTC

We know you love live music, so you do not want to miss the Afrofuturism Week Concert! This event is sure to bring the bass, so get your tickets before they're gone!

Seeing Afrofuturism

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 22:19:01 UTC

The National Museum of African American History and Culture presents Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures, an immersive exhibit on Afrofuturism that offers a wealth of sights and sounds to understand a legacy of innovative work. You can experience it online ahead of CAME's Art Exhibition, part of a reception entitled Black Cosmologies in World-building, Storytelling, and Imagination.

Aftofuturism in the Gainesville Community

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 22:44:10 UTC

Afrofuturism is an aesthetic, genre, and frame of world making that centers Black futures - unfettered and unapologetically. We experience it broadly through notable literary, artistic, sonic, and other creative products and recognize it as a cultural reality, but it is enacted locally - among creatives and community partners who contribute to imagining Black futures through their collective organizing. The power of CAME's Afrofuturism Week is in its showcasing of local talent, ingenuity, and vision. We hope you can experience all the events have to offer!

Comment creatives and businesses that help to promote Afrofutures in your local community.

Afrofuturism in Black Music

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 22:52:22 UTC

This informative lesson on Afrofuturism in Black music is part of the Timeline of African American Music, a resource from Carnegie Hall that connects various facets of Black music genres, key selections, and other teaching tools.

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 23:01:14 UTC

Octavia E. Butler's beloved dystopian novel Parable of the Sower is reimagined as a graphic novel by Damian Duffy with images by John Jennings. The book is available for purchase at the Lynx ahead of the book club event, which will take place on January 26th.

How We Got Over: Resistance, Persistence, Transcendence

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 23:15:07 UTC

Have you ever considered the monumental impact of gospel music and its role as an Afrofuturist art form? Join us for How We Got Over: Resistance, Persistence, Transcendence, with speakers Dr. Louise Toppin and Dr. Joseph Brown.

Technoskepticism Book Panel

abbylindo2 — 2026-01-09 23:23:05 UTC

What is technoskepticism?

Join us for a panel on the 2025 book Technoskeptism: Between Possibility and Refusal by The DISCO Network. This is a book about possibility and refusal in relation to new technologies. Though refusal is an especially powerful mode—particularly for those who have historically not been given the option to say no—people of color and disabled people have long navigated the space between saying yes and saying no to the newest technologies. Technoskepticism relates some of these stories to reveal the possibilities skepticism can create.