Black Radical Imagination, A Conversation Robin D. G. Kelley
ABOUT THE EVENT
Join Imagine Black in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the release of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination.
This conversation welcomes scholar Robin D. G. Kelley, poet aja monet, speculative design strategist Joy Alise Davis, and political educator Ekundayo Igeleke as they discuss the power of the Black radical imagination. The panel will discuss topics like abolition, Black queer feminism, surrealism, visionary organizing, and how liberatory movements and mindsets intersect with the Black experience.
Performances by renowned poet aja money and live art by Paola De La Cruz.
A book signing will follow the program.
The event will be held in English.
TIME AND LOCATION
September 22, 2022,
Portland Art Museum
1219 SW Park Ave
Portland, OR 97205.
AGENDA
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm: Doors Open
Private Exhibit Tour: Sharita Towne & A Black Art Ecology of Portland
6:30 pm - 7:00 pm: Opening Act(s)
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Conversation
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm: Book Signing
TICKETS
Students, Youth, Black and Indigenous Folks: Free
Early Bird: $40.00
Available from August 22, 2022 - September 9, 2022
Regular: $50.00
Available from September 9, 2022- September 22, 2022
Your ticket includes:
A free entrance to Portland Art Museum from 5 pm - 6 pm. ($25 value)
A free copy of Robin D. G. Kelley's Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination.
Custom playlist featuring event-inspired songs curated by our staff.
COVID-19 POLICY
Due to a high resurgence of COVID in Oregon, and the high predisposition Black and Brown folk have to COVID, All ticket holders over the age of five, are required to show proof of full COVID vaccination or a negative test result (taken within 72 hours prior to showtime) from a healthcare provider for entry into the Auditorium.
“Fully vaccinated” means that ticket holders have received their final vaccination dose of either the two-dose regimen of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of Johnson & Johnson at least 14 days before your performance date. Be sure to have your ID (name must match documentation) with you as well. Proof of vaccination may be in physical printed form (original vaccine card or photocopy) or in digital form (photo or scan on your mobile device).
Please Bring the following:
Valid Vaccination Card OR COVID test results within the past 72 hours; a limited number of COVID tests will be available for on-site testing before entry.
Face masks are required for entry. Masks must completely cover nose and mouth. Gaiters and bandanas are not acceptable. Masks will be made available. Masks must be worn at all times except while eating or drinking for brief periods.
A failure to comply will result in a forfeiture of entry.
BIOGRAPHIES
Robin D. G. Kelley (he/him) is a Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in US History at UCLA. He is the author or co-editor of numerous award-winning books, including Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, Yo’ Mama’s Disfunktional! Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America, and Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class, among other works.
aja monet (she/her) is a surrealist blues poet, storyteller, and organizer born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She won the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam poetry award title in 2007 and aja monet follows in the long legacy and tradition of poets participating and assembling in social movements. Her first full collection of poems is titled, My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter on Haymarket Books. Her poems explore gender, race, migration, and spirituality. In 2018, she was nominated for a NAACP Literary Award for Poetry and in 2019 was awarded the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award for Poetry for her cultural organizing work in South Florida. aja monet co-founded a political home for artists and organizers called Smoke Signals Studio. She facilitates “Voices: Poetry for the People,” a workshop and collective in collaboration with Community Justice Project and Dream Defenders. She is currently working on her next full collection of poems entitled, Florida Water. aja Monet also serves as the new Artistic Creative Director for V-Day, a global movement to end violence against all women and girls. She recently released her first single called Give my regards to Brooklyn which will be followed by the release of her first full studio album in 2023.
Ekundayo Igeleke (he/him) is a Popular educator, culture worker, national strategist and grassroots organizer and writer. He currently is Resource Generation’s Multi Racial Basebuilding Strategist and the founding Creative-in-Chief of Culture Dream Lab. In 2013, he organized his first Freedom School site to address the needs of an entire community by using education as a tool for liberation. In 2014, Ekundayo became a member of the National Juvenile Justice Network through the Youth Justice Leadership program where he co-launched a Freedom School program inside of three youth correctional facilities in Ohio from 2014-2016 to decrease the re entry rate and empower system-involved youth. In 2015, he was part of the core team of The Peoples Justice Project, focusing on base building and leadership development toward the decriminalization of the Black working class and the abolition of the prison industry. Additionally, he was the Executive Director for the University District Freedom School, focusing on youth activism/organizing, parent liberation, and organizing toward restorative practices in all learning spaces. Ekundayo currently is an executive board member of the Maroon Arts Group in Columbus, Ohio, an adjunct trainer with re:power, and co lead organizer with Black Men Build Columbus. Outside of taking radical action, Ekundayo loves spending time with family and his village, watching anime, mixing music, eating africana/black vegan dishes, and reading 3-4 books at a time.
