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Welcome to the Allied Media Conference 2015! 
Wednesday, June 17
 

6:00pm EDT

AMC2015 Kick-off feat. Craig Huckaby (Soul n Conga) wsg Seth Carter
Meet-up for drinks and eats and the dancefloor.

DJs Craig Huckaby (Soul n Conga) wsg Seth Carter (Musicality), followed by regularly scheduled Str8 Jazz No Chaser with Mike Jellick & friends at 9pm. 



Wednesday June 17, 2015 6:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
Northern Lights Lounge 660 W. Baltimore St.
 
Thursday, June 18
 

10:00am EDT

Healing Justice Practice Space Strategy Session Day
Healing Justice is a practice and to grow that we will be sharing skills and exploring embodiment. Join us throughout the hours of the Network Gatherings to learn, explore, chat and prepare for ways to experience the HJPS through the weekend. Open to all.


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

10:00am EDT

Black Lives Matter Network Gathering
The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Network Gathering will convene Black folks interested in developing new models of Black liberation by building upon the long and rich history of Black resistance and resilience in this country and across the diaspora. We will build concrete campaigns for BLM chapters across the country and connect with Black activists who have been doing powerful work for the BLM movement. The BLM movement started with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, which is an online call for unity and action in response to the threats against our everyday lives as Black individuals. Participants will walk away with new and strengthened relationships, tactics, and strategic plans. This network gathering is invite only.


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom A
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #BlackLivesMatter #AMC2015

10:00am EDT

Brave Space: Reproductive Justice Network Gathering
In the Brave Space: Reproductive Justice Network Gathering, we will grow a vision for a reproductive justice movement that weaves together multiple voices and campaigns and generates ideas for collaborative media projects. The reproductive justice movement is rooted in the belief that real reproductive freedom comes when we have the power and resources to make decisions about our bodies. This means that reproductive justice is holistically interconnected with the struggles for rights of immigrants, workers, youth, and LGBTQ people; for economic, environmental, and racial justice; and for ending mass incarceration, for freedom from violence, and for access to health care and education that affirms our identities and our bodies. In this network gathering, participants will explore the intersections between these movements and walk away with a better understanding of how to incorporate reproductive justice into their advocacy and organizing. We will develop a list of campaigns and media projects we can support, co-create art and media that amplifies participants’ local work, and build new relationships and opportunities for cross-movement collaboration.


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
State Hall: Room 312
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #ReproJusticeAMC #AMC2015

10:00am EDT

Community Technology Network Gathering
At the Community Technology Network Gathering we will convene practitioners and enthusiasts of community technology in all of its many forms to explore how technology can be used to address the needs of our communities and move us toward a more just and creative world. What are the shared values, priorities and goals that underpin the work of community technology? How does ownership of technology (or lack thereof) affect our movements and communities? How can technology help our communities grow, self-govern, and self-determine? What are our communities' most significant tech needs and challenges? How can we reduce redundancy in our work and create better solutions for our communities? How can we build relationships within a larger network of community tech practitioners around the world? We will form stronger relationships, new approaches to the problems we're trying to solve, and a shared sense of priorities and values that we can take back to our own projects and communities.

Please Note: This network gathering is at capacity and no longer accepting new participants. Please contact community.tech.ng@gmail.com with any questions. 


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
St. Andrew's Hall
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #AMC2015 #commtech

10:00am EDT

Complex Movements Translocal Cohort Network Gathering
Detroit-based art collective Complex Movements has spent two years traveling to D.C., Dallas, Seattle, and Miami to share ideas on the intersection of art, science and social justice through a traveling multimedia performance installation called Beware of the Dandelions. In the process, we have learned about the incredible work happening to transform communities in each city and how touring performances can be an organizing and network-weaving process. The Complex Movements Translocal Cohort Network Gathering will bring together artists and organizers from our five host cities to explore the full potential of our performance-based organizing model. We will facilitate dialogue about the similarities, differences, challenges, and successes of local organizing to strengthen and evolve our strategies for arts-based social change.


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Education Building: Room 169
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #AMC2015 #ComplexMovements

10:00am EDT

Dismantling the Ivory Tower Network Gathering
The Dismantling the Ivory Tower Network Gathering is for people of color connected to colleges, universities, and academic centers who want to chart new strategies for social justice organizing. This gathering is coordinated by and welcomes participation from queer, trans and cisgender academics of color as an opportunity to create strategies to better engage these institutions. We will begin by outlining the challenges we face as academics invested in social justice, such as the separation between academic institutions and the communities in which they are located and how we can heal from traumatic experiences within academia. The rest of the day will be spent strategizing. We will set priority areas of engagement for institutional change by sharing skills we can use to dismantle the “Ivory Tower” and make organizing our guiding principle on and off campus.


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
State Hall: Room 425
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #AMC2015 #DismantlingIvoryTower

10:00am EDT

Get Yr Rights Network Gathering
What are LGBTQTS youth across the country doing to fight profiling, police abuse, and criminalization? The national LGBTQTS Know Your Rights Network, developed at the AMC in 2013 and officially launched in January 2014, has grown to include 30 network members. We are LGBTQ youth and youth-serving organizations from across the country who share resources, strategies and networks to reduce the harms of law enforcement interactions with LGBTQTS youth. The Get Yr Rights Network Gathering will orient members and any youth who want to get involved to our website, getyrrights.org, where LGBTQTS youth and youth organizers can find curriculum for Know Your Rights trainings, campaign toolkits, and other resources for making systemic changes to policies and practices that criminalize LGBTQTS youth. Together, we will envision and create new ways to share information critical to the safety of LGBTQTS youth!


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #AMC2015 #GetYrRights

10:00am EDT

Groundswell: Oral History for Movement Building Network Gathering
At the Groundswell: Oral History for Movement Building Network Gathering, we will explore how the process and products of oral history can empower, mobilize, connect, educate, and inspire in our movements for justice. This two-day convening will bring together practitioners from diverse communities to share our experiences using oral history in a movement-building context. We will explore what is and is not working in our practices and explore why. We will also look at the ethical, technical, and practical concerns inherent to our work and consider what it means to apply an anti-oppression framework to oral history. Finally, we’ll map out how the growing Groundswell network can best support and encourage activist oral history work, with a focus on work that is happening in Detroit. Participants will come away with a better understanding of the transformative potential of oral history, concrete tools, ideas, and resources for their own work, and new relationships for ongoing learning and support. This network gathering takes place over two days, June 17th-18th.

Please note: this network gathering is at capacity and no longer accepting new participants. Please contactinfo@oralhistoryforsocialchange.org with any questions. 


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Keith Center 471 W Palmer
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #AMC2015 #groundswell

10:00am EDT

Igniting a Model Minority Mutiny Network Gathering
The past year has seen an explosion in racial justice organizing in the U.S. as Black-led movements against police violence and racism have catalyzed communities in Ferguson and beyond. But where do Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities fit into the movement for racial justice? Following the murder of Michael Brown, activist Soya Jung called for a “Model Minority Mutiny,” inviting AAPI communities to examine how the model minority myth has been used to further the brutalization of Black and Brown communities. This network gathering is an opportunity for those with class, skin-color, or gender privilege to examine our complicity and acknowledge the marginalization of AAPI people who are the most vulnerable to state violence. We will explore what it means to be part of North American AAPI diasporas and the histories and realities facing our communities. We will share strategies and praxis around meaningful allyship between AAPI diasporas and other communities of color, particularly Black communities. We will deepen our understanding of our shared and varied heritage of resistance against and complicity in white supremacy and anti-blackness. We’ll also make a zine together! This is a closed network gathering for AAPI-identified organizers, artists, and media-makers.


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Cass Corridor Commons: McAllister
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #AMC2015 #ModelMinorityMutiny

10:00am EDT

MAGNet Network Gathering
The MAGNet Network Gathering will convene our affiliate members in Detroit to develop new organizing skills, network strategies, and cross-sector relationships among network anchors and leading affiliates. The Media Action Grassroots Network, a project of the Center for Media Justice, is the largest multi-issue action network for communication rights, access, and representation in the United States, with 175+ affiliate members across the country. MAGNet’s convening will support connections within our network and expand leadership on issues related to digital security and media justice.




Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #AMC2015 #MAGNet

10:00am EDT

Rise Up: Black LGBTQ People Winning Network Gathering
At the Rise Up: Black LGBTQ People Winning Network Gathering, we will convene Black LGBTQ "winners who are helping others win" to advance our National Strategy for Black Gay Youth in America. We will share organizing values and strategies across our many different areas of expertise, create media together, and grow the connections we need to thrive as an LGBTQ people of color movement. The Rise Up Network Gathering will bring together the powerful network of Black LGBTQ community leaders who have been profiled through our online publication, Frankie Magazine. These individuals have been recognized for their constant work to lift up other Black LGBTQ people to transcend competition with one another and work towards our mutual advancement. This network gathering is open to our current network and those interested in joining the movement.


Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #riseup #AMC2015

10:00am EDT

Sundance Institute New Frontier Day Lab for Detroit Media-Makers
The New Frontier Day Lab will host presentations and panel discussions with independent artists and social justice activists who are pushing the boundaries of story and experimenting with the language, forms and tools that will become standards for future storytellers and change makers. Presenters include Bayeté Ross Smith (Question Bridge: Black Males), Yasmin Elayat (18 Days in Egypt), Jeremy Mendes (Bear71), Sasha Costanza-Chock, Author of Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets! and Researcher at MIT’s Comparative Media Studies Dept, Sarah Wolozin, Director of Open Documentary Lab at MIT, Wes Taylor and Carlos Garcia (Complex Movements), Adrienne Maree Brown (Octavia's Brood) and Evan Bissell (The Knotted Line). 

RSVP for free before June 10th: http://2015-newfrontierdaylabnativeforum.splashthat.com/ 

Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:00pm EDT
State Hall: Room 106
  Strategy Session
  • Hashtag #AMC2015 #SundanceDayLab

10:00am EDT

AMC Film Screenings
Join us in the Community Arts Auditorium for a series of film screenings from members of the AMC network. At 6:30pm, head over to the Detroit Institute of Arts for a screening of dream hampton's film Treasure: From Tragedy to TransJustice, Mapping a Detroit Story.

Screening Schedule in Community Arts Auditorium:

10:00AM - 11:30AM: Community Development Advocates of Detroit (CDAD), "Living with Industry: Detroit, Michigan"

12:00PM - 1:30PM: Andrea Zarate, "Cine Resistencia"
Short stories of resistance from Austin, Texas. Showcased by Resistencia Bookstore, casa de Red Salmon Arts, a liberated space for independent thinking, community building, and creative & revolutionary vision.

  • We Will Always Be Here by Gilbert Rivera
  • In the Shadow of Downtown by David Elkins and Chris Case
  • Austin City Limits While Black by Austin While Black
  • Nubian Queen Lola by Austin While Black
  • Para Vivir by Juan A. Izaguirre
  • Son Jarocho by Nicole Licea
  • China Smith by Maribel Falcon and Andrea Zarate
  • Morgan Robyn Collado by Danea Johnson and Andrea Zarate
  • Susana Almanza: The Life of an Activist by Andrea Zarate
  • MEChA de Tejaztlan by Michelle Mejia

2:00PM - 3:30PM: Debraha Watson, "The Wisdom of African American Lesbian Elders"

4:00PM - 5:30PM: Niema Jordan, "Broken City Poets" 

Presenters

Thursday June 18, 2015 10:00am - 5:30pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Performance - Screening

7:00pm EDT

Sundance Film Forward: 'The Internet's Own Boy' Screening
This documentary follows the story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Brian Knappenberger. The discussion will focus on the theme “Freedom of Information: The Power of Connectivity for Social Change.” 

Thursday June 18, 2015 7:00pm - 9:30pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Performance - Screening

7:00pm EDT

The AMC Open Mic hosted by Miz Korona, feat. Mic Write
A celebration of the talent in our community! Open mic hosted by Miz Korona with DJ Stacy'e J. Feature performance by Mic Write​. food for sale by Divine Thyme, a Foodlab Detroit member. Sign-up in advance is required to perform. Sign up for a 5 minute performance slot here: http://bit.ly/1JqRSO2


Thursday June 18, 2015 7:00pm - 11:00pm EDT
The Furniture Factory 4126 Third St.
 
Friday, June 19
 

8:00am EDT

TQPOC Yoga
Join us for an early morning yoga session for all TQPOC bodies and abilities!

Presenters

Friday June 19, 2015 8:00am - 8:45am EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Meetup

9:00am EDT

Can You See Me Now? Visibility & the Digital Space
How can we wield social media to increase visibility around larger bodies? Going as far back as the early aughts of Livejournal and moving into today's thriving social networks, we will discuss specific movements that put fat visibility at the forefront. We will delve into the digital landscape to share examples of fat activism through videos, tweets, and vines, and we will share best practices for using social media for fat activism.

Presenters

Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Creative Peacebuilding in the Streets
How can system-impacted youth use direct action and guerrilla media for intervention and peacebuilding? We will examine three examples of creative peacebuilding led by Black and Brown youth. These include a flashmob to fight gang injunctions, movies projected onto LAPD HQ, and a “People’s World Cup” on Skid Row. We will show how we use youth-led media to organize, teach Peacebuilding 101, and envision creative action from a prison abolitionist standpoint.

Presenters
NF

Nancy Flores

Youth Justice Coalition
My names Nancy Flores, I'm a senior at Rancho Dominguez Preparatory High School. Im a youth organizer with the Youth Justice Coalition, I work on the youth justice coalitions media team and also run my school newspaper The Wolfpack at my high school.
JG

Jose Gallegos

Youth Justice Coalition
Jose is an organizer & peacebuilder at the YJC. He has organized in LA for over 5 years to challenge mass incarceration. He gives testimony to elected officials in CA & works with street involved youth. Currently, he works with families who lost loved ones to street & system viol... Read More →
EL

Emilio Lacques-Zapein

Youth Justice Coalition
Emilio is the Media Coordinator at the YJC and has organized there for three years. He works to develop YJC social media outlets, websites, images, and messaging. His organizing is focused on working with family members who lost loved ones to police brutality in L.A. County.
WR

Whitney Richards-Calathes

CUNY-Graduate Center
Whitney works with the YJC coordinating action-based research and supporting organizing work. She is a student that studies alternatives to mass incarceration at The Graduate Center in NYC. She is from the Bronx.
DS

Diwaine Smith

Youth Justice Coalition
Diwaine Smith is a LOBO (Leading Our Brothers and Sisters Out the System) with the Youth Justice Coalition. As a youth organizer he works to organize direct actions against mass incarceration. He works on peace building during rallies, as well as leading chants and giving speeche... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Defining Yourself: Collage as Self Portrait
In this workshop, we will explore self-affirming identity formation by creating a visual self-portrait of who we are as creative workers, what we want to be, and/or how we see ourselves. We will reference the art of Frida and Ana Mendieta as examples of the power of self-portrait as a political, emotional and spiritual tool of self-representation. Participants will create a self-portrait, mixed-media collage through paper and/or photography mediums.

Presenters
IA

Itzel Alejandra

Cósmica, Mujeres en Medio
Itzel Alejandra is a multimedia journalist born in El Paso, TX raised in Juarez, Chih. She is a founding member of Mujeres En Medio, a transnational collective that utilizes visual media as the means for storytelling, and Cósmica, an art collective. Itzel is currently based in New... Read More →
MF

Maribel Falcon

Cósmica
Maribel Falcon is an artist, originally from West Tejas, currently living in Brooklyn, NY. She is a collective member of Cósmica, an all girl art collective seeking to encourage creativity in a feminine spirits.


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room J
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Earned Media: Writing an Effective Press Release
For immediate release! How do you craft a press release that will entice reporters to cover your story or issue? This workshop will guide participants through the best practices for writing and structuring succinct press releases that get noticed. From the lede, to quotes, to distribution, each participant will leave with basic knowledge on how to generate press for your organization, project or event.

Presenters
JG

Joey Grant

TransTech Social
Joey Grant is the Director of Communications at TransTech Social. Their experience lies in fundraising graphic design and marketing. Joey’s love for social justice, art and design, fuels his passion for creating content and being part of the Chicago LGBTQIA community.
ER

Erik Roldan

Lambda Legal
Erik Roldan is a Guatemalan queer activist native to Chicago. He is currently a Senior Public Information Officer for the Midwest Regional Office of Lambda Legal and a board member for TransTech Social Enterprises. Past lives include being a DJ, radio show host, social worker and... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Education Building: Room 300

9:00am EDT

Healing Sessions
Tarot/Divination, Energy, Yoga, Herbal, Doula, Massage, Acupuncture, and Somatic/Body Work. To learn more please visit the Healing Justice Space in McGregor L/M.


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Librarians on the Frontlines
Librarians are often the first resource for people looking for employment, housing and other vital resources – whether or not locating such things is in our official purview. In this workshop and skillshare, participants will learn best practices for conducting reference interviews with patrons in crisis. We will also create a resource list of services that we can offer to patrons by region.

Presenters
avatar for Megan Threats

Megan Threats

The AIDS Library, DigITal Girls
Megan Threats is the Public Services and Reference Librarian at the AIDS Library of Philadelphia FIGHT. She loves the range of questions and inquiries that come her way, and enjoys developing new resources based on the needs of the community.


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Make Your Own Video PSA!
Interested in learning how to spread a message through video? We will introduce a process for developing a short script and interview questions as well as some basic techniques in shooting. Gain an overview of strategic communications, get hands-on experience with a DSLR camera and professional audio equipment, and shoot a video to share with the world. Please note: this is a two-part, three hour session.

Presenters
avatar for Erick Boustead

Erick Boustead

Co-Founder / Worker Owner, Line Break Media
Erick Boustead is a member and co-founder of Line Break, a worker-owned media cooperative that partners with fellow worker cooperatives, organizations, and artists to co-create content that propels efforts for transformative social change.--Erick Boustead es un miembro y cofundador... Read More →
NM

Nolan Morice

Nolan is a Co-Director at Line Break Media where he focuses onthe production and technical side of operations, working tirelessly to makesure we’re making the best use of available technology to build a betterworld with our partners.
avatar for Eleonore Wesserle

Eleonore Wesserle

Line Break Media
Storytelling for social justice, digital storytelling, video production, media justice, communications strategy for social justice -- those are all what I do for work, my life's work, my livelihood, my teaching, my art. So you could definitely talk to me about that stuff. You could... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Education Building: Room 169
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Moving Grief Through the Body
Grief lives in our bodies, long after what we grieve has moved on. It shapes us. This session will draw on tools including Octavia Butler's Earthseed, theater, dance, and somatics. We will learn more about how grief works in our bodies and how we can reshape our grief. Participants will build more space inside of ourselves for embracing our feelings and transforming our grief into gratitude, possibility, and wisdom.

Presenters
AM

adrienne maree brown

adrienne maree brown is author of Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds and the co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements. She is a writer, social justice facilitator, pleasure activist, healer and doula living in Detroit., How to Survive the End of the World Podcast
adrienne is a writer, facilitator, healer and pleasure activist living in Detroit. she is Co-editor of Octavia's Brood and author of the forthcoming Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds (AK Press).


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Online Identity Health Checkup for Your Organization
As we communicate more and more online, our digital security is becoming even more important to consider. During this workshop, we will walk through how to protect the virtual side of your movement or organization. From safeguarding data, to building relationships, we will discuss how to manage your online identity as a social justice organization. Participants will walk away with a checklist designed to help them chart a course to sustainable care of their online presence.

Presenters
MM

Misty Maria Avila

Aspiration
With her background in both social justice groundwork and online advocacy, Misty works with rural and urban organizations across the globe to leverage technology in their work.
JK

Javier Kordi

Aspiration Tech
Javier coordinates Aspiration's online presence and storytelling. A writer at heart, he works to amplify voices and facilitate the sharing of technology practices and strategies between nonprofits and organizers. In his spare time, he is either reading poetry or teaching yoga.


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

RRRTV Documentation Team Training & Orientation
Join the team, hone your skills, be the media. The Really Rad Radio & TV Takeover space will be training a team of people to capture all the magic of AMC2015 by documenting it through audio and video. Attendees of all skill levels will learn to operate our equipment, as well as the basics of shooting, interviewing, and archiving media. Participants will then be eligible to check out equipment throughout the weekend. They will also walk away with unique pieces of digital media that will be distributed to them after the conference.

Presenters
MA

Michelle Alimoradi

WABI - Global Movements, Urban Struggles, Alliance for Community Media
Michelle is a self-proclaimed workaholic and media justice junkie. She has been a long time radio host/producer, has taught many youth production classes, worked as a web editor and outreach coordinator, and harbors much love for cats and original costumes.
avatar for Antoine Haywood

Antoine Haywood

Membership & Outreach Director, Philadelphia Community Access Media
Antoine is the Membership & Outreach Director at PhillyCAM in Philadelphia, PA. He has a long history as a community media producer and instructor, though in his spare time, you will often find him digging through crates at the local record store and spinning his finds on Cratebeats... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room E
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Two-Spirit Self-Determination, Land & Body Sovereignty
Together let’s create multimedia art pieces to honor body self-determination, respect land sovereignties and resist settler-colonialism and queer/trans-nationalism. We embody cultural resurgence and reclaim our responsibilities as 2Spirits: designers, caregivers, sex workers, knowledge keepers, artists, and more. This session is open to people who self-identify as Indigenous to Turtle Island. Please note: this is a two-part, three hour session.

Presenters
FA

Fallon Andy

Couchiching First Nation
LE

Louis Esmé Cruz

Mi'kmaq-Acadian
JT

Joce Tremblay

Mohawk-Métis


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Visions of a Post-Capitalist Future
Time travel to a post-capitalist future! Throughout history, movements have tapped into the power of building alternatives to meet people's needs and reduce dependency on repressive systems. Unfortunately, these stories have often gone untold or been erased from our popular understanding of how change happens. This workshop intends to bring to light these stories, past and present, and to connect participants to the vast array of strategies for creating the other world that’s possible.

Presenters
avatar for Eli Feghali

Eli Feghali

Communications Director, New Economy Coalition
Eli Feghali is Communications Director at the New Economy Coalition and Co-Editor of Beautiful Solutions. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Eli immigrated to the US with his parents when he was one-year-old to escape the civil war. Through NEC and Beautiful Solutions, Eli works to tell the... Read More →
RP

Rachel Plattus

New Economy Coalition, Beautiful Solutions
Rachel is Co-Editor of Beautiful Solutions and Programs Director at the New Economy Coalition. She works to build broad community, movement and organizational engagement in creating an alternative system that is restorative to people, place & planet. Someday she would like to be a... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Education Building: Room 200

9:00am EDT

Waging Love in Action
This session will explore the "Wage Love" call-to-action in three ways. First, we will honor the life and legacy of Charity Mahouna Hicks, including her Water Warrior work. Second, we will share creative expressions developed in honor of her work, including music by Bryce Detroit, Rocket Mcfly, Complex Movements, and video by Halima Cassells, ill Weaver, Lottie Spady, and Kate Levy. Finally, we will uplift community led work that embodies the call to Wage Love.

Presenters
HC

Halima Cassells

artist, lifelong Detroiter, continual learner, Oakland Ave Artists Coalition
Outreach Coordinator, Center for Community-Based Enterprise; OAAC; ONE Mile; Incite Focus; North End Soup; Free Market of Detroit
WC

William Copeland

EMEAC, Detroit Recordings Company
Will See is an MC, environmental justice activist, and educator from Detroit. He works for East Michigan Environmental Action Council as Climate Justice Director. He was a member of the US-Canada Free Palestine Delegation for Joint Struggle and local organizer for 2015 Word & World... Read More →
BD

Bryce Detroit

founder, Detroit Recordings Company
BRYCE DETROIT is the afrofuturist music producer, pioneer of entertainment justice, and critically-acclaimed storyteller. He grows communities and new economies as president of Detroit Recordings Company, member of Oakland Avenue Artists Coalition, and Director of Culture for Center... Read More →
IW

ill Weaver

Complex Movements/Emergence Media
ill weaver/invincible lives in Detroit. They are a member of Complex Movements and Emergence Media.


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Wonderful Welcome Games
Many of us will be spending the next three days together! Let’s play games that help us learn about each other and decide how to share our space. We will also craft group agreements and prepare for all the fun workshops taking place over the weekend. You will be sure to laugh a lot and feel ready for a wonderful time of making media.

Presenters
SA

Sam Affholter

Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare Collectives
Sam Affholter was an organizer and childcare provider with Kelli's Childcare Collective of Atlanta before moving to Columbus, OH to pursue graduate work in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They now work in a preschool and organize with the Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare... Read More →
RB

Rebecca Behlen

Chicago Childcare Collective
JK

Jacob Klippenstein

Chicago Childcare Collective
Jacob Klippenstein is pro-active organizer, dedicated childcare provider, and a budding gardener. Jay currently works with the Chicago Childcare Collective, AREA Chicago, We Charge Genocide, and the Trans Oral History Project.
DS

Debbie Southorn

Ri has been a professional childcare provider for over fifteen years and has been making up songs since they were very very little. They were a core organizer with the Bay Area Radical Childcare Collective for four years and continue to center families and kids in their organizing work in rural Ohio with SURJ Greater Dayton., Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare Collectives
Debbie Southorn is an organizer and a childcare provider with the Chicago childcare collective, ChiChiCo.


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room H
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

A Skid Row PAR Initiative: Alternatives to Homelessness and Policing
In this session we will discuss the Skid Row street participatory action research (PAR) initiative conducted by, with and for Black communities. Street PAR is a place-based investigation of community issues relating to street life including local community bonding and engagement in legal and illegal activities towards survival. Street PAR situates its lens and outcomes towards curtailing the conditions of structural violence. We will focus on research taking place in the Skid Row Black Men and Boys PAR Initiative that focuses on alternatives to reentry and solutions to the conditions of poverty and homelessness. 

Presenters
DD

Deshonay Dozier

The Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Deshonay Dozier is a member of the Black Men and Boys Street PAR collective with the Los Angeles Community Action Network. Her research and activism is on policing, gentrification, and shared equity housing.
PW

Pete White

Los Angeles Community Action Network
Founder and Co-Director of the Los Angeles Community Action Network, also known as (LA CAN), which helps people dealing with poverty create & discover opportunities, while serving as a vehicle to ensure we have voice, power & opinion in the decisions that are directly affecting u... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

Art in Exile
How do you create works of art that critique a community, government, or country from which you have been ostracized while also rejecting colonial stereotypes forced on you by those that have provided asylum/allyship? This session will explore the meanings of exile, refugee, displacement and what it means to create art amidst these internally and externally imposed labels. We will examine current projects by Iranian and Iranian-American artists and discuss challenges of agency, loyalty, and identity while actively creating art in exile.

Presenters
MA

Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh

ZananTV
Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh is an Iranian women’s rights activist, researcher and filmmaker. She is Founder and Director of ZananTV & NGO Training Center, an active member of the Iranian Women’s Charter movement, and was editor-in-chief of the women’s studies journal Farzeneh... Read More →
BK

Baseera Khan

Baseera Khan is a New York-based artist born in Texas and raised within an Indo-Pakistani community. Khan’s research-based practice engages with auto/biographies as a medium. Through site-specific public engagement, drawing, and video installations, she both produces and organizes... Read More →
FS

Farideh Sakhaeifar

Farideh Sakhaeifar (b. 1985) is a New York-based artist born in Tehran, Iran. Sakhaeifar's work ranges from photography to installation and sculpture, and is usually related to her life experiences. Her work seeks to produce a translational understanding of the social and political... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 219
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

Beyond the Research Report: How to Shift the Narrative
As data geeks we may love research reports, but they are seldom the best tools for communicating with decision-makers or communities. Using examples from health impact assessment research on immigration and incarceration, we will explore how to use infographics, short videos, and websites to share out the results of research. We will explore how the research process itself can be a powerful tool for engaging communities. Participants will learn how to communicate research to shift narratives and influence policy.

Presenters
DH

Dawn Haney

Human Impact Partners, Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Dawn Haney brings together passions for social justice, health equity, and good nonprofit management as Operations Director at Human Impact Partners. Since earning a Master’s in Health Promotion & Behavior, she’s been organizing for justice with spiritual activists and trauma... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 128
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

Club 100: Detroit Youth Build A Car!
Have you ever dreamed of building your own high-efficiency automobile? In this youth-led session we will explore the process that Detroit youth have undertaken to do just that through the Incite Focus Fab Lab. Participants will learn how this team self-organized and used advanced project management to build a car from scratch. Participants will also discuss aspects of design and will walk away with a deeper understanding of how to make anything possible.

Presenters
HC

Halima Cassells

artist, lifelong Detroiter, continual learner, Oakland Ave Artists Coalition
Outreach Coordinator, Center for Community-Based Enterprise; OAAC; ONE Mile; Incite Focus; North End Soup; Free Market of Detroit


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

Rainbow Warriors: Queer & Trans Youth Resiliency
We are tired of only hearing about queer and trans youth as victims, so we put together a playlist of resources and stories about our resilience. Learn how we are shifting the narrative around queer and trans youth through videos, music, poetry and visual art. Create your own resiliency project. You will leave with a new perspective on queer and trans youth identity.

Presenters
ZM

Zon Moua

Freedom Inc.
Zon Moua runs the Nkauj Hmoob youth program for Hmong teens at Freedom Inc. Freedom, Inc. engages low- to no-income communities of color in Dane County, WI. They work to end violence against wimmin folks, gender non-conforming folks, and young folks, to promote healthier living.
QT

Quita Tinsley

SPARK Reproductive Justice Now
Quita Tinsley is a femme, feminist, woman of color, who believes in the power of storytelling and validation of lived experiences. She is the Youth Activist Network Organizer at SPARK in ATL, where she fights oppression and uplifts the voices of silenced and marginalized young queer... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Art Education: Room 158
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

The Art of Being An Active Listener & Learner
This session will explore how the arts can be used to build resilient communities while addressing relevant neighborhood issues. We will learn about community responsive art projects and asset-based community mapping strategies. Through creative prompts, participants will walk away with tools to develop their own site-specific work.

Presenters
AK

Alison Kibbe

The Laundromat Project
Alison is a cultural organizer, producer, and multidisciplinary artist working at the intersections of social justice, community building, education and cross-cultural dialogue. She is interested in how the art and culture of the everyday leads us towards justice.
YR

Yvette Ramirez

The Laundromat Project
Yvette Ramirez is a community organizer, multi-media artist and the program associate at The Laundromat Project. She is inspired by the arts as a social agent that can build and empower communities as well as bring about transformative justice and healing.


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

Ye Olde Femmes: Histories of Queer Femme Art and Ideas
What if we knew more about queer femmes of the past? Would we start to see them as agents and creators of queer culture and history? In this session, four contemporary queer femme artists will each introduce the life and work of one femme artist or thinker from the past. Each 15 minute multimedia presentation will be a reclamation of femme lineage and power, and a way of tying current femme politics, art, and aesthetics to queer femmes who have come before us. At the end we will create portraits of femmes – ourselves and others.

Presenters
IG

Ivette Gonzalez-Ale

La Joteria / Azucar
Ivette Alé is a Mexican-Cuban entrepreneur, fashion designer, and party producer originally from Los Angeles. She is the co-founder of La Joteria, the Brooklyn-based production team behind Azucar, New York's internationally recognized queer global bass dance party.
CW

Cassie Wagler

Cassie Wagler is an arts and technology teacher who has taught at universities and community spaces in New York City for the last eight years. She developed a podcasting and activism program for teens at Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, and also the youth arts education program at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn. She has presented three times at the Allied Media Conference and has an M.F.A. from the Integrated Media Arts program at CUNY Hunter. She is currently editing a podcast for the NYC Transgender Oral History Project., NYC Transgender Oral History Project
Cassie Wagler is a queer femme artist from the midwest. She teaches multimedia production and media justice at universities and community organizations. She also produces radio and sound work and works as a freelance media producer. She loves dogs!


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 208
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

Making Film with Radicalized Detroit
Detroit School of Arts, part of the Detroit Public School system, was a major institution for black arts in Detroit. Due to its key location, the school was taken over by the University of Michigan and cuts to programs and termination of long-term faculty followed. The school community was left out of the decision-making process. The DSA community authored a documentary that chronicles the devastating results of the takeover. Learn about our collective filmmaking process and engage in discussion.

Presenters
KL

Kate Levy

NCLAWater
Kate Levy is a documentary filmmaker, artist and media activist. She received her Master in Fine Arts from International Center of Photography-Bard College in 2013. She has exhibited her lens-based work and screened films internationally.Levy uses extensive place-based research to... Read More →
YP

Yolanda Peoples

Journey for Justice
Yolanda Peoples is a parent and public school activist, and contributor to a film about her child's school, Detroit School of Arts. She is also a member of Journey 4 Justice and Keep the Vote, No Takeover!


Friday June 19, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Performance - Screening

11:00am EDT

Activist Video Archiving and Preservation
Have you ever lost valuable footage or hours of work due to failed hardware, chaotic file organization, insecure storage, or file corruption? Properly archiving your videos can make the difference. In this session, radical archivists will share tips and best practices for managing and preserving media with easily accessible tools. Participants will leave with new knowledge and skills that will enable them to make best use of their video collections.


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 219
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Belly Flop!
Usually we are taught to hide, suck in and shrink our stomachs. In this workshop, we will use theatre games and writing exercises to explore our relationships to our bellies. Participants will also have the opportunity to create and submit work for "Belly Flop!", an upcoming zine about big tummies and fat acceptance.

Presenters
JS

JD Stokely

A Collective Apparition
JD Stokely is a trickster-in-training hailing from Philly. They devise performances that draw from their love of TO games, 90s nostalgia & Blackness. They make space and work with A Collective Apparition, a group whose art is "rooted in the past, but poised on the crux of the present... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Choreographed Resistance: Movement for the Movement
Do you ever find yourself bored at protests? Are you ready to make the protest space your stage? From demonstration inspired theater to dancing in the streets, we will explore the uses of movement in social movements. Participants will experience live burlesque performances, learn song and dance phrases, and create their own choreography for the streets! Come get glitterated and liberated!

Presenters
MO

Michi Osato

brASS: Brown RadicalAss Burlesque
Michi Ilona Osato aka sister selva’s germinated & sprouted in the concrete of NYC. Co-founder of brASS Burlesque, 2015 Queen of the Texas Burlesque Festival & Audience Choice Award winner. She’s spread her seedlings from Joe's Pub, to Sesame Street, to impassioned dance floors... Read More →
UA

Una Aya Osato

brASS: Brown RadicalAss Burlesque
Una Aya Osato aka exHOTic other was born&raised in NYC, where she works as a performer, writer, & educator. Since graduating Wesleyan University, she’s written award winning shows that she tours nationally&internationally at theaters, festivals, community organizations, & universities... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Courage > Conflict: Communicating Accountably
Ever confront an oppressive comment only to be met with an even more hurtful response? Minimizing conflict goes beyond how to give better feedback to how to accountably respond to difficult feedback, especially in the face of power dynamics and trauma. We will share a mapping tool to illuminate communication "detours" (defensiveness, etc) and practice responses that help you stay on the path to liberation. You will leave with the tools to support having hard conversations in your personal life and/or in workshop spaces.

Presenters
MM

Matice Moore

Love letters 4 liberations
Matice Moore is a Black queer artist and facilitator.
avatar for shreya shah

shreya shah

SALTWATER Training+Healing+Art
Shreya is a South Asian femme facilitator, healer, artist, & activist. She facilitates social justice workshops & organizational development processes with SALTWATER Training & Consulting and makes art & clothing via Serpentine Sunrise. She loves big laughs & good stories.


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 158

11:00am EDT

Femme of Color Altar-making Healing Space
When was the last time you made a community altar with other Black and Indigenous Femmes and Femmes of color? Please join if you are interested in sharing and creating space where we can come together to celebrate and worship our collective brilliance! Bring any items you want to place on our communal altar to be blessed with our collective energy. We will hold sacred space and trust where the process takes us. In this session each participant will have the chance to create something to take home to place on their own personal altars.

Presenters
GK

gina kathleen

gina kathleen is a gemini femme witch who dreams of the moon, oceans, whales, & femme4femmelandia.
LL

Lettie Laughter

Tarot: For the past 10 years, Lettie has been utilizing their keen intuition & embracing their lineage as a healer through reading tarot cards. Their tarot readings are based on connecting with Spirit & the consensual connection with your Spirit Guides & Ancestors. Tarot readings... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Fundraising Your Stories
This workshop will explore grassroots fundraising and storytelling practices. These practices make the work we do more immediate and accessible and promote powerful and purposeful relationships between donors, organizers and community members. We will learn strategies to fund our creative projects and how to utilize storytelling in any fundraising context to nurture shared purpose and commitment. Participants will build skills that will allow them to make storytelling an essential element of their fundraising and organizing work.

Presenters
avatar for Tanya Mote

Tanya Mote

Su Teatro
Tanya Mote is the Associate Director at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center where she has practiced for 20 years to become a better grassroots fundraiser, facilitator, and cultural organizer. For four years, she has served as a track coordinator along with several colleagues... Read More →
NS

Nick Szuberla

Working Narratives - Nation Inside
Nick Szuberla, Executive Director of Working Narratives. Nick has helped design and lead national public information campaigns on issues ranging from sentencing reform to U.S. energy policy. He has produced award winning documentary films, radio series, and multimedia productions... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 213

11:00am EDT

Healing Sessions
Yin Yoga (Passive Practice), Full-spectrum Doula & Healing with plants & Wellness Coaching, and NADA.  

Presenters
CM

Carmen Mendoza King

*Full-spectrum Doula support: compassionate support addressing reproductive and sexual health issues. *Healing with plant allies/medicines: combining what you know or want to know, with what I have learned about healing plants, we can talk about ways to connect with specific plants... Read More →
avatar for Nina

Nina

NADA Acupuncture is non-verbal healing approach using gentle ear acupuncture within a community-based and harm reduction framework. Anyone can benefit, but NADA may be useful for those experiencing substance use, anxiety, grief, disaster and trauma. Practice is centered on consensual... Read More →
S

shay

ARC Retreat Center
shay(den) has been an organizer, facilitator, healing practitioner and non-profiteer for most of his adult life. His paid work has often been centered around youth/intergenerational organizing and organizational development with a focus on race, gender, and sexuality. Recently, he's... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Make Your Own Video PSA! Part 2
Interested in learning how to spread a message through video? We will introduce a process for developing a short script and interview questions as well as some basic techniques in shooting. Gain an overview of strategic communications, get hands-on experience with a DSLR camera and professional audio equipment, and shoot a video to share with the world.

Presenters
avatar for Erick Boustead

Erick Boustead

Co-Founder / Worker Owner, Line Break Media
Erick Boustead is a member and co-founder of Line Break, a worker-owned media cooperative that partners with fellow worker cooperatives, organizations, and artists to co-create content that propels efforts for transformative social change.--Erick Boustead es un miembro y cofundador... Read More →
NM

Nolan Morice

Nolan is a Co-Director at Line Break Media where he focuses onthe production and technical side of operations, working tirelessly to makesure we’re making the best use of available technology to build a betterworld with our partners.
avatar for Eleonore Wesserle

Eleonore Wesserle

Line Break Media
Storytelling for social justice, digital storytelling, video production, media justice, communications strategy for social justice -- those are all what I do for work, my life's work, my livelihood, my teaching, my art. So you could definitely talk to me about that stuff. You could... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 169
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Our Big Book of Beautiful Bodies
Our bodies are wondrous! Some are fat, some are short, some are brown and all are worthy of celebration. In this workshop we will dive into all that difference and embrace who we are. Through talking and drawing about our bodies we will make a collective coloring and activity book that allows us to explore, connect with, and share the wondrous ways our bodies can be.

Presenters
NH

Najee Haynes-Follins

A Collective Apparition
Najee is a black fat femme multi-disciplinary artist. She is a sometimes costumer, comic artist, painter,mask-maker and fashion lover. She currently makes space and work with "a collective apparition," a group of black queer philly based artists.


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room H
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Produce and Host Community Radio with CKUT Montreal
Have you ever dreamed of producing and hosting radio? Here is your chance to be a community news anchor! CKUT-FM Radio Montreal is bringing our amazing team of grassroots and independent radio news volunteers to the AMC, and we want to share our skills with you. We will be hosting our award-winning news program, Off the Hour, from the AMC, and you get to be the producer. Participants will learn to plan a radio show, conduct interviews, and walk away with new skills for hosting live radio.

Presenters
avatar for Hera Chan

Hera Chan

CKUT Radio
CH

Carolin Huang

CKUT Radio


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room E
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Putting the T in Tech: TransTech Social Enterprises
How do you start a social enterprise that includes programming and billable services? This workshop will offer an inside look into Trans Tech Social Enterprises, a new Chicago-based organization focused on addressing the unemployment and under-employment of transgender people through technology education and leadership development. We will learn how to use technology to build new work in our communities. We will show how apprenticeship and a commitment to learn can uplift any community.

Presenters
JG

Joey Grant

TransTech Social
Joey Grant is the Director of Communications at TransTech Social. Their experience lies in fundraising graphic design and marketing. Joey’s love for social justice, art and design, fuels his passion for creating content and being part of the Chicago LGBTQIA community.
AR

Angelica Ross

TransTech Social
At the intersections of gender, class, race, & religion, Angelica Ross has made a career out of helping others navigate the challenges that come with being a member of more than one minority. She is the CEO of TransTech Social Enterprises, which aims to empower, educate & employ the... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131

11:00am EDT

Question Bridge: Dialogue & Identity Mapping
Question Bridge is an art project that facilitates a dialogue between Black men from diverse backgrounds and creates a mapping platform for them to represent Black male identity in America. The project deconstructs views of Black men and exposes a complex, dynamic, and multi-faceted view of their identity. The workshop uses the project’s curriculum to expose attendees to its methodology and empowers them to create a dialogue and map for one of their own identity groups.

Presenters
KS

Kamal Sinclair

Sundance Institute
Kamal Sinclair is a producer, director and multi-disciplinary artist. She is Co-Director of the Sundance Institute’s New Frontier program and an artist on the Question Bridge art project.
BR

Bayete Ross Smith

Question Bridge LLC; ICP
Bayeté Ross Smith is an artist, photographer, and educator. He has exhibited widely with such institutions as the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Sundance Film Festival.


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 106
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Tandas (Savings Circles) as a Step to Economic Autonomy
Democratic ownership strategies are all the rage these days. There is increasing excitement around land trusts, worker cooperatives, and other forms of community-supported business. However, for many of us doing grassroots work in communities, these projects can seem impossibly out of reach due to lack of adequate start-up funds. In this session, we will explore the creation of tandas/savings circles and ways that savings circles can help us get some of the start-up cash our communities need.

Presenters
NM

Nicole Marin Baena

Mijente
I grew up in an immigrant family in the South. My parents were textile workers, and when the factories started to close (after NAFTA), my family would move to wherever there was a mill still open; from town to town all across Appalachia. I experienced firsthand how companies can extract... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 200

11:00am EDT

Two-Spirit Self-Determination, Land & Body Sovereignty Part 2
Together let’s create multimedia art pieces to honor body self-determination, respect land sovereignties and resist settler-colonialism and queer/trans-nationalism. We embody cultural resurgence and reclaim our responsibilities as 2Spirits: designers, caregivers, sex workers, knowledge keepers, artists, and more. This session is open to people who self-identify as Indigenous to Turtle Island.

Presenters
FA

Fallon Andy

Couchiching First Nation
LE

Louis Esmé Cruz

Mi'kmaq-Acadian
JT

Joce Tremblay

Mohawk-Métis


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Best Practices for Making Direct Actions Accessible for People with Disabilities
For people with disabilities (PWD), direct actions by community groups can be difficult to attend. PWDs are limited in access to modes of resistance such as marches, die-ins, and confrontations. This workshop will present insights on how to center sustainable and accessible involvement in practice. Participants will learn how to structure direct actions as expressions of self-care and self-love that benefits others, direct actions that are energizing in their collaborative spirit, and that improve the general understanding of the needs of PWDs.

Presenters
MF

Matthew F. Gilboy

MFGINK
Matthew Gilboy is the principal artist of MFGINK; he creates work centering his experience living with disabilities & is involved with a variety of social justice organizations in Chicago. Currently he's engaged in a collaboration called "Identity Workers" exploring issues of disability... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

Groundswell: Oral History, Research Justice, & Activism
Is oral history a cultural practice? A movement-building tool? A challenge to Eurocentric/Colonial research methods? A catalyst for action? Or all of the above? We will explore the role of oral history in movement-relevant scholarship and movements for justice. We will learn how projects use oral history to support grassroots organizing in rural communities, facilitate movements for housing justice, and address institutional betrayal in higher education. We will discuss the opportunities and challenges of oral history for research and activism.

Presenters
SL

Sarah Loose

Groundswell: Oral History for Social Change, Rural Organizing Project
Sarah is an oral historian, popular educator & grassroots community organizer. She uses the practice & products of oral history to document and support movements for justice. She is coordinating a project to explore the impacts of migration on breastfeeding practices among immigrant... Read More →
avatar for Cynthia Tobar

Cynthia Tobar

Artist/Oral historian/Archivist, Bronx Community College (BCC), CUNY
As an oral historian, artist, and archivist, I am passionate about making public history freely accessible to the community. I seek to capture stories that highlight the meaningful connections between people, communities and public policy.


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 208
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

Humanizing Schooling in Detroit
Come learn how Detroit Future Schools (DFS) is humanizing schooling in Detroit. In this session educators, students, and media artists from the DFS network will share their lessons and experiences working in schools in Detroit. We will start off with a lively debate and then dive into practices from our media projects including the Out-of-School Documentary Project and our work with The Boggs School. Participants will leave the session with replicable practices and resources for thinking about community issues in their classrooms.

Presenters
AC

Alondra Castañeda

Detroit Future Schools
Alondra is an 8th grader at Friends School Detroit and is one of the first students to participate in Detroit Future Schools' Out of School Project. Where she worked with a team of youth and artists to create media about Detroit's school system
AC

Alicia Casteñeda-Lopez

Detroit Future Schools
Alicia was born and raised in Southwest Detroit. Her affinity for language led her to study poetry while earning a B.A. from the University of Montana.
WB

Wayne Bussey II

Detroit Future Schools
Wayne is a film studies major at Wayne State University. A graduate from Cass Tech High School in Detroit and is one of the first students to participate in Detroit Future Schools' Out of School Project. Where he worked with a team of youth and artists to create media about Detroit's... Read More →
IK

Issra Killawi

Detroit Future Schools
Issra is a fashion design major at Wayne State University and is one of the first students to participate in Detroit Future Schools' Out of School Project. Where she worked with a team of youth and artists to create media about Detroit's school system
avatar for n8 mullen

n8 mullen

People in Education
Nate joined Allied Media Projects in 2011 as part of the founding team of Detroit Future Schools. He is now overseeing PIE’s Programming as a Special Advisor. Nate’s work thrives at the intersection of art, education and people.He is a member of the Speakers Bureau.


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 300
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

Place-Making at the Edge of the Salton Sea
We will share and discuss the asset and resource generation and community building strategies currently being developed in Nuestro Lugar, the first resident-designed, culture-driven, community development project in the rural, migrant community of North Shore, California. The project co-locates physical improvements (community-designed 5-acre public space and bike-share program) and economic activities (small business training program and monthly marketplace) alongside a multifaceted arts and culture program.

Presenters
JB

Jessica Bremner

Kounkuey Design Initiative
J. Bremner is Program Director of Kounkuey Design Initiative. She coordinates and supervises community development programs aimed at empowering and educating communities around the world. Before joining KDI, she worked with the Inter-American Foundation’s Brazil and Ecuador grant... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 128

11:00am EDT

Exclusive Sneak Peek: 'The Revival' screening
Through concert footage and candid conversations from the 2012 poetry tour, "Women and the Word: The Revivial Movie," watches the journey of five strangers who traveled 2,500 miles with nothing in common, except the word. The documentary features interviews with leading black feminist thinkers, including Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Farah Tanis, and Kim Katrin Crosby as well as literary luminaries Nikky Finney and Alexis de Veaux. This is a special sneak peek of the film.

Presenters
JF

Jade Foster

The Revival Movie
Jade Foster's The Revival poetry tour reached thousands of queer women during it's five year run. The writer and producer is releasing her first film, The Revival Movie in fall, 2015.


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Performance - Screening

11:00am EDT

DET X JXN: New Afrikas in America
There are deep ancestral and political connections between the "birth of the civil rights movement" in Jackson, MS and the birth of the "Black Mecca" and justice frameworks and movements in Detroit, MI.
This session will explore the deep connections, past legacies, present circumstances, and futuristic solutions in Detroit and Jackson. We will draw connections that uplift our ancestral, spiritual, and political interconnectedness. Participants will walk away with clear ways to foster cultural connectivity across these two cities.

Presenters
WC

William Copeland

EMEAC, Detroit Recordings Company
Will See is an MC, environmental justice activist, and educator from Detroit. He works for East Michigan Environmental Action Council as Climate Justice Director. He was a member of the US-Canada Free Palestine Delegation for Joint Struggle and local organizer for 2015 Word & World... Read More →
BD

Bryce Detroit

founder, Detroit Recordings Company
BRYCE DETROIT is the afrofuturist music producer, pioneer of entertainment justice, and critically-acclaimed storyteller. He grows communities and new economies as president of Detroit Recordings Company, member of Oakland Avenue Artists Coalition, and Director of Culture for Center... Read More →
ND

Noel Didla

MS Food Justice Collaborative
Noel Didla is an immigrant making Jackson, MS home. Noel is one of the anchors of the MS Food Justice Collaborative and MS Food Systems Fellowship.
CT

Carlton Turner

Carlton Turner is Executive Director of Alternate ROOTS, a regional non-profit art organization supporting southern artists working at the intersection of arts & social justice. He is also co-founder and co-artistic director of M.U.G.A.B.E.E. (Men Under Guidance Acting Before Early... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Strategy Session

11:00am EDT

Emergent Strategy Ideation Institute
Learn tools to apply emergent strategy to your organization/group work. Emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of relatively simple interactions. We will look at how to align our movement work with emergence principles. Participants will walk away with tools they can apply immediately to increase adaptation, resilience and possibility in their movement work!

Presenters
AM

adrienne maree brown

adrienne maree brown is author of Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds and the co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements. She is a writer, social justice facilitator, pleasure activist, healer and doula living in Detroit., How to Survive the End of the World Podcast
adrienne is a writer, facilitator, healer and pleasure activist living in Detroit. she is Co-editor of Octavia's Brood and author of the forthcoming Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds (AK Press).


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Strategy Session

11:00am EDT

Women of Color Resist Police Violence
The national conversation around police profiling and violence which erupted in the last year has featured an unprecedented explosion of media highlighting the experiences of Black women and women of color - queer and not queer, trans and not trans - with profiling and police brutality. Drawing on participants’ expertise, we will surface ways policing targets women of color, survey media that raises the visibility of our experiences, and collectively develop strategies to center Black women and women of color's stories, voices and analyses!

Presenters
AR

Andrea Ritchie

Soros Justice Fellow
Andrea Ritchie has been organizing around policing of women of color - queer & not queer, trans & not trans - for as long as she can remember.


Friday June 19, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Strategy Session

12:45pm EDT

Bodywerq: Yoga as a Tool for Liberation for QTPOC
Bodywerq is a project that promotes discussions around the power of yoga as a movement practice and healing art in QTPOC communities. Folks will share their experiences with yoga as a healing practice but also consider issues of accessibility and barriers to participation. We will share a critical analysis of cultural appropriation in how we develop strategies on how to use this practice as a tool for both spiritual and political liberation.

Presenters

Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Detroit Co-operates
Do you want to find out more about co-operatives and community-based business in Detroit? In this session, led by the Center for Community Based Enterprise, we will explore collectives, commons, co-ops, worker ownership, and all sorts of ingenious ways that Detroiters are organizing for triple bottom line success. We will listen and share in creating the new economy of Detroit. Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of community-based enterprises and resources for starting their own.

Presenters
HC

Halima Cassells

artist, lifelong Detroiter, continual learner, Oakland Ave Artists Coalition
Outreach Coordinator, Center for Community-Based Enterprise; OAAC; ONE Mile; Incite Focus; North End Soup; Free Market of Detroit
MF

Michael Friedman

Center for Community Based Enterprise (C2BE)
Founding member and board president of C2BE.


Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131

12:45pm EDT

Development Director and Coordinator Skillshare
Calling all grassroots development folks! Are you interested in sharing skills, challenges and strategies with others across movements? If so, this roundtable discussion is for you! Join us for a strategic meeting of grassroots development managers,coordinators/directors whose daily work focuses on developing and implementing fundraising strategies for their organizations and collectives.

Presenters
LW

Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz is the Vice President of Programs and Development for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She has worked in several movements for social justice with a particular emphasis on building grassroots political power across movements, issues, identities and... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 128
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Femmes @ Work: Femme Wisdom & Tales from the Workplace
During this QTFOC-only lunchtime caucus, femmes will share lunch and life experiences related to their working lives. We will explore the intersections of QTFOC identity and race, class, respectability politics and capitalist structural stressors in the workplace. In small groups, we will share our experiences and explore strategies for increased strength and resilience in the workplace. Participants will walk away galvanized with the experiences, perspectives, and survival strategies of fellow femmes.

Presenters
SS

Shalia Stockstill

Femme4Femme Track
Shalia Stockstill is a queer black femme passionate about creating QTFOC spaces to celebrate and honor our intersections and individualities, building the collective platform for a futureworld of our design. She is one of the coordinators of the first Femme-centered track at #AMC... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Lunch Love: Parents & Caregivers of Children
How do we raise children to be architects of a new world while we are still in this one? This caucus is a space for parents and caregivers of children to share experiences and ideas about childcare and child rearing. Potential parents welcome! There will be a loose agenda to accommodate topic-based, small group discussions. Parents and caregivers will leave feeling validated, challenged and supported by a new network of friends. Vegan lunch with gluten-free options will be provided as well as lunchtime childcare.

Presenters
avatar for Robin Markle

Robin Markle

Robin Markle is an artist, organizer and revolutionary witch practicing their crafts in West Philadelphia. They often collaborate with local organizations on art pieces to aid in the group`s political work, namely Decarcerate PA and the Coalition to Abolish Death by Incarceration. When they`re not in a meeting, Robin can be found cooking up a scheme, a spell or a meal and selling queer altar candles at FlamingIdols.com., Philly Childcare Collective
Robin Markle is an artist, organizer and revolutionary witch practicing their crafts in West Philadelphia. They are a coordinator of the Philly Childcare Collective, a member of Decarcerate PA, and an instigator in their housing co-op, the Life Center Association. When they're not... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Phantasmagorical Freaklady Experience
Freakladys are gender neutral, extraordinary creatures that are exploding through the norms of society. Freakladys have the power to create change because we see the world in all its forms. This youth-led session will be a blast-from-the-familiar-past for some, and a time-travel-dream-come-true for others. We will explore our Freaklady history, self-empowerment and intergenerational communication. Participants will walk away with a feeling of remembrance for what fuels their fire as a revolutionary educator, activist, or supporter.

Presenters
EA

Emyluz Almodovar-Ortiz

Art Factory
Emyluz is a 18 year old visual artist that like to explore different many different forms of art such as manga style drawing, Photoshop, etc. After attending Art Factory, she is still a shy awkward girl but now she is a youth leader who fights against the stereotypes and boundaries... Read More →
KK

Kristine Keen

Norris Square Neighborhood Project's Art Factory
Kristine is a youth artist who is the director of the Art Factory. Once a participant of many youth programs, she is now using her knowledge of political education, self empowerment, public speaking and visual art to help mold herself and her fellow peers as the next generation of... Read More →
ZP

Zamier Parker

Art Factory
Zamier is 18 year old soul filled artist. His main passion is beat making but he is skilled in many different art forms. His love for finding the truth with emotional and self responsibility help him to truly understand the importance of life, goals, and the ways of all beautiful... Read More →
IP

Isaiah Price

Art Factory
Isaiah price is a 18 year old talented visual artist. He is currently a active youth leader at the Art Factory where he helps with political education and basic drawing skills. Isaiah is also a senior in high school with hopes of attending University of the Arts to take up animat... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 208
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Real Rad Care: A Podcast on Intersectional Self-care
Do you feel the need for a space dedicated to real self-care? To talk about things like skincare when transitioning, racism and eyelids, hirsutism-friendly make-up, sexual enjoyment for bodies of different abilities? We can make it together – in the shape of a podcast! Let’s meet and brainstorm about everything and everyone we want to see featured in it. The work done during the session will inform the upcoming episodes of the podcast, which will help us learn from each other about how to love ourselves.

Presenters

Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Spreading the Good, Thick Word: Online and at the Table
Where have all the fat bodies gone? We created a community to explore the intersections of the 3 F’s – food, fat and feminism – while breaking down stigma around fat bodies. At this luncheon we will utilize the knowledge and experience we have gained to generate interactive discussion on breaking down stigma directed at abundant bodies and their relationship with food through visibility and community building.

Presenters
avatar for Yuli Scheidt

Yuli Scheidt

Yuli is a Visual Communications Artist passionate about community, code and coffee. When not taking photos or archiving the whole world, she can be found on and offline advocating for women in tech. Yuli is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Fat Girl Food Squad.
avatar for Ama Scriver

Ama Scriver

Ama is a ardent storyteller who advocates for all things food, feminism, & body positivity. She is the co-founder and HBIC of Fat Girl Food Squad and in her spare time she freelances for Paste Magazine, SheKnows and BizBash. She loves all things hip-hop, drag & pizza.


Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Education Building: Room 300
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Yonce Taught Me
In the time of Beyoncé, much of what we learn about Black femininity comes from outside of the Black femm[inine] community. How can we use our collective superpowers to re-construct a flawless feminism that centers Black culture? In this workshop we will develop strategies for interrupting transphobic and anti-black representations of Black femininity as well as build a stronger network of Black cis femmes in solidarity with our Black trans femm[inine] family.

Presenters
CJ

Che J Long

Femmes are from the Future
Che J. Long is a Queer Black Femme, and Beyonce lover. As the former program coordinator of the Safe Outside the System Collective of the Audre Lorde Project and member of the Solutions Not Punishment Coalition, Che develops political education and campaign strategies for safety and... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Strategies for Resisting Surveillance
How do we resist the seemingly limitless expansion of surveillance infrastructure and its effect on our privacy and intellectual freedom? This strategy session will bring together librarians, archivists, technologists, media activists, and social justice organizers to discuss how these issues have affected our work and our communities. We will brainstorm tools and tactics we can use to promote security culture and combat repression.

Presenters
NM

Nicole Martin

Human Rights Watch
Nicole is the Multimedia Archivist and Systems Manager at Human Rights Watch.


Friday June 19, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Education Building: Room 200
  Strategy Session

2:00pm EDT

A People's Oral History of Detroit in Pictures
What is happening in Detroit and how did we get here? The Beehive is working on a graphic poster that explores Detroit's rich history and draws connections between large scale land grabs, the sweeping privatizations of public resources, and the resilience and brilliance of long time residents in the face of these challenges. The Beehive will share our process as we seek to represent Detroit in an accountable and loving way. We will preview images from the poster to get your feedback and end with some challenging questions.

Presenters
JM

Juan Martinez

Juan is a dynamically adorned builder of bicycle sculptures., none
Juan Martinez is a co-founder of the Beehive Design Collective and a proud five year member of Detroit's beloved community.
AR

Antonio Rafael

Antonio Cosme is an xicana boricua writer, public speaker, entrepreneur, educator, artist, bee keeper and farmer from Southwest, Detroit. Having graduated Eastern Michigan University with double major in Political Science and Economics at a time when the State took over the city of Detroit through Emergency Management, a great deal of his work has been dedicated to lecturing, writing, and acting in opposition to the neoliberal assault on his city and attacks on water. His viral street art has been featured in movies, articles and research papers. Antonio cofounded the Raiz Up art collective in 2012, a xicano and indigenous hiphop collective using art as way to create consciousness and support movement #Raizup. More than just resisting the abuse of public goods, land, water and people, Antonio is working to transform his community through organizing, artistic endeavors and ecological community development through his farm #swgrows and the #SWBeetroit a new cooperative honey beekeeping business., The Raiz Up
Antonio Rafael, Xicano Boricua educator, farmer, artist and community organizer/activist from Southwest, Detroit cofounded the Raiz Up art collective focused on decolonial edutainment and supporting movement in 2012. He fights against watershutoffs/neoliberal policies with the People’s... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room J
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Collective Intergalactic Space Travel
How do we travel through space(s) together without leaving anyone behind? We will explore how we can move in ways that are good for everybody, while celebrating creativity and expression. In this workshop, participants will build spaceships using cardboard boxes and found materials, then play movement-based games that emphasize solidarity and collectivity. Participants will travel through a space portal together, prepared to visit all the different galaxies of the AMC.

Presenters
SA

Sam Affholter

Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare Collectives
Sam Affholter was an organizer and childcare provider with Kelli's Childcare Collective of Atlanta before moving to Columbus, OH to pursue graduate work in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They now work in a preschool and organize with the Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare... Read More →
DS

Debbie Southorn

Ri has been a professional childcare provider for over fifteen years and has been making up songs since they were very very little. They were a core organizer with the Bay Area Radical Childcare Collective for four years and continue to center families and kids in their organizing work in rural Ohio with SURJ Greater Dayton., Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare Collectives
Debbie Southorn is an organizer and a childcare provider with the Chicago childcare collective, ChiChiCo.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room H
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Deploying and Customizing a Wordpress Theme
Building a website can often be expensive and time consuming. We will explore the world of Wordpress themes and choosing the right one for personal or organizational use. We will learn how to install and deploy a Wordpress theme, including domain name installation. We will provide tips and tricks for creating the best website following accessibility standards. Participants will walk away with vital tools on how to enhance their personal web presence or organizational presence. Bring your laptop to the session if you have one!

Presenters
NA

Nasma Ahmed

Freelancer
Nasma is a freelance web developer and community organizer based in Toronto. She is interested in non-profit technology and supporting community organizing with technology. She is an avid reader and consumer of all things films.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 169
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

DIY Audio Cables
Have you ever spent $20 on a microphone cable or an audio cable for your stereo? As a media maker, you probably work with audio cables regularly, but do you know how they work? In this workshop we will demystify the basics of audio signals and cabling. Each participant will learn the process and build their own microphone or instrument cable.

Presenters
avatar for Will Floyd

Will Floyd

Technical Director, Prometheus Radio Project
Will started working in community radio at WOBC-FM in Oberlin, Ohio. Since joining Prometheus in October 2012, Will has collaborated with dozens of community groups across the US to apply for and build their own Low Power FM radio stations.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room E
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Domestic Worker Disco
Shake, shimmy, shuffle and sweep with us as we dance the CareForce Disco! Energizing and irresistible, this dance is for all body types/abilities and is collectively choreographed and performed by workers and allies. Think stroller figure 8’s and mop waltzing – weaving stories from those whose work makes all other work possible. We will co-create a special #AMC2015 CareForce Disco that emphasizes diversity and difference as its unifying factor. You’ll walk away with new grooves, tips, and storytelling tools to invigorate the movement.

Presenters
AA

Anjum Asharia

Studio REV
Anjum is a media maker, artist, educator & member of the team at Studio REV-.
MJ

Marisa Jahn

An artist and immersive media producer of Chinese and Ecuadorian descent, Marisa is currently an MIT Research Affiliate. Her work has been presented in museums and public spaces internationally and has received acclaim in major media outlets., Studio REV-
A non-profit art organization, Studio REV- (as in, to "rev" an engine) combines bold ideas and sound research to produce creative media that impacts the lives of low-wage workers, immigrants, and women. We create opportunities and meet the information needs of specific communities... Read More →
AK

Anya Krawcheck

Anya is a professionally trained actor, domestic worker, and hilariously gifted voicing talent.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Envisioning and Modeling Our Future Cities
What (or who) is left out of renderings of an ideal “Detroit” (or New York, or any city)? How do we change the pattern of the past to envision a more just and inclusive future? We will explore the role graphic visualizations can have in displacement and gentrification. We will decode renderings to see what they are trying to say about our cities’ future. We will build 3-D dioramas, demostrating our visions for a more just city. We will share skills to model the future cities that workshop participants wish to see.

Presenters
NB

Nina Bianchi

The Work Department
Nina is a founding partner at The Work Department, a communication design and development studio. She is also co-founder of Detroit Digital Justice Coalition (DDJC) and OmniCorpDetroit, and co-organizer of the AMC Media Lab since 2011.
avatar for Greta Byrum

Greta Byrum

Co-Director, Digital Equity Laboratory, Community Tech New York
Greta Byrum reimagines the way we design, build, control, and distribute communications systems.
WT

Wes Taylor

Design Justice Network
Wes is a Detroit based graphic designer, fine artist, musician, and curator. His collective, Complex Movements, creates immersive interactive performances deeply rooted in social justice and movement building. He is co-founder of Emergence Media. He is co-founder of Talking Dolls... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Get Yr Rights: LGBTQTS Youth Working to End Police Violence
Do you want to learn practical ways you can help end police violence? Do you want to connect with other LGBTQTS youth who are working to keep our communities safe? Join us! Over the last year and a half, BreakOUT and Streetwise and Safe (SAS) have been working to create the first national network for LGBTQTS youth who are engaged with 'Know Your Rights' work around interactions with law enforcement. Join us to learn about what the Get Yr Rights Network has done so far and see how you can get involved.

Presenters
SJ

Shaena Johnson

BreakOUT!
I don't have access to Shaena's bio right now but it won't be an issue to get it! Sorry!
DW

Derwin Wilright Jr.

BreakOUT!
Derwin Wilright, Jr., Youth Organizer at BreakOUT!, has spoken out about police violence and profiling of LGBTQ youth before the New Orleans City Council, spearheaded an educational 'Know Your Rights' social media campaign, and was instrumental in creating Get Yr Rights.
MM

Mitchyll Mora

Streetwise and Safe (SAS)
Mitchyll Mora, Researcher and Campaign Staff at Streetwise and Safe (SAS), works to end violence faced by young people who are homeless and involved in survival economies. To learn more about some of Mitchyll's recent work go to www.getyrrights.org.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Healing Sessions
Full-spectrum Doula & Healing with plants & Wellness Coaching, Reiki, "Couples" Therapy for Collaborators, and Iyengar Yoga for Specific Needs.

Presenters
CM

Carmen Mendoza King

*Full-spectrum Doula support: compassionate support addressing reproductive and sexual health issues. *Healing with plant allies/medicines: combining what you know or want to know, with what I have learned about healing plants, we can talk about ways to connect with specific plants... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

New Frontier Native Forum
The New Frontier Native Forum will provide a space for indigenous artists, youth, activists and innovative media makers to have conversations and participate in working sessions around leveraging transmedia storytelling for social and environmental justice. The Forum will allow artists to share ideas, talk about works-in-progress ad envision new projects and campaigns. Presenters include Bird Runningwater, Director of the Sundance Institute Native and Indigenous Program, Skawennati Fragnito (CyberPowWow, Time Traveler) and Eve-Lauryn LaFountain (Conversation Pieces: A Swan Song, NAWADINIWE). Additionally, presenters from the New Frontier Day Lab will participate in working sessions at the Native Forum. This is part one of a two part session. 

RSVP for free before June 10th: http://2015-newfrontierdaylabnativeforum.splashthat.com/ 


Presenters
BR

Bird Runningwater

Sundance Institute
Runningwater oversees the Native Lab of the Sundance Institute. Previously, he served as executive director of the Fund of the Four Directions; and as program associate for the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts, and Culture Program.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 106
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Our Bodies Our Sounds: Creation to Recording
What does a community building process look like when using sound as a tool for justice and trust building? We will begin by forming a sound circle in which we create music together using our voices, bodies and everyday objects. Then we will collectively decide on a theme we want to explore and break into groups to create poetry or spoken word pieces, while learning to trust each other and ourselves. Participants will walk away with an mp3 of our collective sound piece and lessons to take back to their organizing work.

Presenters
QZ

quinto zimmerman

quinto zimmerman is a queer, disabled and chronically ill, gender-fluid dancer, photographer, and activist, whose work is centred around the experiences of queer and disabled urban youth.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Performative and Collaborative Writing with The Dining Room
What can writing do? The Dining Room seeks to remove formality and hierarchy from writing. This is a workshop of performative and collaborative writing prompts followed by an open-mic. We offer a comfortable space and community as a resource for anyone to play with and challenge writing conventions, while working with movement and play. The Dining Room will also be distributing a zine of prompts as a takeaway.

Presenters
AM

Andie Meadows

The Dining Room
Andie Meadows is an administrator and conceptual artists studying photography, writing and performance at SAIC. Andie also founded and manages a long term writing workshop series The Dining Room in addition to working as marketing assistant to photographer Patty Carroll.
HJ

Hannah Jane Park

The Dining Room
Hannah Jane is a filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist currently residing in Chicago. Her artistic practice investigates identity and social politics. Her films focus on the interior lives of people who suffer from existential crises. Currently, she is candidate of the SAIC’s BFA... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Visionary Resistance & Resilience-Based Organizing
How are people in Detroit building people power for the long-term? This session will uplift social change work in Detroit in a way that that connects to ideas of Visionary Resistance and Resilience-Based Organizing. We will learn about important work happening in Detroit, and explore how to strengthen our organizing for long-tern resilience.

Presenters
CM

Carla M. Perez

Movement Generation Jutice & Ecology Project
CARLA M. PEREZ is a mother and community organizer residing in Oakland, California. Carla joined Movement Generation in 2007 as a co-founder of the Justice & Ecology Project and leads MG’s Resiliency and Permaculture work, including the Earth Skills Training Program.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Kickstarting & Sustaining TQPOC Artists
Without art, there can be no movement. This session will make space for folks to develop long-term strategies on how to sustain a life as a working trans/queer, person-of-color artist. Let's make sure our stories get told and allow us to make a living wage while doing it. Participants interested in a career in the arts and arts administration should come to this session. We’ll cover everything from financial stability, to crowdfunding, to networking, and more.

Presenters
JF

Jade Foster

The Revival Movie
Jade Foster's The Revival poetry tour reached thousands of queer women during it's five year run. The writer and producer is releasing her first film, The Revival Movie in fall, 2015.
JM

J Mase III

awQward Talent LLC
J Mase III is a black/trans poet & educator that has toured the US, UK & Canada. He’s the founder of awQward, the first talent agency specifically dedicated to uplifting the work of trans & queer folks of color. Check out awQward at www.awQwardtalent.com as well as on Facebook... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137

2:00pm EDT

Public Libraries & Food Justice: Plant Seeds of Success
Libraries should join the fight for food justice and sustainable agriculture! We will explore how to use library skills of collecting, organizing, and sharing information to start a seed library and build creative opportunities for involvement in the local food system. We will explore the examples of the Nashville Public Library Seed Exchange and the Community Food Hive. Participants will leave knowing how to connect with community partners, work with library administration, and find funding to address these issues.

Presenters
avatar for Katherine Bryant

Katherine Bryant

Nashville Public Library
Katherine is a Branch Manager at Nashville Public Library and founder of the NPL Seed Exchange. She received her MLIS from Wayne State University and has volunteered with food justice organizations in MI and TN. Her favorite things include cats, homegrown tomatoes, travel, and dystopian... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 158
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

We Don’t Even Know Who They’re Trying to Kill
How often are Latino victims of interpersonal and state violence named? The answer is that we don’t know. Because of a lack of accurate data, it’s hard to know how to meaningfully advocate for their lives. In this session, we will take a critical look at how Latino organizations have failed this vulnerable population, as well as how advocates are navigating around the data obstacle. Participants will walk away with strategies and tangible connections to efforts that are working for change.

Presenters
AB

Aura Bogado

Race Forward/Colorlines Magazine
Aura Bogado writes about race in the United States. She’s the news editor for Colorlines, and her writing has been published in Mother Jones, The Guardian, Salon, and The Nation. Follow her on Twitter at @aurabogado
LS

Lex Steppling

Equal Justice USA
Lex Steppling is a National Organizer with Equal Justice USA. He has a background in grassroots organizing, criminal justice, and public health advocacy.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

What Does Justice Look Like?
What does justice look like? A panel will discuss the history of Chicago police torture, which will include testimony by torture survivor Darrell Cannon. Panelists will recall the decades-long struggle demanding justice for survivors who were tortured by former Police Commander Jon Burge and share lessons from the recent campaign for reparations. We will question dominant narratives surrounding the notion of justice and offer possibilities for re-imagining what justice looks like.

Presenters
avatar for Alice Kim

Alice Kim

Chicago Torture Justice Memorials
Alice Kim is an activist, cultural organizer, and writer. She is the Editor of Praxis Center, an online social justice resource center for scholars and activists. She is a founding member of Chicago Torture Justice Memorials and a long-time anti-death penalty activist and prison... Read More →
JM

Joey Mogul

Chicago Torture Justice Memorials, People's Law Office
Joey Mogul is a partner at the People’s Law Office and a co-founder of the Chicago Torture Justice Memorials. Mogul has represented Chicago Police torture survivors for the last 15 years and directs the Civil Rights Clinic at DePaul University College of Law.


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

GIRLilla Tactics Film Screening & Dialogue
Womyn warriors manifest as Bgirls, breaking patriarchal paradigms and creating new battle tactics, both on the floor and in the community. Bgirls El La Katrina and Macca will explore the way womyn in Hip Hop create community through their short film about traveling to build with Bgirls in Central America at the first Women in Hip Hop festival in Nicaragua. A dialogue will follow the screening. Participants will gain insights into how Bgirls create spaces for social movement and physical "dance" movement to intersect.

Presenters
avatar for BGIRL MACCA (USA)

BGIRL MACCA (USA)

Dancer
Bgirl Macca is dedicated to representing women at the forefront of the culture on a high level through internationally recognized competition. At a young age Macca’s family relocated to Germany, where she began learning to breakdance in 2004 and had her first experiences with international... Read More →
KF

Katrina Flores

GIRLilla Tactics
Bgirl El La Katrina is co-founder of Goddistas, an all female Breaking Crew and Hip Hop Collective. She is the co-director of Breakin’ The Law: International Festival of Urban Movement. For 11 years, she has been creating spaces for local and global community building through Hip... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room B

2:00pm EDT

Positive Force: 'More Than A Witness' Film Screening
Can punk's rhetoric of radical change be turned into concrete action bridging diverse communities? "More Than A Witness," a feature length documentary on punk activist collective Positive Force DC, shows this can be done. Using archival footage and new interviews with participants like Kathleen Hanna, Ian MacKaye, and Penny Rimbaud, this film brings to life three decades of punk politics in action. Filmmaker Robin Bell and Positive Force co-founder Mark Andersen will lead a post-screening discussion on how this history can fuel movements today.

Presenters
MA

Mark Andersen

We Are Family Senior Outreach Network and Positive Force DC
Mark has done outreach, advocacy, and organizing in inner-city DC since the mid-1980s. He is the co-director of We Are Family, a co-founder of Positive Force DC, author of All The Power: Revolution Without illusion and co-author of Dance Of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's... Read More →
RB

Robin Bell

Bell Visuals
Robin Bell, founder of Bell Visuals, is a DC-based award-winning editor, journalist, and multimedia artist. Combining his commitment to catalyzing change through video, and his vision as a live artist, Robin co-produced Operation Ceasefire, a massive anti-war concert on the National... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Performance - Screening

2:00pm EDT

Collective Leadership for the People
Young community activists and organizers are redefining leadership outside of stereotypical norms. In this session we will examine how to leverage collective leadership. We will explore different ways collective leadership has helped movements in the past, and learn how we can use this strategy to build power in our respective communities.

Presenters
CB

Christina Brown

Scholactivism
Christina is a twenty something social justice activist who hails from the great city of Columbus, Ohio. She enjoys blogging erratically, embarrassing her six nieces and nephews, looking for cheap ways to travel, and debating with her fellow readers of Top Shelf Book Club. Brown’s... Read More →
AB

Adrianne Burke

ChangeComm
Adrianne is a strategist and social change agent who empowers organizers and activist to develop as better leaders in their fields. Her background in communication studies focuses on how media uses fear evoking messages to suppress community voices and/or uplift them out of suffering... Read More →
CF

Cassady Fendlay

ChangeComm
Cassady is a problem solver, a risk taker and a serial founder of things. Originally from somewhere in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, Cassady has lived in a number of cities east of the Mississippi and currently travels up and down the Northeast Corridor more frequently than... Read More →
EI

Ekundayo Igeleke

Ekundayo is a revolutionary Pan Afrikanist who uses Hip Hop as a base for creating a new asset based youth leadership paradigm. Ekundayo really enjoys spending time with his partner, family, and traveling just to try out new foods! He is an anime and graphic novel fanatic and wishes... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 200

2:00pm EDT

Facilitating Community Driven Improvements in Parks
There is an increasing interest in bringing communities into planning public park spaces, but many efforts fail due to poor planning or a lack of true engagement. We will offer insight on how to use design to develop public parks rooted in social justice and inclusion and share best practices from our community-led program in Queens, New York. We will share activities used in our community design school. We will discuss how to facilitate bilingual working groups, and explore how our design-based process could be replicated in other urban parks.

Presenters
avatar for Sam Holleran

Sam Holleran

Participatory Design Fellow, Design Trust for Public Space
Sam Holleran is an artist, writer, and educator. He works at the intersection of visual art, graphic design, and civic engagement. He has helped to create, curate, and produce numerous artists books, print portfolios, installations, and public art projects.
JS

José Serrano-McClain

Queens Museum, Design Trust for Public Space
José Serrano-McClain is an organizer, educator, and artist. As the community organizer for the Queens Museum, he forges partnerships that bring together artists, urban planners, civic leaders, elected officials, and city agencies to creatively address a range of complex urban is... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Strategy Session

2:00pm EDT

Making an Open Internet a Reality
The Internet is deeply embedded in society, reflecting both our potential and our injustices. Many online spaces were not built for us or by us, and don't allow for the full participation of people of color, new immigrant, LGBTQ and low-income communities, and youth. Join the Hive Learning Network, a global initiative of the Mozilla Foundation, to identify what the Open Web is and explore how existing biases play out in this technology. We will look at online resources and strategize to shift the web to an accessible place for all builders.

Presenters
SR

Simona Ramkisson

Mozilla Foundation
Simona is the project manager for Hive Learning Networks, a global community-building initiative of the Mozilla Foundation. She has worked as a youth facilitator and community builder with a Toronto-based social enterprise. She is commited to a community-defined open web.
ER

Elsa Rodriguez

Hive Chicago Learning Network
Elsa is the Programs Manager for the Hive Chicago Learning Network, working to connect youth to interest-based pathways through digital media. Her belief in education as an agent of social change has led her to work across Chicago serving girls, low-income students and students of... Read More →
AS

Armando Somoza

Urban Arts Partnership
Armando is the Program Manager leading the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy at Urban Arts Partnership in New York City. As an artist, social entrepreneur, and educator, he has committed his life's work to the empowerment of young people through the fusion of education and the creative... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 219
  Strategy Session

2:00pm EDT

Reimagining Healing and Healthcare in the U.S.
What if we could reimagine healing and healthcare in the U.S.? What if we could transform the oppressions and trauma that medical institutions have imposed on people of color into visions for healing justice and collective liberation? In this session, we will discuss the history and present day framework of the medical industrial complex. We will gather into groups, reflect on local/regional healing struggles, and dream up visions for transforming systems of care in our communities.

Presenters
avatar for Anjali Taneja

Anjali Taneja

Executive Director, Casa de Salud
Anjali is a family physician and DJ who is passionate about innovative models of health/healing, decolonizing medicine, and collective liberation. She is the Executive Director of Casa de Salud — a culturally humble, anti-racist, and accessible nonprofit model of care that includes... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 128
  Strategy Session

2:00pm EDT

Tour: From Growing Our Economy to Growing Our Souls
What time is it on the clock of the world? What can we imagine? We will explore the rise and fall of the economic American Dream and changing epochs in human history. We will discuss crack, police violence, and visionary organizing and resistance in Detroit’s struggle against violence and militarization. We will visit the Packard Automotive Plant, GM Hamtramck (Poletown Plant), the Hope District, Feedom-Freedom Growers, Heidelberg Project, Boggs School, and Carlos Nielbock's windmill-powered metalworks. Sign-up in advance at the Info Desk in the McGregor Conference Center. Bus pick-up is at the Community Arts South Entrance. This is a three hour tour. 

Presenters
RF

Rich Feldman

Richard Feldmn has been active since. His involvement in the 1960s. He has worked with James and Grace Boggs for more than. ‘40 years. Rich worked on ford assembly line for more than 20 years, local. Union official. And worked on international staff of UAW. Rich I had a decades long commitment to inclusion and disability justice., James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership
Rich Feldman has had the privilege of working with James and Grace Boggs for more than 40 years. He was raised in Brooklyn, active in the 1960s in SDS at U Michigan. Rich has been married for more than 35 years and has two children, Micah and Emma. Our family journey has also brought... Read More →
DH

Doc Holloway

Boggs Center


Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

2:00pm EDT

Young Nation Tour of Detroit
This tour of Southwest Detroit is through the lens of organizers from the Young Nation project. It features mural installations like the Alley Project and other sites that combine community development, art and collaborative design. It will show AMC participants a critical historical neighborhood in the city and show the ways that media-based organizing is positively impacting communities. Sign-up in advance at the Info Desk in the McGregor Conference Center. Bus pick-up is at the Community Arts South Entrance. This is a three hour tour. 

Presenters

Friday June 19, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

4:00pm EDT

Be the True Wheel
True wheel, true community! We will show the connections between truing (adjusting) a bicycle wheel and having balance within yourself and your community. As we are learning to true a bicycle wheel, we will have a conversation around how to keep our communities balanced and healthy. Participants will walk away with a true community mandala.

Presenters
KC

Kezia Curtis

Detroit Area Restorative Justice Center
Kezia Curtis, a life-long Detroit resident, enthused bicycle mechanic and urban farmer, is passionate about conflict reconciliation.
SS

Sarah Sidelko

Healing Justice Track
While Detroit is home for Sarah, currently she's attending a year-long bodywork program in Albuquerque, NM. She is committed to co-creating accessible body awareness and movement spaces through an intersectional healing justice framework. She firmly practices anti-racist organizing... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Data Visualization for the Movement
Data visualization can be a tool for communicating, mobilizing, and organizing within movements. We will explore the challenges of working with data on intersectional issues, identify open data sources, and walk through some examples of tools and strategies that can be used to visualize data. We will learn how to build powerful maps and charts using free tools. Participants will walk away with an understanding of how data visualization can aid their movement work as well as basic skills that can be used to produce visualizations.

Presenters
avatar for Tara Adiseshan

Tara Adiseshan

Tara is programmer, designer, and digital security trainer.
avatar for New Inc Public Science

New Inc Public Science

Knight-Mozilla Fellow, OpenNews
Francis Tseng is a programmer and interaction designer interested in natural language processing, internet socializing, and demystifying technology. He is currently teaching at the New School's Design + Journalism program and designing and building software with friends at Public... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room J
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Fixit Friday: Community, Self-Reliance, and Repair
"Fixit Friday" is a staple in the New Mexico maker movement, offering a space for community members to come together and repair broken items that might otherwise end up in the garbage. This hands-on workshop addresses the need for economically and environmentally sustainable practices in the maker and digital justice movement. Whether or not participants leave with a fixed object, they will experience a community hacking event that empowers and equips them with new skills for anti-capitalist organizing. Bring your broken items to fix!

Presenters
KP

Katia Perez

OLE, Working Classroom
Katia is a student at the Art Institute of Chicago. She is a community activist, painter and muralista. Katia, originally from Chihuahua, MX, grew up in Albuquerque where she was a mentor and painter at Working Classroom and is passionate about empowering communities with art.


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Healing Sessions
Reiki/Energy Healing, Tarot, Custom Potion Session, and "Couples" Therapy for Collaborators.

Presenters
S

shay

ARC Retreat Center
shay(den) has been an organizer, facilitator, healing practitioner and non-profiteer for most of his adult life. His paid work has often been centered around youth/intergenerational organizing and organizational development with a focus on race, gender, and sexuality. Recently, he's... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Holding Space: Anti-Oppressive Facilitation
How can facilitators hold space for gatherings that are truly anti-oppressive? Join us as we explore strategies for facilitation that center the needs of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, survivors, and other marginalized communities. Drawing on knowledge in the room, we will explore how words, structures, technologies, and activities can build solidarity and safety in group settings. We will deepen our existing skills and leave with shiny, effective new tools for liberatory facilitation.

Presenters
AB

Autumn Brown

Autumn works as a facilitator, political educator, trainer and consultant in service of movement building and social change. Over the years, she has facilitated with community and movement organizations in a wide variety of fields, including reproductive justice, education, urban planning, food and environmental justice, anti-violence, green entrepreneurship, alternative transportation, radical social change, and independent media. Her focus as a facilitator is community and organizational transformation through the implementation of egalitarian decision-making practices and anti-racist, anti-oppressive analyses. Her motivating principle is that we cannot create sustainable and transformative social change without using transformative models for doing the work. Autumn utilizes a popular education and emergent design methodology in her client work, while also rooting in black, brown, and indigenous traditions and histories., AORTA
Autumn Brown is a mother, organizer, science fiction author, singer, and facilitator who grounds her work in healing from the trauma of oppression. Autumn formerly served as the Executive Director of both RECLAIM!, and of the Central Minnesota Sustainability Project. She is now a... Read More →
avatar for Maryse Mitchell-Brody

Maryse Mitchell-Brody

self
Maryse Mitchell-Brody is a white, Jewish, queer, and trans facilitator, fundraiser, organizer, and radical social worker living on Lenape land. They've been working for healing justice, sex worker rights, racial justice, economic justice, and LGBTQI+ liberation in their hometown of... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 208
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

How to be a Street Medic: Skills for Actions & Beyond
Learn practical skills to respond to emergencies, including police violence, during actions, marches, and everyday life. Through discussion and hands-on practice we will explore how to respond to things that can typically occur during actions, from dehydration to chemical warfare. We will blend natural medicine, body/mind healing tools, and community medic tactics to provide a variety of skills for participants to leave with.

Presenters
MH

micah hobbes frazier

the living room project
micah hobbes is a black queer boi healer, facilitator/trainer, doula, dj, and magic maker; living, loving, laughing, and building community in Oakland, CA. he is the founder/director of the living room project, a healing justice & community space serving black & brown queer and trans... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 128
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

If You Dream It, It Will Come
What if you could paint the future? What would it look like? Let's give it a go! We will be working on a mural throughout the conference based on our hopes and dreams for the future. At the end of the conference we will unveil our mural for all to see. Participants will experience hands-on painting and banner dropping!

Presenters
avatar for Eli Feghali

Eli Feghali

Communications Director, New Economy Coalition
Eli Feghali is Communications Director at the New Economy Coalition and Co-Editor of Beautiful Solutions. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Eli immigrated to the US with his parents when he was one-year-old to escape the civil war. Through NEC and Beautiful Solutions, Eli works to tell the... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room H
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Love on Our Own Terms: Relationships, Zines and Change
Do you feel empowered by your relationships? This interactive session is an open dialogue exploring healthy/unhealthy relationship dynamics. Topics will include community, allyship and the movement to break the cycle of relationship violence. Participants will walk away having created their own zine on what a healthy relationship means to them. They will also have gained insight on the importance of a healthy relationship and how to apply it to their own lives.

Presenters
JD

Jose Delgado

Project PAVE
Jose is a graduating senior from the Denver School of Science and Technology and a badass Youth Educator for Project PAVE's Youth Community Educators Program. When Jose isn't busy changing the world he is playing soccer, making art and jumping off cliffs.
EG

Emma Griffin-Derr

Project PAVE
Emma is a graduating senior at the Denver School of the Arts and a badass Educator for Project PAVE's Youth Community Educators Program. Emma is passionate about sexual health and promoting healthy relationships among youth and plans to study Women and Gender Studies in college at... Read More →
ER

Eneri Rodriguez

Project PAVE, Colorado Anti-Violence Program
Eneri is a Violence Prevention Specialist for Project PAVE, and an Affiliate Faculty in Women's Studies at MSU Denver. When Eneri isn't challenging her students to think outside the box, she is making pie, making mixed tapes and watching horror movies.


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Making Meaningful Media
Learn how to make meaningful media in this hands-on, youth-led workshop! Participants will learn how to create documentary videos that can shape their communities. We will run through a basic documentary production cycle and participants will learn a process that they can take with them and apply to their own work. Collaborate, interview AMC attendees, and have fun in this interactive workshop led by youth from the St. Paul Neighborhood Network!

Presenters

Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room E
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

New Frontier Native Forum Part 2
The New Frontier Native Forum will provide a space for indigenous artists, youth, activists and innovative media makers to have conversations and participate in working sessions around leveraging transmedia storytelling for social and environmental justice. The Forum will allow artists to share ideas, talk about works-in-progress ad envision new projects and campaigns. Presenters include Bird Runningwater, Director of the Sundance Institute Native and Indigenous Program, Skawennati Fragnito (CyberPowWowTime Traveler) and Eve-Lauryn LaFountain (Conversation Pieces: A Swan SongNAWADINIWE). Additionally, presenters from the New Frontier Day Lab will participate in working sessions at the Native Forum.

RSVP for free before June 10th: http://2015-newfrontierdaylabnativeforum.splashthat.com/  

Presenters
BR

Bird Runningwater

Sundance Institute
Runningwater oversees the Native Lab of the Sundance Institute. Previously, he served as executive director of the Fund of the Four Directions; and as program associate for the Ford Foundation’s Media, Arts, and Culture Program.


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 106
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Performing Wireless: Making a Human Mesh
Mesh networks can empower communities to build open networks across diverse geographies and resist the capitalist-consumer model of private Internet service provision. We will explore this potential through a performance workshop in which everyone co-designs a network and problem solves around its implementation. Participants will play the roles of geographical, technological, and human actors involved in establishing and maintaining a community wireless network.

Presenters
CM

Curtis McCord

Critical Making Lab
Curtis McCord studies at the Faculty of Information and the University of Toronto, where he did his undergrad in philosophy and political science. His research interests include infrastructure theory, speculative futurism, philosophy and 3D printing.


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Reflections on B&P National LGBTQ Prisoner Survey
In 2014 Black and Pink began the largest ever survey of LGBTQ prisoners across the U.S. We will share how we created a community-based research project with LGBTQ prisoners and what we are learning from the data collected from the survey. During the workshop we will engage with the data using visual and audio aides to uncover the stories hidden inside prisons. Participants will leave with new information about LGBTQ prisoner realities and concrete steps for taking action.

Presenters
JL

Jason Lydon

Black and Pink
Rev. Jason Lydon is the National Director of Black and Pink, an open family of LGBTQ prisoners and 'free world' allies who support each other. Black and Pink, now a nationwide volunteer organization that reaches over 7,500 prisoners, was started in 2005 by Jason after his own inc... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Sidewalk Science: Knowledge Sharing in the Streets!
Research and the production and dissemination of knowledge is too often seen as an exclusively academic exercise, leaving out community-based engagements for social justice. This session, designed by the Public Science Project and the Morris Justice Project, will introduce a radical departure from conventional research in the form of “Sidewalk Science,” a community-based methodology. Participants will leave with strategies for using Sidewalk Science to develop and deepen collective community knowledge.

Presenters
AG

Andrew Greene

Healing Justice Organizer
Cory Greene is a formerly incarcerated co founder and organizer with How Our Lives link Altogether! Cory is currently invested in developing and supporting the development of an inter-generational youth led city-wide Healing Justice Movement.
PH

Prakriti Hassan

The Public Science Project
Prakriti has worked as one of the co-researchers for a multi-year Participatory Action Research (PAR) Project known as the Morris Justice Project in the South Bronx.


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 200
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Technological Empowerment 101 for Femmes of Color
Femmes of color are important creators of online media content, but are too often excluded from technology circles which can feel alienating, or otherwise discouraging. During this session we will introduce resources for learning anything from HTML and CSS to privacy or copyright law. Participants will hopefully walk away with relieved anxiety and a better sense of where and how to keep learning!

Presenters
LC

Lynn Cyrin

CollectQT
Lynn Cyrin is a computer science student and Dean’s Scholar at Mills College. She is also an African American transwoman, and is constantly looking for more ways to help transwomen of color, homeless women, and trauma survivors.
K

Kẏra

Empowermentors
Kẏra is an activist within—and critic of—the free software and free culture movements. As a 1ˢᵗ generation hapa and trans femme cyborg, Kẏra is committed to the reappropriation of digital technology for trans, femme, and POC liberation.


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 169
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Creator Kinship: Building Your Music Career
The music industry as we know it is breaking down, which means more opportunity for women and people of color who are struggling to be heard. In this workshop, we will envision the transition from consumerism to creator-kinship, a business model tied to strong and healthy relationships. We will share models of success for emerging and established independent artists, and those who support them. We will learn how to become financially autonomous and build our music careers in ways that are sustainable.

Presenters
EC

Erica Castello

Patreon, Hip-Hop.com
Erica is a writer-evangelist practicing in San Francisco, CA. She connects creators to capital, cross-pollinates high tech + hip-hop, and encourages people to do their thing.
KG

Kiran Gandhi

Harvard Business School
Kiran drums for artist M.I.A. while pursuing her MBA at Harvard Business School full time. She combines intellectual and musical talents to re-imagine a music industry that is healthier for women and girls around the world.
NL

Natalia Linares

Nati creates platforms, bridges and translations for global pop culture & arts in the digital era. She splits time between Oakland & Sacramento, the center and the edge, where she connects hearts to minds with her big mouth + open eyes. A diosa with a decade in the music biz, Nati... Read More →
TH

Tina Hanae Miller

t-h currently lives in montréal, where she is an experience designer and works on expressing visions of an ecofuturist reality through music, writing, magazines, media, + permaculture.


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 158

4:00pm EDT

Health Instead of Punishment: Research Shifts the Frame
Can talking about health instead of punishment change the conversation about incarceration policies? We will share health impact assessment (HIA) as a research tool that has successfully shifted the frame and contributed to policy wins like California’s Proposition 47. Participants will be introduced to the six step HIA process, with a focus on community engagement and communication tools. Through discussion with researchers and community organizers, we will explore how HIA can contribute to specific campaigns for justice.

Presenters
DH

Dawn Haney

Human Impact Partners, Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Dawn Haney brings together passions for social justice, health equity, and good nonprofit management as Operations Director at Human Impact Partners. Since earning a Master’s in Health Promotion & Behavior, she’s been organizing for justice with spiritual activists and trauma... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

Hear Me Now: All Media Open Mic
We all want to be heard, supported and affirmed. HEAR: Heal, Evolve and Re-energize. Share your raw, polished or works-in-progress at an all-media open mic. Participants can expect a non-judgmental space and 5-10 minutes to preview, share or showcase music, poetry, videos or any media they created. Come be heard with us!

Presenters
VB

Victor Billione Walker

Affirmations
A singer, poet and author, Victor Billione Walker (pronounced bil-LEE-yon) is one of Detroit's emerging artists and activists. He is the author of several books of poetry that touch on black experiences, queer identities, men and masculinities, and ending sexual assault against w... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

Legacy, Love, Liberation: Mangos with Chili's Final Bow
For nine years, Mangos with Chili has dreamed liberatory QTPOC performance art into life. As we prepare to transition our organization, join us to hear stories about lessons learned along the way – about power, leadership, art, grief, conflict, culture-making and liberation song. Through video presentation, conversation with Cherry and Leah, and a fishbowl discussion, participants will explore the nitty gritty learnings and grief work of QTPOC performance making and cultural organization building.

Presenters
CG

Cherry Galette

Mangos With Chili, NOLA Wildseeds
MWC Co-Founder and Co-Director, Cherry Galette, is a queer Mexican Moroccan burlesque star, belly dancer, and movement artist. She is a displaced Oaklander making home in New Orleans, and is a core member of NOLA Wildseeds.
avatar for Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

couch sitter, Crip Rebel Alliance, Disability and Intersectionality Summit
I'm a writer and co-editor who has done a bunch of shit. I am that disabled, sick, autistic, you name it, Burgher/Tamil Sri Lankan/ Irish/Roma 45 year old queer femme writer, aunty, freedom dreamer and mostly a regular ass person who sits on my couch.   Ejeris Dixon and I co-edited... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

Preserving the Power: A Community-Based Archive
Community archives provide powerful ways to address the erasure of local movements. Our web archive, “Inequality in Higher Education," extends this concept to online coverage of and participation in radical grassroots events such as the #BBUM and #ITooAmHarvard protests. We will speak to curation decisions that structure our web archive and how to use Archive-It or open-source alternatives to preserve impactful movements. Attendees will leave with an understanding of potential workflows and be empowered to explore community archival projects.

Presenters
JB

Jennifer Brown

University of Michigan Library
Jennifer Brown is an MSI candidate at the University of Michigan School of Information and a University Library Associate for the MLibrary system. Her academic focus is progressive and radical academic librarianship.
JP

Jharina Pascual

University of Michigan School of Information
Jharina Pascual is an MSI from the University of Michigan's School of Information. Her areas of interest include resource discovery and e-resources management. In Summer 2015, she will be on a fellowship to assist in collection management at a small institutional library in Trivandrum... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

Storysharing for Culture & Policy Shift
Advocacy messaging can be muddled with talking points and statistics, and doesn’t always create space for the lived experiences of those most affected by the issue at hand. We can change that through story-sharing. By sharing our personal stories we can and do shift culture. We will hear from panelists who have used their stories for advocacy and change. Participants will learn how to identify issues within their own lives, how to frame their stories, and how to support others who want to speak out.

Presenters
AP

Amber Phillips

BLACK, llc and Advocates for Youth
Amber J. Phillips is a writer, organizer, and digital strategist working to advance the rights of all Black people and people of color in general. In addition to being the Senior Manager of Youth Leadership and Mobilization at Advocates for Youth, Amber is the Co-Director of the digital... Read More →
QT

Quita Tinsley

SPARK Reproductive Justice Now
Quita Tinsley is a femme, feminist, woman of color, who believes in the power of storytelling and validation of lived experiences. She is the Youth Activist Network Organizer at SPARK in ATL, where she fights oppression and uplifts the voices of silenced and marginalized young queer... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room B
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

'Changing Face of Harlem' Film Screening
The "Changing Face of Harlem" is a documentary that examines and challenges the "revitalization" of a community. Filmed between the years 2000-2010, Harlem residents and business owners share perspectives on the transformation of the historic Black community. This film explores topics of race, class, and the impact of changing demographics. See how this film can be used as a powerful tool to spark dialogue in Detroit. Learn how the film can be utilized to engage organizations and community members around themes of sustainability and gentrification.

Presenters
HC

Halima Cassells

artist, lifelong Detroiter, continual learner, Oakland Ave Artists Coalition
Outreach Coordinator, Center for Community-Based Enterprise; OAAC; ONE Mile; Incite Focus; North End Soup; Free Market of Detroit
AH

Aaron Handelsman

Detroit People's Platform


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 300
  Performance - Screening

4:00pm EDT

Is this Real Life or is this Fantasy?
Youth producers at Global Action Project (G.A.P.) are creating sci-fi and fantasy films to: 1) explore their stories as LGBTQ youth, immigrant youth and youth of color 2) build collective visions of liberation, and 3) develop strategies for moving our communities towards those visions. Led by youth from G.A.P., this screening will showcase films, including their own, that speak to the ways that movements can use sci-fi filmmaking as a tool for understanding our worlds and engaging our political imagination.

Presenters
OA

Outreach and Distribution Youth Interns

Global Action Project
Global Action Project works with young people most affected by injustice to build the knowledge, tools, and relationships needed to create media for community power, cultural expression, and political change.


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Performance - Screening

4:00pm EDT

Movement Building & Collective Liberation
Dynamic and intersectional movement building requires that we collectivize our resources, including people, money and political power. We will focus on the following questions: How does the non-profit industrial complex, foundations, capitalism and white supremacy prevent us from working towards our collective liberation? What strategies of resistance are we using to challenge these systems? What models of resource sharing and collective liberation exist in the movement landscape and what can we learn from those models?

Presenters
RL

Ryan Li Dahlstrom

GIFT
Ryan Li Dahlstrom has worked at the intersections of LGBTQ, youth, and anti-violence movements for over a decade as a fundraiser, organizer, and facilitator. He's currently a collective staff member at GIFT. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, doing Crossfit, and being an Uncle... Read More →
LW

Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz is the Vice President of Programs and Development for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She has worked in several movements for social justice with a particular emphasis on building grassroots political power across movements, issues, identities and... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Strategy Session

4:00pm EDT

Tour: From Growing Our Economy to Growing Our Souls (continued)
What time is it on the clock of the world? What can we imagine? We will explore the rise and fall of the economic American Dream and changing epochs in human history. We will discuss crack, police violence, and visionary organizing and resistance in Detroit’s struggle against violence and militarization. We will visit the Packard Automotive Plant, GM Hamtramck (Poletown Plant), the Hope District, Feedom-Freedom Growers, Heidelberg Project, Boggs School, and Carlos Nielbock's windmill-powered metalworks. Sign-up in advance at the Info Desk in the McGregor Conference Center. Bus pick-up is at the Community Arts South Entrance.

Presenters
RF

Rich Feldman

Richard Feldmn has been active since. His involvement in the 1960s. He has worked with James and Grace Boggs for more than. ‘40 years. Rich worked on ford assembly line for more than 20 years, local. Union official. And worked on international staff of UAW. Rich I had a decades long commitment to inclusion and disability justice., James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership
Rich Feldman has had the privilege of working with James and Grace Boggs for more than 40 years. He was raised in Brooklyn, active in the 1960s in SDS at U Michigan. Rich has been married for more than 35 years and has two children, Micah and Emma. Our family journey has also brought... Read More →
DH

Doc Holloway

Boggs Center


Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

4:00pm EDT

Young Nation Tour of Detroit (continued)
This tour of Southwest Detroit is through the lens of organizers from the Young Nation project. It features mural installations like the Alley Project and other sites that combine community development, art and collaborative design. It will show AMC participants a critical historical neighborhood in the city and show the ways that media-based organizing is positively impacting communities. Sign-up in advance at the Info Desk in the McGregor Conference Center. Bus pick-up is at the Community Arts South Entrance.

Presenters

Friday June 19, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

5:45pm EDT

AMC Opening Ceremony
The AMC2015 Opening Ceremony will ground us in an experience of media that is both traditional and futuristic, that is a process of grieving and healing, that is all the ways we communicate with the world. We will learn how media is being used across our network of networks to Wage Love – in Detroit, where the late activist Charity Hicks, first issued the call to Wage Love for a just water system – and rippling out across the tracks, practice spaces, and network gatherings of AMC2015.  We will highlight the genius and vision behind the call of Black Lives Matter that has resounded over the past year, with an emphasis on the creativity and communication arts we need to end anti-black racism within individuals, communities, and systems of power. We will close with a dance performance to celebrate our convergence in this place at this particular moment in history to build a more just, creative, and collaborative world.  

Presenters: DJ IZLA, VJ CaliXta, Ryan Dennison, Tawana “Honeycomb” Petty, Patrisse Cullors, Brinae Ali and Destination Forever: Black Matter Vol. 2, Jenny Lee and Morgan Willis.  

Presenters
avatar for Alexandria

Alexandria "Brinae Ali" Bradley

Faculty
Alexandria “Brinae Ali” Bradley started her artistic training in Dance, Theater, and Music at home in Flint, Michigan with her father Bruce Bradley. She later studied theater at Marymount Manhattan College while training under Ted Levy, Savion Glover, and Dianne Walker. Bradley’s... Read More →
avatar for CaliXta

CaliXta

CaliXta DJs and VJs as an independent freelancer and as part of the Chicago’s CumbiaSazo and dále shine crews. Originally from Chicago, caliXta co-founded dále shine to explore & spin a wide variety of digital music, integrate visuals into music, and work to create a scene for... Read More →
avatar for Patrisse Cullors

Patrisse Cullors

#BlackLivesMatter
Patrisse Cullors is an artist, organizer and freedom fighter living and working in Los Angeles. As founder of Dignity and Power Now and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, she has worked tirelessly promoting law enforcement accountability across the nation. Dignity and Power Now is... Read More →
avatar for Ryan Dennison

Ryan Dennison

Ryan Dennison is a Diné (Navajo) musician and artist from Gallup, NM. Through creating compositions and instruments, he shares his social and political soundscape, which is a vision of the future he sees in our environment and community. It’s based on experiential knowledge passed... Read More →
avatar for IZLA

IZLA

La Joteria, AZUCAR
IZLA (Ivette Alé) is the founder of La Joteria and Brooklyn's original queer global bass party AZUCAR. For the last four years IZLA has been creating space for queer people of color that is sonically diverse and unapologetically political. Her #TROPIKVNT sound is a representation of global QTPOC, blending Digital Cumbia, Hard Dembow, Zouk Bass and Reggaeton with Vogue, Jersey Clu... Read More →
avatar for Jenny Lee

Jenny Lee

Executive Director, Allied Media Projects
Jenny Lee is the executive director of Allied Media Projects, where she has worked in various capacities since 2006. Over this period she has led the healthy growth and evolution of the organization through facilitative leadership, innovative program design, and network cultivation... Read More →
avatar for Tawana Petty

Tawana Petty

Tawana Petty is a mother, award winning activist, social justice organizer, poet and author. She is the past recipient of the Spirit of Detroit Award, Woman of Substance Award, Women Creating Caring Communities Award, and was recognized as one of Who’s Who in Black Detroit in 2013... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 5:45pm - 7:15pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  • Hashtag #openingceremony #AMC2015

7:30pm EDT

Queering Sobriety: Radical Self-Care & Liberation
Queer and trans folks have limited access to inclusive resources, yet we know that recovering from addiction is a critical act of self-preservation. In this session we will share our experiences with various treatment options that helped or hindered our process of getting clean. We will talk about rehab,12-step programs, and coming out as addicts. We will explore strategies for creating queer community without drugs/alcohol, and tools for navigating an intolerant recovery landscape. Come to connect with a new network of sober friends. Free vegan food will be served from Shangri-La. 

Presenters
avatar for Emily Kearns

Emily Kearns

American Indian Health and Family Services
I am a queer and sober person living in Detroit. I used to be a midwife and now I work in a maternal/infant home visiting program. I would be happy talking to people about birth work, reproductive justice, plant medicines, anti-racist midwifery practice, queer and trans fertility... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 7:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
Towers Dorms Lounge Tower's Dorm Lobby
  Meetup

7:30pm EDT

Serving the Dying: Radical Death Workers Meetup
This is a roundtable discussion for hospice nurses, end-of-life doulas, grief counselors, and all who serve the dying. We will meet one another and share resources, insights, and visions for the future. What changes do you want to see in the coming decade that will allow more people to actually experience a peaceful death? What are some of the ways you connect your work to intersecting forms of social justice? How can we better support our clients, communities and each other through grief in order to move toward collective healing? This meetup will take place at Seva [Location: 66 E Forest Ave, Detroit, MI 48201 | (313) 974-6661]

Presenters
IP

iele paloumpis

Independent End of Life Doula
As a disabled, trans, queer survivor from a working class background, iele paloumpis empathizes across multiple axes of oppression and brings this awareness to their work as an intuitive healer, teacher, dance artist, and end of life doula. For more information, visit www.ielepal... Read More →


Friday June 19, 2015 7:30pm - 9:30pm EDT
Seva 66 E Forest Ave
  Meetup

8:00pm EDT

Sundance Film Forward: 'We Are The Giant' Screening
This film follows six individuals on the front lines of the Arab Spring as they struggle to practice non-violence as an effective means to Revolution. Their compelling stories are publicized through social media allowing the entire world to witness their peaceful battle for change. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Greg Barker and a discussion on the theme “Freedom of Information: The Power of Connectivity for Social Change.”

Friday June 19, 2015 8:00pm - 10:00pm EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Performance - Screening

8:00pm EDT

AMC2015 Karaoke + Bowling Extravaganza
Karaoke is participatory media. Start rehearsing today! Plus unlimited bowling in the Garden Bowl, all the lanes, all night long. Karaoke hosted by Millionaire in the Majestic Café. Free for registered AMC participants.

See the full AMC @ Night schedule: https://www.alliedmedia.org/amc/program/night

Friday June 19, 2015 8:00pm - Saturday June 20, 2015 1:00am EDT
The Majestic 4120 Woodward Ave.

10:00pm EDT

Azucar presenta: TROPIKVNT (Queer Global Bass)
Music by: 
IZLA (Azucar/ La Joteria)
Ushka (iBomba/ Dutty Artz) 
Skyshaker (Qween Beat)
Cremosa (Azucar / La Joteria)
Essex (Queer Qumbia)
Tygapaw (Fake Accent) 

Ages 21+ , $5 cover. Doors at 9pm.  

Friday June 19, 2015 10:00pm - Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00am EDT
The Old Miami 3930 Cass Ave
 
Saturday, June 20
 

8:00am EDT

TQPOC Yoga
Join us for an early morning yoga session for all tqpoc bodies and abilities. 

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 8:00am - 8:45am EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Meetup

9:00am EDT

Collecting Ourselves: Organizing a Youth-led Summit
As youth, we often have little input in the decisions made for us. But we believe that together we have a voice and power. We will share what we learned from organizing our own youth-led summit focusing on language rights in schools. Together, we will figure out what strengths individuals bring to the table and how to use those strengths to organize a summit about a community issue. Participants will walk away with a step-by-step guide for how to organize their own community summit.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Cooperative, 3D, Immersive, Interactive Storytelling
Are you interested in the intersection of design, gaming, and storytelling? In this workshop, participants will create an immersive generative narrative inside the Complex Movements' "Mini Pod". With the assistance of facilitators, participants will co-create a virtual world appropriating and animating predetermined 3D assets. This workshop is geared towards youth and the young at heart. No prior knowledge of coding needed.

Presenters
avatar for Carlos L05

Carlos L05

Artist, Complex Movements
L05 (CARLOS GARCIA) is an artist, performer, designer, and engineer. He has performed and exhibited work individually and as part of award winning Detroit-based artist collective Complex Movements. L05 is a vocalist and producer in hip hop/electronic duo Celsius Electronics and a... Read More →
WT

Wes Taylor

Design Justice Network
Wes is a Detroit based graphic designer, fine artist, musician, and curator. His collective, Complex Movements, creates immersive interactive performances deeply rooted in social justice and movement building. He is co-founder of Emergence Media. He is co-founder of Talking Dolls... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room B
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Guerilla Projection and Public Art Intervention
What does it mean to reclaim public space? The NYC-based Illuminator Collective will share their experience using projection technology in public spaces. Participants will learn about the strategies and skills needed, as well as the possibilities of using guerrilla projection for social justice. The Illuminator will also teach participants how to build a "People's Pad," a webcam-based projection device. Workshop attendees will have fun with other activists planning for art interventions to take place on Saturday night in Detroit.

Presenters
TA

Todd Anderson

The Illuminator Collective
RB

Rachel Brown

The Illuminator Collective
CR

Chris Rogy

The Illuminator Collective


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Student Center: Room 285
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Healing Sessions
Spiritual insight and energy healing with Free Woman, Individual Spiritual Genealogy Consultation with Carrie Leilam Love, Classical Homeopathy with David Kim

Presenters
ZH

Zoe Hayes

NADA Acupuncture: NADA is a specific set of 5 acupuncture points on the surface of the ear. NADA is used to support people dealing with trauma, anxiety and as a harm reduction tool helpful in managing withdrawal. Among the benefits reported from NADA are improved sleep, and mood and... Read More →
DK

David Kim

Classical Homeopathy: providing acute homeopathic care for headaches, nausea, fever, flu, hangovers, and other terrible things. Interactive session in which counseling will be integrated to identify concerns and recommend a holistic homeopathic remedy.
CL

Carrie Leilam Love

Individual Spiritual Genealogy Consultation: Science recently discovered what many of us have known for generations: we carry our ancestors trauma in our bodies. Before coming to a session, please have as much information as possible about your known ancestors born before 1940, including... Read More →
FW

Free Woman

Spiritual insight and energy healing, Heal the Healers - Time to Receive: Do you have the energy for 10 more years of activism? You have taken care of planet earth, the people and the causes you care about. Now come take care of yourself! Free Woman is offering 20 minute insight and... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

How to Build Decentralized, Smart Movement Networks
How do the mass popular social movements of our time, from Occupy to Black Lives Matter, create new opportunities for decision-makers, organizations, and political parties to make political and economic change possible? What do these movements all have in common, and how do we build them? In this session, Movement Netlab, a think tank created by and for activists, will share a theory of how decentralized social movements function, how organizations interact with them, and how our entire movement ecosystem can become more effective.

Presenters
AK

Allen Kwabena Frimpong

Black Lives Matter NYC
Allen Kwabena Frimpong is one of the lead organizers of Black Lives Matter in New York City, and is a philanthropic strategist and capacity-builder. Much of his work has been developing transformative ways to support and fund organizations and individuals in building social movem... Read More →
TS

Tamara Shapiro

Movement Netlab, Worker Owned Rockaway Cooperatives (WORCs)
Tamara Shapiro was one of the lead strategists, facilitators and coordinators of the InterOccupy network, Occupy Sandy and Rockaway Wildfire and Worker Owned Rockaway Cooperatives that emerged from it. She also created and implemented a networked hub structure for the Peoples Climate... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 218

9:00am EDT

Jewelry Making with Found Materials
How do we express our interior self through what we choose to wear? This session will focus on jewelry making as a form of self-expression. We will demonstrate how to use found objects such as styrofoam and magazine cut-outs to make necklaces. Participants will learn about the potential of materials that can be found in our everyday lives. We encourage participants to make something that represents who they are and empowers them to embrace new forms of self-expression.

Presenters
FE

Florencia Escudero

Multimedia artist from Argentina. Attended School of Visual Arts for Bachelor in Fine Arts and Yale university for a Master in sculpture.Lives and works in New york city.
KT

Karen Tepaz

Karen Tepaz is a Brooklyn based artist from Los Angeles, CA. Received her BFA in Ceramics from the California State University of Long Beach, and an MFA in Sculpture from Yale University.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room J
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Keep Healthcare Cute: Multi-series Program for Zine Making
In what ways can we build a world in which queer/trans youth can better understand their bodies and voice their experiences using art and media? The Broadway Youth Center is affirming the knowledge of queer/ trans youth through the production of zines. Our workshop's goals are: 1. Provide participants with a skeleton curriculum for creating their own multi-series program for zine making. 2. Educate participants about our structure for programming with young people. 3. Help participants understand the challenges of making zines to explore complex topics in young people's lives.

Presenters
FB

Femmily Blake Robison

Broadway Youth Center
Femmily Blake is a Chicagoan and a hippo. He is pursuing a nursing degree and wants to provide health care to queer and trans people that is affirming, based in harm reduction, and resists as much of the medical industry as possible. He works at the Broadway Youth Center as a health... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Kids Collage Studio
Collaging is for everybody, everywhere! Stop by to explore collage-making using unexpected art materials. We will demonstrate the joy and creativity of an open, informal, and intergenerational art practice. Centered around families with young children, this space is open to people of all ages and abilities. Please note: this is a two-part, three hour session.

Presenters
RB

Rebecca Behlen

Chicago Childcare Collective
MF

Maribel Falcon

Cósmica
Maribel Falcon is an artist, originally from West Tejas, currently living in Brooklyn, NY. She is a collective member of Cósmica, an all girl art collective seeking to encourage creativity in a feminine spirits.
JK

Jacob Klippenstein

Chicago Childcare Collective
Jacob Klippenstein is pro-active organizer, dedicated childcare provider, and a budding gardener. Jay currently works with the Chicago Childcare Collective, AREA Chicago, We Charge Genocide, and the Trans Oral History Project.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room H
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Making the Web for Kids
Kids are constantly consuming technology - now it is time for them to become the makers! We will explore the web through Mozilla Webmaker tools and create content with youth that reflects their lived experiences. Participants will create web pages and mixed media. Kids will learn how to use web tools that are free and accessible with the goal of becoming creators rather than consumers of technology.

Presenters
NA

Nasma Ahmed

Freelancer
Nasma is a freelance web developer and community organizer based in Toronto. She is interested in non-profit technology and supporting community organizing with technology. She is an avid reader and consumer of all things films.
SI

Saima Islam

Girls Crack the Code
Saima Islam is a ten year old girls who loves unicorns, and is teaching herself to build a robot and dreams of a future where she is one of many girls of colour creating tech for Apple.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Nonprofit Trauma: Transforming Harm
After experiencing work-related trauma, we are told that we cannot tell our stories for fear of becoming “unhirable.” How do we find healing when our traumas are ignored? In this workshop we explore storytelling as survival, and how strategic story-sharing enables us to change the way nonprofits function and the way harms are handled. Utilizing drama therapy, participants will have the opportunity to embody their stories and collectively generate strategies for turning their stories into resources for transformation.

Presenters
AB

Autumn Brown

Autumn works as a facilitator, political educator, trainer and consultant in service of movement building and social change. Over the years, she has facilitated with community and movement organizations in a wide variety of fields, including reproductive justice, education, urban planning, food and environmental justice, anti-violence, green entrepreneurship, alternative transportation, radical social change, and independent media. Her focus as a facilitator is community and organizational transformation through the implementation of egalitarian decision-making practices and anti-racist, anti-oppressive analyses. Her motivating principle is that we cannot create sustainable and transformative social change without using transformative models for doing the work. Autumn utilizes a popular education and emergent design methodology in her client work, while also rooting in black, brown, and indigenous traditions and histories., AORTA
Autumn Brown is a mother, organizer, science fiction author, singer, and facilitator who grounds her work in healing from the trauma of oppression. Autumn formerly served as the Executive Director of both RECLAIM!, and of the Central Minnesota Sustainability Project. She is now a... Read More →
AP

Alexis Powell

Alexis Powell, LCAT-permit, currently facilitates drama therapy groups with trauma-affected youth in public schools in NYC, and is a longtime believer in the correspondence of creativity and health. Alexis is a performer, musician, and video artist working under the moniker Hearsay... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

QTPOC Youth Healing Oppression through Storytelling
QTPOC youth are often silenced by oppression, but through storytelling we can resist colonization and reclaim our communities. In this workshop, QTPOC youth will come together, share stories, and heal from the violence of oppression. Participants should come ready to explore their own life stories and the stories of their community through interactive dialogue. We will then share those stories through either video or photography.

Presenters
avatar for Marcos D. Carrillo

Marcos D. Carrillo

Detroit REPRESENT!
Marcos is a community organizer from Southwest Detroit. Since high school, he has been active in supporting queer and trans youth, as well as immigrants and immigrant families in his local community, and across the region. In his free time, Marcos loves to play video games and cuddle... Read More →
LH

Lance Hicks

Lance is a biracial/Black trans femme organizer, writer, and healer. These days, Lance works as social worker and therapist with queer and trans youth of color and trauma survivors. Lance loves dandelions, dogs, and hiding out in libraries., Detroit REPRESENT!
Lance is a mixed race trans organizer born and raised in Detroit. He started organizing when he was fifteen, but has been telling stories his whole life. Lance believes that oppressed people reclaiming their own stories is the most powerful kind of magic.
EL

Emani Love

Ruth Ellis Center
Emani is a Detroit based Activist and community organizer.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Art Education: Room 158
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Reimagining Neighborhoods with Board Game Making
Game designers are experts at understanding, imagining and reimagining systems. In this workshop, game making will be used as a lens to examine the systems at work in our communities. Participants will learn the basics of game design, represent their own neighborhoods in DIY board games, and use these games to understand to the systems at play close to their own homes. By the end of the workshop, participants will have their own board games to share, along with insights on how game making can be used as a tool for social justice.

Presenters
avatar for Heather Logas

Heather Logas

UC Santa Cruz
Heather Logas is a game maker and artist with a passion for teaching game making as a tool for social justice. She has over 10 years experience creating games professionally, and currently works as an experimental game design researcher and lecturer at the University of California... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Student Center: Ballroom A
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Rituals for Spatial Change
We have rituals for birth, death, marriage and divorce, yet we lack rituals for when spaces change. This session will look at the series, "The Future is Changing : Rituals for Spatial Change", and then explore the impact of the experimental documentary, "Brewster Douglass, You're My Brother" – both works by local filmmaker Oren Goldenberg. We will begin by showing excerpts from the documentary and go on to highlight collaborations in Harlem, talkback sessions at the Charles Wright Museum and the interactive installation created for the MOCAD.

Presenters
OG

Oren Goldenberg

Cass Corridor Films
Oren Goldenberg is a producer and video artist living and working in the Cass Corridor of Detroit where he uses video as a primary tool to explore the dismantlement of the public sector, subvert the assumed and create catharsis.
ST

Sterling Toles

The Cosmos


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Story Stitching: Create Your Own Radio Story
How can radio stories change the narrative about workers? In this workshop, we will share audio stories from Los Angeles’ garment district, which demonstrate storytelling as a powerful tool to demystify complex issues, represent data, break down assumptions, and build understanding. Together we will explore components of a strong story, learn the basics of audio recording and stitch together our own stories. Participants will develop a 3-5 minute radio story related to their work.

Presenters
MM

Mar Martinez

Garment Worker Center
Mar is the organizing coordinator for the Los Angeles Garment Worker Center. The daughter of garment workers, Mar witnessed firsthand the harm of through low wages and unsafe working conditions. She has worked with Student Labor Alliance and United Students Against Sweatshops.
SR

Stefanie Ritoper

Re:Work Radio, a project of the UCLA Labor Center
Stefanie is the communications director for the UCLA Labor Center and co-producer of the weekly storytelling radio show, Re:Work. She is obsessed with stories and dedicated to finding creative ways to change the story about working people.
avatar for Saba Waheed

Saba Waheed

Research Director, UCLA Labor Center
Saba is the research director at the UCLA Labor Center, co-producer of the radio shows Re:Work and Flip the Script. She has a decade of experience conducting participatory research. She strongly believes that research and media are powerful tools for community storytelling.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room E
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Tools for Power Part 1: Introduction to Power Analysis
Join Resource Alliance for Social Justice for the first of a two part workshop for groups building grassroots community power. Part 1 introduces "power analysis" as a tool for campaign development and strategy. Power analysis is a visual and interactive process that is used to map and understand power relationships in our communities. Envision how the strategic use of power analysis can strengthen your work. Share skills and knowledge that builds capacity for collective action.


Presenters
GM

Gloria Medina

SCOPE
Gloria Medina has lead training and capacity building efforts for SCOPE for seven years. She oversees the process of developing and conducting training designed to increase the capacity of organizations and coalitions building a powerful social justice movement.
LM

Laura Muraida

SCOPE-LA
Laura is the lead researcher at SCOPE. Previous to that, she worked at Southwest Workers Union to bring together media, policy, and engagement strategies to advance to promote accountable community governance processes.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Weaving Community: Transforming Trauma with Textile Art
Throughout history people have used available materials to decide where home is, creating sites of resistance to dislocation and dominating narratives. Textile arts are one way to map memories, document family history, and locate ourselves. Through discussion and hands-on activities, we will explore various forms of textile art including weaving, crochet, quilting, and embroidery. We will discuss how individuals and communities can use textiles to heal from displacement, trauma, and marginalization.

Presenters
IA

Indira Allegra

Indira Allegra is a writer, visual artist, and winner of the Jackson Literary Award and Oakland Individual Artist grant. Her work has been published and screened internationally.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Hands-on Workshop

9:00am EDT

Migritudes: Digital Music, Identity, and Place
Shailja Patel describes Migritude as "a generation of migrants who don't feel the need to be silent to protect themselves.” Digital music breaks silence by equipping a generation of migrants with a dynamic global platform. We will discuss the roots of popular sounds and examine how they relate to mass globalization by exploring the intersections of music, identity and migration as related to technology. Participants will leave better informed for their event production, music making, and engagement with cultural practices.

Presenters
TY

Thanu Yakupitiyage

Dutty Artz, iBomba
Thanu is an activist and dj. She hails from Sri Lanka via Thailand, and lives in Brooklyn. By day, she's a media/policy expert at New York Immigration Coalition. By night, she djs as Ushka, known for her genre-blending style. Her interest in immigration connects her activism, politics... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 219

9:00am EDT

Nourishing Our Spirits: Desi Kitchen Stories of Healing
What do beef biryani, slit green chilies, kitchens in Jackson, New Orleans, Chapel Hill and healing have to do with each other? We will share stories of radical dalit, muslim, and queer desi women living in the south, cooking up beloved friendships that nurture us and open up portals to ancestors. We will share our ways of healing and strengthening appetites for difference and community building through culinary art. Folks will walk away identifying the potential of such work to build and grow across race, caste, sexuality, class, and faith.

Presenters
ND

Noel Didla

MS Food Justice Collaborative
Noel Didla is an immigrant making Jackson, MS home. Noel is one of the anchors of the MS Food Justice Collaborative and MS Food Systems Fellowship.
SD

Sumi Dutta

Matti Collective; Southerners on New Ground
I'm a pisces-rising leo born in Durham, NC, now living in Atlanta, GA. I'm in grad school working on a pedagogy rooted in being so free that your presence wields energy that'll make the current social order collapse. Healing 4 me: singing, swimming, #dopemealsonabudget, & cackling... Read More →
SN

Sham-e-Ali Nayeem

Matti Collective
MR

Manju Rajendran

Matti Collective
Manju's work w/ her mama's food justice experiment, Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe, informs her hunch that nourishing movements with delicious food is transformative work. Loves include Jackson Center 4 Saving + Making History, Fusion Youth Radio, Ready the Ground Training Team, & War... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 208
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

Organizing and Winning Against Mass Incarceration Locally
We are taking it to the streets to assert Black Lives Matter and resist over 30 years of mass incarceration. How can we make lasting change? Combining research, community organizing, and storytelling, we can transform policy and culture. Panelists from Champaign, IL will discuss campaigns against surveillance and racial profiling, police militarization, and jail expansion. Participants will be invited to share issues their community is facing, develop strategies to take action, and leave with tools to confront mass incarceration.

Presenters
DC

Danielle Chynoweth

Center for Media Justice, Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center
Danielle is the Organizing Director at the Center for the Media Justice and co-founder of UCIMC. As a city council member, she helped establish a civilian review board of police. As a national organizer, she helped win net neutrality rules and pass the Local Community Radio Act.
BD

Brian Dolinar

Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, Coalition for Police De-militarization
For over 10 years, Brian's investigative reporting at UCIMC transformed local policing and policies. He currently co-coordinates the Illinois Campaign for Prison Phone Justice and Coalition for Police De-militarization. He is a published author and teacher of African American cultural... Read More →
JK

James Kilgore

First Followers Reentry, Build Programs Not Jails, Illinois Campaign for Prison Phone Justice
After 6.5 years in prison, James has become a published expert on mass incarceration and electronic monitoring. He co-coordinates the Illinois Campaign for Prison Phone Justice, Build Programs Not Jails campaign, and First Followers Reentry. He works at the Center for African Studies... Read More →
RS

Rachel Storm

UI Women's Center, Outta the Mouths of Babes Radio Show, UCIMC
Rachel is Assistant Director of Women's Resources Center and PhD Student at UIUC. Rachel works at the intersection of feminism, racism and classism. She coordinates Outta the Mouths of Babes, a youth media program, and is a trained advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

Trans Media: A Platform for Change
How do we create a storytelling platform that portrays the intersections of identities, communities, and cultures while centering the stories of marginalized communities? We will present a multi-pronged strategy for moving forward politics of representation in the transgender community and beyond. America in Transition will unveil a new web series focusing on unheard stories, discuss plans for an interactive multimedia map, and brainstorm stories that need to be told. Participants will learn from and contribute to this case study.

Presenters
avatar for André Pérez

André Pérez

Founder/ Director, Transgender Oral History Project
André founded the Trans Oral History Project in 2007. He's since created numerous multimedia historical exhibits, installations, and curriculum about trans community. Since 2012, he's recorded over 500 interviews at StoryCorps, broadcasting 50 segments on NPR and WBEZ. He is currently... Read More →
MW

Melvin Whitehead

Black Trans Man Inc. and Joliet Community College
Melvin is a librarian and educator who speaks publicly on race, gender identity, and diversity. He works to improve campus climate for community college students by developing the Safe Zone Ally program, advising an LGBTQ+ student group, spearheading a speakers bureau, and facilitating... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
State Hall: Room 128
  Panel - Presentation

9:00am EDT

This Ain’t a Eulogy: A Ritual for Re-Membering
America has a long history of forgetting, silencing and erasure. “This Ain’t A Eulogy” is a multimedia solo performance ritual by Taja Lindley to re-member, honor and value Black lives lost due to police violence. Moved by the non-indictments of police officers responsible for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, this performance is protest and an assertion that Black Lives Matter. The presentation will include a live performance featuring video, text, movement and prop work, a community healing ritual and a discussion/talkback.

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Performance - Screening

9:00am EDT

Community Radio in the Middle East and North Africa
What's the status of "community radio" in the Middle East and North Africa? We will videochat with media-makers on the ground in Libya, Yemen, Palestine and Egypt to hear online radio and understand the fight for access in each place. We will strategize on how we can bring their voices into our media channels in the U.S. Come engage directly with activists in the Middle East and North Africa on the front lines of media policy and practice and be inspired towards further collaboration.

Presenters
TS

Tamar sharabi

International Media Action
Tamar Is a radio engineer and host working collaboratively with a radio collective in NYC, Global Movements Urban Struggles. She was based in the MENA region for 2 years and continues to build with artists and media makers on the ground to help break our global media blackout.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Student Center: Ballroom C
  Strategy Session

9:00am EDT

Mino Bimaadiziwin: Ojibwe Philosophy and Design
The notion of a tree with a spirit is a difficult concept to grasp. Yet, when we see a native speaking with a tree we see a designer engaged in research. We will introduce philosophies of the ojibwe, the anishinaabe of this land, as a means for design process. We aim to understand this sacred knowledge so that it may not be co-opted, but honored. Design geared for authentic decolonization has to account for the ways oppressive power and colonial rule interact with one another to sustain such behaviors. This workshop will provide perspective for that framework.

Presenters
CY

Christoher Yepez

Ojibwe
Knoxx is an entrepreneur, with a heart of a healer, mind of a scientist rooted with Ojibwe/Anishinaabe & Xicano ancestry as a lyricist, musician, motion picture artist, graphic designer, organizer & community cultural worker based in Southwest Detroit, Turtle Island.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Strategy Session

9:00am EDT

Detroit Sound Conservancy Music Tour
This is a deep dive, mission-driven, joyful journey into Detroit’s varied musical histories. This tour will explore everything from hip hop to country, musical historic districts, oral histories, and the challenges and opportunities of cultural preservation in Detroit. After this tour you will not just know more about Detroit's music, people, geographies, and stories, but you will also be able to play a part in preserving and celebrating Detroit’s musical cultures. In the process you will move from musical observation to sonic activism. Sign-up in advance at the Info Desk in the McGregor Conference Center. Bus pick-up is at the Community Arts South Entrance. This is a three hour tour. 

Presenters
CG

Carleton Gholz

Detroit Sound Conservancy
Carleton is the President and Executive Director of the Detroit Sound Conservancy.
AT

Adriel Thornton

Fresh Corp
Adriel is a longtime Detroit promoter and activist.
RT

Reggie Tiessen

Hawkhaus
Reggie is the DSC's official videographer and photographer.


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

9:00am EDT

DTown Farms Tour
Come join DTown Farms on a tour of one of the largest collectively run farms in the city. Learn about the process of building, supporting and maintaining the space and then support the farm with a one-hour work project! There will be different tasks to suit different people's abilities and strengths. Join us! Sign-up in advance at the Info Desk in the McGregor Conference Center. Bus pick-up is at the Community Arts South Entrance. This is a three hour tour. 

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

9:00am EDT

Fun and Fabulous Farm Fieldtrip
How do we nurture the earth, and how does the earth nurture us? Youth will explore earth health as it relates to community health. We will take a field trip to Keep Growing Detroit (2202 3rd st. Detroit, MI 48226) where kids will explore what is growing, how it grows, and how humans, plants and animals all connect to each other. We will learn about the importance of local food systems and food justice movements in Detroit by digging in and getting our hands dirty. Sign-up in advance at the Info Desk in the McGregor Conference Center. Bus pick-up is at the Community Arts South Entrance. This is a three hour tour. 

Presenters
SA

Sam Affholter

Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare Collectives
Sam Affholter was an organizer and childcare provider with Kelli's Childcare Collective of Atlanta before moving to Columbus, OH to pursue graduate work in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They now work in a preschool and organize with the Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare... Read More →
avatar for Oya Amakisi

Oya Amakisi

Greening of Detroit


Saturday June 20, 2015 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

11:00am EDT

A Documentary Film Production Survival Guide
Whether the campaign you are working on needs a video, you want to make queer porn, or you want to share your grandmother's story, come to this workshop! This session will give participants the opportunity, skills and confidence to produce nonfiction video. Through hands-on experience with low-budget or shared production equipment, participants will learn essential aspects of filmmaking such as getting good sound, holding a steady shot and proper exposure.

Presenters
MF

Marcelitte Failla

Critical Projections
Filmmaker and interdisciplinary artist Marcelitte Failla was raised in Gresham, Oregon. After growing up in a mixed race family and experiencing the racism of conservative America, Marcelitte is committed to producing work that examines and complicates conversations around gender... Read More →
CO

Claudia O'Brien

Critical Projections
Claudia O'Brien Moscoso is an organizer, filmmaker & community health worker from Peru currently growing roots in Brooklyn. An undocuqueer, Claudia is currently working on a documentary titled Entre Dos exploring her experiences navigating the immigration (il)legal system and colonial... Read More →
SO

S.O. O'Brien

Critical Projections
S.O. O’brien is an interdisciplinary artist that works primarily through sound and video. They currently work as Digital Projects Manager for CultureHub and hold an MA from the New School in Media Studies.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 218
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Broken Time, Fractured Space, & Collective Memory
We will explore the arts and sciences of sampling technology in order to become culturally competent in hip hop music and make intersections of cultural resistance in the hip hop arts. Participants will defy time and space, learn the origins and progression of sampling, interpret the frequencies of sound waves, visit emerging historical moments of beats, grasp digital audio workstations and functions, and develop a social justice and hip hop praxis for their communities.

Presenters
CY

Christoher Yepez

Ojibwe
Knoxx is an entrepreneur, with a heart of a healer, mind of a scientist rooted with Ojibwe/Anishinaabe & Xicano ancestry as a lyricist, musician, motion picture artist, graphic designer, organizer & community cultural worker based in Southwest Detroit, Turtle Island.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 158
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Contemplative Design: Unpacking White Supremacy
White supremacy is an omnipresent structure with deep historical roots. What is it really? How does it move from structures to systems to relationships? How does it show up in all of us? How do we dismantle it from the inside out? Using 2-D speculative object design/modeling, individual and collective mind-mapping, mindfulness practices, and insight meditation, we will journey through a healing process of unpacking internalized white supremacy for ourselves.

Presenters
MM

Melissa Moore

Youth Learning Lab of Education and Applied Design, Baltimore Black Coops, Future Design Lab, Healing Justice Network, Independent Community Worker
Melissa Moore is an interdisciplinary community worker, designer, and mindfulness-insight meditation practitioner who is inspired by the intersections of healing/spirituality, relational anti-racism work, solidarity economics, food justice, traditional medicines, and alternative learning... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Drug War Survivors: Coping, Telling, Loving Ourselves
The "War on Drugs" left a legacy of immeasurable harm that has yet to be fully documented. If you grew up with parents impacted by the war you may still be coping with the trauma. In this session, we will explore mindfulness, somatic practices, and creative writing to inhabit our woundedness, deepen compassion, and let go of survival mechanisms that no longer support our well being. Participants will explore how they have been impacted by the war and what it has meant for their families, communities, and ways of being in the world.

Presenters
PA

Piper Anderson

Create Forward
PIPER ANDERSON is a writer, educator, and healing practitioner. She has spent the last 15 years cultivating a creative practice at the intersections arts, healing justice, and social change. This year she co-created spreadmasslove.com, a critical dialogue on love in the era of mass... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom C
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Grieving through Humor: The Black Body Survival Guide
Comedy and satire have often been used as tools for oppressed people to process their experiences in a racist environment. Through looking at satirical survival tips in the Black Body Survival Guide, we will acknowledge and process our collective trauma and normalize our healing. Participants will walk away with a background on Black humor/satire, survival tips and a different way of contextualizing their Black experience.

Presenters
avatar for Terry Marshall

Terry Marshall

Intelligent Mischief
Terry Marshall has been involved in social justice movements for over 20 years and founded Intelligent Mischief in 2013. Born in Boston, his feet are firmly planted in Barbados where his family is from. Terry's work has spanned a range of intersecting creative and social justice endeavors... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Healing Sessions
Spiritual insight and energy healing with Free Woman, Individual Spiritual Genealogy Consultation with Carrie Leilam Love, Classical Homeopathy with David Kim, Custom Potion Session Flower and Gem Essences with KellyAnne Mifflin, Somatics with Micah Hobbes Fraizer

Presenters
MH

micah hobbes frazier

the living room project
micah hobbes is a black queer boi healer, facilitator/trainer, doula, dj, and magic maker; living, loving, laughing, and building community in Oakland, CA. he is the founder/director of the living room project, a healing justice & community space serving black & brown queer and trans... Read More →
DK

David Kim

Classical Homeopathy: providing acute homeopathic care for headaches, nausea, fever, flu, hangovers, and other terrible things. Interactive session in which counseling will be integrated to identify concerns and recommend a holistic homeopathic remedy.
CL

Carrie Leilam Love

Individual Spiritual Genealogy Consultation: Science recently discovered what many of us have known for generations: we carry our ancestors trauma in our bodies. Before coming to a session, please have as much information as possible about your known ancestors born before 1940, including... Read More →
FW

Free Woman

Spiritual insight and energy healing, Heal the Healers - Time to Receive: Do you have the energy for 10 more years of activism? You have taken care of planet earth, the people and the causes you care about. Now come take care of yourself! Free Woman is offering 20 minute insight and... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Heart Memories: Memorializing Lost Loved Ones
Our hearts hold our memories of the people we love, even after they die. We will explore the rituals and ways in which we can remember and reconnect to lost loved ones. Using collage techniques, we will create a special "heart memories" box that represents our special person or people. Participants will walk away with new strategies to memorialize loved ones and a personalized keepsake box to bring home and fill with pictures, notes and trinkets.

Presenters
avatar for Stephanie Mae

Stephanie Mae

Stephanie Mae is a teaching artist and organizer in the Detroit community work centers around art, healing and resistance, fueled by love and magick., LivingArts, MIRA, DRCC
Stephanie is a visual artist, educator and curator that believes art is an essential tool of resistance and resilience.
SM

Sicily McRaven

Radically Art Infused Detroit
Sicily is an artist living in Detroit spreading the good news of radical consent


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Kids Collage Studio Part 2
Collaging is for everybody, everywhere! Stop by to explore collage-making using unexpected art materials. We will demonstrate the joy and creativity of an open, informal, and intergenerational art practice. Centered around families with young children, this space is open to people of all ages and abilities.

Presenters
RB

Rebecca Behlen

Chicago Childcare Collective
MF

Maribel Falcon

Cósmica
Maribel Falcon is an artist, originally from West Tejas, currently living in Brooklyn, NY. She is a collective member of Cósmica, an all girl art collective seeking to encourage creativity in a feminine spirits.
JK

Jacob Klippenstein

Chicago Childcare Collective
Jacob Klippenstein is pro-active organizer, dedicated childcare provider, and a budding gardener. Jay currently works with the Chicago Childcare Collective, AREA Chicago, We Charge Genocide, and the Trans Oral History Project.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room H
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Let's Dance Some More: A Bgirl/Bboy Workshop
Lets dance some more! The main objective of this workshop is to get participants to understand that anyone can learn the big moves such as spinning on your head and back. However, being able to translate the spiritual high of a song to physical movement is something that most people overlook and is the hardest thing to learn and feel. We will practice through cipher exercises and drills. This workshop benefits all levels of breakers and is open to all body types.

Presenters
avatar for BGIRL MACCA (USA)

BGIRL MACCA (USA)

Dancer
Bgirl Macca is dedicated to representing women at the forefront of the culture on a high level through internationally recognized competition. At a young age Macca’s family relocated to Germany, where she began learning to breakdance in 2004 and had her first experiences with international... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom B
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Social Justice and Collage
Collage is one of the most accessible art mediums and has played an important historical role in political/social movements. This practice space block will work with participants to begin creating their own collage art piece. We will explore themes of social justice and use iconography from historical social movements. Participants will walk away with an original collage art piece.

Presenters
MF

Maribel Falcon

Cósmica
Maribel Falcon is an artist, originally from West Tejas, currently living in Brooklyn, NY. She is a collective member of Cósmica, an all girl art collective seeking to encourage creativity in a feminine spirits.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room J
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

The Revolution Will Not Be in English
In what language do you dream? In what language do you express your feelings of love, anger, or passion? Creating multilingual spaces where folks can express themselves in the language they are most comfortable in is critical when doing social justice work. This workshop will focus on the politics and principles of language justice and multilingual organizing by sharing our experiences and best practices as interpreters and community organizers.

Presenters
SA

Salem Acuña

Mijente
Salem is a latino,queer organizer with SONG,a multi-racial LGBTQ organization working in the U.S. South.Through his work with SONG he's been part of social change efforts on a local & regional level & has worked on issues of anti-violence,immigrant rights,LGBT rights,language justice... Read More →
CN

Catalina Nieto

Catalina is an organizer, popular educator, artist & interpreter. She is actively involved in the Latin American and immigrant rights movement, co-facilitates Interpreting for Social Justice workshops & supports with coordination of multilingual spaces for social justice organiza... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 218
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Tools for Power Part 2: Research Methods
Join Resource Alliance for Social Justice and Little Sis in Tools for Power 2. In part 1, we learned how to do power analysis. In part 2 we will learn research methods to build power and have impact. This hands-on workshop explores power analysis, participatory research, mapping, and digital storytelling to strengthen your work. In group sessions, participants will make community maps, collect stories, conduct surveys and create power maps using the Little Sis data visualization tool.

Presenters
GA

Gin Armstrong

Public Accountability Initiative, LittleSis
Gin Armstrong is a research analyst for the Public Accountability Initiative, the organization behind LittleSis. Before joining PAI Gin lived in Washington, DC and worked as a researcher at Media Matters for America and GMU’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.
LT

Lori Thompson Holmes

Advancement Project Healthy City
Lori manages the Digital Initiatives at Advancement Project’s Healthy City program in Los Angeles. As manager she oversees development & implementation of capacity-building community-based research tools, curriculum, and training including mapping technology like the free, mapping... Read More →
LM

Laura Muraida

SCOPE-LA
Laura is the lead researcher at SCOPE. Previous to that, she worked at Southwest Workers Union to bring together media, policy, and engagement strategies to advance to promote accountable community governance processes.
avatar for Victor Narro

Victor Narro

UCLA Labor Center
Victor is a project director at the UCLA Labor Center where he has been involved with immigrant rights and labor issues for many years. His new book “Living Peace: Connecting Your Spirituality With Your Work for Justice” explores labor activism and spirituality.
avatar for Saba Waheed

Saba Waheed

Research Director, UCLA Labor Center
Saba is the research director at the UCLA Labor Center, co-producer of the radio shows Re:Work and Flip the Script. She has a decade of experience conducting participatory research. She strongly believes that research and media are powerful tools for community storytelling.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

VJ Basics & Live Video Performance
This is an intro to live video performance and VJing using Modul8 software and VDMX. We will cover the basics of Modul8 and VDMX programs including selecting footage for your VJ set, controller layout, manipulating/live editing videos during your set, connecting a MIDI controller, connecting an iPad or cell phone using TouchOSC software, and utilizing multiple screens and/or inputs for your VJ set. Participants will walk away with intro-level knowledge to get them started building their own VJ sets with Modul8 and/or VDMX software.

Presenters
AB

Anna Barsan

Signified, Filmmaking & Beyond Track
Anna Barsan is an NYC-based artist and media educator working in film, installation, and live video performance. Her work explores concepts of identity, social control, and artistic intervention.
TI

The Illuminator Collective

The Illuminator Collective
The Illuminator Collective utilizes a modified commercial vehicle and high­ powered projector to reclaim public space for the 99% of us who cannot afford to purchase billboards.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room E
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

With Wing and Roots
In this workshop participants will explore a transmedia project that re-imagines the idea of "belonging" beyond borders. With media as a means for dialogue and engagement, this workshop will include an introduction by filmmaker Christina Antonakos-Wallace, who will share insight on challenges and opportunities in critical and inclusive, independent media-making. Participants will engage in a discussion about global migration through the project's interactive timeline and story collection.

Presenters
avatar for Christina Antonakos-Wallace

Christina Antonakos-Wallace

Filmmaker, Wings & Roots
Christina is a filmmaker and activist working in the intersection of documentary, new media and education. Her short films have screened internationally and won awards. She manages the transmedia project Wings & Roots with collaborators across the US and Europe, producing media and... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Hands-on Workshop

11:00am EDT

Detroit Grown
Detroit is not a food desert. We are being denied access to fresh, non-chemically treated food by a racist food system. Come hear the stories of the women urban farmers of Detroit. Participants will engage in conversation with the women of Detroit agriculture, cook a meal together using Detroit grown produce, and assemble cookbooks.

Presenters
WI

Winnie Imbuchi

Winnie is a new bride and mother, all the way from kenya, a college graduate of MSU and is an urban farmer/gardener. she is proud of her has front yard edible garden and raises chickens with her life partner/husband.
MJ

Michelle Jackson

Smallville Learning Farms
Michelle Jackson, is a fourth genenrational farmer living in detroit as well as the Program Director and Founder of Smallville Farms, activist and organizer on behalf a healthy vibrant Detroit.
RM

Roxane Moore

A Detroiter and new mommy! Roxanne Moore is a Urban Farmer and a small business owner. She is involved in farmers market sales and creating policy on behalf of urban agriculture.
avatar for Myrtle Thompson-Curtis

Myrtle Thompson-Curtis

Director, Feedom Freedom Growers
Myrtle Curtis is a lifelong Detroiter, Boggs board member, and co-founder of Feedom Freedom Growers. Mama Myrtle stays busy growing gardens and community.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

Fat 101 - Fatness as a Political Issue
Due to the rhetoric surrounding the "obesity epidemic," deconstructing narratives around fatness has become vital to humanizing fat people. We will explore how discourse around health and fatness has been challenged by media created in fat positive community. We will learn how to think about fatness by focusing discussions on social justice and body autonomy. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of fatness as a political issue and be better equipped to challenge fat phobia in their daily lives.

Presenters
avatar for Kytara Epps

Kytara Epps

Kytara is a 31 yr old Detroiter. 
avatar for Amanda Levitt

Amanda Levitt

Fat Body Politics
Amanda Levitt is the writer and self defined unapologetic fat lady behind Fat Body Politics. She has been working with fat positive community for over a decade where she critiques and challenges mainstream narratives about fatness and fat people.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

Ferguson and Beyond: The Role of Independent Media
Cameras save lives. Especially when we are protesting oppression. We will explore the role of independent media in portraying our movements, goals and values. We will examine best practices for documenting to maximize our impact, such as collaborative media-making, consent, and self-care. We will screen videos and listen to journal entries from the front lines of Ferguson, and engage in a Q&A about indy media production and distribution. Participants will walk away with safety guidelines and access points for documenting protests.

Presenters
DD

Damon Davis

Millennial Activists United
Damon Davis is a St. Louis-based artist and filmmaking. During the days before the Grand Jury announcement, he was responsible for the #AllHandsOnDeck installation. Davis is presently making a film "Whose Streets?" about the Ferguson movement.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Student Center: Room 285
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

How to Start Your Own Culture Podcast
We are in the "golden years of podcasting” yet most of the celebrated podcasts lack social justice content. This presentation is for social justice oriented people who are interested in starting a podcast but have little or no knowledge of what this would involve. This presentation will cover podcasting basics: equipment, software, graphics, music, how to get on itunes etc. Participants will walk away with the confidence to start production on their very own podcast.

Presenters
EG

Ellie Gordon-Moershel

Ellie Gordon-Moershel co-hosted a feminist podcast in Vancouver called the F Word from 2008 - 2012. Since then she has completed audio projects for Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and PrideHouseTO among others. She’s also an avid podcast listener and subscribes to 300... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

I See You: Creating Femmes of Color Visibility & Community
The work and narrative of Black Femmes and Femmes of color have long been erased by every facet of colonialist-framed history. Our session will discuss Black and Femmes of color visibility and how we create outlets that prioritize us and our resilience. From films to collectives to online movements and hashtags, participants will walk away with strategies to amplify visibility both online and off. This session is a closed space for Black folks and People of Color while centering our narratives around Black Femmes and Femmes of Color.

Presenters
JD

Jo de la Torre (LA Femmes of Color Collective)

Jo is a stylishly dreamy brown femme healer mami who braids (self)healing strategies, communal care, adornment, poetry, majestic tender lovin', ancestral magic and artistry into the spaces they encompass. They are a committed radical cheerleader for their loved ones/chosen familia... Read More →
VD

Vanessa Durand (LA Femmes of Color Collective)

V has been a social justice activist and community organizer for the past 8 years. They have worked with numerous progressive organizations in L.A. and Washington D.C. advocating for LGBTQ-inclusive reproductive justice legislation and access to healthcare services for queer, trans... Read More →
AH

Alyssa Hernandez (LA Femmes of Color Collective)

Alyssa is a xicana queer fat femme librarian. Born and raised in Southern California, she has worked in libraries for 20 years and believes in equal access to information for all and the power of preserving QPOC stories. Not afraid to be visible on all forms of social media and take... Read More →
KC

Kandace Creel Falcón

Kandace is a Chicana femme feminist academic. She is the Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at Minnesota State University Moorhead. KCF curates her Chicana experience in the Midwest through an Anzaldúan framework of autoethnography via Instagram. Creator of #ReimagineFemm... Read More →
DG

Dulce Garcia

Empowering With Conviction Consulting
Dulce is a fierce queer Chicana femme loving/living life in Oakland. As a sexual health educator she advocates for self-empowerment through education that is fun and accessible. Her film "With Conviction" won the Audience Choice Award at the QWOC Film Festival & recently screened... Read More →
avatar for Laura Luna Placencia

Laura Luna Placencia

Los Angeles Femmes of Color Collective
Laura Luna is a chola bon vivant, & self-identifying queer fat femme who has been curating safer spaces for LGBTQ & gender variant communities with her work in LA & on the Internet for over a decade. Co-founder of the LA Femmes of Color Collective & the #FemmesofColorVisibility hashtag... Read More →
AQ

Andrea Quijada

Media Literacy Project
Andrea Quijada is a queer xicana femme executive director in New Mexico. With more than 10 yrs of experience as a media literacy trainer, and 20 years as a community organizer, she has a deep passion for media justice. She has co-founded various orgs in Albuquerque, including Young... Read More →
DS

Danielle Stevens

Danielle is a radically compassionate warrior womyn & afro-futurist healer with a gentle and sharp unapologetic tongue. A dreamer in all senses of the word, Danielle is enchanted by the variability of life. As a gender-nonconfirming femme person and lover engaged in work related to... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom A
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

Mentoring it Forward: Youth Leadership
In what ways can youth contribute to their communities? Youth from Mentoring it Forward will share their experience and how it is shaping them into the leaders of tomorrow. We will screen a short student-made documentary illustrating our knowledge and experiences. Participants will experience a youth-led game and activity that demonstrates the skills they learned in the program. Participants will also be involved in a team-building exercise.

Presenters
DC

Dakarai Carter

Mentor it Forward
Program youth coordinator.
AL

Ashley lee

Mentoring it Forward
Mentoring it forward youth program coordinator.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 219
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

Out in the System: LGBTQ Youth and CPS
LGBTQ youth of color are disproportionately impacted by child welfare agencies, yet their voices are often silenced and minimized. The Ruth Ellis Center and participants will explore the experiences of LGBTQ youth of color within Wayne County Michigan’s Child Protective Services. We will discuss the results of a youth-led participatory action research project and a short video. REC youth and staff will provide participants with examples and best practices on how to center youth voices and experiences through research and advocacy.

Presenters
BB

Bria Brown

Ruth Ellis Center
Tom Molina-Duarte is the youth advocacy & leadership coordinator at the Ruth Ellis Center, a LGBTQ Youth Services Agency based in Highland Park, Detroit. He coordinates the Out in the System Project at the Ruth Ellis Center.
BE

Brion Edwards

Ruth Ellis Center
LT

LaMontez Tanner

Ruth Ellis Center


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

People-Powered Movements: Individual Donor Programs
Within the current funding and political climate, many groups are struggling to fund and resource their work in a sustainable way. In this session, we will look at the history and principles of grassroots fundraising within social justice movements and share lessons and stories of building individual donor work and programs, including a case study of a successful sustainer program. Participants will walk away with theory, skills, strategies and next steps for building sustainable individual donor work.

Presenters
avatar for Allison Budschalow

Allison Budschalow

Allison hails from Philly where she was born and raised as part of the Kalmyk Mongol diaspora. She is a mama of color with a history of working on movement building in the U.S. Most recently, she focuses on how grassroots fundraising can support radical organizing and community building... Read More →
RL

Ryan Li Dahlstrom

GIFT
Ryan Li Dahlstrom has worked at the intersections of LGBTQ, youth, and anti-violence movements for over a decade as a fundraiser, organizer, and facilitator. He's currently a collective staff member at GIFT. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, doing Crossfit, and being an Uncle... Read More →
CM

Crystal Middlestadt

Crystal lives in Denver, CO and has several years experience as a grassroots fundraiser within anti-violence and social justice movements. Crystal has developed successful grassroots fundraising campaigns and contributed to the Grassroots Fundraising Journal.
avatar for Tanya Mote

Tanya Mote

Su Teatro
Tanya Mote is the Associate Director at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center where she has practiced for 20 years to become a better grassroots fundraiser, facilitator, and cultural organizer. For four years, she has served as a track coordinator along with several colleagues... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 208
  Panel - Presentation

11:00am EDT

Radical Storytelling: A Beginning without End
"Blackness is a nomadic aesthetic. You're constantly moving without a sense of security or space." - artist Kehinde Wiley. In this experiential multimedia workshop we will explore movement, memory, and space through radical storytelling. With a short film and an interactive puzzle, we will challenge notions of linear time and chronological in order to connect to an intuitive power intrinsic to the Black experience, and its potential for movement, improvisation, and creativity.

Presenters
LA

Ladin Awad

Ladin Awad is a Sudanese artist and filmmaker based in New York City. She is currently attending the New School, and is more recently exploring what it is to be Sudanese-American and exist in the hyphen. Ladin is currently working on a series of podcasts that explore East African... Read More →
SB

Selam Bekele

Selam Films
Selam Bekele is a visual artist and experimental filmmaker from Ethiopia. She holds a B.A. in Film from UC Davis and creates work that breaks through memory, space, and linear time to encourage movement and healing. Selam's work has recently been featured at the Afrofuturist Affair... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Performance - Screening

11:00am EDT

Sometimes in DC You Win: Net Neutrality, A Case Study
In 2014 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed to let big companies like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T create fast lanes on the Internet for those that could afford them and leave the rest of us in the slow lane. In response, a large coalition pressured Washington D.C. to make strong rules to keep the Internet open and free. Join us to learn how we fought back against a corporate power grab and won. We will reflect on the organizing, coalition building, and creative tactics that can be applied to other struggles for justice.

Presenters
avatar for Candace Clement

Candace Clement

Internet Campaign Director, Free Press
Internet policy, independent media, indie music, pop culture, etc.
CM

Cayden Mak

18MillionRising.org
Cayden Mak is Executive Director at 18MillionRising.org, an online hub for Asian American social movements. He is a movement technologist interested in building trust, community, and independent power on the internet.
HJ

Hannah Jane Sassaman

https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/about/programs/us-programs/grantees/hannah-sassaman, Media Mobilizing Project
Hannah is the policy director at Media Mobilizing Project (MMP). She's currently leading a local-to-national campaign to force Comcast to pay their fair share and expand the right to communicate. She came to MMP as a trainer in communications, legislative planning and strategy... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Strategy Session

11:00am EDT

Detroit Sound Conservancy Music Tour (continued)
This is a deep dive, mission-driven, joyful journey into Detroit’s varied musical histories. This tour will explore everything from hip hop to country, musical historic districts, oral histories, and the challenges and opportunities of cultural preservation in Detroit. After this tour you will not just know more about Detroit's music, people, geographies, and stories, but you will also be able to play a part in preserving and celebrating Detroit’s musical cultures. In the process you will move from musical observation to sonic activism.

Presenters
CG

Carleton Gholz

Detroit Sound Conservancy
Carleton is the President and Executive Director of the Detroit Sound Conservancy.
AT

Adriel Thornton

Fresh Corp
Adriel is a longtime Detroit promoter and activist.
RT

Reggie Tiessen

Hawkhaus
Reggie is the DSC's official videographer and photographer.


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

11:00am EDT

DTown Farms Tour (continued)
Come join DTown Farms on a tour of one of the largest collectively run farms in the city. Learn about the process of building, supporting and maintaining the space and then support the farm with a one-hour work project! There will be different tasks to suit different people's abilities and strengths. Join us!

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

11:00am EDT

Fun and Fabulous Farm Fieldtrip (continued)
How do we nurture the earth, and how does the earth nurture us? Youth will explore earth health as it relates to community health. We will take a field trip to Keep Growing Detroit (2202 3rd st. Detroit, MI 48226) where kids will explore what is growing, how it grows, and how humans, plants and animals all connect to each other. We will learn about the importance of local food systems and food justice movements in Detroit by digging in and getting our hands dirty.

Presenters
SA

Sam Affholter

Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare Collectives
Sam Affholter was an organizer and childcare provider with Kelli's Childcare Collective of Atlanta before moving to Columbus, OH to pursue graduate work in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They now work in a preschool and organize with the Intergalactic Conspiracy of Childcare... Read More →
avatar for Oya Amakisi

Oya Amakisi

Greening of Detroit


Saturday June 20, 2015 11:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

12:45pm EDT

Buddhism and Social Justice: Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Meet with the co-directors and members of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF), a national organization exploring the intersections of Buddhism, mindfulness, and social justice. We will share examples of radical Buddhist direct action in issues of police brutality and environmental justice. Participants will have an opportunity to get to know each other and share our political interests and practice histories. We will also dream big together about how Buddhists, meditators, and mindfulness practitioners can contribute to collective liberation.

Presenters
DH

Dawn Haney

Human Impact Partners, Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Dawn Haney brings together passions for social justice, health equity, and good nonprofit management as Operations Director at Human Impact Partners. Since earning a Master’s in Health Promotion & Behavior, she’s been organizing for justice with spiritual activists and trauma... Read More →
KL

Katie Loncke

Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Perhaps you, like Katie Loncke, are sick of the neoliberal co-opting of mindfulness, and the racist appropriation of Asian / Buddhist aesthetics to make commodities seem more "spiritual." As a BPF Co-Director, Katie loves meeting others who want to use spiritual practice to support... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Getting to Know the Free Minds, Free People Conference
Free Minds Free People (FMFP) is a gathering that brings teachers, community activists, researchers, youth and parents together from across the country to build a movement promoting education as a tool for liberation. This year FMFP will take place in Oakland, CA from July 9-12, 2015. Come hang out and break bread with us to learn more about who we are as a national network and how FMFP might be a place of possibility for you and your organization.

Presenters
avatar for n8 mullen

n8 mullen

People in Education
Nate joined Allied Media Projects in 2011 as part of the founding team of Detroit Future Schools. He is now overseeing PIE’s Programming as a Special Advisor. Nate’s work thrives at the intersection of art, education and people.He is a member of the Speakers Bureau.
TN

Thomas Nikundiwe

Thomas Nikundiwe is the director of the Education for Liberation Network. He identifies as a father, educator, and organizer. Over the years, Thomas has taught high school math, served as Peace Corps Volunteer, was a youth organizer with the Baltimore Algebra Project, and studied youth and community organizing at Harvard. Thomas now lives in Detroit with his partner, Carla, and two sons, Izaac and Akenna., Education for Liberation Network
Thomas Nikundiwe is a father to two sons, has lived on three continents, and identifies as a math teacher, youth organizer, and researcher. He is currently the director of the Education for Liberation Network, an organization that serves as a connector, host, and facilitator for... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Groundswell Movement Building Lunch Meetup
The Groundswell Network’s mission is to provide mutual support, training, and resources in the practice of applied, community-based oral history for social justice. This meet-up is organized to build community among oral historians, organizers, storytellers, documentarians and media-makers for movement building by providing space for people to informally share their work, socialize, and build connections. We welcome beginners, experts, and everyone interested. Bring your lunch!

Presenters
AO

Amaka Okechukwu

Groundswell: Oral History for Social Change
Amaka Okechukwu is a scholar-activist based in Brooklyn, NY. Her scholarly and teaching interests include social movements, Black politics, intersectionality, and public humanities. She has engaged in community-based work with Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Brooklyn Movement Center... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 208
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Healing Through Comedy in Daily Life
What happens when we acknowledge comedy as a serious endeavor towards daily healing? This will be a performative presentation that prompts idea generation from the audience. Comedic styles will focus on humor in opposition to masculine/capitalist forms that dominate the field (like stand-up). We will present oppositional forms of humor as well as generate ideas for enacting your own humor through a series of comedic videos from our two presenters.

Presenters
MB

Molly Berkson

3rd Language
Molly Berkson is a Chicago-based artist and student from Evanston, Illinois. Her work explores fantasy, utopia, remembering, and useful anger. She investigates identity through a multi-layered practice, employing underground media and subversive uses of craft practices.
ES

Emily Schulert

3rd Language
Emily is a queer, feminist artist working and living in Chicago. She is interested in exploring fiber and material, animation and community building.


Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Reproductive Justice Lunch Meetup
Want to connect with others who work, organize, agitate, and have an interest in reproductive justice? This meetup will build on the BraveSpace ReproJustice Network Gathering but is open to all who dream of a world that honors reproductive justice, sexual freedom, and human rights. Participants will have the opportunity to network with others and share campaigns or ideas they are working on back home.

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Self-care and Community Support
Do you work with youth, activists, or students in a social justice setting? How do you provide community support (physical, emotional, spiritual) during times of crisis? How do you maintain boundaries for your emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being? We will share techniques to support people during challenging times using hands-on activities such as movement, meditation, ritual, herbalism, and healing practices. This is a space for caretakers and healers to reflect and share practices of community support and balance.

Presenters
MG

Maribel Gomez

UC San Diego LGBT Resource Center
Maribel is the Assistant Director for Education at the UC San Diego LGBT Resource Center. She is a community educator, designer, and community cook. She is a Queer Xicana femme whose work focuses on decolonial food justice and ancestral healing.
KZ

Karla Zabaleta

UC Davis Women’s Resources and Research Center
Karla is the Program Coordinator at the UC Davis Women’s Resources and Research Center. She is also a graduate student at the Multicultural Education program at Sacramento State University.


Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Talking Medicine, Love, and Revolution
Healers, healthcare providers, and activists come together to eat and share strategies about resisting the medical industrial complex and self care.

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 128
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

The Bad Girls Club
What does it mean to be a "bad girl"? What is "bad" femininity? And how can this badness be reclaimed and reveled in? The Bad Girls Club unpacks contemporary media representations of femininity and legacies of the dehumanization of black feminine bodies within visual culture. This is a meet-up for self-identified femme bad girls. This discussion will be prompted by a performative powerpoint lecture that traces histories of representation.

Presenters
avatar for Amina Ross

Amina Ross

Amina Ross is a transdisciplinary Chicago-based artist. Through visual abstraction she creates palatable tensions of repulsion and seduction. The conceptions of black visuality and the sexualized image are combined through a blending of image, writing, performance, curatorial and... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

The Birth: Creating a New Independent Media in Spanish
The emergence of Latino movements in the U.S. has revealed the lack of Spanish media that reflects this work. There are an increasing number of organizations seeking to improve the lives of people in their communities and denounce the abuses of the political, judicial, and police powers. Within the Latino community a need also exists to continue communication with our home countries. In this meetup we will share experiences and strategies for the creation of new independent media that reflects the realities of Latino communities in the U.S.

Presenters
avatar for Glenda Rosado

Glenda Rosado

Editor, DeMujer-es.com
Glenda Rosado is a journalist based in Miami and born and raised in Puerto Rico. She collaborated with the environmental magazine Atabey, and worked for Telemundo and PODER as an intern. She is also a former Democracy Now! en Español's intern and edits her own independent website... Read More →
IM

Igor Moreno Unanua

Democracy Now! en Español, Los Sin Nombre NY
Igor Moreno is a Spanish journalist based in NYC. His career began as a TV reporter in Barcelona. Currently he is part of the Democracy Now! en Español's team, and he is a freelance photographer and reporter. He is interested in International Relations, Civil Right history, and Mass... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Meetup

12:45pm EDT

Yoni Ki Baat: Gifting Stories of South Asian Womanhood
Are you a South Asian woman at AMC? Come join us at our special Yoni Ki Baat meet-up to get to know each other and learn about how we can share your stories at YKB! Since 2003 Yoni Ki Baat has gathered South Asian women together across the U.S. and the world as writers, performers, producers, and audiences to tell our stories about race, gender, sexuality, the body, and anything else that's important to us. Come to our meet-up to share your stories and learn how to plug into the national YKB community as a writer, performer, or producer. This meetup is for self-identified women of South Asian descent or origin only.

Presenters
avatar for Creatrix Tiara

Creatrix Tiara

Creative producer, writer, artist, media-maker, Creatrix Tiara
Creatrix Tiara works with creative arts & media productions, community cultural development, and education to explore ideas around community, identity, liminality, belonging, and social justice.


Saturday June 20, 2015 12:45pm - 1:45pm EDT
Art Education: Room 158
  Meetup

2:00pm EDT

Collecting Sacred Stories from the Community
Youth researchers in social justice movements have a responsibility to share the stories of the unheard. This workshop explores ways youth can ethically collect stories from their community to understand the problems they hope to address through research. Youth researchers will help participants understand how to conduct qualitative interviews and use storytelling and music as ways to examine issues. Participants will leave with skills to locate and collect sacred stories by connecting with other youth, adults, and elders in their communities.

Presenters
BL

Brian Lozenski

Macalester College
This session will be facilitated by youth in the Uhuru Youth Scholars program in St. Paul, MN. The presenters have been conducting community action research throughout the 2014-15 school year.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Design for Decentralized Communications
In the global economy, we have enjoyed more connectedness than ever before; but have paid a price in privacy and autonomy. Governments can suppress communication; phone systems are not able to survive natural disasters. We must learn to use what is at hand to be prepared for disruptions. In this session, we will brainstorm, design, and prototype new communication devices that could replace current systems: our phones, our televisions, our computers. We will consider waste as a viable materials source; and focus on community over profits.

Presenters
avatar for Amelia Marzec

Amelia Marzec

Artist, Artist
Amelia Marzec is an American artist focused on rebuilding local communications infrastructure to prepare for an uncertain future. Her work has been exhibited at ISEA, SIGGRAPH, MIT, the ONCE Foundation Contemporary Art Biennial in Madrid, and is part of the Rhizome ArtBase. She has... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 208
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Digital Game Basics for Free!
Digital game development is a field that isn't open to everyone, but new, free tools are breaking down many of the barriers to this form of expression. This session is a hands-on demonstration of Stencyl, a digital game development tool to create your own games on a Mac or Windows operating system! By the end of the demonstration, participants will walk away with a simple game we have created together, and the basic foundation to continue making their own games.

Presenters
BN

Ben Norskov

Antidote Games, Parsons the New School for Design
Ben is a teacher and game maker based out of Brooklyn. He co-founded Antidote Games with Mohini Dutta, and attempts to make the world a bit more understandable through play. He also teaches interaction design at Parsons.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room B
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Fat Hacks: Alterations Against Fashion Size Bias
The fashion industry has worked very hard to take all bodies out of the clothing making process. Fat bodies are given clear messages by ill fitting, sack-like clothing that is often not even available in stores. This session will acknowledge that what we put on our bodies is media and a valid form of expression. Come and learn very simple clothing hacks for adjusting clothing to fit your fabulous body. All bodies are welcome, especially fabulous fatties.

Presenters
NH

Najee Haynes-Follins III

Najee is one fabulous designer.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

GIFs Are the Future: A New Art Form
There is something about GIFs that capture our attention. They are the virtual flip-book of our time. Artists are using this medium as a way to showcase their animations, cinematography, and even journalistic skills. We will learn how to create a GIF from beginning to end and discover how to use the GIF as a method of self-expression and collage. We will create an online exhibition of our finished art pieces.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room J
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Healing Sessions
Presenters
GB

Gahiji Barrow

Reiki: Utilizing plant, crystal, animal and spirit medicines to conjure certain vibrations, Gahiji is a Reiki master that tunes into and amplifies healing frequencies. He intuitively practices clairsentience and integrates stones for balancing Chakras and performing psychic surgeries... Read More →
MH

micah hobbes frazier

the living room project
micah hobbes is a black queer boi healer, facilitator/trainer, doula, dj, and magic maker; living, loving, laughing, and building community in Oakland, CA. he is the founder/director of the living room project, a healing justice & community space serving black & brown queer and trans... Read More →
ZH

Zoe Hayes

NADA Acupuncture: NADA is a specific set of 5 acupuncture points on the surface of the ear. NADA is used to support people dealing with trauma, anxiety and as a harm reduction tool helpful in managing withdrawal. Among the benefits reported from NADA are improved sleep, and mood and... Read More →
LL

Lettie Laughter

Tarot: For the past 10 years, Lettie has been utilizing their keen intuition & embracing their lineage as a healer through reading tarot cards. Their tarot readings are based on connecting with Spirit & the consensual connection with your Spirit Guides & Ancestors. Tarot readings... Read More →
DF

Divination For Liberation

Are you a tarot reader, shell reader, psychic, intuitive or someone who uses any kind of divination to heal? This skillshare will be a much needed place for us to share our experiences and challenges using our skills to support our communities! Come to talk shop, share skills and... Read More →
CL

Carrie Leilam Love

Individual Spiritual Genealogy Consultation: Science recently discovered what many of us have known for generations: we carry our ancestors trauma in our bodies. Before coming to a session, please have as much information as possible about your known ancestors born before 1940, including... Read More →
avatar for Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

couch sitter, Crip Rebel Alliance, Disability and Intersectionality Summit
I'm a writer and co-editor who has done a bunch of shit. I am that disabled, sick, autistic, you name it, Burgher/Tamil Sri Lankan/ Irish/Roma 45 year old queer femme writer, aunty, freedom dreamer and mostly a regular ass person who sits on my couch.   Ejeris Dixon and I co-edited... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Honoring Aadisookanwag [Spirits] as they Travel
What happens when life in this reality ends? The purpose of this space is to gather knowledge via Zhaawendaagoziyaang [that which is given lovingly to us by the spirits]. It will be a culture share with an Anishinaabekwe [Ojibwe Woman] on traditional teachings about that journey to the spirit world. This workshop will give way to a decolonial framework and practical tools that can contribute to healing processes when faced with loss and trauma. Methods will be based in movement, media-based storytelling, and sacred sound frequencies.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 158
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

How to Do Online Communications as an Organizer
Online communications are often used like a megaphone to broadcast messages down to audiences, rather than with audiences. In this workshop we will discuss alternative ways to use online communications as a tool for community organizing. We will explore templates and work flows that facilitate collaboration and transparency, combined with engagement tactics to sustain conversations once messages have been distributed.

Presenters
JK

Javier Kordi

Aspiration Tech
Javier coordinates Aspiration's online presence and storytelling. A writer at heart, he works to amplify voices and facilitate the sharing of technology practices and strategies between nonprofits and organizers. In his spare time, he is either reading poetry or teaching yoga.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 189
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

How to Talk About Race with the Media
Nearly every social justice issue intersects with race in some way, resulting in people of color being uniquely impacted. However, many activists find it hard to talk about race. Race Forward, publisher of Colorlines, will share strategies and some "do’s and don’ts" for discussing race with the media. Participants will be introduced to a newly-developed “Racial Justice Media Reference Guide” designed to help activists who interact with the media more effectively communicate key racial justice issues.

Presenters
JD

Jyarland Daniels

Race Forward
Jyarland Daniels is the Director of Marketing & Communications for Race Forward. She is a skilled marketing and branding professional with corporate and non-profit experience. Jyarland holds an MBA from The University of Michigan and a law degree from Wayne State University Law S... Read More →
RS

Rebekah Spicuglia

Race Forward, Women's Media Center
Rebekah Spicuglia is a media and communications strategist with an emphasis on LGBT, feminist, racial justice, and cultural issues. As Senior Communications Manager for Race Forward, Spicuglia has dedicated herself to solutions-focused media advocacy that lifts up under-represented... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom A
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Media History Timeline: an Interactive Tool for the Movement
Global Action Project (GAP), Project South, and Research Action Design (RAD) present this codesign workshop about the online Media History Timeline tool developed by GAP youth and RAD. Users will explore a prototype of the tool focused on the role of media in supporting and challenging power in society. This version highlights histories of policing of young people of color and people’s movements that have been fighting back. Users will playtest the features and give feedback to make the tool more useful in their organizing work. Please note: this is a two-part, three hour session.

Presenters
TB

Teresa Basilio

Global Action Project
Teresa is Co-Executive Director at Global Action Project in NYC. GAP works with young people most affected by injustice to build the knowledge, tools, and relationships needed to create media for community power, cultural expression, and political change
SC

Sasha Constanza Chock

Research Action Design
Sasha is a worker/owner at RAD. RAD uses community-led research, transformative media organizing, technology development, & collaborative design to build the power of grassroots social movements.Projects are grounded in the needs & leadership of communities in the struggle for justice... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Move It! Dance Class for All
Are you unsure about joining movement classes but want to try anyways? This dance class experiment strives for openness to all regardless of size, gender, sexuality, race, or ability; moving chair choreography will be offered along with cane-friendly standing options. We will stretch and move, small and large, slow and fast, and work together to build choreography. Participants will leave with some killer moves and hopefully a smile. Please email with accessibility questions in advance – the goal is to make this class friendly and safe.

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Movement Memory Mapping and Story Seed Saving
Movement Memory Mapping and Story Seed Saving are forms of oral history collection. Through audio and video we can document and pass on stories of community resistance and resilience. This session is an opportunity to define the purpose and value of collecting community stories. We will explore how story collecting connects with creative strategies for social justice movement building. We will learn about some examples of creative oral history collection and we will practice some ourselves.

Presenters
IW

ill Weaver

Complex Movements/Emergence Media
ill weaver/invincible lives in Detroit. They are a member of Complex Movements and Emergence Media.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Prison Abolition for and with Kids!
Prisons impact kids too! We will use games and other activities to talk about prisons and the roles they play in people's lives. We will explore ideas for alternatives to prisons, including community-based strategies for dealing with violence and justice. Participants will have an opportunity to work on producing short audio segments to be podcast or aired on the radio!

Presenters
KT

Kayle Towsley

Montreal Childcare Collective
The Childcare Collective offers strategic childcare in response to the fact that childcare is often overlooked & underappreciated. We aim to support parents, caregivers, youth & children, including but not limited to low-income, non-status & immigrant, racialized, and queer & trans... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room H
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Reclamation of Culture: Using Art to Rebuild Community
Are you afraid your community's culture is dying? Don't worry. The DeanwoodxDesign team are your fairy placekeepers on a mission to preserve art and culture in underserved communities. In our workshop we will guide you in creating an artistic rendering of a community project that fuses audio, found objects and other materials. Bring the tools in your cultural arsenal and we will prepare you for the journey of reclamation. Bring your own stories, your community’s history and a vision. Leave empowered with a fresh approach to culture keeping. Participants will need to utilize their smartphones in this session.

Presenters
avatar for Kimberly Gaines

Kimberly Gaines

Content Producer, sondai expressions creative
A persistent pearl spreading opportunity through enriching arts and cultural programs, Kimberly C. Gaines is the CEO of sondai expressions creative, llc. She has facilitated projects and workshops for youth with various arts organizations and works to create spaces for under-served... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

The Art of Alternative Media Personality
Almost anyone can make a web video, but it takes a different type of skill set to make an impact while in the spotlight. We will explore some tricks of the trade for becoming a compelling video personality in the challenging and varied landscape of alternative media. We will discuss tips for success with experienced media makers and workshop some of our new techniques with hands-on exercises. Participants will gain confidence and enthusiasm for front-of-the-camera work!

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room E

2:00pm EDT

We Flawless! Journey to Gender Balance
We didn’t all wake up like dis. While we are perfectly imperfect people and therefore flawless, most of us have experienced challenges and incredible vulnerabilities in affirming our multi-faceted, gendered selves. This practice space will be a gender gym of rotating stations that include a dressing room, gender mapping, a flirting lab, and open discussion/creativity space. Facilitated by queer and trans people of color, it will maintain a QTPOC lens, but is open to all.

Presenters
CJ

Che J Long

Femmes are from the Future
Che J. Long is a Queer Black Femme, and Beyonce lover. As the former program coordinator of the Safe Outside the System Collective of the Audre Lorde Project and member of the Solutions Not Punishment Coalition, Che develops political education and campaign strategies for safety and... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Student Center: Room 285
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

We Reminisce Over You: The Black Death Mixtape
Music is a collection of cosmic vibrations that allows us to transcend the idea that death is fixed in time or place. We will create and speculate about how music and art has been used historically to cope with death and trauma in the African Diaspora. We will produce digital or “ghost” platforms to honor our dead through multimedia mixtapes. This space is open to people of African descent only.

Presenters
CL

Carrie Leilam Love

Individual Spiritual Genealogy Consultation: Science recently discovered what many of us have known for generations: we carry our ancestors trauma in our bodies. Before coming to a session, please have as much information as possible about your known ancestors born before 1940, including... Read More →
JL

Jova Lynne

Black Surival Mixtape
Jova Lynne is a multimedia artist, activist & educator. Originally from Brooklyn, Jova's work is rooted in capturing/exploring genealogies of Blackness. Jova currently lives in Detroit.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom C
  Hands-on Workshop

2:00pm EDT

Anti-Eviction Mapping Project: Data Viz & Storytelling
This panel by the Bay Area's Anti Eviction Mapping Project, will focus on how data visualization, digital storytelling, and collective participatory research makes visible what gentrification obscures. Participants will learn how to map out the forces and effects of gentrification. We will discuss how real estate and big tech have colluded to create policies of displacement, and we will discuss our mutual aid oral history project, which places neighborhood and eviction stories on an interactive map.

Presenters
MM

Manissa Maharawal

Anti-Eviction Mapping project, CUNY
Manissa Maharawal is the Oral History Project CoDirector of the AEMP. She is also a doctoral candidate in the anthropology department at the CUNY Graduate Center and a trained oral historian, focusing on community resistance to gentrification in the San Francisco Bay Area and New... Read More →
avatar for Anti-Eviction Mapping Project

Anti-Eviction Mapping Project

Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, UC Santa Cruz
Erin McElroy directs the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project and organizes mutual aid direct actions with Eviction Free San Francisco. As a doctoral student in Feminist Studies at UC Santa Cruz, Erin engages decolonial method and queer critique to study the postsocialist dispossession of... Read More →
MV

Manon Vergerio

Community Organizer, Carroll Gardens Association
CW

Carla Wojczuk

Anti-Eviction Mapping Project
Carla is an educator, artist, and cultural organizer, and believes oral histories can make visible narratives that resist domination. She paints and organizes community mural and theater projects, facilitates dialogues, organizes creative actions, and struggles for a world characterized... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

Cake Is Not A Moral Issue: Rejecting Fatphobic Moralism
Have you ever been in a group of people when they start talking about how "bad" they are for eating cake? Heard someone talk about fat as if it was a moral failure? We will explore the foundations of fatphobic moralizing, how they play out in our day to day lives, and how they intersect with other forms of popular morality. We will develop strategies for resisting these messages in ourselves and our communities.

Presenters
KS

KC Slack

KC is a Unitarian Universalist seminarian and demi-theologian who has been fat forever. She is working on a masters degree, running a religious education program, dancing her heart out, and rocking her super-femme fatness in the Bay on the daily.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom B
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

Economy of Liberation: Cultivating Black Feminist Lives
Imagining Blackness into the future is our foundation for liberation. In this session we will explore how the process of building Black feminist collectives is a modality for living. We will explore Black women's history of alternative economies, and the practice of mutual aid and cultural survivalism. We are our own greatest resource and our stories are of value and are valued by our community. We will share our stories to support each other, to heal, and to enact regenerative practices of resource sharing, rooted in an economy of liberation.

Presenters
D

Desiree

Attendee, Wildseeds
AD

anneke dunbar-gronke

Wildseeds
Anneke Dunbar-Gronke is a activist living in New Orleans. Her interests include demography, rehabilitative justice, housing rights, and reproductive justice.
MK

Mwende Katwiwa

Wildseeds
Mwende Katwiwa is a Kenyan black womyn poet, activist, and teaching artist in New Orleans. The daughter of two life-long educators, she has always believed in the power of art to educate and transform communities.
SJ

Soraya Jean-Louis McElroy

Wildseeds
Soraya Jean-Louis McElroy is a queer mixed media artist. Her love of black womyn and families, African folklore, nature, Afrofuturism, comics/graphic novels and the African diaspora are centralized in her work as an organizer, mentor, counselor, doula, and Medical Anthropologist... Read More →
SM

Spirit McIntyre

Wildseeds
Cellist, vocalist, lyricist, and sound healer, Monica McIntyre is compelled to bring beautiful, authentic, healing music to the world.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

Green Hair, Grey Hair: Bridging Race, Class, and Age
How can music build community across lines of race, class, culture, and age? How can music facilitate movements for economic and racial justice? By exploring the longstanding collaboration between punk activist collective Positive Force DC and inner city senior outreach network We Are Family, this session will tease out lessons that are broadly applicable in many contexts. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how relationships are key to radical change, and walk away armed with tools to nurture transformative community.

Presenters
MA

Mark Andersen

We Are Family Senior Outreach Network and Positive Force DC
Mark has done outreach, advocacy, and organizing in inner-city DC since the mid-1980s. He is the co-director of We Are Family, a co-founder of Positive Force DC, author of All The Power: Revolution Without illusion and co-author of Dance Of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

Is the Library the Settlement House of Today?
The library is the cultural center of the community beyond the provision of book materials. This presentation explores the origins of social work and social justice with a discussion of the settlement house movement and the role of the library as a change agent in the community today. Learn how the origins of social work translate into the current mission of many libraries in the present. Affirm our commitment to change in the community by making the connection to historical social justice efforts.

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 218
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

The Hijab: Through the Eyes of Muslims
We will explore how the religious tradition of the hijab is viewed within as well as outside Arabic culture. We are using candid interviews, music, news, and media sources to discuss and explore the beliefs, misconceptions, burdens, and responsibilities attached to wearing a hijab in today's society. This interactive presentation will allow everyone to share their point of view. Participants will walk away with an understanding of how Arabs are dealing with international disagreements concerning the hijab.

Presenters
RE

Rawan Eid

Journalism Student
AK

April Kincaid

McCollough-Unis School
I have been teaching in the Dearborn Public School district for 18 years. I am a middle school social studies and journalism teacher. Our journalism students have a digital news blog.
DN

Daniah Nuseibeh

Journalism Student
AO

Ali Osman

Journalism student
SQ

Sarah Qaddoumi

Journalism Student


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 219
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

What We Say We Need: Youth in the Sex Trades
What are youth in the sex trades saying they need? What are they naming as the sources of violence in their lives? Earlier this year the Urban Institute, in partnership with Streetwise and Safe (SAS), released the first report from a federally funded study looking at LGBTQ youth, YMSM, and YWSW with experiences engaging in survival sex. Come learn about the needs of these young people and hear from youth researchers about some of the challenges they experienced.

Presenters
MM

Mitchyll Mora

Streetwise and Safe (SAS)
Mitchyll Mora, Researcher and Campaign Staff at Streetwise and Safe (SAS), works to end violence faced by young people who are homeless and involved in survival economies. To learn more about some of Mitchyll's recent work go to www.getyrrights.org.


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Panel - Presentation

2:00pm EDT

Odd Woman Out: Being a Female Hip Hop Artist & Promoter
We rap like girls and give birth to scenes. We will explore our multitasking and bridge-building skills as women to strengthen our scenes. We will discuss personal, gender-based experiences to identify barriers to artistic success. We will examine how our gender has impacted our perspective, and devise strategies for building artistic and promotional networks with other women to strengthen our presence. Participants will leave with strategies to (re)build their scenes, combat female artist stereotypes, and feel a sense of empowerment.

Presenters
avatar for Abiyah

Abiyah

Abiyah is an alternative hip hop artist/promoter and vinyl reggae DJ from Cincinnati. She recently rebuilt her city's alt-hip hop scene in three short years, and went on the First Ladies Tour in March 2014 with nu-R&B/hip hop singer Corina Corina, performing at the 5E Gallery on the... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 128

2:00pm EDT

Tour: From Growing Our Economy to Growing Our Souls
What time is it on the clock of the world? What can we imagine? We will explore the rise and fall of the economic American Dream and changing epochs in human history. We will discuss crack, police violence, and visionary organizing and resistance in Detroit’s struggle against violence and militarization. We will visit the Packard Automotive Plant, GM Hamtramck (Poletown Plant), the Hope District, Feedom-Freedom Growers, Heidelberg Project, Boggs School, and Carlos Nielbock's windmill-powered metalworks. Sign-up in advance at the Info Desk in the McGregor Conference Center. Bus pick-up is at the Community Arts South Entrance. This is a three hour tour. 

Presenters
RF

Rich Feldman

Richard Feldmn has been active since. His involvement in the 1960s. He has worked with James and Grace Boggs for more than. ‘40 years. Rich worked on ford assembly line for more than 20 years, local. Union official. And worked on international staff of UAW. Rich I had a decades long commitment to inclusion and disability justice., James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership
Rich Feldman has had the privilege of working with James and Grace Boggs for more than 40 years. He was raised in Brooklyn, active in the 1960s in SDS at U Michigan. Rich has been married for more than 35 years and has two children, Micah and Emma. Our family journey has also brought... Read More →
DH

Doc Holloway

Boggs Center


Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

4:00pm EDT

Branding The Future of Women in Hip-Hop Culture
This session explores the concepts of media and branding as 21st century languages of communication. Participants will examine the power of media on the brain, the psychology of branding, and the digital age. We will analyze the branding success of women who changed the face of hip-hop culture. Gain a greater breadth of knowledge of how to decode media messages and develop a strategic view of your personal brand and the value it brings to the future of women in hip-hop culture.

Presenters
AK

Aisha Karimah

Women On Deck: DJ Collective
Aisha Karimah is a DJ and hip-hop producer among many titles. She is the founder of Women On Deck: DJ Collective, an exclusive coalition providing opportunities for women to emerge as leaders in the art forms of deejaying and music production.


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 208

4:00pm EDT

Dream Pillows, Flower Potions & Plant Power Popsicles!
Plants can help us heal! Learn how to use plants to help yourself feel better, whether you have a sore throat or a bad mood. Participants will learn about the medicinal properties of plants and make herbal remedies to take home. Everyone will have the opportunity to taste tea and popsicles, make a dream pillow filled with relaxing herbs, and create a potion of flower essences.

Presenters
avatar for Robin Markle

Robin Markle

Robin Markle is an artist, organizer and revolutionary witch practicing their crafts in West Philadelphia. They often collaborate with local organizations on art pieces to aid in the group`s political work, namely Decarcerate PA and the Coalition to Abolish Death by Incarceration. When they`re not in a meeting, Robin can be found cooking up a scheme, a spell or a meal and selling queer altar candles at FlamingIdols.com., Philly Childcare Collective
Robin Markle is an artist, organizer and revolutionary witch practicing their crafts in West Philadelphia. They are a coordinator of the Philly Childcare Collective, a member of Decarcerate PA, and an instigator in their housing co-op, the Life Center Association. When they're not... Read More →
AN

Adela Nieves

Homemade Healing
Adela Nieves is a new mama who needs more sleep. She is also a Traditional Health and Healing Arts Practitioner, who is deeply committed to her Taino (indigenous peoples of the Caribbean) roots. Adela supports people in their journeys to tell their own story and define health, healing... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room H
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Groundswell: Oral History for Movement Building
Oral history can be a powerful practice and tool in our movements for justice. We will offer a basic intro to the practice of oral history, and offer an anti-oppression framework for oral history work. Through role-playing exercises we will explore opportunities and challenges that may be encountered during an oral history interview. Participants will find tools, resources, and a network for continuing to build their interviewing skills and incorporating oral history into their work for social justice.

Presenters
EP

Emily P. Lawsin

Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS)
Emily P. Lawsin, originally from "SHE-attle", WA, is co-author of Filipino Women in Detroit, 1945-1955. For the past 28 years, she has taught Asian American Studies at UCLA, CSUN, Wellesley, & University of Michigan. An oral historian & spoken word poet since 1990, she has performed... Read More →
SL

Sarah Loose

Groundswell: Oral History for Social Change, Rural Organizing Project
Sarah is an oral historian, popular educator & grassroots community organizer. She uses the practice & products of oral history to document and support movements for justice. She is coordinating a project to explore the impacts of migration on breastfeeding practices among immigrant... Read More →
AO

Amaka Okechukwu

Groundswell: Oral History for Social Change
Amaka Okechukwu is a scholar-activist based in Brooklyn, NY. Her scholarly and teaching interests include social movements, Black politics, intersectionality, and public humanities. She has engaged in community-based work with Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, Brooklyn Movement Center... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 219
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Healing Justice for Black Lives Matter: How We Did It
In December 2015, three people created a North America-wide healing justice fundraiser to raise money for Black Lives Matter. In this skillshare, come learn about how we did it and share your experiences if you participated. We will build skills for continuing to create healing justice fundraisers in the future.

Presenters
avatar for Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

couch sitter, Crip Rebel Alliance, Disability and Intersectionality Summit
I'm a writer and co-editor who has done a bunch of shit. I am that disabled, sick, autistic, you name it, Burgher/Tamil Sri Lankan/ Irish/Roma 45 year old queer femme writer, aunty, freedom dreamer and mostly a regular ass person who sits on my couch.   Ejeris Dixon and I co-edited... Read More →
avatar for Adaku Utah

Adaku Utah

Founder and Director, Harriet's Apothecary


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Student Center: Room 285
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Healing Sessions
Presenters
CM

Carmen Mendoza King

*Full-spectrum Doula support: compassionate support addressing reproductive and sexual health issues. *Healing with plant allies/medicines: combining what you know or want to know, with what I have learned about healing plants, we can talk about ways to connect with specific plants... Read More →
SM

Setareh Mohammadi

Reiki/mamanjoon Energy Healing with a sprinkle of Shiatsu body-work: The energy and bodywork I do is rooted in my ancestral medicine knowledge and that of Japanese traditions of Reiki (Usui & Tibetan Reiki Ryoho - Level 2) and Shiatsu(Masunaga Shiatsu/Zen Shiatsu with techniques from... Read More →
IA

I am a Universe

I am a Universe - Loreto Paz Ansaldo & Pampi - Community Healing Arts Workshop - How might we apply art-making tools to make visible, hold space for, and transform embodied experiences of police brutality and systemic racism? We will explore, through drawing, song and movement, the... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room L/M
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Home-creation, Home-embodiment and Future-making
Home can be experienced in many ways. Where and how do you feel home? Where do you feel a loss of home? How do structures and relational systems of oppression impact your sense of home? Using mindfulness-awareness, movement, and design practices, we will create a container rooted in grieving and healing home. We will draw connections between home-creation, home-embodiment and future-making. We will center race/racism, anti-blackness, and white supremacy frameworks and create space to explore the integration of place and body.

Presenters
CM

corina m. fadel

Creative Coping & Grieving Arts Track, Healing Justice Network
Corina M. Fadel is a Detroit-based, Boston-bred queer writer, dancer, and bodyworker.
MM

Melissa Moore

Youth Learning Lab of Education and Applied Design, Baltimore Black Coops, Future Design Lab, Healing Justice Network, Independent Community Worker
Melissa Moore is an interdisciplinary community worker, designer, and mindfulness-insight meditation practitioner who is inspired by the intersections of healing/spirituality, relational anti-racism work, solidarity economics, food justice, traditional medicines, and alternative learning... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room B
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Mapping Fat Bodies: Arts-based Storytelling
Have you ever wondered what a map of yourself would look like? Body mapping is an arts-based way for people to tell their stories. In our session, we will be creating life-sized body maps for people to explore fatness through representing themselves, their bodies, and the world they live in. Body maps mean different things to different people and can be used for therapy, advocacy, team-building, dialogue, and biography. Participants will walk away with a piece of personal art and insight into the practice of body mapping.


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Art Education: Room 156
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Media History Timeline: an Interactive Tool for the Movement Part 2
Global Action Project (GAP), Project South, and Research Action Design (RAD) present this codesign workshop about the online Media History Timeline tool developed by GAP youth and RAD. Users will explore a prototype of the tool focused on the role of media in supporting and challenging power in society. This version highlights histories of policing of young people of color and people’s movements that have been fighting back. Users will playtest the features and give feedback to make the tool more useful in their organizing work.

Presenters
TB

Teresa Basilio

Global Action Project
Teresa is Co-Executive Director at Global Action Project in NYC. GAP works with young people most affected by injustice to build the knowledge, tools, and relationships needed to create media for community power, cultural expression, and political change
SC

Sasha Constanza Chock

Research Action Design
Sasha is a worker/owner at RAD. RAD uses community-led research, transformative media organizing, technology development, & collaborative design to build the power of grassroots social movements.Projects are grounded in the needs & leadership of communities in the struggle for justice... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room C
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Old Gold: Do-it-yourself Music Production
This is a hands-on learning experience for those seeking to heighten or begin their musical productions in an evolving age. Using the common access provided to us through smartphones, computers, and the Internet, we will utilize free and inexpensive tools to teach the basics of contemporary songwriting and electronic music production. The experience culminates with participants receiving educational audio assets to use in their own daily creative practice.

Presenters
DG

David Giles

The Paxtons, Gold Standard Creative, OLDGOLD, Essence Magazine
Dave, a Chicago born nomad currently living in Brooklyn, is passionate about creating significant user experiences, via his daily endeavors as a husband, father, graphic designer, and musician. He places great emphasis on accountability, passion and craftsmanship.
NN

Nelson Nance

NorvisJr, OLDGOLD, MVMT, MoCADA, TopCats, Brownswood Recordings
NorvisJr is an artist of multiple disciplines doing his best to get to know himself through the various things he makes. Over the past 2 years NorvisJr has released 7 EPs and been featured on multiple online publications including Brownswood recording (UK) and Pigeons and Planes... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 213
  Hands-on Workshop

4:00pm EDT

Open Air Space
Join the Really Rad Radio/TV Practice Space for Open Radio Broadcasting throughout the AMC! 

Presenters
MA

Michelle Alimoradi

WABI - Global Movements, Urban Struggles, Alliance for Community Media
Michelle is a self-proclaimed workaholic and media justice junkie. She has been a long time radio host/producer, has taught many youth production classes, worked as a web editor and outreach coordinator, and harbors much love for cats and original costumes.


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room E

4:00pm EDT

Speculative Cities: Becoming Place
We are dreaming future memories of the city. This will be a hands-on workshop where we experiment with portals and use speculative fiction as a lens on gentrification. We will build strategies for disruption and the fantastical resistance of placekeeping and placemaking. Participants will walk away with a toolkit of tactics for remembering, preserving, and transforming our cities to places of possibility, autonomy, and interdependence.

Presenters
JP

Jenna Peters-Golden

Aorta Collective, Philly Stands Up
Jenna Peters-Golden is an organizer, trainer, anti-Zionist Jewish rabble-rouser and artist with an inexhaustible amount of energy for exploring, taking things apart, and putting them back together. Firmly planted in West Philadelphia, Jenna was raised in southeastern Michigan.
AR

Ash Richards

Art Factory, Spatial Justice Lab
Ash Richards is a multi-media artist, story-teller, and urban planner. Their work has included using graphic design and mapping to re-imagine vacant land with youth, facilitating a farm cooperative in the South Bronx, and resisting development dystopia through sci-fi and performa... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 204

4:00pm EDT

The People's Encyclopedia 2070
How do we keep track of our vision for the better world we are working towards? The People's Encyclopedia 2070 is a web-based tool to build our collective vision for what today means for tomorrow. Participants will get to work independently and in groups to write their own entries, engage in collective visioning and contribute to the growing People's Encyclopedia of 2070.

Presenters
WI

Walidah Imarisha

Octavia's Brood
A historian at heart, reporter by (w)right, rebel by reason, Walidah Imarisha is an educator, writer, organizer and spoken word artist. She is a co-editor of the upcoming Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements.
MP

Morrigan Phillips

Beautiful Trouble, Octavia's Brood
Morrigan is a social worker, writer and trainer living in Boston, MA. As a trainer Morrigan with groups fighting for economic justice. As a writer she has contributed to a book here and there, most recently to Octavia's Brood: Science fiction stories from social justice movements... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Education Building: Room 189

4:00pm EDT

Arab Feminist Organizing in Detroit and Chicago
Participants will engage in hands-on panel presentation on intersectional organizing in Arab women's spaces in both Chicago and Detroit. This panel will explore how art has been used to support mobilization for issues ranging from Arab-Black solidarity, to The Rasmea Odeh Defense Network. The Z Collective of Greater Detroit, Chicago-based Palestinian artist and activist, Leila Abdelrazeq, who recently had her first graphic novel, "Baddawi", published, as well as pioneering Arab-American feminist scholar Nadine Naber who has organized extensively in both Chicago and Detroit, will present on the power of writing and art in reclaiming the narratives of their communities.


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
McGregor: Room F/G
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

Defending Blogs Against Legal Attack
Bloggers often face legal challenges from those unhappy about being criticized. A nationally known free speech litigator will discuss practical issues that arise when such lawsuits are enacted or threatened. We will discuss how accused bloggers can manage to afford a legal defense, and how they can respond in order to minimize the impact of possible litigation. We will look at several examples and best practices from real life cases. Although there will be discussion of specific legal issues, the focus will be on practical considerations.

Presenters
PL

Paul Levy

Attorney, Public Citizen
Senior attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group specializing in defending online speech. "The Web Bully's Worst Enemy" http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/paul-levy-the-web-bullys-worst-enemy/


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
DeRoy Auditorium: Room 146
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

Feathers of Hope: A First Nations Youth Action Plan
The Feathers of Hope (FOH) movement demonstrates the power of youth leadership in advocacy to confront issues directly affecting the lives of First Nations (FN) youth. Our session will share the knowledge gained from the FOH process. During our session we will explain what FOH is, how we used a youth-led model, the creative process that led to the branding, and the role of government. We will also show our documentary. The intended outcome is to grow the FOH movement, share knowledge about FN in Canada, and encourage youth-led initiatives.

Presenters
UA

Uko Abara

The Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth
The Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth was created to provide an independent voice for Ontario’s children and youth and to partner with them to address systemic issues through advocacy, advice, education and communication.
DS

Dahlia Sherif

The Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth
The Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth was created to provide an independent voice for Ontario’s children and youth and to partner with them to address systemic issues through advocacy, advice, education and communication.


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

MakerSpace(less): Creating with Space You Already Have
How do you create a makerspace when you do not have a dedicated space, equipment or a large budget? We will discuss a variety of maker programs that can be delivered to an audience with a wide range of ages and abilities. We will also discuss ways to collaborate with the maker community to create dynamic programming. Participants will walk away with a greater understanding of how to create a makerspace within their existing space as well as knowledge about programming.

Presenters
AF

Allison Frick

The Glenside Free Library, The Hacktory
Allison is a Youth Services Librarian by day and the Director of Outreach and Education at a Philadelphia makerspace by night. In her spare time Allison is pickling, sewing, making art out of old maps and working on an overly ambitious vegetable garden. She has a BFA from Moore... Read More →
GG

Georgia Guthrie

Director, The Hacktory
Georgia Guthrie is a designer, maker, and artist. As the Director of The Hacktory she works to create opportunities for anyone to creatively tinker. Currently Georgia is focused on expanding The Hacktory’s strengths in hands-on learning, creative coding, and in addressing the gender... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 128
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

Surviving the Mic: Making Safe Creative Space
The consequences of trauma can echo throughout the lifetime of a survivor. Creativity captures that echo, helping survivor artists shape the sound of their healing. We will explore our experience with Surviving the Mic, a collaborative organization creating safe and affirming creative spaces for survivors of trauma. Participants will learn how we have impacted the way that other creative spaces now welcome the voices and vision of survivor artists. Participants will walk away with a model for how to build their own safe creative spaces.

Presenters
NP

Nikki Patin

Surviving the Mic
Nikki Patin is the founder of Surviving the Mic (www.survivingthemic.org), a collaborative organization of survivors who are dedicated to creating safe and affirming creative spaces for survivors of trauma.
SL

Stephanie Lane Sutton

Surviving the Mic
STEPHANIE LANE SUTTON is a poet, performer, and educator. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Radius, THRUSH, elimae, and Button Poetry, among others. She is the author of a chapbook, Blood Dowry. She holds a degree in Poetry from Columbia College.


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Panel - Presentation

4:00pm EDT

Trans/Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) Solidarity Panel
2015 began with deaths of Trans Women of Color and Gender Non-Conforming (GNC) youth at an unprecedented rate. It is our responsibility to organize, sustain and revolutionize. This Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Solidarity Panel will discuss the importance and the need for harmony throughout the community. We will examine shared strategies for Trans and GNC organizers with four focus points: policing, visibility, media, and resiliency. Participants should leave with shared strategies on resiliency and solidarity.

Presenters
JS

Ja'Leah Shavers

BreakOUT!
My name is Ja'Leah Shavers, I am the Outreach and Development Coordinator at BreakOUT! As a Gender Non Conforming Person of Color I have witnessed the gap of solidarity among the Trans/GNC community and I am making it a priority to encourage solidarity between Trans and GNC people... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom C

4:00pm EDT

FaultLines: Invocation of Loss at the Intersections
This multidisciplinary performance explores three narratives of parental loss by death, addictions, migration, and by choices made. Using storytelling, poetry, embodiment, projected visuals, and a vocal and electronic soundscape, this work stitches distinct stories together with themes such as intergenerational trauma and survival; the commonality of inherited silence; the restorative recovery of story and identity; and the political implications of the work of "re-storying" the past.

Presenters
avatar for mia susan amir

mia susan amir

Dramaturgy Research Associate, PTC / Artist in Residence, Fight With a Stick / Convener, Unsettling Dramaturgy
mia susan amir (she/her/hers) was born in Israel/Occupied Palestine. A queer, Crip+MAD Jew of mixed Ashkenazi and Sephardic ascent, she lives as an uninvited settler on the unceded and occupied territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Community Arts Auditorium
  Performance - Screening

4:00pm EDT

Crowdfunding to Build Community (Not Tap it Out)
Crowdfunding can be a dangerous move for grassroots groups when it over-valorizes supporters and reduces authentic stories into promo material. This session introduces an "anti-desperate" approach to crowdfunding that invites people to join in collective action and bring a project to life. We will define a campaign as concept and engagement and review criteria for a launch, timeline, and key principles. By the end, we will see what it takes to prepare a campaign that builds community around a shared story and grows with your project.

Presenters

Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Student Center: Ballroom B
  Strategy Session

4:00pm EDT

Tour: From Growing Our Economy to Growing Our Souls (continued)
What time is it on the clock of the world? What can we imagine? We will explore the rise and fall of the economic American Dream and changing epochs in human history. We will discuss crack, police violence, and visionary organizing and resistance in Detroit’s struggle against violence and militarization. We will visit the Packard Automotive Plant, GM Hamtramck (Poletown Plant), the Hope District, Feedom-Freedom Growers, Heidelberg Project, Boggs School, and Carlos Nielbock's windmill-powered metalworks.

Presenters
RF

Rich Feldman

Richard Feldmn has been active since. His involvement in the 1960s. He has worked with James and Grace Boggs for more than. ‘40 years. Rich worked on ford assembly line for more than 20 years, local. Union official. And worked on international staff of UAW. Rich I had a decades long commitment to inclusion and disability justice., James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership
Rich Feldman has had the privilege of working with James and Grace Boggs for more than 40 years. He was raised in Brooklyn, active in the 1960s in SDS at U Michigan. Rich has been married for more than 35 years and has two children, Micah and Emma. Our family journey has also brought... Read More →
DH

Doc Holloway

Boggs Center


Saturday June 20, 2015 4:00pm - 5:30pm EDT
Community Arts South Entrance
  Tour

6:00pm EDT

A Feast for Ghosts: Reimagining Grief
How have you been fed by your experience of loss? How can we shift our understanding of loss from something being taken from us, to something opening within us? We will recognize and celebrate the ways we embody and radiate the energy of our lost ones through our art, activism, family-making and more. Participants will be guided through creative exercises and supported in connecting with the echoes vibrating around us. Folks will leave with new connections and gathered wisdom from the group. This session centers queer and trans spectrum folks; BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour); and sick and/or disabled folks. 

Presenters
avatar for Kay Ulanday Barrett

Kay Ulanday Barrett

KAY ULANDAY BARRETT is a poet, essayist, cultural strategist, and A+ napper. They are the winner of the 2022 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Cy Twombly Award for Poetry, a winner of the 2022 Next Book Residency with Tin House, and a recipient of a 2020 James Baldwin Fellowship at... Read More →
MG

Mel G Campbell

mel g campbell is a queer, black, chronically ill, poet, performer, educator and occasional femme. a VONA alum and the Tangled Art+Disability Artist in Residence, mgc regularly explores themes of resilience, trauma, and intersectionality. mel is passionate about interdependence... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
State Hall: Room 128
  Meetup

6:00pm EDT

Bromance: Sex in the Bois Room
This interactive dinner caucus will provide a safe space for queer and trans men of color and masculine-of-center women of color, who love other masculine folk. Through guided discussion we will explore the concepts of sexual liberation, gender sovereignty, internalized homo/transphobia, misogyny, desire, and image. Participants will have the opportunity to share personal experiences, ask questions, and express desire in a closed and confidential space.


Saturday June 20, 2015 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
State Hall: Room 219
  Meetup

6:00pm EDT

Disabled Femmes Meet-up
Disabled femmes are often missing from out discussions of social justice and movement building spaces. Disability justice is often not addressed in spaces for femmes. This meet up is specifically for disabled femmes to connect and talk about our experiences as both being disabled and femme. We create space for ourselves to support each other and create media that reflects our experiences.

Presenters
NK

Noreen Khimji

Noreen is a queer and dfab trans South Asian disabled femme community organizer, artist, healer, and visionary living in Texas. They are a co-founder of the Cicada Collective.


Saturday June 20, 2015 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
State Hall: Room 131
  Meetup

6:00pm EDT

Educating for Insurgency: A Convo for Educators
We are working in an educational system that never intended for students of color to succeed. In this context, how do radical educators hold on to our critical hope for an education for liberation? Can we prepare our students to be problem-solvers and agents of change within the current framework of school? This will be a chance for educators to share strategies, heartbreaks, questions, analysis and support. Get energized to defend our classrooms, students, and selves and to make real progress on our visions.

Presenters
HF

Hanako Franz

Teacher Action Group Philadelphia
Hanako Franz is a fiercely femme radical educator of color in Philadelphia. She is a founding member of Teacher Action Group Philly and in her fourth year teaching 9th graders. She also co-sponsors her school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, working hard to queer up her very straight s... Read More →


Saturday June 20, 2015 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
State Hall: Room 214
  Meetup

6:00pm EDT

Sobriety and Sunshine: Building Substance Free Spaces
Many of us come from communities of color that are heavily targeted for substance consumption and abuse. Sometimes the main gathering place for our community is an institution were sobriety is unwelcome. Gay bars are such an example. This is a gathering for any folks who identify as sober. The dinner will be an opportunity for open discussion about the reality of radical sober living.

Presenters
JF

Jason Feidler

Rad Body Arts
Jason is an awesome queer of many talents. A bike mechanic holding it down with the youth run shop called South West Rides. Jason is also a radical music maker and you can find them rockin out with SocialWerq.
SM

Sicily McRaven

Radically Art Infused Detroit
Sicily is an artist living in Detroit spreading the good news of radical consent


Saturday June 20, 2015 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Towers Dorms Lounge Tower's Dorm Lobby
  Meetup

6:00pm EDT

Transformative Media Organizing: Building Our Case
Global Action Project, Research Action Design and the Transformative Media Organizing Project will be hosting a dinner caucus focusing on the potential of transformative media organizing for movement building. Using the findings from both the National Field Scan on Youth Organizing and Media and Out for Change: the Transformative Media Organizing Survey we will delve deeper into strategies for uplifting and leveraging this work in our communities. RSVP required.

Presenters
TB

Teresa Basilio

Global Action Project
Teresa is Co-Executive Director at Global Action Project in NYC. GAP works with young people most affected by injustice to build the knowledge, tools, and relationships needed to create media for community power, cultural expression, and political change


Saturday June 20, 2015 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
State Hall: Room 137
  Meetup

6:00pm EDT

Women, LGBTQ and POCs in the Web
Web design, development and production has become a necessary tool in our political/solidarity work and actions spanning continents. However, the voices of QTPOC and women continue to be marginalized and underrepresented in conversations about web creators/designers/developers. How do we change this? Join us as we create a plan to build our network and talk about what community, self-care, solidarity, and liberation look like for QTPOCs and women in the web world. We will work towards building solidarity and sisterhood across the nation.

Presenters