Love + Memory

Social disruption comes in many forms to the streets of Oakland

Tuesday, October 23, 2:00pm – 4:30pm

Organized and moderated by Lily Kharrazi, Special Projects manager, Alliance for CA Traditional Arts.

Presented by Ellen Sebastian Chang, director, writer, consultant, Deep Waters Dance Theater; Amara Tabor-Smith, dance maker and activist, dance faculty UC Berkeley, Deep Waters Dance Theater; Wanda Ravernell, journalist, artist, co-founder of Omnira Institute; and Tobaji Stewart, culture-bearer and master artist, Bata drums, co-founder of Omnira Institute.

Oakland artists and creators are responding to racial injustice and historic inequities with a renewed sense of urgency. A springboard for much of this work relies upon heritage and cultural context. The panel will surface how traditional practices feed direct artistic response from a contemporary performance series focusing on Black women to the playing of sacred Bata drums at the scene of police violence. These imaginings are based in memory and ancestors. What are the ways of knowing that make these community interventions compelling? How do these actions speak to of self-care, well-being, and love to create potent forms of social disruption? What is the role in philanthropy in strengthening the traditional roots for these artist-activists?