Radical Imagination for Racial Justice

Monday, October 14, 10:00am – 11:30am

Organized by F. Javier Torres, director, Thriving Cultures Program, Surdna Foundation.

Presented by Robert Smith III, program officer, Thriving Cultures Program, Surdna Foundation; Dafina McMillan, founder and principal, Crux; Michael Johnson, director of Advancement, NDN Collective; and Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, co-executive director, Highlander Research and Education Center.

Alex Khasnabish and Max Haiven wrote in their book, The Radical Imagination: Social Movement Research in the Age of Austerity, “The notion of the ‘radical’ inherits its most powerful meaning from the Latin ‘root,’ in the sense that radical ideas, ideologies, or perspectives are informed by the understanding that social, political, economic, and cultural problems are outcomes of deeply rooted tensions, contradictions, power imbalances, and forms of oppression and exploitation. As a result, radicalism does not so much describe a certain set of tactics, strategies, or beliefs but rather speaks to an understanding that even if ‘the system’ can be changed through gradual institutional reforms, those reforms must be based on and aimed at a transformation of the fundamental qualities and tenets of the system itself.” Join a dynamic conversation about the importance of investing in radical practices of imagination to support the building of a more racially just and sustainable future. We’ll discuss a variety of grantmaking tactics and approaches that can simultaneously support sustainable practices for artists and catalytic change within communities of color.