Up from the ROOTS Journal

Summer 2008

Editor’s Remarks................................2 by Rodger French

From the Desk of the Executive Director...............................................3 by Carolyn Morris

A Higher Call...................................4-5 In memory of Nayo Watkins

A Welcome Like Warm Water.........6-7 by Mollie Lakin-Hayes

Annual Meeting Reflections............8-9 Climbing to New Heights..................10 by Jane Grillo

Old Age.............................................11 In memory of Rönnog Seaberg

Impressions from the 2007 United States Social Forum (USSF)......12-13 by Jean Marie Mauclet

A Great Convergence at the First Creative Convergence Festival in Baltimore City..............................14-15 by Ron Kipling Williams

You are Part of a Larger Song:Reflections of the 31st Annual Meeting by The Conciliation Project..........................................16-17

An Interview with Ashley Sparks

The K Chronicles..............................18 by Keith Knight

Table of Contents

Editor’s RemarksBy Rodger French

I write this from my perch on the second floor of our Ghanaian duplex, from which virtually all of our possessions were lately (a) loaded onto a truck for (b) shipment from Accra to our next post in Pretoria. (c) We hope. But between African assignments, a trip Stateside awaits; and with it, an opportunity to attend the 2008 ROOTS Annual Meeting. This will be my 27th, if memory serves, and my first since 2006.

The theme of this year’s meeting is Back to the ROOTS: Remembrance, [R]evolution, [Re]envisioning. That sounds about right. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a lot of memorable folks through Alternate ROOTS, and their (your) belief in the value of constructive collaboration and community building is one of the things that keeps me from floundering in my own sense of disconnectedness. It also doesn’t hurt that most of you are very nice and quite entertaining people.

Remembrance... the recent passing of Ronnög Seaberg and Nayo Watkins, two of my favourite ROOTers, is a source of great sadness. But I believe that their generous spirits, and their ability to say serious things without taking themselves too seriously, are firmly insinuated into the fabric of ROOTS as we continue to take on the challenging process of [R]evolution and [Re]envisioning.

This is damned hard work, a task without end, and 2008 finds us at a most profound and, in my opinion, possibly desperate crossroads. The world is changing at a rate faster than many of us seem willing to admit, much less accommodate. Moreover, the philosophically fundamental democratic underpinnings of this republic are - after a generation of faux conservative snake oil and the eight yearlong nightmare that is the Bush junta - increasingly FUBARed. Nonetheless...

There exists a slight, but real possibility that ROOTers and those who share our values may yet have the opportunity to push... no, to lead our nation and our society, if not to the mountaintop, then, at least, away from the edge of the abyss. Earlier this year an actual Presidential candidate actually said out loud “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” Oh, really? At ROOTS we’ve been saying that for decades. Curmudgeon I may be, but I dare to hope that more folks are finally coming around. Remembrance, [R]evolution, [Re]envisioning: Hey, it could happen.

So I’m excited, and looking forward to joining you at the 2008 ROOTS Annual Meeting; where passions run high, drama lurks around every corner, and “hope” is more than simply a four-letter-word. Onward.

[Rodger French formerly lived in Accra, Ghana where he worked as a Community Liaison Officer at the U.S. Embassy. Part-time. In late August, he will be going to Pretoria, South Africa, where he plans to be an “International Man of Leisure.” Part-time. He may be reached at deluxevaudeville@earthlink.net.]

Alternate ROOTS Staff Carolyn Morris, Executive Director Carlton Turner, Regional Director Etta Purcell, Administrative Assistant

Officers Marquez Rhyne, Chair Ashley Sparks, Vice-Chair Priscilla Smith, Treasurer Shannon Woolley, Secretary

Regional Representatives Florida Mike Anestor Georgia, Alabama, South CarolinaOmari Fox Beth Heidelberg North Carolina, Tennessee, KentuckyApril TurnerJerita Wright Louisiana, MississippiNick Slie Maurice Turner

Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, D.C.Adrienne Clancy SatellitesS.T. ShimiJamie Merwin Visual Arts Nora HillLaverne Zabielski Gwylene GallimardMeg Anderson

Rodger French, EditorCarlton Turner, Graphic Design

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We Are Going… We Will Get There With a PlanBy Carolyn Morris

During its 31 years of existence, Alternate ROOTS has amassed a rich history, and seen a great deal of transition as the arts field has steadily grown. In her book, 5 Life Stages of Nonprofit Organizations: Where You Are, Where You’re Going, and What to Expect When You Get There, author Judith Sharken Simon shares a perspective on life cycles of nonprofit organizations. She describes the five stages as follows:

- Stage One: Imagine and Inspire, “Can the dream be realized?”- Stage Two: Found and Frame, “How are we going to pull this off?”- Stage Three: Ground and Grow, “How can we build this to be viable?” - Stage Four: Produce and Sustain, “How can the momentum be sustained?” - Stage Five: Review and Renew, “What do we need to redesign?”

Alternate ROOTS has successfully cycled through these stages at least two or more times over the years and, in 2008, will set out on another journey of strategic planning. Many organizations enter Stage Five of the organizational life cycle slightly overwhelmed, in part, because the map that led the organization to the threshold of Stage Five must be examined and new territory charted.

This process is like rummaging through a treasure trove of past experiences that were carefully constructed upon practical goals. A re-examination of the contents within the trove must take place; along with an evaluation of each goal to determine if the goal was achieved and, if so, how that achievement has served to make the organization stronger and better realize the mission.

One of the guiding principles of Alternate ROOTS is, “Who comes is!” This simply means that those who show up to do the work of the organization are the ones who shape it. And ROOTS has a rich mission around which to create strategic plans:

“Alternate ROOTS is an organization based in the Southeast USA whose mission is to support the creation and presentation of original art in all its forms which is rooted in a particular community of place, tradition or spirit. As a coalition of cultural workers we strive to be allies in the elimination of all forms of oppression. ROOTS is committed to social and economic justice and the protection of the natural world and addresses these concerns through its programs and services.”

I personally value strategic planning and believe wholeheartedly in the adage that “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Planning provides time for reflection, generates excitement, and rekindles a spirit of adventure within an organization, thus renewing the passion of stakeholders. Alternate ROOTS is such a unique organization and, in my humble opinion, that uniqueness has everything to do with the organization’s mission and membership.

Alternate ROOTS is structured as a membership organization, “owned” by all its voting members who comprise the Board of Directors. Planning with the artist members of Alternate ROOTS, the communities they serve, and the arts field is and will continue to be exciting stuff! We will hit the ground running this spring with the strategic planning process, so please keep an eye out and an ear to ground for how you can contribute.

Alternate ROOTS extends deeply, and we want to be ever more expansive as we plan for the future. We welcome your voice in the planning process. If you want more information on how you can be an active participant, call us at 404-577-1079.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Morris Executive Director

From the Desk of the Executive Director

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In every life there comes a time when we hear the call to a greater purpose; NAYO BARBARA MALCOLM WATKINS answered her call January 20, 2008 at 4:30 pm. A phenomenal woman, devoted mother, and cultural arts activist are just a few of the accolades of NAYO. She was to everyone that knew her so much more. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, she fondly referred to herself as a “Grady baby.” She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. Several years later she and her children moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she became intrigued by the movement of civil rights activists, having been raised in the south and migrating north. She enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh in a new African American Studies program where she implemented the Community Action Program. It was

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the 60”s and Barbara’s rebirth as NAYO had begun. With a move to New Orleans in 1968 she approached the turmoil of that era with what became her signature response: life is an expression of Art. NAYO was catapulted into a life of implementing social change through the use of cultural arts. She also accepted Islam as a way of life and with a move to Jackson, Mississippi again she found a new task, a greater purpose and realized that by answering the call to serve her people and the universe, her life was no longer her own. Her work for the next 3 decades established her as author, playwright, writer, fundraiser, community activist, social revolutionary, more than anything she in-acted change. People could not be introduced to NAYO and not be struck with a need to do some personal inventory. She published her first work in 1968 entitled “I Want Me a Home.” Moving to Jackson, Mississippi, she was an intrinsic mover and shaker of the Mississippi Cultural Arts Coalition. She served for a period as Directress of Clara Muhammad University in Jackson, Mississippi, where her love for children and her passion for education merged to become her mission. After a brief stop at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, where she studied and taught African-American studies, she continued her mission with At The Foot of the Mountain in Minneapolis, Minnesota as the Executive Director. Her network expands to the Highlander Center, the Hayti Center, Alternate ROOTS and Southern Regional Development Institute, SpiritHouse NC, among just a few. Her life’s work allowed her travel to the Motherland to Kenya, Africa and to Central America to Nicaragua. But her most special travels were trips taken with her grandchildren. Her life’s journey would reach a climactic purpose with the death of her youngest son, Nyamekye Akil Malcolm. NAYO’s healing from one death gave birth to a new mission that immediately drove her into her destiny as founder of the Mekye Fund and the eventual establishment of the “Mekye Center” where she served as Executive Director. Still for those of us who call her mother, grandmother, Mama Nayo, sister, aunt, wife, friend, and co-laborer in the movement she was so, so much more. On January 20, 2008 at 4:30 pm NAYO answered purpose of a Higher Call. For those who love her, respect her, supported her, believed in her, and called her Mama NAYO, she now belongs to the ancestors who have gone before her. More information on Nayo Watkins can be found on the World Wide Web. In her transition to the next phase of her journey she leaves to celebrate her life those who call her Mama: Donna “Dara” Hubbard of Atlanta, GA; Denise “Dee” Thompson Hogan, wife of Sidney Thompson Hogan of Potomac, Maryland; James “Sanjulu” Brown husband of Stephanie Brown of Raleigh, NC; Kimberly “Kai Kai” Brown of Jackson, MS; Stacy “Fumi” Brown of Durham, NC; John “YaYah” Watkins husband of Desiree’ Watkins of Greensboro, NC; Hollis “Hadi” Watkins Jr. husband of Asha Watkins of Raleigh, NC; and Nyamekye Akil Malcolm (transitioned.) Her life is celebrated by her sisters Ann Juanita Roberts of Washington, DC, and Elizabeth Goolsby of Silver Spring, Maryland. Among her loved ones are her companions through life’s journey Charlie Hubbard, James Woodrow Brown and Hollis Watkins Sr. Her spirit lives on in her grandchildren, great grandchildren, great, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and in her spiritual daughters and sons. The Nayo Barbara Malcolm Watkins Memorial Fund has been established to support the home-going celebration and her continued work, at the Triangle Community Foundation of Durham. Donations in are being accepted at www.trianglecf.org.

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A Welcome Like Warm WaterBy Mollie Lakin-Hayes

I had heard about Alternate ROOTS for years before I moved to the Southeast. They were rather a legend in theatre circles. Liz Lerman, with whom I worked on Arizona Dance on Tour, was a member. I read their NEA application as a panelist one year – member-focused, progressive, yet rooted - this was an organization I wished was in my town!

So in 2006 when I moved to Atlanta to join the Southern Arts Federation (SAF), a regional arts organization serving the Southeast, I was intrigued about the possibility of attending the ROOTS Annual Meeting and seeing, first-hand, what this was all about. How did this organization effectively function when each of its members was on the board? What kind of agenda would serve an eclectic mix of contemporary and community-based artists, activists, and organizations? What would I, a regional arts administrator brand new to the South, get out of an Open-Space-designed, retreat-style gathering in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina?

Upon arriving in Arden, I felt as if I’d stepped into warm water. This was only partly due to the typical August humidity. From the first, this group of strangers made me feel immediately included, an equal. As someone used to typical hierarchies and “peer systems” in nonprofits, I was experiencing a living organization where everyone present is equally valued, each voice encouraged. I was heartened by the philosophy of quality over speed – though schedules were maintained, no one was rushed or cut off in contributing to the conversation. This method of convening proved true during my second ROOTS gathering in fall 2007, as well. Integrity is key - not only are all voices heard, but each member takes responsibility for the organization, participating in strategic planning, resource development and programmatic design. I find myself in my day-to-day work drawing upon this participatory model of organizational development.

The format of a ROOTS gathering allows for the rising of leadership, in myriad forms. Through formal sessions, membership meetings, and informal conversations, I’ve become acquainted with a variety of artistic leaders from the region – individuals whom I’ve later been able to recommend as resources, speakers, panelists, and artists in my role at SAF.

The ROOTS Annual Meeting also gives me a crash course in new, community-based work being developed in the Southeast. I would rarely find the chance to experience such a broad view of new work, both complete and in-progress – informed by contemporary social and community issues – as in the ROOTS evenings. Honest, difficult, illuminating – many of my “new” region’s communities and their issues are brought to life. As a bonus, Critical Response opportunities – a process designed by choreographer Liz Lerman, providing artists with feedback on new work in a method

photo by Carlton Turner

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designed to help them make their most excellent work – provides a laboratory which further engages ROOTS members with one another. It becomes clear why this network/community is so strong.

I’ve found practical outcomes of attending the Annual Meeting, along with the personally pleasurable experience of being immersed in an artistic community for three days. The membership provides me with insight into the range of good work that is happening within, and outside of, the traditional arts 501(c)3 model. With the field’s current attention to the “fuzzying” of traditional boundaries between nonprofit and commercial arts, the ROOTS membership demonstrates an array of models of working with and within community-based organizations, educational institutions, social service networks, and mainstream arts groups.

Particular moments from my ROOTS experience are clear – finally meeting icons in the field such as Kathie deNobriga and Caron Atlas. A ROOTS anniversary performance evening which had as much to do with the future of the region as celebrating the organization’s past life and successes. Seeing “Uprooted: The Katrina Project” through three creative iterations into its public tour. And working with my colleague Sage Crump to take a workshop on building participation and revealing public value.

This workshop, which I’ve taught for a couple of years, moved to a new level by engaging a group of participants who willingly and creatively jumped into “physicalizing” the workshop, thanks to a sunny afternoon and some chalk diagrams on the asphalt outside the workshop room. ROOTers will humor you and your ideas – and will absolutely let you know what works and what doesn’t! This workshop will be different and better from now on, wherever I present it, thanks to their reactions.

So when I am back in my office in midtown Atlanta, the ROOTS Annual Meeting and network gives me this:- A more complete understanding of my region- An opportunity for partnership and collaborative opportunities. SAF has made a commitment to building reciprocal relationships with key national and regional service organizations, of which Alternate ROOTS is one- An ongoing flow of information and ideas and opportunities to connect with the artists and organizations- Tools - which I wouldn’t have otherwise - for thinking, planning, and dealing with issues and people- Professional connections – a chance to experience exciting new artistic work

And a welcome like warm water. Thanks, ROOTS.

[Mollie Lakin-Hayes is the Deputy Director of the Southern Arts Federation. www.southarts.org]

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Annual Meeting ReflectionsAnnual Meeting Reflections

photo by Saddi Khali

photo by Carlton Turner Arden, North Carolina August 7 - 12, 2007photo by Saddi Khali

photo by Carlton Turner

Trey HarttThis week changed my life. I grew mentally, physically, and spiritually beyond what I thought was possible in one week. If I can change that much in one week, I can only imagine how much change can happen within a lifetime in this organization. I am proud to call myself a member of Alternate ROOTS and look forward to the change that will come.

Jaehn ClareThe 31st Annual Meeting was the 7th gathering I have attended as a ROOTS member. I expressly gave myself a specific assignment: to enjoy and savor the retreat aspect, and to cherish the diverse and profound fellowship of the event. Contrary to past practice, I spent more time in the swimming pool than in business meetings. I spent time hangin’ out in the Great Green Parlor that is the NC woods, and kibitzing with ROOTlets (kids) working on art projects. It was a highly satisfying experience; I can never do ALL of it... I’m learning to be selective.

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Annual Meeting ReflectionsAnnual Meeting Reflections

photo by Saddi Khali

photo by Carlton Turner Arden, North Carolina August 7 - 12, 2007photo by Saddi Khali

photo by Carlton Turner

Sheila KerriganI have one thing I want to say to the XCom and Staff from the heart: This year’s Annual Meeting was so wonderful in so many ways. The business meetings I attended were run with a clear agenda of allowing all voices to be heard, and with a clear understanding of the consensus process. The food was nourishing and delicious (I liked the buffet-style), and the accommodations allowed for rest.

The best part for me, however, was the feeling that everybody who came to

The Annual Meeting brought something to contribute to the running of things. It seemed that whenever something needed doing, somebody got up and did it. The spirit of community was so strong this year, and I think the XCom and Staff led and modeled it. My congratulations to all of you!

It could be that my experience was colored by the fact that this was the first time in many years I wasn’t responsible for facilitating or working on something big like

Resources for Social Change (RSC) activities or the XCom. I decided that all I would do in the way of facilitation was to work with the Alternate Sprouts. We had fun together, and I didn’t get stressed out.

I think that ROOTS, after many years of working on building community, has succeeded, at least from my point of view. It might be possible to use community-building through and with art as a focal point for future fundraising. I know we are in a fiscal crisis this year, and this isn’t money. But it is an idea. It might be worth looking at funders who are interested in community-building and community development - maybe organizations that focus on policy? - as future funding sources, especially for the Annual Meeting and RSC work.

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Climbing to New Heights by Alternate ROOTSBy Jane Grillo

I was but a mere seedling surrounded by towering oaks. Fortunately, I had been invited to share some of the light and so, I stretched out my one green leaf as wide and as big as it would go.

That was how I felt to be a first-timer at the Alternate ROOTS 31st Annual Meeting. In my head, my husband Jerry, who is used to being in front of audiences, would feel more at home among the caliber of performers present, many of whom were people I had seen perform at the Sautee-Nacoochee Community Center. Turns out, the Kudzu activist in me had a place to put down some roots and dig in.

That is mainly because I was able to grow in the shade and protection of one of the aforementioned towering oaks, Camille Shafer. Not only did she provide Joey with the scholarship making it possible for us to attend the Annual Meeting, but she encouraged us to spread our activist roots as well. She didn’t want us to be intimidated by some of the bigger trees with deeper roots. She didn’t want us to be drowned out in the undergrowth of attitudes that keep other newer trees from growing. I learned at ROOTS you can see both the forest and the trees.

When I was afforded the opportunity to participate in my first Open Space, I saw that this whole concept of giving everyone room to grow was the core of the ROOTS experience. This was very cool and very different from other kinds of professional gatherings I had been to in my work life as a writer. Writers generally rip apart each other’s work, killing the confidence and inspiration of writers.

We did have to work through some issues though. I was one of the only newbies, and so I really wanted to listen and learn. We had to make some compromises and we took the time to get to know each other a little better. Some of us did not come away from the open space with goals achieved; it took us a couple of gatherings to accomplish anything. It was the same agenda that we have outside of the safe sanctuary of ROOTS, that is: How do we, as people with disabilities and their caregivers, help others to understand that a little pre-planning, communication, and education goes a long way?

We were all a bit put out to learn that the final evenings’ performances at the outdoor theatre were inaccessible to ROOTS participants in wheelchairs. Talk about blocking out the sun! We decided we needed to bend with the winds of change and make our needs known in a meaningful (and hopefully memorable) way. Thanks to Tom and Bob and Nick and their wonderful performance of “Brotherly Love,” we felt strong and ready. Kathy was our rock, keeping us on task and not allowing us to give in to apathy. We also had the pithy humor of Jaehn to guide us and keep us from getting too serious about our message.

Instead of protesting the injustice, we asked for you all to help. It was a beautiful thing the way Alternate ROOTS members responded; not like in the real world at all. It was like an activist’s dream come true. People heard us. It felt like everyone came together in a way that happens only in fairytales (thanks in part to Patton’s scene-setting performance). Our brief moment of activism got us past, in a very cathartic way, the frustration we were feeling.

So thanks ROOTers, for making my family stronger in our advocacy and braver in our willingness to stretch ourselves beyond the places we are used to going. These new roots of ours have found a beautiful well of clarity, strength, and hope to draw from.

[Jane Grillo has worked as a professional editor for Georgia newspapers in Stone Mountain, Madison, Covington, and Cleveland. She lives in Sautee-Nacoochee, GA with two other new ROOTers, Jerry and their son Joey. After Joey was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, she became a freelance writer and advocate for people with disabilities. Jane and Jerry’s daughter, Samantha, attends North Georgia College and State University.]

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Seaberg Acrobatic Poetry Rönnog and Steve Seaberg

Rönnog Seaberg (1932 – 2007).

Rönnog Seaberg, mother, poet, author, and long-standing and beloved member of Atlanta’s arts community, died at home on Wednesday, October 17, 2007. Her last poem “Old Age”, dated October 15, 2007, is included below.

With her husband of 50 years, Ms. Seaberg created a new art form: acrobatic poetry. It was the physical expression of a life that embraced the world, relied on strong family support and always broke conventions. Born in Sweden, Ms. Seaberg earned degrees in literature and religion from the University of Uppsala. She met her Chicago-born husband while he was visiting relatives in her native country. The couple moved to Spain, wed in Morocco and vowed to live life as artists in America. They moved to Atlanta in 1970.

OLD AGE Old age like a tiger ripping at your skin to set your mind free. We kneel of course. If old age has such force what strength birth should be or the full length of life and the whole earth! The old silent movies run from rusty projectors. The spiderwebs the spiders spun on spider spindles food and fun.

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Impressions from the 2007 United States Social Forum (USSF)By Jean Marie Mauclet / photos by Carlton Turner

Setting the SceneIt all started on Wednesday, June 27 with a march - exuberant, noisy, very sweaty - and very disciplined. And right away, it was as if a huge open space had bloomed! Hundreds of workshops in large downtown hotels, information and welcome tents on the grounds of the Civic Center, concerts on the Pine Street stage, food, clean facilities. A fair of another kind: A working, working fair.

The early decision to ban all corporate advertising from the grounds of the USSF was momentous. Imagine Atlanta free of Coca Cola, CNN, or Home Depot. Further imagine almost 15,000 people living such a dream. Believe it or not, we all survived well, behaved well, worked well, and stirred a huge pot of hope and enthusiasm for an other possible world. We saw a lot of mostly young folks of all colors and garbs, very busy interacting - passing on experiences, discussing strategies, exchanging contact information, and projecting future actions together.

We saw diversity, solidarity, and unabated, unexpected communication in the heart of one of America’s most scripted cities. Indeed, Atlanta did not notice the USSF much! The press kept it under almost full secrecy and when we were gone, the sanitation department promptly swept off all traces of this unsightly circus, just as they had done a few days earlier for the Gay Pride march! (The trash patrol was literally the finale of the parade. The last float was still visible on Peachtree and here came the trucks: White washing, bleaching, eliminating. Corporate America tolerates only what it can control and suppress.)

Doing the WorkIt is important to understand that all activities at the Forum were self-motivated, self-generated. Forum organizers, Project South mostly, with the steel-clad leadership of Alice Lovelace, did an amazing job at choreographing this mass participation.

Since Alice had insisted on a strong presence for the arts at the Forum, to remind us all that creativity is an undeniable element in movement building, there was art at the Task Force for the Homeless. It was a ROOTS-sponsored endeavor, and what a mix! The kiss of death for any art-walk and finger-food lover and a perfect reflection of what the USSF is all about: The temporary, composite, unpredictable gathering of folks who share a huge dream, work hard together to clarify it, and go back home to anchor it.

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Then, in the evenings, there were the Plenary sessions, convened around important subjects:

Post-Katrina challenges, US imperialism, environmental justice, indigenous voices, immigration, gender/sexual justice, workers’ rights in the global economy. It was during the “indigenous” session that we saw what tolerance can accomplish in a setting like the Forum.

Speakers had two minutes each, but one of them needed more. The timekeeper took the mike away from him under the boos of the crowd. It took maybe five minutes for this frustrated Native American to gather about fifty folks and invade the stage! They kept it for twenty minutes. Their spokesperson accused us all of insulting them yet another time, stealing their freedom once again, and defying their dignity. As the audience understood quickly that such a speech was misdirected, more boos were heard! Then a huge drum, carried on stage, started beating for peace. And peace came. Reconciliation, embraces ... the Plenary went on. Quite a display of self-controlled passions for an audience of two or three thousand!

And this was another great lesson of the Forum: Strength in numbers, yes; but also a spirit of cooperation, quiet equality, and a clear understanding of what only peaceful instruments can bring to the future. So, combine such social assets with the very peculiar concepts of randomness and impermanence, which characterize all Forum encounters, and you will be facing a potential avalanche. The snowball effect may well be the mechanism needed to prove that “Another World is Possible.”

[Notes: For further references, you may go to the web and type USSF; check the Steve Sherman article in MRZINE.monthlyreview.org dated 04/07/07; read Darryl Wellington’s (an ex-ROOTer, no less) article in the August 13 issue of The Nation; and so much more!]

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A Great Convergence at the First Creative Convergence Festival in Baltimore CityBy Ron Kipling Williams

October 3-7, 2007 brought a unique experience to Baltimore, Maryland: The Creative Convergence Festival (CCF) presented by Alternate ROOTS, Baltimore Theater Project, and ClancyWorks Dance Company.

In a four-day explosion, hundreds of artists, activists, and enthusiasts gathered to take part in dynamic workshops and stellar performances housed and supported by CCF partners, who are some of the city’s most treasured institutions: The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Goucher College, the University of Baltimore, Red Emma’s at 2640, and the Creative Alliance.

Facilitators used poetry, dance, theater, and other mediums for creative expression, social change, and community building. Highlighted workshops included Wide Angle Media’s Flip it: Exploring & Creating Youth Media; Brave Soul Collective: Embracing Your Truth; American Friends Service Committee: Policing US; Theater Action Group: Embracing Discomfort; and Alternate ROOTS: Resources for Social Change – Exploring Principles For Partnerships Between Artists and Communities.

A holistic cavalcade of dance, theater, spoken word, music, and comedy transformed audiences night after night. Highlighted performances included ClancyWorks Dance Company, Wombworks, Paula Larke, the Kuumba Collective, Laura Schandelmeier & Stephen Clapp, Encounter Risk, Jennifer Lanier, Reggie Glass, Brave Soul Collective, Black Codes, Maura M. Garcia, and the RadicalArtistMovement.

Special features lent continuity, context, and adhesion such as the Activist Networking Cocktail Hour and the Sunday Brunch, which combined networking, panel, and small group discussions, to platform for further partnering and community building.

If any city was in dire need of such a festival, it is Baltimore. It is a city that sociologically and culturally speaking never recovered from the 1968 riots. It is a city marred by escalating crime and violence, a dilapidated and underfunded school system, a hemorrhaging yet lucrative penal and juvenile justice system, and a class system rife with political corruption, greed, and thievery. Every day, community and advocacy

photo courtesy of Stephan Clapp

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organizations, activists, and artists struggle to repair the damage, heal the wounds, and empower the people.

As an artist, activist, and educator, it has been a passion of mine to witness, testify, and participate in the cultivation, growth, and development of individuals and communities, particularly through the collaborative process. I firmly believe that there is a common thread through all of us as humans on this planet, a need to share our energies for the purpose of individual and collective harmony. We simply cannot operate in a vacuum.

It has almost become a cliché amongst activists to say that we need to organize. Yet what is most critical for our sustainability, we as a species fail to do. Instead, through the indoctrination of this imperialist patriarchal society, we have adopted our oppressors’ method of divide and conquer, and incorporated it into our own internal and external dehumanizing process.

So I leaped at the opportunity to become a Creative Convergence Taskforce member, and embraced selfishly and selflessly in all that the festival had to offer. I expanded my surrogate family circle via my fellow task force members as well as festival participants. I fostered potential collaborations with other artists and activists, one group of which was right in my own backyard! I diligently followed up after the festival with the contacts that I made, and with no hesitation and much excitement, I volunteered to be the Baltimore liaison for the next Alternate ROOTS festival presentation, which will occur in Richmond.

There were several outstanding workshops and performances that I witnessed, but the one that profoundly impacted me was the performance of “The Wall,” presented by ClancyWorks Dance Company. I was mesmerized by their strength and beauty as they moved seemingly effortlessly through a multitude of expressions. Behind them was a wall, used very effectively as a catalyst, demonstrating the connection between the wall and our cultivated human relationships, the walls that we construct around ourselves and each other, and the need to deconstruct those walls.

I believe in interdisciplinary arts and activism, but was unsure how dance could be incorporated. After viewing “The Wall,” I could. I began to visualize where I could recruit others to incorporate dance into my individual work, as well as within the performance collective of which I am a member. I also visualized how I could perform dances to interweave myself into the collective’s performances, thereby creating a deeper, enriching artistic and activist tapestry.

ClancyWorks for me was an empowering experience, one I will never forget. I was deeply moved as an audience member and as an artist. I look forward to collaborating with ClancyWorks, as well as with other dance companies in the future.

Judging from the swirling energy and conversations, partnerships were created, friendships were made, and projects were undertaken. Alternate ROOTS absorbed new memberships. It is impossible through hard data to measure how successful CCF truly was, because Baltimore is a difficult town to read. There is no question, however, the city was impacted. I know I was.

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You are Part of a Larger Song:Reflections of the 31st Annual Meeting by The Conciliation Project

An Interview with Ashley Sparks

There were many exciting studios and performances at the 31st Annual Meeting of Alternate ROOTS. One of the most evocative studios, “History Live,” and performances, “Uncle Tom: Deconstructed,” were presented by The Conciliation Project (TCP). This was the first time members of TCP had attended an Annual Meeting.

The Conciliation Project is a Richmond, Virginia based theatre company lead by Dr. Tawyna Pettiford-Wates (Dr. T) that strives to promote, through active and challenging dramatic work, open and honest dialogue about racism in America in order to repair its damaging legacy. I spoke with Dr. T and Trey Hartt (TH), an actor with the company, about their first experience of a ROOTS Annual Meeting.

This was your first time attending a ROOTS Annual Meeting. What were you expecting?

TH: I had never gone to any kind of large retreat, business meeting, arts forum…etc, so I arrived with few expectations. I did expect for the week to be more rugged; I didn’t think I was going to be as comfortable as I was the entire week.

Dr. T: I was completely open actually! I was hoping for an opportunity to meet and network with artists/activists who also have been on the “frontlines” of the struggle for equality and justice. I was looking forward to the opportunity to hear feedback and responses to our work from those same people. I was hoping for challenges and hard questions and I was not disappointed!

Studios are an extensive component of the Annual Meeting and provide attendees with opportunities for professional development, skill building, and resource sharing. What were things you learned from participating in Studios?

TH: I learned about myself as an artist. As the week progressed, the studios I attended had a chance to simmer in my brain and helped open my eyes to how art can be a force for change. I developed a point of view as an artist.

In addition to a studio lead by TCP, the ensemble also performed an excerpt from “Uncle Tom: Deconstructed.” Through the story and icon of “Uncle Tom,” this performance examines and demonstrates how blackface minstrelsy is the direct predecessor to all current racist stereotypes. Because of the stylistic choice to use minstrelsy, this performance evoked a variety of responses and conversations. What was, or was there, a difference presenting your work for a ROOTS Audience?

Dr. T: In some ways yes, and in many ways, no. I think it is always difficult for audiences to initially open up about racism in particular, and it doesn’t really matter who the audience is. In some ways, it is more difficult for an organization like Alternate ROOTS because people often think, “once enlightened, always enlightened.” There are assumptions that we are all working on the same team, and with the same set of challenges, while the “elephant” sits in the room quietly un-noticed.White privilege and the color lines even in social change-oriented activist organizations are REAL. This is something we do not easily discuss. Often times people are quiet and just acquiesce to the “future mission” and/or set goals and pay little attention to the “right now.” There is always DENIAL in the responses to the work we (TCP) do. I feel like we in the inner circle of social change organizations need to heal ourselves so that we have health and wholeness when we invite people to join us.

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The Annual Meeting is a weeklong event that has multiple opportunities for people to participate in a variety of events from performing to being an active part of the business meetings. What were your personal highlights from the experience?

TH: The business meetings. It was extremely helpful to be able to witness how a social change and activist organization has survived for decades and still continues to strongly exist. It gave me hope for the future of other arts activist organizations, including TCP, and fed me the knowledge of facilitation, business meeting structure, and membership rights that I can take back to TCP and use to help push us into the future.

Dr. T: The business meetings were a test and a testimony that shared leadership and responsibility can work!

What advice would you give to someone attending a ROOTS meeting for the first time?

TH: Go to all of the business meetings: they are helpful even if they are early in the morning. Bring arts supplies, notebooks/pencils, crafty things… anything you can release your creative thought through, because the week of the meeting will be the most freeing experience of your life. Come without any preconceived notions and give in to the energy of the week.

Dr. T: I would say bring someone with you so you feel connected from the start! And bring a willing spirit to step-out and share your self with others. Also, be well rested because you will not be getting much of that. Finally, bring your ART, whatever that is, and make an offering of it and you will receive a blessing!

For many ROOTS members the Annual Meeting is an experiential event the value of which is difficult to convey to someone who has not attended. What would you say is the value of attending the Annual Meeting?

TH: Meeting other artists who think like me empowers me as an artist. The work can easily seem difficult and pointless when it feels like I am standing alone amongst a sea of ignorance, but knowing I have the support of other artists boosts my courage and tenacity to change the world. Extended retreats like this with other socially conscious artists fuels the fire for change and spreads the word to new voices and new ideas that cannot happen standing alone.

Dr. T: It is so powerful to meet together with artists/activists who speak your language and other languages with which you may be unfamiliar. The work we do for social change is HARD work and it is so often done without encouragement or recognition. It is tiring and it wears you down. Often you are alone in the struggle... at times you feel discouraged and at your wits end... and then comes the Annual Meeting of Alternate ROOTS and you discover you are NOT alone. There are many, many, many others who are in the struggle for equality and justice ALL over and you are a part of larger song that is growing louder and louder. It gives you HOPE to continue... to speak, sing, act, write, paint, sculpt, and strategize for Freedom, Justice and Equality for ALL!

Dr. Tawyna Pettiford-Wates

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Keith Knight is the creator of two weekly comic strips, the K Chronicles - for which he won the 2007 Harvey Award for Best Syndicated Comic Strip - and (th)ink, as well as a frequent contributor to Mad Magazine and ESPN the Magazine. He also raps in the semi-conscious hip-hop group, the Marginal Prophets. After 16 years in San Francisco, Knight recently moved to Los Angeles to expand his work beyond the printed page. For more information, visit his website at www.kchronicles.com.