FREEDOM THEN AND NOW: HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY LINEAGES OF CULTURAL ORGANIZING

Movements of liberation, whether it was the Civil Rights Movement, the queer and trans liberation movement, or the movement to end South African and Israeli apartheid, have leaned on artists to shift consciousness and move people towards individual and collective action. In this course we will explore the Highlander Center’s concept of cultural organizing, which they define as, “the strategic use of arts and culture to shift and move more progressive policies and practices in marginalized communities.” Drawing from my vast network of cultural organizers from around the country, each week I will focus on a different organizer and their work inside of movement, and then lead us in an activity grounded in their art practice. Guest speakers will join us where possible. There will be a focus on creative writing, music and song production, theater improv, and visual arts/film. The culminating project will ask students to develop a strategic plan for an art project that services a movement fighting for freedom now.
Mondays, 5-7 PM EST (2-4PM PST)
​Online on Zoom
120 minute sessions, 4 weeks
February 3rd - 24th
$125 - $375 Tuition
Select scholarships and solidarity rate discounts available upon request.

INSTRUCTORS

E Morales Williams 
My name is E Morales-Williams (they/them), and I am a Black and Puerto Rican non-binary multi-disciplinary artist, cultural organizer, and land and liberation steward. My doctorate in Urban Education was deeply shaped by my years of working in community centers in my hometown of the Bronx and East Harlem. Based out of Philadelphia since 2007, I have over two decades of experience working inside arts-based organizations, academic institutions, and grassroots collectives for movement. I co-founded several local and national organizing collectives that also draw on creative healing arts and social justice, some of which is archived in my recent book, "Turn Up for Freedom: Notes for All the Tough Girls* Awakening to Their Collective Power."
Image credit: Christian Hayden