Amplify & Ignite: Creative Practice in and With Communities

Black women educators inspire this workshop. In Progressive Dystopia, Dr. Savannah Shange, moves out of her way when writing to ensure Black children SHINE, despite the violence of schooling upheld by adults and community. She has a way of painting a visual of their brilliance. Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and Dr. Lisa Delpit reminded me during "play time", at a Sisters In Education Circle retreat, that hand clapping and oral rhymes are a Black tradition that we must keep alive in honor of Black children. All of them inspire me, as a theatre teacher, to create a workshop that celebrates what can be viewed as the grotesque, but is ACTUALLY THE BEAUTY OF BLACK YOUTH. From the way they look, the ways they move and dress, and sound…I love Black youth in all their fullness. We’ll celebrate Black youth, who are the creators and innovators of Black culture and world culture, and who are constantly stolen from and poorly replicated. We will design grills made of play dough, magazines, blocks, and all types of unconventional materials, create hand claps about Blackness, and discuss how folks can show up for and with Black youth in spaces that feel authentic. We’ll also talk about how to be in conversation WITH them about anti-Blackness and white supremacy delusion and how to continue or start the journey of releasing that from oneself. Most importantly, we will discuss how Black children show us time and time again how to be in joy, resistance, and our humanity.