Join editors and contributors in celebration of this beautiful anthology-in-action of the culture and politics of Black liberation.
In the midst of a global pandemic and a nationwide uprising sparked by the murder of George Floyd, Philadelphians took to the streets establishing mutual aid campaigns, jail support networks, bail funds, and housing encampments for their community; removed the statue of Frank Rizzo—the former mayor and face of racist policing; called for the release of all political prisoners including Mumia Abu-Jamal; and protested, marched, and agitated in all corners of the city.
How We Stay Free collects and presents reflections and testimonies, prose and poetry from those on the frontlines to take stock of where the movement started, where it stands, and where we go from here. A celebration of the organizing that sustained the uprising, How We Stay Free is a powerful collection that invites us all to celebrate Black life, find our place in an ongoing rebellion, and organize our communities for the creation of new, better, and freer worlds.
This launch event will feature contributors and editors speaking on two themes, Resistance and Reflection:
Resistance: Panelists will discuss the events leading up to, during and thereafter the Summer of 2020. Each panelist will speak to their in-the-moment actions, strategies, wins and lessons. Panelists will talk about the act of documenting their work and how the work of 2020 continues to feed radical possibility. Panelists: Sterling Johnson, Phreedom Jawn, Andrea Lamons, Malkia Okech
Reflection: Panelists will discuss the importance of reflection and documentation of uprisings, what 2020 means/has meant as a stone in the Black radical tradition and what works they were engaging with then and now. When asked to write about your experience, what called you to your particular contribution and what do you hope readers take from it. Panelists: Jared Michael Lowe, Tafari Robertson, DuiJi Mshinda, Koren Martin
We will host an in-person gathering (see COVID-19 protocol below) at Making Wrolds Bookstore, and livestream as well at the Common Notions Press YouTube channel.
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Christopher R. Rogers is Program Director for the Paul Robeson House and a contributor to Black Lives Matter at School.
Fajr Muhammad is a writer and editor whose work has been awarded fellowships by the Tin House Writers’ Workshop, Rhode Island Writers’ Colony, and the Jack Jones Literary Arts Retreat.
Paul Robeson House & Museum, a project of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, is an internationally recognized center that preserves the legacy of Paul Robeson.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Phreedom Jawn / Rasheed Ajamu is a Black, fat, and queer jawn organizing in digitaland communal spaces.He is a self-pronounced Servant Leader to BlackPhiladelphians, as his mission is to serve as he leads and lead as heserves. He elevates stories and opportunities to aid Black folks, whichincludes mutual aid,political education, and loads of joy. Sometimes hewrites, and sometimes you hear him on The Gworlz Room podcast.Hismission is to make information accessible to marginalized folks who aremost affected by gatekeeping in academia.
Sterling Johnson is a housing lawyer and organizer with Philadelphia Housing Action.
Andrea Lamons is an Asset Based Community Development practitioner looking to support Black communities in preserving their local memory institutions. Andrea lives in Philadelphia and works for the Free Library of Philadelphia as an Outreach Coordinator. She is a life long labor organizer focusing on issues affecting Black workers, writes poetry, collects typewriters and enjoys reading science fiction. Andrea is the founder of Concerned Black Workers at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Jared Michael Lowe is a writer who covers arts, fashion, beauty, sexuality, gender, race, and popular culture. His work has appeared in NBC News, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, HuffPost, and EBONY. In addition, he’s a contributing editor for Root Quarterly, a Philadelphia-based print literary journal of art and ideas.
Koren Martin is a Philadelphia-based photographer originally from Atlantic City, New Jersey. Her work is a mixture of candid portraiture and immersive documentary photography. She has passion for highlighting the beauty and strength of the African diaspora. Her current photo series, “Birthing the Resistance,” is a celebration of Black mothers who are involved in activism. She received honorable mention in MFON: Women Photographers of the African Diaspora, a biannual journal committed to establishing and representing a collective voice of women photographers of African descent. Her work has been exhibited in Photoville 2018, Your Art Gallery, The Black Joy Archive (2020) and the PPAC-Everyone of Us Campaign (2020).
DuiJui Mshinda is a veteran of the West Philadelphia poetry scene. He organized and hosted events for a decade before pivoting into a consistent DJ ministry. His poetry discusses poverty, discrimination, mental health stigma, incarceration, and family life.
Malkia Okech is a Philadelphia-based researcher, cultural producer, and community archaeologist. She is interested in the cross sections of multimodal archaeology, art, technology, cultural heritage, anticapitalism, and liberation. Malkia graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 with degrees in Near Eastern Language and Civilization and Digital Humanities. She is the Associate Producer for Black Spatial Relics, an artist residency and annual convening exploring slavery, justice, and freedom. She is an Activist-Curator Fellow for the Free Library and PASCAL consortium, where she is doing abolitionist research and community archive building. She is the founder and curator of Memory Studio, an interdisciplinary makerspace reckoning with decolonial knowledge accumulation, production, and speculation. She does local movement work with autonomous abolitionist collectives, and her praxis is formed by the past, present, and future continuum of freedom-dreaming.
Tafari Robertson is a multidisciplinary artist from Austin, Texas, currently living in West Philadelphia with his cat, Marcia. His practice involves moving fluidly between creative projects and mediums, exploring new ways to preserve Black cultural spaces and experiences. He enjoys Caribbean food, kite-flying, and fresh fruit.
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IN-PERSON EVENT
Please note, out of concern for everyone’s well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, we require proof of vaccination for entry to all in-person events. Attendees are asked to wear masks at all times. Advance registration via eventbrite is required for all events, so we can plan for attendance and gather safely.
Event registrations will be honored until 15 mins after start time of the event; afterwards, availability will be on a first-come basis.
LIVESTREAMING
We will also offer a livestream recording of our events, graciously hosted by Common Notions Press on their YouTube channel. Feel free to subscribe to that channel and spread the word!
The livestream typically starts 15 mins after the listed start-time of the event.
Note: there are ample opportunities to receive a free COVID-19 test, vaccine, or booster in most neighborhoods, at walk-in clinics or by appointment. All of the COVID-19 vaccines are free. They are available to anyone in the United States. You do not need to provide identification to receive a vaccine. Visit phila.gov for latest info and please support the work of the Black Doctors’ COVID Consortium.