Alternate ROOTS's blog

In preparation for ROOTS Fest, Baltimore residents held a Clean-Up Day on Saturday, May 14 from 10:00-2:00 at the "Hidden Stream" spot in West Baltimore. All of Baltimore was encouraged to come out and lend a hand. This project was part of ROOTS Fest, a national arts and culture festival coming to West Baltimore on June 22 - 26.

CultureWorks, Fayette Outreach Community Center, Parks & People Foundation, and Nicodemus Baptist Church led the charge. 

What is RSC? Why all the mystery? How do I join the conversation? The good news is that these questions are easy to answer and the Resources for Social Change Innovation Ensemble is dedicating this year to demystifying itself and intentionally reaching out to all of ROOTS membership. 

The first step is by offering a monthly update in this newsletter conveniently titled the “RSC Corner”, so sit back, take your shoes off, and join us by the fire each month as we journey into the inner-workings of Resources for Social Change (RSC):

MK Wegmann, President & CEO of the
National Performance Network

A Report on the Fall 2010 Executive Committee Retreat
by Ashley Sparks, Board Chair

“I wanna eat what you eat,” is something I heard Ashley Milburn say during the Fall ROOTS Executive Committee (Ex Com) meeting.  Ashley is new to the Ex Com and was sharing some of his hopes for being a part of the leadership body of the organization. He, like others, was voicing a deep desire to connect with other members of ROOTS, especially outside of Baltimore.
 

Dear Alternate ROOTS:

On the way home from Lutheridge last Sunday, I had a flat tire right before the Bat Cave exit. The tire was shredded, way beyond repair. A very kind Good Samaritan family stopped to help me. Kenny and Beth Adcock and their children, Elyssa and Caleb, were good enough to take me to their home, call around to find a replacement tire and then take me to the Sam's Club. Kenny insisted on paying for the tire, too. He and Caleb put it on the car, put the donut spare back in the trunk, and led me to the Interstate to head on back to Atlanta.

"Alternate Roots"
by Jose (Daniel) Canta
spoken word poet from Richmond, VA

Our soil has been stained by the blood of our people
There we plant the seeds of our children
Their roots are soaked in the memories –

Christopher Columbus,

The United Fruit Company,

Dictators supported by the CIA

Their branches will bear no fruit
Only empty mitayo 1 hands covered in tin and mercury
Some holding machine guns pointed at other trees that look the same
From their trunks bleed sap from which North Americans will make

Please take a minute to review this document. It is a reflection of the work done by the ROOTS staff during 2009. If there are any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the office, info@alternateroots.org.

The year 2009 was Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his revolutionary book, On the Origin of Species. Throughout 2009 several ROOTS artists collaborated with Virginia Tech faculty, students, and regional community members to explore Darwin’s life work and the still-controversial impact of evolutionary science on our understanding of life, on public education, and social policy.  The project culminated in October and November with an original theatre piece entitled “Living Darwin” and a new media exhibition/performance art event called “Singing Darwin.”

I've been wrestling as a director lately in all the things I was left unprepared for - launched with a master's degree into the world at 28. Master’s degree is an inherently faulty degree for anyone still in their 20’s – cute title, but ‘master’ of little other then where to find the cheapest beer special, living on less then $15,000 a year, and writing mediocre papers. I came out with ideas I wanted to explore, a strong sense of my values, and a large tool kit. And while every tool is a weapon if you know how to use it right (Ani Difranco) - I’m doing my best not to damage myself or others with the tools I have while I’m trying to figure out how to use them.