Photo: Melisa Cardona Leticia Contreras | December 14, 2016 The seeds that we have planted have come to harvest. As the brisk air of North Texas reminded us that a new season has come, we celebrated and harvested our creative…
Author: Joseph Thomas
Reflections from the ExComm Face-to-Face
The 2016-17 Executive Committee meets for the October Face-to-Face Esmeralda Baltazar | December 5, 2016 For full meeting minutes from the October 2016 ExComm Face-to-Face, click here. Dear ROOTers, Imagine you are surrounded by the color-wheel, asked to pick a…
A CALL TO ACTION: Now that Trump is President, What Will You Do?
#CharlitUprising. Photo: Katina Parker Katina Parker (Durham, NC) | November 16, 2016 Election night. I’m stationed in Charlotte, producing coverage for Al Jazeera. I’ve been dispatched with a gas mask, helmet, bullet proof vest, and personal body guard. Without an…
Tagged with: CharlitUprising, Charlotte, Keith Lamont Scott, Police Brutality, Protest, Trump, White supremacy
In Solidarity with the Water Protectors at Standing Rock
November 16, 2016 This letter is in response to the Standing Rock Sioux’s call for statements of support. We encourage our members and partner organizations to write your own letters, sign a petition addressed to President Obama to permanently halt…
It Is Still a GOOD Morning
Carlton Turner | November 9, 2016 Carlton Turner shared this message with Alternate ROOTS’ staff and Executive Committee the morning after the election. Good Morning, I know that you are all disappointed with the outcome of last night’s election. Take…
Hollerin’ into the Space: Reflections on ROOTS Week 2016
The Hollerin’ Space Installation by Muthi Reed and Angela Davis Johnson. Photo by: Melisa Cardona By Ron Ragin | September 27, 2016 I’ve always leaned into the retreat element of ROOTS Week. Gathering with this extended family is (perhaps ironically)…
The Voices Pour Down: Our Theater ROOTS during the 40th Reunion
Founding members of Alternate ROOTS. Photo by: Melisa Cardona By Ashley Sparks | September 19, 2016 The late seventies and early 80s were seminal for U.S. theater history – especially southern theater history. In June 1976, a dynamic mix of…
In Pursuit of an Art with Consequences: Panel Discussion with Five ROOTS’ Founders
Transcribed & Edited by Jan Cohen-Cruz | July 29, 2016 This past July, when two more young black men were killed wantonly by white police, and then a black man killed five police, long time ROOTer Dudley Cocke wrote, “While…
What Do You Need?
Article & Photos by Kassi Dephinia Last year, Alternate ROOTS’ ArtAbility scholarship enabled me, a disabled artist, to attend ROOTS week. Being immersed in that environment of activism and artistry changed my life. I left determined to start speaking out…
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Arts: It Is Possible
By Keryl McCord, Operations Director, Alternate ROOTS | June 17, 2016 A few weeks ago Alternate ROOTS published my article, and its follow-up piece, Why We Must Have Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Arts: A Response to the National…
Tagged with: ArtSpot Productions, Azule, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Junebug Productions, Mondo Bizarro, ROOTS Culture, Transformation
“We Cannot Allow Bigotry to Be the Answer to Bigotry”: In Solidarity with Orlando
Andrea Assaf | June 20, 2016 Alternate ROOTS joins the many, many communities and individuals who are grieving and grappling with the horrifying violence that unfolded at Pulse night club in Orlando, FL just over a week ago. As a…
GRASP This!: Girls Rock Charleston’s After School Program Re-routes the School-To-Prison Pipeline
GRASP Showcase Karla Barrios & Marie Attelier | June 7, 2016 Girls Rock Charleston is a member of Alternate ROOTS’ 2015-16 Partners in Action cohort and will be attending and sharing their work at ROOTS Weekend-New Market/Knoxville this weekend! Girls…
Stay or Go? Alternate ROOTS Responds to North Carolina’s HB2
Noah, out transgender North Carolina activist. Article by Katina Parker (Durham, NC) | May 3, 2016 All photos were taken by Elainiel Baldwin at an HB2 Action on March 24. To view the full album, click here. Divest or…
Archival Revival | Community-based Art for Social Change
By Kathie deNobriga and Mat Schwarzman Originally published: 1999 | Re-published: May 2, 2016 The Archival Revival Series looks back at articles by ROOTers, about ROOTS, in celebration of our 40th anniversary. This series and the field of arts activism,…
Freedom Bound: Notes on Conscious Creativity and the Journey for Justice
Ebony Noelle Golden, CEO, Betty’s Daughter Arts Collaborative; Photo: Melisa Cardona | May 2, 2016 This article was originally published by C4 Atlanta. It is used here with permission. ….. What does it mean to use creativity in an intentional way…
A Brilliant Force: Remembering Claudine K. Brown
By Carlton Turner, Alternate ROOTS Executive Director Claudine K. Brown was an amazing example of all that I strive to be: humble, creative, fierce, generous, funny, loving, and encouraging. I met Claudine K. Brown very early in my time at…
Archival Revival | A Call for Cultural Development
By Dudley Cocke and Ruby Lerner Originally published: 1989 | Republished: April 11, 2016 The Archival Revival Series looks back at articles by ROOTers, about ROOTS, in celebration of our 40th anniversary. This series, and the field of arts activism, owes…
Tagged with: Archive, community and culture, cultural organizing, Dudley Cocke, Roadside Theatre, The South
Philanthropy Is a Transformational Act: Standing at the Intersection of Funding, Arts and Activism
L-R: Margo Miller and Sheila Gaskins at ROOTS Week. Photo: Melisa Cardona. Article by Margo Miller, Executive Director Appalachian Community Fund I find myself sitting at my desk thinking about my work in social justice and reflecting on the different…
Who Counts?
Audience attending Roadside’s Appalachian Tent Tour By Dudley Cocke This article was originally on Roadside Theater’s blog and is used here with permission. Andy Horwitz’s Jan. 31, 2016 Atlantic article about the National Endowment for the Arts is telling: “The current state of…
Archival Revival | Cheerleader for the Revolution: Thoughts on Carpetbag Theater Company
By Ann Kilkelly Originally published: November 2002 | Republished: March 7, 2016 The Archival Revival Series looks back at articles by ROOTers, about ROOTS, in celebration of our 40th anniversary. This series and the field of arts activism, owes an…