ROOTS Week 2015. Photo by Melisa Cardona. February 27, 2021 During this time of the pandemic, many of us have turned to the land to sustain and ground us. In the midst of growing climate crises, many of…
Category: Blog
Now Hiring: Communications Associate (Part-Time)
February 11, 2021 | ROOTS Staff Alternate ROOTS supports the creation and presentation of original art that is rooted in community, place, tradition, or spirit. We are a group of artists, and cultural organizers based in the U.S.…
2020: What a Year. Reflections, Funder Thanks & New Short Film
Click HERE to watch the Remembering, the Now. Conceived and directed by Melisa Cardona, Poem by Jonathan Clark. December 17, 2020 2020. What a year. When we chose The Fierce Urgency of Now as our 2020 theme,…
August 21-August 23, 2020: ROOTS Annual Business Meeting
Annual Buisness Meeting ROOTS Week 2019. Photo by Melisa Cardona. Alternate ROOTS’ 44th Annual Business Meeting Friday, August 21 – Sunday, August 23, 2020 11 am EST/10 am CST/8 am PST Virtual Meeting Dear ROOTers, We are excited to…
ROOTS Week 2020 Artists’ Statement
The Urgency of Now by Karla Rosas and Fernando Lopez, created for ROOTS Week 2020, featuring C. Gypsi Lewis. La Urgencia de Ahora de Karla Rosas y Fernando López, creado para la Semana de ROOTS 2020, presentando a C. Gypsi…
ROOTS Week Reimagined
The Urgency of Now by Karla Rosas and Fernando Lopez, created for ROOTS Week 2020, featuring C. Gypsi Lewis. Click here to read the artists’ statement. La Urgencia de Ahora de Karla Rosas y Fernando López, creado para la Semana…
A Love-Infused Staff Transition: Deep Gratitude to Ashley Walden Davis
Ashley Walden-Davis. May 26, 2020 It is with deep gratitude, respect, and love that we announce that Ashley Walden Davis is transitioning off the Alternate ROOTS staff. As of today, May 26 she will begin a new role…
The Fierce Urgency of Now: Weathering this Moment, Continuing on the Path
We’re leaning into the strength of our community during this uncertain time. Photo: Melisa Cardona. Michelle Ramos, Alternate ROOTS Executive Director | April 23, 2020 Dear ROOTS Members, Partners, & Friends, Little did we know when we selected…
We Are Resourceful! Shared Resources in Response to COVID-19
While we may not be sharing space or holding hands for weeks/months, we’re leaning into the strength of our community during this uncertain time. Photo: Melisa Cardona. Updated April 6, 2020 As the spread of COVID-19 in the US moved…
“The Fierce Urgency of Now:” Alternate ROOTS 2020 Preview
Rebecca Mwase performing Looking at Abroad at ROOTS Week 2017. Photo by Melisa Cardona. On this day honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we at Alternate ROOTS are looking to the year ahead and…
ROOTS is Hiring: Executive Assistant
Alternate ROOTS supports the creation and presentation of original art that is rooted in community, place, tradition, or spirit. We are a group of artists, and cultural organizers based in the U.S. South, creating a better world together. As…
Sabbatical Reflection & Looking Forward
Ashley Walden Davis | December 11, 2019 Dear ROOTS Members, I am very blessed and filled with gratitude sending you this note just be for my return to work. To be completely honest, the sabbatical is not at all…
Climate Justice: ROOTS Members Shifting Culture and Policy
Another Gulf is Possible August 20th Day of Interdependence March, New Orleans, LA. Photo credit: Dario Parra. The effects of the climate crisis on our planet are felt more each and every day. From hurricanes in the gulf to the…
Alternate ROOTS Archives: at Home, at Amistad
ROOTS Week 2019, celebrating the archive’s move to Amistad in true ROOTS fashion: with a dance party. Photo: Melisa Cardona. We are thrilled to announce that – after many years of searching and even more years of precarious storage…
Uprooting Family
Vanessa Mercado Taylor, Marquetta Dupree, and their children, wearing “My Ancestors are Proud t-shirts by Liza Garza. Photo: Melisa Cardona. Vanessa Mercado Taylor The ROOTS Week Youth Village has provided space for generations of Alternate ROOTS’ kids – a space…
ROOTS Week 2019: Reflection
Photo by: Melisa Cardona By Word on the Street / La Voz de Los Jovenes Big thanks to our current Partners In Action cohort members Word on the Street / La Voz de Los Jovenes for this reflection on their…
Race & Representation: A Keynote Address
A Keynote Address[1] by Andrea Assaf Thank you, Alicia Burke, and thank you, Kathy Randels, for that wonderful introduction. Hey, ROOTS Fam! Oh, my goodness…I am so honored to be entrusted with doing a keynote for Alternate ROOTS, and…
ROOTS Commons Zine
muthi reed & Sage Crump This zine is the culminating artifact from a five-month investigation addressing ROOTS mission for economic justice in the world and within the organization. We have included references and resources from three webinars in which we…
Love and Power: Being and Living Liberation in the 21st Century
By Keryl McCord This keynote address was given by Keryl McCord at ROOTS Week 2019. Good Morning – thanks to my ROOTS family for the opportunity to be with you this morning. I’m excited, and a little nervous because…