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

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From Script to Screen: Documenting the Free Southern Theater

Early Free Southern Theater promotional image, circa 1970.  Jason Foster & Kiyoko McCrae (New Orleans, LA) | February 2, 2016 “Through theater, we think to open a new area of protest. One that permits the development of playwrights and actors,

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Resistance as Legacy

David Montana, Big Chief of the Ouachita Nation Mardi Gras Indians. Photo: Rebecca Mwase, 2015. Article by Rebecca Mwase (New Orleans, LA) | October 2, 2015 New Orleans is ten years post-Katrina. The landscape of the city has been ravaged

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ROOTS Week 2015: A Preview

We are pleased, proud, and excited to announce the incredible artists, culture-bearers, organizers, activists, and scholars who will share their work with us at ROOTS Week under the banner, A Call to Action: Transformation. Within this theme, we’ll be focusing

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Symbols of Struggle: Black Lives Matter

Chen Lo in Soundtrack ’63 by Soul Science Lab. Originally commissioned and produced by 651 ARTS, Soundtrack ’63 will be presented by Junebug Productions and Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans in January 2016. Photo: Xy-Fy Fotography.   Article by Kiyoko

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Teatro Sin Fronteras: Shifting Narratives to Include Latina/os in the Rebirth of Post-Katrina New Orleans

A packed house at Teatro Sin Fronteras #3 at Old Marquer Theatre. Photo: Craig Morse, June 2015.  Article by José Torres-Tama (New Orleans, LA) “The workers and families who helped rebuild New Orleans live in terror today … If they leave their

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The Risk of Hopelessness

On June 2, 2015, Alternate ROOTS Executive Director, Carlton Turner, presented the following as a keynote address at the Grantmakers in the Arts Racial Equity Forum in Atlanta, Georgia.  Introduction: Georgia Men “Black people did not come back from Georgia.” “A man

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LOVEbaltiMORE

Article by Ashley Minner, ExComm Member (Baltimore, MD) Photos by Sean Scheidt (Baltimore, MD) Baltimore is always the center of my world, but over the past few days it seems like it’s become the center of the world. We have seen

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In Solidarity with Baltimore

By Carlton Turner, Alternate ROOTS Executive Director (Utica, MS) “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” –Frederick Douglass This quote has been on my mind today as I think about the uprising that is

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Selma: A Bittersweet Celebration

Article & Photos by Katina Parker (Durham, NC) Saturday, March 7th. Selma, Alabama. Tens of thousands from around the world packed the streets leading to and from the Edmund Pettus Bridge to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the

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Shifting Narratives through Art and Culture

Article by Kiyoko McCrae (New Orleans, LA) On January 20th and 21st, Alternate ROOTS held a meeting for the 2014 Partners in Action cohort. During the two-day meeting, a theme emerged: How can art help to shift narratives? Robert Martin

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Spotlight on Ferguson (Part 1): An Activist Framework

Article & Video by Katina Parker (Durham, NC) Don’t miss Part 2 of this series: Spotlight on Ferguson: A First-hand Account. To donate to support continued documentation by #SpotlightOnFerguson, please visit: igg.me/at/dontshoot.  Mike Brown’s Memorial – Canfield from Katina Parker on Vimeo.

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Spotlight on Ferguson (Part 2): A First-hand Account

Article and Photos by Katina Parker Don’t miss Part 1 of this series: Spotlight on Ferguson: An Activist Framework. To donate to support continued documentation by #SpotlightOnFerguson, please visit: igg.me/at/dontshoot.  August 30, 2014 Ferguson Today, I stood where 17-year old Mike Brown

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Upon News of Plea Deal, Activists Vow to Organize Until Marissa Alexander is Free

NEWS RELEASE Monday, November 24, 2014 From: Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign FreeMarissaNow@gmail.com; www.FreeMarissaNow.org Upon News of Plea Deal, Activists Vow to Organize Until Marissa Alexander is Free Today, Marissa Alexander chose to accept a plea deal with the State of Florida.  The plea

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The Aesthetics of Valuing Difference: Art & Movement Building in the 21st Century

By Collette Carter, Operations Director, Project South (Atlanta, GA) Alternate ROOTS is proud to be collaborating with Project South through our Partners in Action Program. Founded in 1986, Project South has developed thousands of leaders within communities directly affected by

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The Power of One

Article by Don Harrell (Winter Park, FL) Aleta Alston Touré, the no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners organizer of the Free Marissa Now Movement is a clear demonstration of the power of one. She stands firmly at the center of the movement, reminding all

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Standing Our Ground for Marissa Means Standing Our Ground For Us All

Article by Aleta Alston-Toure’ The 20-year conviction of Marissa Alexander in the Old Duval County Courthouse was unreal for all of us that witnessed this most god-awful atrocity. Hearing Marissa’s daughter’s plea for her mother to the jury was more

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Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizing Training Program

We are excited to announce that applications are now available for our fifth Anne Braden Anti-Racist Organizing Training Program, which starts up in February 2015! Applications are due October 1, 2014 and can be found online here: http://collectiveliberation.org/our-work-2/the-anne-braden-anti-racist-organizing-training-program/ The last several programs were a tremendous success built upon

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Freedom Summer 50th Anniversary

Acts and Movements: Arts and Culture in Times of Struggle Friday, June 27th 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm Tougaloo College This panel will bring together multiple generations of artists/activists and scholars to uplift the role of cultural institutions in the Civil

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Soundtrack ’63

Stephanie McKee, Junebug Productions, New Orleans, LA Junebug Productions, Inc. (JPI), proposes a new project that is being built from the partnerships of artists, activists and educators interested in documenting and reflecting on the legacy of the civil rights movement.

Alternate ROOTS supports the creation and presentation of original art that is rooted in communities of place, tradition or spirit. We are a group of artists and cultural organizers based in the South creating a better world together. As Alternate ROOTS, we call for social and economic justice and are working to dismantle all forms of oppression—everywhere.