Melisa Cardona. Alternate ROOTS archives.
Welcome back, Alternate ROOTS! As we embark on the journey of 2024, we celebrate the vibrant spirit that defines us—a community, a collective of artists, and cultural organizers—ROOTED! As the world undergoes profound changes, we extend our heartfelt wishes for the well-being of our members. May you take moments for self-care and resilience, finding strength in the transformative power of art.
Here’s to another year of boundless creativity, meaningful connections, and the pursuit of a brighter, more inclusive world through the power of art and community. Welcome back to the journey of transformation and artistic expression!
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In This Issue:
- Happy New Year Video Message from our Co-Executive Directors!
- Winter Tea Time with Heal / Teal Team
- Members Embark on Poetry for the Environment
- Get Involved, Get Connected
- Opportunities in the Field
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A MESSAGE FROM ALTERNATE ROOTS’ CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Wendy Shenefelt and Paige Heurtin, Interim Co-Executive Directors of Alternate ROOTS, bring you greetings and vision-setting for 2024. Watch their message HERE.
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Alternate ROOTS stock archives.
WINTER TEA TIME UPCOMING MEETING
Join us for Winter Tea Time with the Heal/Teal Team facilitated by milkwater lullabies and Wild Rose Motherhood. You are invited for imaginative exploration of a new work of experimental fantasy, processing with somatic healing practice, a warming recipe, and meaning-making conversation.
Caregivers, survivors, and all those seeking intergenerational healing, care, and visioning are particularly welcomed.
Wednesday January 31, 2024
6:30PM – 8:30PM EST (5:30PM – 7:30PM CT)
Register here: http://bit.ly/fireiceteatime
Follow on Instagram: @milkwater.lullabies @wild.rose.motherhood
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Members Take on Environmental Responsibility Through Poetry
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Experience a captivating poetry performance featuring Nathalie Nia Faulk, Ron Ragin, doris davenport, and three other talented artists. The focus revolves around fostering personal accountability for environmental justice and addressing the global issue of misogynistic violence against women. The live stream took place on November 18, 2023, and you can watch it on Facebook or YouTube.
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—————————————-Get Involved, Get Connected
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Membership Work Group
The ROOTS Membership Work Group works closely with the Membership team to help review current practices and develop new initiatives for the ROOTS membership body. This Work Group is being reactivated to dive deeply into how we “do” membership in response to ideas, concerns, and questions raised by many members.
If you are interested in joining this Work Group or want to learn more about what’s going on with all things ROOTS Membership, join the next call on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 6:30 Eastern. All members are welcome! Please register at the links below:
Register HERE.
Are you on Instagram? Check out the Membership team’s invitation video at @alternateroots.
Membership Team Office Hours
The Membership Team is holding office hours every Tuesday and Thursday! During office hours, the Membership team can be reached by phone to answer any questions and assist with any membership matters.
Membership Team Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday: 11am – 2pm ET
(404) 577-1079 EXT. 302
Questions? Reach out to membership@alternateroots.org
ExComm Meetings
All members are invited to attend ExComm Meetings. Beginning in January, these are held on the first Tuesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 pm ET through the end of 2024.
Next meeting date is: Tuesday, February 6th at 5:30PM ET.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 862 8928 5127
Passcode: 198730
If you have any issues accessing the zoom meeting, please e-mail Marina at: marina@alternateroots.org
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—————————————-Opportunities in the Field
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Learn Cultural Organizing at the Highlander Center
Highlander’s Cultural Organizing programming is launching a Train-the-Trainers series in 2024 to nurture the skills of grassroots leadership and help build the capacity of marginalized communities across the South.
We believe in the power of communities and their ability to identify and address the challenges they face. We also believe in the power of art and culture as tools to dramatize injustice, to visualize freedom and justice for all, and to actualize that vision.
We are providing four opportunities in 2024 to join a growing network of cultural organizers working at the nexus of art, culture, spirit, transformation, and policy and practice change:
- Feb. 12-16, 2024
- May 7-11, 2024
- June 26 – July 3, 2024
- July 31-Aug. 7, 2024
The Train-the-Trainers will:
- Provide a shared framework of power, strategy, and the importance of cultural organizing for community organizing
- Build a cohort of trainers to lead trainings
- Develop a strategy and visioning space for members to think and plan outside traditional facilitation models
- Share how training and cultural organizing can help to build concrete power for ongoing organizing efforts
Highlander cultural organizers and cohort members will train people from your organization to become Cultural Organizers in your community. The curriculum also supports groups in developing strategies to build people power and fight fascism in their communities.
Learn more and apply!