Podcasts about Favianna Rodriguez

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists.   In this two-part series of Oakland Asian Cultural Center's “Let's Talk” podcast Eastside Arts Alliance is featured. Elena Serrano and Susanne Takehara, two of the founders of Eastside Arts Alliance, and staff member Aubrey Pandori will discuss the history that led to the formation of Eastside and their deep work around multi-racial solidarity.   Transcript: Let's Talk podcast episode 9  [00:00:00] Emma: My name is Emma Grover, and I am the program and communications coordinator at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, known also as OACC. Today we are sharing the ninth episode of our Let's Talk Audio Series. Let's Talk is part of OACC'S Open Ears for Change Initiative, which was established in 2020. With this series, our goals are to address anti-Blackness in the APIA communities, discuss the effects of colorism and racism in a safe space, and highlight Black and Asian solidarity and community efforts specifically in the Oakland Chinatown area. Today's episode is a round table discussion with Elena Serrano, Susanne Takahara, and Aubrey Pandori of Eastside Arts Alliance.  [00:00:53] Aubrey: Hello everybody. This is Aubrey from Eastside Arts Alliance, and I am back here for the second part of our Let's Talk with Suzanne and Elena. We're gonna be talking about what else Eastside is doing right now in the community. The importance of art in activism, and the importance of Black and Asian solidarity in Oakland and beyond.  So I am the community archivist here at Eastside Arts Alliances. I run CARP, which stands for Community Archival Resource Project. It is a project brought on by one of our co-founders, Greg Morozumi. And it is primarily a large chunk of his own collection from over the years, but it is a Third World archive with many artifacts, journals, pens, newspapers from social movements in the Bay Area and beyond, international social movements from the 1960s forward. We do a few different programs through CARP. I sometimes have archival exhibitions. We do public engagement through panels, community archiving days. We collaborate with other community archives like the Bay Area Lesbian Archives and Freedom Archives here in Oakland and the Bay Area. And we are also working on opening up our Greg Morozumi Reading Room in May. So that is an opportunity for people to come in and relax, read books, host reading groups, or discussions with their community. We're also gonna be opening a lending system so people are able to check out books to take home and read. There'll be library cards coming soon for that and other fun things to come.  [00:02:44] So Suzanne, what are you working on at Eastside right now? [00:02:48] Susanne: Well, for the past like eight or nine years I've been working with Jose Ome Navarrete and Debbie Kajiyama of NAKA Dance Theater to produce Live Arts and Resistance (LAIR), which is a Dance Theater Performance series. We've included many artists who, some of them started out here at Eastside and then grew to international fame, such as Dohee Lee, and then Amara Tabor-Smith has graced our stages for several years with House Full of Black Women. This year we're working with Joti Singh on Ghadar Geet: Blood and Ink, a piece she choreographed, and shot in film and it's a multimedia kind of experience. We've worked with Cat Brooks and many emerging other artists who are emerging or from all over, mostly Oakland, but beyond. It's a place where people can just experiment and not worry about a lot of the regulations that bigger theaters have. Using the outside, the inside, the walls, the ceiling sometimes. It's been an exciting experience to work with so many different artists in our space.  [00:04:03] Elena: And I have been trying to just get the word out to as many different folks who can help sustain the organization as possible about the importance of the work we do here. So my main job with Eastside has been raising money. But what we're doing now is looking at cultural centers like Eastside, like Oakland Asian Cultural Center, like the Malonga Casquelord Center, like Black Cultural Zone, like the Fruitvale Plaza and CURJ's work. These really integral cultural hubs. In neighborhoods and how important those spaces are.  [00:04:42] So looking at, you know, what we bring to the table with the archives, which serve the artistic community, the organizing community. There's a big emphasis, and we had mentioned some of this in the first episode around knowing the history and context of how we got here so we can kind of maneuver our way out. And that's where books and movies and posters and artists who have been doing this work for so long before us come into play in the archives and then having it all manifest on the stage through programs like LAIR, where theater artists and dancers and musicians, and it's totally multimedia, and there's so much information like how to keep those types of places going is really critical.  [00:05:28] And especially now when public dollars have mostly been cut, like the City of Oakland hardly gave money to the arts anyway, and they tried to eliminate the entire thing. Then they're coming back with tiny bits of money. But we're trying to take the approach like, please, let's look at where our tax dollars go. What's important in a neighborhood? What has to stay and how can we all work together to make that happen?  [00:05:52] Susanne: And I want to say that our Cultural Center theater is a space that is rented out very affordably to not just artists, but also many organizations that are doing Movement work, such as Palestinian Youth Movement, Bala, Mujeres Unidas Y Activas, QT at Cafe Duo Refugees, United Haiti Action Committee, Freedom Archives, Oakland Sin Fronteras, Center for CPE, and many artists connected groups.  [00:06:22] Aubrey: Yeah, I mean, we do so much more than what's in the theater and Archive too, we do a lot of different youth programs such as Girl Project, Neighborhood Arts, where we do public murals. One of our collective members, Angie and Leslie, worked on Paint the Town this past year. We also have our gallery in between the Cultural Center and Bandung Books, our bookstore, which houses our archive. We are celebrating our 25th anniversary exhibition.  [00:06:54] Susanne: And one of the other exhibits we just wrapped up was Style Messengers, an exhibit of graffiti work from Dime, Spy and Surge, Bay Area artists and Surge is from New York City, kind of illustrating the history of graffiti and social commentary.  [00:07:30] Elena: We are in this studio here recording and this is the studio of our youth music program Beats Flows, and I love we're sitting here with this portrait of Amiri Baraka, who had a lot to say to us all the time. So it's so appropriate that when the young people are in the studio, they have this elder, magician, poet activist looking at him, and then when you look out the window, you see Sister Souljah, Public Enemy, and then a poster we did during, when Black Lives Matter came out, we produced these posters that said Black Power Matters, and we sent them all over the country to different sister cultural centers and I see them pop up somewhere sometimes and people's zooms when they're home all over the country. It's really amazing and it just really shows when you have a bunch of artists and poets and radical imagination, people sitting around, you know, what kind of things come out of it. [00:08:31] Aubrey: I had one of those Black Power Matters posters in my kitchen window when I lived in Chinatown before I worked here, or visited here actually. I don't even know how I acquired it, but it just ended up in my house somehow.  [00:08:45] Elena: That's perfect. I remember when we did, I mean we still do, Malcolm X Jazz Festival and it was a young Chicana student who put the Jazz Festival poster up and she was like, her parents were like, why is Malcolm X? What has that got to do with anything? And she was able to just tell the whole story about Malcolm believing that people, communities of color coming together  is a good thing. It's a powerful thing. And it was amazing how the festival and the youth and the posters can start those kind of conversations.  [00:09:15] Aubrey: Malcolm X has his famous quote that says “Culture is an indispensable weapon in the freedom struggle.” And Elena, we think a lot about Malcolm X and his message here at Eastside about culture, but also about the importance of art. Can we speak more about the importance of art in our activism?  [00:09:35] Elena: Well, that was some of the things we were touching on around radical imagination and the power of the arts. But where I am going again, is around this power of the art spaces, like the power of spaces like this, and to be sure that it's not just a community center, it's a cultural center, which means we invested in sound good, sound good lighting, sprung floors. You know, just like the dignity and respect that the artists and our audiences have, and that those things are expensive but critical. So I feel like that's, it's like to advocate for this type of space where, again, all those groups that we listed off that have come in here and there's countless more. They needed a space to reach constituencies, you know, and how important that is. It's like back in the civil rights organizing the Black church was that kind of space, very important space where those kind of things came together. People still go to church and there's still churches, but there's a space for cultural centers and to have that type of space where artists and activists can come together and be more powerful together.  [00:10:50] Aubrey: I think art is a really powerful way of reaching people. [00:10:54] Elena: You know, we're looking at this just because I, being in the development end, we put together a proposal for the Environmental Protection Agency before Donald (Trump) took it over. We were writing about how important popular education is, so working with an environmental justice organization who has tons of data about how impacted communities like East Oakland and West Oakland are suffering from all of this, lots of science. But what can we, as an arts group, how can we produce a popular education around those things? And you know, how can we say some of those same messages in murals and zines, in short films, in theater productions, you know, but kind of embracing that concept of popular education. So we're, you know, trying to counter some of the disinformation that's being put out there too with some real facts, but in a way that, you know, folks can grasp onto and, and get.  [00:11:53] Aubrey: We recently had a LAIR production called Sky Watchers, and it was a beautiful musical opera from people living in the Tenderloin, and it was very personal. You were able to hear about people's experiences with poverty, homelessness, and addiction in a way that was very powerful. How they were able to express what they were going through and what they've lost, what they've won, everything that has happened in their lives in a very moving way. So I think art, it's, it's also a way for people to tell their stories and we need to be hearing those stories. We don't need to be hearing, I think what a lot of Hollywood is kind of throwing out, which is very white, Eurocentric beauty standards and a lot of other things that doesn't reflect our neighborhood and doesn't reflect our community. So yeah, art is a good way for us to not only tell our stories, but to get the word out there, what we want to see changed.  So our last point that we wanna talk about today is the importance of Black and Asian solidarity in Oakland. How has that been a history in Eastside, Suzanne?  [00:13:09] Susanne: I feel like Eastside is all about Third World solidarity from the very beginning. And Yuri Kochiyama is one of our mentors through Greg Morozumi and she was all about that. So I feel like everything we do brings together Black, Asian and brown folks. [00:13:27] Aubrey: Black and Asian solidarity is especially important here at Eastside Arts Alliance. It is a part of our history. We have our bookstore called Bandung Books for a very specific reason, to give some history there. So the Bandung Conference happened in 1955 in Indonesia, and it was the first large-scale meeting of Asian and African countries. Most of which were newly independent from colonialism. They aimed to promote Afro-Asian cooperation and rejection of colonialism and imperialism in all nations. And it really set the stage for revolutionary solidarity between colonized and oppressed people, letting way for many Third Worlds movements internationally and within the United States.  [00:14:14] Eastside had an exhibition called Bandung to the Bay: Black and Asian Solidarity at Oakland Asian Cultural Center the past two years in 2022 and 2023 for their Lunar New Year and Black History Month celebrations. It highlighted the significance of that conference and also brought to light what was happening in the United States from the 1960s to present time that were creating and building solidarity between Black and Asian communities. The exhibition highlighted a number of pins, posters, and newspapers from the Black Liberation Movement and Asian American movement, as well as the broader Third World movement. The Black Panthers were important points of inspiration in Oakland, in the Bay Area in getting Asian and Pacific Islanders in the diaspora, and in their homelands organized.  [00:15:07] We had the adoption of the Black Panthers 10-point program to help shape revolutionary demands and principles for people's own communities like the Red Guard in San Francisco's Chinatown, IWK in New York's Chinatown and even the Polynesian Panthers in New Zealand. There were so many different organizations that came out of the Black Panther party right here in Oakland. And we honor that by having so many different 10-point programs up in our theater too. We have the Brown Berets, Red Guard Party, Black Panthers, of course, the American Indian Movement as well. So we're always thinking about that kind of organizing and movement building that has been tied here for many decades now.  [00:15:53] Elena: I heard that the term Third World came from the Bandung conference. [00:15:58] Aubrey: Yes, I believe that's true.  [00:16:01] Elena: I wanted to say particularly right now, the need for specifically Black Asian solidarity is just, there's so much misinformation around China coming up now, especially as China takes on a role of a superpower in the world. And it's really up to us to provide some background, some other information, some truth telling, so folks don't become susceptible to that kind of misinformation. And whatever happens when it comes from up high and we hate China, it reflects in Chinatown. And that's the kind of stereotyping that because we have been committed to Third World solidarity and truth telling for so long, that that's where we can step in and really, you know, make a difference, we hope. I think the main point is that we need to really listen to each other, know what folks are going through, know that we have more in common than we have separating us, especially in impacted Black, brown, Asian communities in Oakland. We have a lot to do.  [00:17:07] Aubrey: To keep in contact with Eastside Arts Alliance, you can find us at our website: eastside arts alliance.org, and our Instagrams at Eastside Cultural and at Bandung Books to stay connected with our bookstore and CArP, our archive, please come down to Eastside Arts Alliance and check out our many events coming up in the new year. We are always looking for donations and volunteers and just to meet new friends and family.  [00:17:36] Susanne: And with that, we're gonna go out with Jon Jang's “The Pledge of Black Asian Alliance,” produced in 2018.  [00:18:29] Emma: This was a round table discussion at the Eastside Arts Alliance Cultural Center with staff and guests: Elena, Suzanne and Aubrey.  Let's Talk Audio series is one of OACC'S Open Ears for Change projects and as part of the Stop the Hate Initiative with funds provided by the California Department of Social Services in consultation with the commission of Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs to administer $110 million allocated over three years to community organizations. These organizations provide direct services to victims of hate and their families and offer prevention and intervention services to tackle hate in our communities. This episode is a production of the Oakland Asian Cultural Center with engineering, editing, and sound design by Thick Skin Media.  [00:19:18] A special thanks to Jon Jang for permission to use his original music. And thank you for listening.  [00:19:32] Music: Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another. Don't become too narrow, live fully, meet all kinds of people. You'll learn something from everyone. Follow what you feel in your heart. OACC Podcast [00:00:00] Emma: My name is Emma Grover, and I am the program and communications coordinator at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, known also as OACC. Today we are sharing the eighth episode of our Let's Talk audio series. Let's talk as part of OACC's Open Ears for Change Initiative, which was established in 2020. With this series, our goals are to address anti-blackness in the APIA communities, discuss the effects of colorism and racism in a safe space, and highlight black and Asian solidarity and community efforts specifically in the Oakland Chinatown area.   [00:00:43] Today's guests are Elena Serrano and Suzanne Takahara, co-founders of Eastside Arts Alliance. Welcome Elena and Suzanne, thank you so much for joining today's episode. And so just to kick things off, wanna hear about how was Eastside Arts Alliance started?   [00:01:01] Susanne: Well, it was really Greg Morozumi who had a longstanding vision of creating a cultural center in East Oakland, raised in Oakland, an organizer in the Bay Area, LA, and then in New York City where he met Yuri Kochiyama, who became a lifelong mentor.   [00:01:17] Greg was planning with one of Yuri's daughters, Ichi Kochiyama to move her family to Oakland and help him open a cultural center here. I met Greg in the early nineties and got to know him during the January, 1993 “No Justice, No Peace” show at Pro Arts in Oakland. The first Bay Graffiti exhibition in the gallery. Greg organized what became a massive anti-police brutality graffiti installation created by the TDDK crew. Graffiti images and messages covered the walls and ceiling complete with police barricades. It was a response to the Rodney King protests. The power of street art busted indoors and blew apart the gallery with political messaging. After that, Greg recruited Mike Dream, Spy, and other TDK writers to help teach the free art classes for youth that Taller Sin Fronteras was running at the time.   [00:02:11] There were four artist groups that came together to start Eastside. Taller Sin Fronteras was an ad hoc group of printmakers and visual artists activists based in the East Bay. Their roots came out of the free community printmaking, actually poster making workshops that artists like Malaquias Montoya and David Bradford organized in Oakland in the early 70s and 80s.   [00:02:34] The Black Dot Collective of poets, writers, musicians, and visual artists started a popup version of the Black Dot Cafe. Marcel Diallo and Leticia Utafalo were instrumental and leaders of this project. 10 12 were young digital artists and activists led by Favianna Rodriguez and Jesus Barraza in Oakland. TDK is an Oakland based graffiti crew that includes Dream, Spie, Krash, Mute, Done Amend, Pak and many others evolving over time and still holding it down.   [00:03:07] Elena: That is a good history there. And I just wanted to say that me coming in and meeting Greg and knowing all those groups and coming into this particular neighborhood, the San Antonio district of Oakland, the third world aspect of who we all were and what communities we were all representing and being in this geographic location where those communities were all residing. So this neighborhood, San Antonio and East Oakland is very third world, Black, Asian, Latinx, indigenous, and it's one of those neighborhoods, like many neighborhoods of color that has been disinvested in for years. But rich, super rich in culture.   [00:03:50] So the idea of a cultural center was…let's draw on where our strengths are and all of those groups, TDKT, Taller Sin Fronters, Black artists, 10 – 12, these were all artists who were also very engaged in what was going on in the neighborhoods. So artists, organizers, activists, and how to use the arts as a way to lift up those stories tell them in different ways. Find some inspiration, ways to get out, ways to build solidarity between the groups, looking at our common struggles, our common victories, and building that strength in numbers.   [00:04:27] Emma: Thank you so much for sharing. Elena and Suzanne, what a rich and beautiful history for Eastside Arts Alliance.   [00:04:34] Were there any specific political and or artistic movements happening at that time that were integral to Eastside's start?   [00:04:41] Elena: You know, one of the movements that we took inspiration from, and this was not happening when Eastside got started, but for real was the Black Panther Party. So much so that the Panthers 10-point program was something that Greg xeroxed and made posters and put 'em up on the wall, showing how the 10-point program for the Panthers influenced that of the Young Lords and the Brown Berets and I Wor Kuen (IWK).   [00:05:07] So once again, it was that Third world solidarity. Looking at these different groups that were working towards similar things, it still hangs these four posters still hang in our cultural, in our theater space to show that we were all working on those same things. So even though we came in at the tail end of those movements, when we started Eastside, it was very much our inspiration and what we strove to still address; all of those points are still relevant right now.   [00:05:36] Susanne: So that was a time of Fight The Power, Kaos One and Public Enemy setting. The tone for public art murals, graphics, posters. So that was kind of the context for which art was being made and protests happened.   [00:05:54] Elena: There was a lot that needed to be done and still needs to be done. You know what? What the other thing we were coming on the tail end of and still having massive repercussions was crack. And crack came into East Oakland really hard, devastated generations, communities, everything, you know, so the arts were a way for some folks to still feel power and feel strong and feel like they have agency in the world, especially hip hop and, spray can, and being out there and having a voice and having a say, it was really important, especially in neighborhoods where things had just been so messed up for so long.   [00:06:31] Emma: I would love to know also what were the community needs Eastside was created to address, you know, in this environment where there's so many community needs, what was Eastside really honing in on at this time?   [00:06:41] Elena: It's interesting telling our story because we end up having to tell so many other stories before us, so things like the, Black Arts movement and the Chicano Arts Movement. Examples of artists like Amiri Baraka, Malaguias Montoya, Sonya Sanchez. Artists who had committed themselves to the struggles of their people and linking those two works. So we always wanted to have that. So the young people that we would have come into the studio and wanna be rappers, you know, it's like, what is your responsibility?   [00:07:15] You have a microphone, you amplify. What are some of the things you're saying? So it was on us. To provide that education and that backstory and where they came from and the footsteps we felt like they were in and that they needed to keep moving it forward. So a big part of the cultural center in the space are the archives and all of that information and history and context.   [00:07:37] Susanne: And we started the Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival for that same reason coming out of the Bandung Conference. And then the Tri Continental, all of this is solidarity between people's movements.   [00:07:51] Emma: You've already talked about this a little bit, the role of the arts in Eastside's foundation and the work that you're doing, and I'd love to hear also maybe how the role of the arts continues to be important in the work that you're doing today as a cultural center.   [00:08:04] And so my next question to pose to you both is what is the role of the arts at Eastside?   [00:08:10] Elena: So a couple different things. One, I feel like, and I said a little bit of this before, but the arts can transmit messages so much more powerfully than other mediums. So if you see something acted out in a theater production or a song or a painting, you get that information transmitted in a different way.   [00:08:30] Then also this idea of the artists being able to tap into imagination and produce images and visions and dreams of the future. This kind of imagination I just recently read or heard because folks aren't reading anymore or hardly reading that they're losing their imagination. What happens when you cannot even imagine a way out of things?   [00:08:54] And then lastly, I just wanted to quote something that Favianna Rodriguez, one of our founders always says “cultural shift precedes political shift.” So if you're trying to shift things politically on any kind of policy, you know how much money goes to support the police or any of these issues. It's the cultural shift that needs to happen first. And that's where the cultural workers, the artists come in.   [00:09:22] Susanne: And another role of Eastside in supporting the arts to do just that is honoring the artists, providing a space where they can have affordable rehearsal space or space to create, or a place to come safely and just discuss things that's what we hope and have created for the Eastside Cultural Center and now the bookstore and the gallery. A place for them to see themselves and it's all um, LGBTA, BIPOC artists that we serve and honor in our cultural center. To that end, we, in the last, I don't know, 8, 9 years, we've worked with Jose Navarrete and Debbie Kajiyama of Naka Dance Theater to produce live arts and resistance, which gives a stage to emerging and experienced performance artists, mostly dancers, but also poets, writers, theater and actors and musicians.   [00:10:17] Emma: The last question I have for you both today is what is happening in the world that continues to call us to action as artists?   [00:10:27] Elena: Everything, everything is happening, you know, and I know things have always been happening, but it seems really particularly crazy right now on global issues to domestic issues. For a long time, Eastside was um, really focusing in on police stuff and immigration stuff because it was a way to bring Black and brown communities together because they were the same kind of police state force, different ways.   [00:10:54] Now we have it so many different ways, you know, and strategies need to be developed. Radical imagination needs to be deployed. Everyone needs to be on hand. A big part of our success and our strength is organizations that are not artistic organizations but are organizing around particular issues globally, locally come into our space and the artists get that information. The community gets that information. It's shared information, and it gives us all a way, hopefully, to navigate our way out of it.   [00:11:29] Susanne: The Cultural Center provides a venue for political education for our communities and our artists on Palestine, Haiti, Sudan, immigrant rights, prison abolition, police abolition, sex trafficking, and houselessness among other things.   [00:11:46] Elena: I wanted to say too, a big part of what's going on is this idea of public disinvestment. So housing, no such thing as public housing, hardly anymore. Healthcare, education, we're trying to say access to cultural centers. We're calling that the cultural infrastructure of neighborhoods. All of that must be continued to be supported and we can't have everything be privatized and run by corporations. So that idea of these are essential things in a neighborhood, schools, libraries, cultural spaces, and you know, and to make sure cultural spaces gets on those lists.   [00:12:26] Emma: I hear you. And you know, I think every category you brought up, actually just now I can think of one headline or one piece of news recently that is really showing how critically these are being challenged, these basic rights and needs of the community. And so thank you again for the work that you're doing and keeping people informed as well. I think sometimes with all the news, both globally and, and in our more local communities in the Bay Area or in Oakland. It can be so hard to know what actions to take, what tools are available. But again, that's the importance of having space for this type of education, for this type of activism. And so I am so grateful that Eastside exists and is continuing to serve our community in this way.   What is Eastside Arts Alliance up to today? Are there any ways we can support your collective, your organization, what's coming up?   [00:13:18] Elena: Well, this is our 25th anniversary. So the thing that got us really started by demonstrating to the community what a cultural center was, was the Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival, and that this year will be our 25th anniversary festival happening on May 17th.   [00:13:34] It's always free. It's in San Antonio Park. It's an amazing day of organizing and art and music, multi-generational. It's beautiful. It's a beautiful day. Folks can find out. We have stuff going on every week. Every week at the cultural center on our website through our socials. Our website is Eastside Arts alliance.org, and all the socials are there and there's a lot of information from our archives that you can look up there. There's just just great information on our website, and we also send out a newsletter.   [00:14:07] Emma: Thank you both so much for sharing, and I love you bringing this idea, but I hear a lot of arts and activism organizations using this term radical imagination and how it's so needed for bringing forth the future that we want for ourselves and our future generations.   [00:14:24] And so I just think that's so beautiful that Eastside creates that space, cultivates a space where that radical imagination can take place through the arts, but also through community connections. Thank you so much Elena and Suzanne for joining us today.   [00:14:40] Susanne: Thank you for having us.   [00:15:32] Emma: Let's Talk Audio series is one of OACC'S Open Ears for Change projects and is part of the Stop the Hate Initiative with funds provided by the California Department of Social Services. In consultation with the commission of Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs to administer $110 million allocated over three years to community organizations. These organizations provide direct services to victims of hate and their families, and offer prevention and intervention services to tackle hate in our communities.   This episode is a production of the Oakland Asian Cultural Center with engineering, editing, and sound design by Thick Skin Media. A special thanks to Jon Jang for permission to use his original music, and thank you for listening.   [00:16:34] Music: Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another. Don't become too narrow. Live fully, meet all kinds of people. You'll learn something from everyone. Follow what you feel in your heart. The post APEX Express – August 14, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

In the face of relentless news about the mass dehumanization of people of color and immigrants in the U.S., there is growing fatigue among Americans. But artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez has advice on how we can push through the burnout and move forward.

In 2022, the Presidio Trust asked Favianna Rodriguez to be an activator, as the trust was preparing to open its Tunnel Tops park. Favianna recommended that the folks building the park employ color and visual art to transform the space. They were supportive of her ideas. And with that, Ancestral Futurism was born.   Favianna grew up in Oakland next to the 880 freeway, where she still lives today. The area around that major thoroughfare is one of the most polluted corridors in the state. Because she comes from an area subject to what she refers to as "environmental racism," she sought to make a statement in the northwest corner of The City. "Ancestral Futurism" was a phrase that perfectly summed up her goal: "We cannot repair the present until we acknowledge the harm of the past."   The land where Spanish colonizers established the Presidio was already inhabited by Native people, of course. Those people lost their land to the Europeans. They were murdered, pushed out, disenfranchised. For Favianna, the space is now one where we can talk about that.   Tosha Stimage was born in rural Mississippi. College got her out of The South and to Ohio, where she studied art and design. After graduation, she spent a bit of time in Colorado, where she worked with kids doing art therapy. Then grad school brought her to the Bay Area: She started at CCA in 2012.   She's been an artist since she was a kid, and that didn't change after grad school. One of the ways that art manifests for Tosha is in flower arranging. She had a shop in Oakland, but was forced out by gentrification. Now, she's got her shop, Saint Flora, back open for business in The City as part of SF's Vacant to Vibrant program.   After the unveiling of Ancestral Futurism, Favianna and others realized that they needed to make it an annual event and bring in other artists. They also decided that it was important to honor native plants and animals along with the native humans of the area. For this year's iteration, Favianna invited Tosha to add her own interpretation to the ongoing project.   After she was selected, Tosha started visiting the park, meeting people, and doing her homework. She began to notice the intention and care that went into plant programs already going in the Presidio. Right away, she felt it was something she wanted to be part of.   Tosha gave her contribution the name "Superblooms" in part to honor that natural phenomenon. It also speaks to the resilience of the plants she chose to include in her art—checker bloom, Chilean strawberry, and California poppy. All are beautiful, of course, but they all have histories in the Bay Area.   This Sunday, July 14, from 12 to 3 p.m., Tunnel Tops will host a launch party for Tosha's Superblooms. Activities that day include: an art unveiling with Tosha, hands-on art activities for all ages, a living floral Installation, free plant starters, DJ sets, and a show and tell with the Presidio Nursery. Attendance is free. For more info, visit the Presidio Trust site.   We recorded this podcast at Tunnel Tops park in June 2024.   Photography by Felipe Romero

The mission of law & disorder is to expose, agitate and build a new world where all of us can thrive. But how do we get there? How do we build a world many of us have only seen in our dreams? That's where we believe the artists come in. So, each week we feature an artist, holding down a weekly residency with us, helping us to imagine a different, more liberated world. This week's Resistance in Residence Artist is artist, organizer and social justice activist Favianna Rodriguez. Check out Favianna's website: https://favianna.com/ — Subscribe to this podcast: https://plinkhq.com/i/1637968343?to=page Get in touch: lawanddisorder@kpfa.org Follow us on socials @LawAndDis: https://twitter.com/LawAndDis; https://www.instagram.com/lawanddis/ The post Resistance in Residence Artist: Favianna Rodriguez appeared first on KPFA.

Silicon Valley Reads celebrates its 21st year with Lily Brooks-Dalton, Favianna Rodriguez, Alexandria Villaseñor, and Heather White. Our featured authors and book contributors will focus on environmental sustainability and explore the challenges and opportunities of creating a more sustainable future, not only in Santa Clara County but worldwide. They will share more about their work and efforts to create awareness and meaningful change for the future. Hosted by Santa Clara County Library District, Santa Clara County Office of Education, San José Public Library, and DeAnza College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Town Business: An Evening of Cultural Power. We love live events, especially when they're in our own backyard among our friends! This was the kickoff event to celebrate Oakland's Mayor Sheng Thao's bold initiative to center film and television production as a cornerstone of economic development. And all we can say is, it's about damn time! The space was energized, the drinks and tacos were flowing, and we were lucky enough to chat with some of Oakland's finest. You'll hear from artist/organizer/co-founder and president of the Center for Cultural Power/one of the evening's panelists, Favianna Rodriguez, Chuck Johnson of Soul Beat, filmmaker Niema Jordan, entertainment lawyer/producer George Rush, and grammy winning musician/culture maker Tommy Shepherd. They share their thoughts on Oakland's cultural roots in activism and the arts, what makes storytellers from the Bay unique, how tv and film can revitalize the city, locations in Oakland they'd like to see on the big screen, and their roles in making sure this exciting  initiative is successful.Follow Favianna Rodriguez on IGFollow Chuck Johnson on IGFollow Niema Jordan on IGFollow Tommy Shepherd on IGBitch Talk Podcast recorded this episode live from Mama Dog Studios in Oakland special audio support provided by Kayla AnchellKQED article about Soul Beat from 2020--Thanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have reached 10 years, 700 episodes or Best of The Bay Best Podcast  without your help! --Be well, stay safe, Black Lives Matter, AAPI Lives Matter, and abortion is normal.--SUPPORT US HERE!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram & FacebookListen every Tuesday at 9 - 10 am on BFF.FM

On the radio show this week, we cover the latest with Black Maternal Health Week; how to help stop the banning of diverse books by a small group of very loud far right extremists; the ways in which art is a tool for activism which can change culture and public policy; and we close the show covering how to fight back against the Moms for (against) LIberty who are taking away parent's rights. *Special guests include: Monifa Bandele, MomsRising, @MomsRising; Dr. Kimberly Allen, 904WARD, @904ward; Favianna Rodriguez, The Center for Cultural Power, @CultureStrike; and Nina Perez, MomsRising/MamásConPoder, @MomsRising @MamasConPoder.

On the radio show this week, we cover the latest with Black Maternal Health Week; how to help stop the banning of diverse books by a small group of very loud far right extremists;  the ways in which art is a tool for activism which can change culture and public policy; and we close the show covering how to fight back against the Moms for (against) LIberty who are taking away parent's rights.   *Special guests include: Monifa Bandele, MomsRising, @MomsRising; Dr. Kimberly Allen, 904WARD, @904ward; Favianna Rodriguez, The Center for Cultural Power, @CultureStrike; and Nina Perez, MomsRising/MamásConPoder, @MomsRising @MamasConPoder. 

KRCL RadioACTive's Lara Jones spoke with Favianna Rodriguez about representation at the Sundance Film Festival and in Hollywood. Rodriguez is an activist, artist, and culture change strategist who is helping Hollywood give voice to the narratives of BIPOC characters and their creators. Visit https://www.culturalpower.org/ for more.

Y'all! We are so excited and honored to have the opportunity to talk with Silas Munro (of Polymode) about the amazing exhibition, "Strikethrough", he co-curated at the Letterform Archive. Strikethrough features over 100 objects (including broadsides, buttons, signs, t-shirts, posters, and ephemera) by ACT UP, Amos Kennedy, Jr., Sister Corita Kent, Emory Douglas, Favianna Rodriguez, Guerrilla Girls, Jenny Holzer, W. E. B. Du Bois, and many many more. Make sure to check out the show, get in on the rad special events they're doing, check out the custom site by Chris Hamamoto, Jon Sueda, and Minkyoung Kim—and pick up the amazing book!—if you can. Thank you to Silas Munro and to Stephen Coles from Letterform Archive for being open to having this conversation! A few links to resources around protest and design (via Silas): Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture: https://www.nypl.org/locations/schomburg One Archives at the USC Libraries: https://one.usc.edu/ Lohman Center (NY): https://www.leslielohman.org/archive National Museum of African American History & Culture (Smithsonian/DC): https://www.si.edu/museums/african-american-museum Research / writings of Colette Gaiter: https://walkerart.org/magazine/authors/colette-gaiter (profile from the Walker) Center for the Study of the Political Graphics: https://www.politicalgraphics.org/

Episode 1: Sustainability is a lifestyle! Welcome to the Oceans of Hope Family!!! I am so excited to be here with you all and work on living our best sustainable lives. Today's episode is a little bit of me introducing myself and sharing with you my inspiration for this podcast.  So why Oceans of Hope? I want to talk about all of the little things and big things that we can do in our regular lives to be more sustainable and live the best lives that we can for ourselves and for the environment. By changing our lifestyles and incorporating more sustainable practices into our regular lives we can support the environmental movement from the bottom up in a way that feels doable and hopeful. And by having culture that talks about sustainable practices in the same way that we talk about our morning routines I hope to make these changes in our lives feel like any other lifestyle choices that we make all the time!  Links to things I talk about in the episode:-       My Science Communication Portfolio: https://www.jordanferre.com/scportfolio-       All We Can Save: https://www.allwecansave.earth/-       Favianna Rodriguez's website:  https://favianna.com/  Follow Oceans of Hope on Instagram and Twitter (@OceansOfHopePod)! Be sure to let me know one thing that you already do that is more sustainable than the baseline. Message me or tweet me with any topics you would like me to do an episode on. If you have anyone in your life that doesn't feel like they are associated with the environmental movement, send me a little description of them, their job, hobbies, etc., and let's find a way that they are connected to the environmental movement!

Hillary and Tina interview artist, organizer, and social justice activist Favianna Rodriguez of the Center for Cultural Power. Favianna Rodriguez embodies the perspective of a first-generation American Latinx artist with Afro-Peruvian roots. Her art and praxis address migration, economic inequality, gender justice, and climate change, boldly reshaping the myths, ideas, and cultural practices of the present, while confronting the wounds of the past. Favianna is regarded as one of the leading thinkers and personalities uniting art, culture, and social impact, collaborating deeply with social movements around the world. Favianna also helps lead cultural strategy design and investment by helping to organize the philanthropic sector, with a focus on foundations addressing gender justice, racial justice, climate change and cultural equity. Favianna speaks to us about climate justice, designing cultural campaigns, the role of arts in social justice movements, and more. For more information visit the Center for Cultural Power (https://www.culturalpower.org/). And be sure to follow Favianna and the Center for Cultural Power online at: Favianna on Instagram: favianna1 (https://www.instagram.com/favianna1/) Center for Cultural Power on Instagram: culturestrike (https://www.instagram.com/culturestrike/) Favianna on Twitter: @favianna (https://mobile.twitter.com/favianna) Center for Cultural Power on Twitter: @CultureStrike (https://twitter.com/CultureStrike)

She started organizing at 15, dropped out of college to become an entrepreneur, and has been blazing her own path ever since. Favianna shares how she got clear about the things she was fighting for, and how she built a life that allows her to embrace pleasure and joy.Follow Favianna Rodriguez on Instagram @favianna1. If you loved this episode, listen to Why Tech Visionary Irma Olguin Jr. Went Back to Her Farming Roots and How Artist Scherezade Garcia Came to Work and Exist on Her Own Terms. Show your love and become a Latina to Latina Patreon supporter!Founded by Dr. Howard Murad, M.D., Murad Skincare is a line of clinically proven, cruelty-free products that meet the meticulous standard for safety, efficacy and care you'd expect from a doctor. Use promo code LATINATOLATINA for 20% off plus free shipping on orders over $60 at Murad.com.

In this episode of Into the Mix, host Ashley C. Ford talks with artist Favianna Rodriguez — maker of bold, energetic murals, prints, and sculptures — about how her work both names, and helps transcend, the pain of systemic racism. She'll share how her work explores the themes of racial and economic injustice through a “yes” framework that embodies how we want to live in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In times of strife, how can art serve as a healthy catalyst for positive transformation? Join San Francisco City Art Commissioner Dorka Keehn in a conversation about the frontlines of cultural revolution. With: Favianna Rodriguez, a renowned transnational interdisciplinary artist and cultural organizer focused on social change. Recorded at the 2015 National Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, California.

Hola, bienvenidos, and welcome to season 3, episode 1 of The Latinx Identity Project.This is a podcast where we tell stories for us and by us. I am your host, Elsa Iris Reyes.We have an incredible and special guest to kick off this season, her name is Favianna Rodriguez. In today's episode we will dive deep into Favianna's roots and inspiration for her work and leadership as the co-founder of The Center for Culture Power in Los Angeles.Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to The Latinx Identity Project wherever you listen to podcasts and follow me on Instagram @thelatinxidentityprojectFavianna Rodriguez embodies the perspective of a first-generation American Latinx artist with Afro-Peruvian roots. Her art and praxis address migration, economic inequality, gender justice, and climate change, boldly reshaping the myths, ideas, and cultural practices of the present, while confronting the wounds of the past. A strategy advisor to artists of all genres, Favianna is regarded as one of the leading thinkers and personalities uniting art, culture, and social impact, collaborating deeply with social movements around the world. Favianna also helps lead cultural strategy design and investment by helping to organize the philanthropic sector, with a focus on foundations addressing gender justice, racial justice, climate change and cultural equity. Favianna's projects include creating art for Ben & Jerry's Pecan Resist, partnering with Jill Solloway to create 5050by2020, and facilitating immersive artist delegations to the US Mexico border. She is a recipient of the Robert Rauschenberg Artist as Activist Fellowship for her work around immigration and mass incarceration, and an Atlantic Fellowship for Racial Equity for her work around racial justice and climate change. She is a recent a contributor to the climate justice anthology, All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis (One World, 2020).Learn more about Favianna and The Center for Culture Power here:website: https://www.culturalpower.org/follow them on Instagram @culturestrikeEven more amazingness about Favianna: https://atmos.earth/favianna-rodriguez-art-climate-justice-culture/Music and logo by Emmanuel Reyes.Support the show

Kate can see clearly now that Doree has lifted the fog of egomaniac Peter Pans and Doree ventures into the world of personal styling. Then, they're joined by Favianna Rodriguez, cultural activist and artist, as she discusses womb trauma, how growing her own bouquet is self-care, and what cultural justice means to her.To leave a voicemail or text for a future episode, reach them at 781-591-0390. You can also email the podcast at forever35podcast@gmail.com.Visit forever35podcast.com for links to everything they mention on the show.Follow the podcast on Twitter (@Forever35Pod) and Instagram (@Forever35Podcast) and join the Forever35 Facebook Group (Password: Serums). Sign up for the newsletter! At forever35podcast.com/newsletter This episode is sponsored by:ULTA BEAUTY - Ulta Beauty. The possibilities are beautiful. So, shop skincare at ULTA Beauty now. HOMEGOODS - Go Finding at HomeGoods today. CALM - For 40% off a Calm Premium subscription, head to calm.com/forever35. GROVE - Go to Grove.CO/FOREVER35 to choose a FREE gift with your first order of $30 or more. PURPLE - Go to Purple.com/forever10, and use promo code FOREVER10. For a limited time, get 10% off any order of $200 or more! BETTERHELP - Get 10% off your first month with the discount code Forever35 at betterhelp.com/FOREVER35. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As a Latina girl growing up in Oakland, California, the barriers Favianna Rodriguez faced were seemingly insurmountable. But she came into her power in high school when she realized that she could make changes in broken systems by becoming a fearless activist. Years have passed and she has not stopped speaking up and making things happen. Join us as we chat with this feisty fighter who is using her art to lift communities and her voice to inspire others to do the same. 

Threshold Questions and Delicious QuotesHow do you describe your work in the world? I often refer to myself as a midwife of creativity... I think of it in my dual roles as an educator and artist, as holding space for the birth of someone else's creative thinking and inquiry. And so I liked that idea that, if something goes wrong here I am to hold the space.What is happening when young people catch fire in a performance? ..students, who have been marginalized or failing their other subject matters-- suddenly if they're center stage ... performing with brilliance it's a way for even other teachers to have an asset-based understanding of them, to really see them for them, their true selves.What is the art of teaching? The art of teaching ... is really this transmission of wisdom, right? If we look at human history, we're talking about a very different frame than the last hundred years of what education is and how we pass on ethics and values and cultures and art forms through education. Those were the primary ...tools for survival and somehow all of that seems a bit out the window with our Industrialized education frame.What makes Studio Pathways unique? One of the reasons we left the county office of education was to focus on the concept of reconciliation or reckoning. So taking it from, south African truth and reconciliation --- the knowledge that we really haven't had a practice of reconciliation this country, that's why we're facing what we're facing right now....Educators need to be able to do power analysis in the classroom. They need to understand what's happening between teacher and students, between genders and races, and they need to understand what that means and how that plays out and then their own role in either disrupting or perpetuating that.So that's a real key....And the way that we do it is through the arts. Jessa Brie Moreno is Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director for Studio Pathways and has collaborated as a pedagogical advisor, instructional designer, and facilitator for leading-edge arts organizations and educational institutions nationwide. Studio Pathways' projects, partners, and clients include: Rise Up! An American Curriculum, The Kennedy Center, Turnaround Arts National, Othering and Belonging Curriculum for UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, Racial Healing Curriculum/WKKF Foundation, Instructional Designers/Zaretta Hammond, Favianna Rodriguez' The Center for Cultural Power, the California Spoken Word Project, Turnaround Arts National CA, California Alliance for Arts Education, Hewlett Foundation, Los Angeles Education Partners, Youth Speaks, Youth In Arts, Museum of the African Diaspora, Oakland Museum of California, and County, District and School Sites.  In addition, Moreno has held posts as Adjunct Faculty with the California Institute for Integral Studies (BA, MFA programs) and San Jose State University (Theatre Dept.) is a founding member of White Educators for Racial Justice (WERJ) and has facilitated with RISE for Racial Justice. Moreno (alongside Rankine-Landers) formerly co-led the Integrated Learning Specialists' Program, professional development in and beyond Alameda County that supported transformative K-12 school change through the arts. Moreno served the California Alliance for Arts Education as a Local Advocacy Field Manager building community leadership networks for Arts Advocacy statewide. She was the founding director of both the Oakland Theatre Arts Initiative and of award-winning student theatre company OakTechRep. Jessa's directorial work has appeared in collaborations with CalShakes, Stanford, UC Davis, and in Edinburgh, Scotland. Professional Awards as a performing artist include an Emmy (Motion Capture Specialist), Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Dean Goodman, and Shellie Best Actress Awards. Moreno utilizes a stance of "creative midwifery" to assist in the ethical "birth" of transformative practices in education, arts, and culture. She... Support this podcast

FAVIANNA RODRIGUEZ  is the co-founder and president of The Center for Cultural Power, a national organization investing in artists as agents of positive social change. She is an award winning artist, cultural strategist, and social movement leader who partners with progressive advocacy groups to design effective cultural campaigns. A strategy advisor to artists of all genres, Favianna is regarded as one of the leading thinkers uniting art, culture, and social impact. Her projects include creating art for Ben & Jerry's, partnering with Joey Solloway to create 5050by2020.com, and facilitating artist delegations to the US-Mexico border. She is a recipient of the Robert Rauschenberg Artist as Activist Fellowship, the SOROS Racial Equity Fellowship and the Atlantic Fellowship for Racial Equity.

Today we are looking at street art. Street art has stood alongside the fight for climate justice, the Black Lives Matter revolution, and pretty much every mass uprising for change through history. But is it just decoration? Or does it have the power to deeply shift a culture? To fire the collective imagination? And what if it was everywhere?   I am joined today by two incredible, insightful, passionate masters of this particular artform. Ghanaian-born artist Tijay Mohammed combines his work as an artist, with numerous accolades and residencies, as well as working with the diverse communities he surrounds himself with. He lives in the Bronx, New York, and was one of the artists who created the huge Black Lives Matter mural in that city. He also maintains a studio in Ghana which serves as a sanctuary for visiting artists to interact with local residents, promoting multicultural dialogue through story circles and art workshops, a source of motivation for him in both his studio and teaching practice.   Favianna Rodriguez is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and social justice activist based in Oakland, California. Her art and praxis address migration, gender justice, climate change, racial equity, and sexual freedom. Her practice boldly reshapes the myths, stories, and cultural practices of the present, while healing from the wounds of the past. Her work serves as a record of her human experiences as a woman of colour embracing joy, sexual pleasure and personal transformation through psychedelics as an antidote to the life-long impacts of systemic racism. She is the co-founder and president of The Centre for Cultural Power, a national organisation igniting change at the intersection of art, culture and social justice.   Please consider supporting the podcast by visiting www.patreon.com/fromwhatiftowhatnext and becoming a patron.

How do you make art for our time? How do you engage your creative life force to meet this moment? A time in which systems are collapsing and a new world wants to be born. The life of Favianna Rodriguez is an answer to these questions. She is a renowned interdisciplinary artist, a cultural organizer and a social justice activist. But most importantly, she is one of my dearest friends. It is hard to wrap your head around the breadth and depth of her work. She leads the Center for Cultural Power. And she describes her art as a visual manifestation of her lived experience, and the inspiring journey of her healing. We cover some ground in this episode. We talk about her creative process. And of what it means for her to be shifting mediums for her art. We talk about abortion, healing, pychedelics and ancestral practice.

“It's time to disrupt this wall of whiteness,” says interdisciplinary artist Favianna Rodriguez this week on the LF Show. From BLM and MeToo to colonial violence at the border and on indigenous lands, activist artists are at the heart of our social justice movements. Laura talks with Hip Hop artist and former Earth Guardians youth director Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, interdisciplinary artist and social justice activist Favianna Rodriguez, and activist poet Aja Monet of VDay, about how to build a just and sustainable world. This episode also features excerpts from Laura's interview with renowned author and Pleasure activist adrienne maree brown.The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests. Support theLFShow with your media muscles by becoming a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or more, goto Patreon.com/theLFShow 

Welcome to Episode 23 of our journey together into the imagination and into the powers of What If. Today we are looking at street art. Street art has stood alongside the fight for climate justice, the Black Lives Matter revolution, and pretty much every mass uprising for change through history. But is it just decoration? Or does it have the power to deeply shift a culture? To fire the collective imagination? And what if it was everywhere? I am joined today by two incredible, insightful, passionate masters of this particular artform. Ghanaian-born artist Tijay Mohammed combines his work as an artist, with numerous accolades and residencies, as well as working with the diverse communities he surrounds himself with. He lives in the Bronx, New York, and was one of the artists who created the huge Black Lives Matter mural in that city. He also maintains a studio in Ghana which serves as a sanctuary for visiting artists to interact with local residents, promoting multicultural dialogue through story circles and art workshops, a source of motivation for him in both his studio and teaching practice. Favianna Rodriguez is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and social justice activist based in Oakland, California. Her art and praxis address migration, gender justice, climate change, racial equity, and sexual freedom. Her practice boldly reshapes the myths, stories, and cultural practices of the present, while healing from the wounds of the past. Her work serves as a record of her human experiences as a woman of color embracing joy, sexual pleasure and personal transformation through psychedelics as an antidote to the life-long impacts of systemic racism. She is the co-founder and president of The Center for Cultural Power, a national organization igniting change at the intersection of art, culture and social justice. Both are phenomenal, and I am so grateful they were able to find the time to join me. I hope you love this discussion. Do please let me know what you thought of it, using the comments box below. My thanks to you for supporting this podcast, to my guests, and to Ben Addicott for production and theme music. Join me next week when Favianna and Tijay join me in the Ministry of Imagination....

For women, the time is now. Today Erin Yoshi begins her month-long takeover of the Not Real Art Podcast with a focus on uplifting women in the arts. We kick things off by finding out a little more about Erin, who is a creative strategist that paints stirring murals. As a curator, producer, former nonprofit executive, and now podcast host, Erin interviews two raw and powerful women for today's episode: Favianna Rodriguez and Anne Martin. To start, listeners will learn about Favianna's journey through art and how it has served as a way for her to express her experiences and the struggles of the oppressed. We then find out from Anne about her own history in art, the intricacies of printmaking, and the substantial value that comes with it. Following this, we tuck into the subtle and not-so-subtle undertones of Favinanna and Anne's artwork before we unpack why prints can be so empowering. Both Favianna and Anne open up on the democratizing nature of prints and why tier value to society is misunderstood. After packing away print myths, Anne shares takeaways from her successful print clients. She expresses the importance of brand while Favianna doubles down on how artists can create fellowship. Toward the end of the episode, Favianna and Anne share their personal stories and touch on their respective vocational endeavors: The Center for Cultural Power and Sugar Press, respectively. To hear more on the power of print, women and marginalized empowerment, education, and wealth generation be sure to join us today!   Key Points From This Episode: Our exciting changes for the month of March. Introducing your takeover host, Erin Yoshi! A little bit more about Erin. We welcome our guests Favianna Rodriguez and Anne Martin. Favianna on the social justice undertones in her work. Anne talks about her early art experiences. Favianna walks us through her printmaking process.  Why printmaking does not devalue work and is still authentic. Printmaking and its power of accessibility. Anne's takeaways from clients who are successful in prints. The relationship between art and fellowship. Anne talks about the ethics behind Sugar Press. Favianna shares details on The Center For Cultural Power. How Favianna has become a successful artist. Anne shares insight into how her artist clients have created their success. Favianna's recipe for success. For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/favianna-rodriguez-anne-martin

For women, the time is now. Today Erin Yoshi begins her month-long takeover of the Not Real Art Podcast with a focus on uplifting women in the arts. We kick things off by finding out a little more about Erin, who is a creative strategist that paints stirring murals. As a curator, producer, former nonprofit executive, and now podcast host, Erin interviews two raw and powerful women for today’s episode: Favianna Rodriguez and Anne Martin. To start, listeners will learn about Favianna’s journey through art and how it has served as a way for her to express her experiences and the struggles of the oppressed. We then find out from Anne about her own history in art, the intricacies of printmaking, and the substantial value that comes with it. Following this, we tuck into the subtle and not-so-subtle undertones of Favinanna and Anne’s artwork before we unpack why prints can be so empowering. Both Favianna and Anne open up on the democratizing nature of prints and why tier value to society is misunderstood. After packing away print myths, Anne shares takeaways from her successful print clients. She expresses the importance of brand while Favianna doubles down on how artists can create fellowship. Toward the end of the episode, Favianna and Anne share their personal stories and touch on their respective vocational endeavors: The Center for Cultural Power and Sugar Press, respectively. To hear more on the power of print, women and marginalized empowerment, education, and wealth generation be sure to join us today!   Key Points From This Episode: Our exciting changes for the month of March. Introducing your takeover host, Erin Yoshi! A little bit more about Erin. We welcome our guests Favianna Rodriguez and Anne Martin. Favianna on the social justice undertones in her work. Anne talks about her early art experiences. Favianna walks us through her printmaking process.  Why printmaking does not devalue work and is still authentic. Printmaking and its power of accessibility. Anne’s takeaways from clients who are successful in prints. The relationship between art and fellowship. Anne talks about the ethics behind Sugar Press. Favianna shares details on The Center For Cultural Power. How Favianna has become a successful artist. Anne shares insight into how her artist clients have created their success. Favianna’s recipe for success. For more information and photos, visit here: https://notrealart.com/favianna-rodriguez-anne-martin

This week's episode welcomes guests Jeff Chang and Favianna Rodriguez of the Cultural New Deal. The organization serves as a call for each of us to transform our personal, institutional, and global thinking in the pursuit of cultural and racial justice. Before diving into the meat and potatoes of the conversation, Jeff and Favianna provide us with some additional background on the Cultural New Deal. Talk then shifts to the artists and culture bearers of color, whose voices have been excluded from the arts and culture sector in the United States. As the Cultural New Deal aims to revitalize arts and culture in the US, and center the voices of those previously unheard, the organization is providing steps on how to work towards racial reconciliation. This begins by thinking locally and giving people the tools to organize. Throughout the episode, you will find out how to get involved with the Cultural New Deal and hear more on regaining communities by both organizing and promoting people of color. Press play above for valuable insights from Jeff and Favianna, and be sure to visit culturalnewdeal.com and culturalpower.org for more.

Favianna Rodriguez is an artist and activist who's work focuses on immigrants' rights and gender equality.

Is Burning Man a “white people thing?” Radical inclusivity is one of Burning Man’s 10 Principles, but is it enough simply to say “all are welcome?” or should the burner community take proactive steps to make people of color feel welcome? JR Nexus Russ (he, him, his) is a black and Filipino-American, queer cisgender man, and in several ethically non-monogamous relationships. Nexus went to Burning Man in 2013, he started a DC Burners storytelling show at Capital Fringe, and was recently named one of the two new Regional Contacts for the DC Burning Man Community. Nexus and I are both musical theater kids so forgive the Pippin preamble. It gets juicy around the 20 minute mark where we go deep into identity, microaggressions and white fragility. These are sensitive topics no matter your identity and I am grateful to Nexus for educating me with generosity and patience. If Burning Man is about experiencing discomfort for the sake of personal growth, what could be more important than holding awareness of our privilege to Burn and dismantling the unconscious biases that limit the experience of others? LINKS
 Nexus on Twitter: https://twitter.com/awayoflife0 Nexus on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awayoflife0/ DC Burners: https://dcburners.org/ Catharsis on the Mall: https://www.catharsisonthemall.com Radical Inclusion Must Mean Racial Inclusion by Favianna Rodriguez: https://campaigns.organizefor.org/petitions/radical-inclusion-must-mean-racial-inclusion-make-burning-man-blacker Black Burner Project: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Community/Black-Burner-Project-311921496126595/

Favianna Rodriguez discusses what it means to be an artist and activist in our global age.

This special episode features my live conversation with activist, writer and feminist organizer, Gloria Steinem and Oakland-based artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez. The legendary Gloria Steinem is the author of several best-selling books, was a founding editor of and political commentator for New York Magazine and a founding editor of Ms. Favianna Rodriguez’s art and collaborative projects address migration, economic inequality, gender justice, and ecology. Favianna is also the Executive Director of CultureStrike, a national arts organization that engages artists, writers and performers in migrant rights. Gloria, Favianna and I spoke on stage at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco on February 21st, 2019 as part of Women Lit, a program of the Bay Area Book Festival. Gloria’s book of essays--now in its third edition--and the occasion for our conversation--is called “Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions”--and there is no better or more timely theme! In this conversation we talked about the ongoing fight for equality, how much has changed--or not--since Gloria wrote those essays between the 1960s and the 1990s...and how to create the future we envision! This live event was made possible in part by EO essential oils bath and body care products and of course, my home station KALW in San Francisco, and PRX. Giving is a radical act. Help keep these podcasts coming:inflectionpointradio.org/contribute.

Prudence is joined this week by Favianna Rodriguez, an interdisciplinary artist, cultural organizer, and political activist based in Oakland, California. Her art addresses migration, economic inequality, gender justice, and ecology. She is also the Executive Director of CultureStrike, a national arts organization that engages artists, writers and performers in migrant rights. Together they tackle letters about what to do when your dad can’t get your transgender cousin’s pronouns right, how to handle gift giving in-laws who are cluttering your home with homemade knick-knacks, what actions to take if you feel your friends are taking advantage of your emotional and financial stability, how to tell the person that took you off the streets and fed you that you don’t like their cooking, what to do when your parents will no longer pay your college tuition because changed your major. Slate Plus members will hear Prudie and Favianna discuss a letter writer who is devastated that her younger sister didn’t include her in her wedding party, despite all the support given to her through the years. Not yet a member? Sign up at Slate.com/PrudiePod. Email: prudencepodcast@gmail.com Production by Phil Surkis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prudence is joined this week by Favianna Rodriguez, an interdisciplinary artist, cultural organizer, and political activist based in Oakland, California. Her art addresses migration, economic inequality, gender justice, and ecology. She is also the Executive Director of CultureStrike, a national arts organization that engages artists, writers and performers in migrant rights. Together they tackle letters about what to do when your dad can’t get your transgender cousin’s pronouns right, how to handle gift giving in-laws who are cluttering your home with homemade knick-knacks, what actions to take if you feel your friends are taking advantage of your emotional and financial stability, how to tell the person that took you off the streets and fed you that you don’t like their cooking, what to do when your parents will no longer pay your college tuition because changed your major. Slate Plus members will hear Prudie and Favianna discuss a letter writer who is devastated that her younger sister didn’t include her in her wedding party, despite all the support given to her through the years. Not yet a member? Sign up at Slate.com/PrudiePod. Email: prudencepodcast@gmail.comProduction by Phil Surkis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This program presents a gathering of feminist thought leaders to celebrate the publication of Jill Soloway’s book “She Wants It: Desire, Power, and Toppling the Patriarchy.”  Soloway is the creator and showrunner of “Transparent” and “I Love Dick”. On October twenty-fifth, 2018, City Arts & Lectures hosted Hannah Gadsby, best-known for her comedy performance “Nanette”, Lili Loofbourow, Susan Stryker, and Faith Soloway, for an evening of comedy, music, debate and conversation, hosted by Jill Soloway, Favianna Rodriguez, and Cara Rose deFabio.

“The freedom of butterflies invite an entirely different reaction. They help us see that all living things move, we have always been moving since the beginning of time. Migrants are in line with what human beings have been doing for years, the punishment of this is a result of dominant culture”-- Favianna Rodriguez This week we are thrilled to have Favianna Rodriguez on the show. Favianna Rodriguez is an transdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and activist based in Oakland, California. Her work and collaborative initiatives address migration, economic inequality, gender justice, and ecology. Favianna leads art interventions around the U.S. at the intersection of art, social justice and cultural equity. Favianna invites us to explore the wisdom of nature and Earth relations as a lense through which to envision an alternative to the current immigration crisis. Music By Rebecca Lane

This week we’re talking with Francisca Porchas Coronado. We talk about healing traditions in immigrant Latinx communities, the resilience of undocumented folks in the face of loss and grief, tending to pain politically and personally, community ritual, and her spiritual path in IFA. She’s got some specific challenging asks for organizers and healers, too, so listen in! You can download the corresponding practices (Daily Gratitude Prayer in English / Rezo Diario de Gratitud in Spanish) to experience a simple and powerful prayer with Francisca.   RESOURCES: Resistencia Ancestral / Ancestral Spiritual Resistance Zine you can download for free from Mijente: https://mijente.net/2017/11/02/ancestral-spiritual-resistance-zine/ Referred to in this episode: Puente AZ, Mijente, Favianna Rodriguez, Melanie Cervantes, Culture/Strike, poet Mayda de Valle ---- AFFIRMATIONS Each week we feature community voices uplifting people, organizations, and communities that embody the values of healing justice. Submit your own personal shout-out to spread love on the airwaves here: https://healingjustice.typeform.com/to/YjvuU2 This week’s AFFIRMATION comes from Sarah Nuñez, sharing her love and respect for Mijente and Mijente Louisville! ---- ABOUT OUR GUEST: FRANCISCA PORCHAS CORONADO Francisca Porchas Coronado is a Mexican immigrant, Chicana, Latinx, feminist, and anti-racist organizer with over 15 years of organizing experience. As former Organizing Director of Puente Human Rights Movement in Phoenix, she has been one of the leading voices against deportations and immigrant detention in the country. As a 2017 Nathan Cummings Foundation Fellow, Francisca founded Healing In Resistance, a wellness project centering the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of immigrant communities in the fight against criminalization. She has been initiated into the ancient, indigenous Yoruba tradition of IFA for over a decade and is currently a priestess in training.--   JOIN THE COMMUNITY: Sign up for the email list at www.healingjustice.org    Social media: Instagram @healingjustice, Healing Justice Podcast on Facebook, & @hjpodcast on Twitter   This podcast is 100% volunteer-run. Help cover our costs by becoming a sponsor at www.patreon.com/healingjustice , and please leave a positive rating & review in whatever app you are listening. Every bit helps.   THANK YOU:Mixed and produced by Zach Meyer at the COALROOMIntro and Closing music gifted by Danny O’BrienAll visuals contributed by Josiah Werning

Francesca brainstorms slogan improvements for the Dems in '18, Favianna reverse gentrifies Burning Man, Merrill talks white fragility songwriting, and Kamau can't help but talk about OJ.

East Oakland artist Favianna Rodriguez on the Ghost Ship warehouse fire.Artist and curator Melonie Green on building a collaborative art scene.The first in our series "SRO Stories."

“Before you change politics, you have to change culture." Favianna Rodriguez is a transnational interdisciplinary artist and cultural organizer, whose art and collaborative projects deal with migration, global politics, economic injustice, patriarchy, and interdependence. She is also the director of CultureStrike, a national arts organization that engages artists, writers and performers in migrant rights and the co-founder of Presente.org, a national online organizing network dedicated to the political empowerment of Latino communities. In this talk from CreativeMornings/Oakland from May 2014 on Freedom, Favianna talks about how politics have affected art & culture throughout history — and how the artist is indispensable in changing culture. She encourages us to use art to reclaim our humanity, and empowers us to change the language we use in the stories we tell so that we can take action in our communities. Learn more at www.creativemornings.com

Visual artist Favianna Rodriguez has become a national figure in the fight for immigration reform. Visit her West Oakland studio and listen in as she talks about her mix of art and activism.

Oakland artist Favianna Rodriguez guides us through two printing processes central to her work: linocuts and monotypes. Watch as she combines these techniques to create her layered, colorful work.

Favianna Rodriguez is a political digital artist and printmaker based in Oakland, California.    She is the co-founder of the EastSide Arts Alliance (ESAA) and Visual Element, programs dedicated to training emerging artists. She is also the co-founder and president of Tumis, a bilingual design studio serving social justice organizations.  Utne Reader named Favianna one of their 2008, “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World,” and she recently received a Sisters of Fire Award from the Women of Color Resource Center.  For more information about Favianna and her work, go to favianna.com.You can read a transcript of this interview on my blog, Have Fun * Do Good.

Brent Blackaby, Jeff Patrick, and Favianna Rodriguez use case studies to share their technological and marketing know-how to help you plan effective web and communications strategies for your organization. (December 24, 2006)