As I’ve written before, I am a big believer in the power community media and art for social change. Here are a few upcoming happenings with art and community media at the center. Creative Voices for Social Justice From their press … Continue reading Creativity, Justice, and Community Media
Last week was the Black Mamas Bail Out. Across the country, organizers worked to free black mamas and caregivers “who otherwise would spend Mother’s Day in a cell simply because they cannot afford bail.” In Asheville, members and supporters of Southerners on … Continue reading Actions
These words have a purpose. They are a part of a chorus bringing us into collective liberation. We are singing in transformation through a myriad of actions. My intention is to critically examine the status quo and, as importantly, to … Continue reading We are advancing the world we want
“Migration is life,” I was reminded by Mexican artist Santiago Mazatl via his print for CultureStrike. An obvious truth, yet one that might escape our consciousness as we continue to live within the colonial imagination. Even having written a piece which … Continue reading Migration is Life
Beer has spread like kudzu over Asheville, NC. We are drowning in a beer tsunami. In this moment, we can’t ignore the troubling implications of being Beer City U.S.A. Bloated with beer (and money from it) A 2017 smartasset study … Continue reading Beer is a Bummer
When white people learn about the horrors of slavery, we may think, “If I had been alive during that time, I would have been an abolitionist!” Well, friends, we ARE living during that time. We can be abolitionists. We can … Continue reading Abolitionist
Just before sunrise, birds begin their “dawn chorus,” singing melodic, jubilant songs in the first light of morning. The music of birdsong welcomes the sun all the way around the globe each day, as it has for over 25 million … Continue reading Pause
The intention behind my work is to illuminate, amplify, and fortify transformative ideas and action. To shine honest light on what binds us while tuning into positive possibility. On this sunny spring day with a periwinkle sky, I will write … Continue reading Gentrification Hurts
I almost left a few minutes into last week’s Citizen’s Police Advisory Committee (CPAC) meeting. The overwhelming emotion that filled the room poured over me like boiling water. After a deep breath, rather than running from the scalding, I stood still … Continue reading Complexities
Our horrific history of racial oppression continues to repeat itself. Case in point: we learned last week of the completely unjustified and brutal beating of Johnnie Jermaine Rush, a black man, by members of the Asheville Police Department. This incident … Continue reading Horrific History Repeats
Ami Worthen 