Today’s Mountain Xpress has a story I wrote… Mobilization through art: Local spoken-word artist creates a platform for dialogue about race “It is a one-woman spoken-word show, birthed out of frustration and realizing that a lot of things that I am involved … Continue reading Existing While Black
Yesterday, within the space of a few hours, I found myself being moved to tears by three stories. Today I will share them with you. The first story, “Saving Nina Simone’s Birthplace as an Act of Art and Politics,” is … Continue reading Being Moved
This week I have the good fortune of being at the Virginia Key Grassroots Festival on Virginia Key in Miami, FL. This festival is the sister to the Fingerlakes Grassroots Festival in Trumansburg, NY and the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival … Continue reading Miami and Asheville
This week’s Mountain Xpress has a piece I wrote about musician Randy Weston. I’ve known Randy for over a decade, and it was a treat to learn more about him. He’s a true local, born and raised in Weaverville in a musical … Continue reading Randy Weston’s Musical Odyssey
And the work and wonder continues. This week’s Mountain Xpress has a great feature on Hood Tours, “(IN)Sightseeing: Hood Tours share the history and future of black Asheville.” (Click the title to read the whole story.) Excerpt: “‘How do you create … Continue reading AVL News & Events+
This is a belated but still relevant post about last December’s announcement by the Lonely Planet naming Asheville, NC as the “#1 Best in the U.S. Travel 2017 Destination.” With the announcement came this video: Sigh. When it came out, … Continue reading It can be a Lonely Planet when people are rendered invisible
Today’s post is a list of upcoming events you may be interested in. Connecting with our neighbors in person has power. Peace! “City of Asheville seeks community input prior to expanding equity initiative” Tuesday, Dec. 13, 11:30 am – 1 … Continue reading Mark Your Calendars
If you are a subscriber, you may notice that “Asheville Action” is now “Ami Worthen.” This is a step towards creating a platform for new services and content. As always, the aim will be to illuminate, amplify, and fortify equity-centric initiatives … Continue reading Mistakes, Updates
Who is seen? Who is not seen? These are questions I frequently ask myself as I observe Asheville culture as portrayed in local media, tourism marketing, events, etc, etc. Overwhelmingly, the people who are seen are white, and the people who are … Continue reading Who is seen?
Today I am going to share a round up of some of the awesome action on my radar. Pumping up the positive. There’s way more good going on than I can fit in one post, that’s for sure. Build A … Continue reading Awesome Action
Ami Worthen 