creative cafe

Creative Cafe is a monthly series open to all students to create space for conversations on culture, entertainment, and politics that center and empower communities of color. Students are invited to join a diverse group of creative scholars from different specialties for intensive workshops and discussions throughout the academic year, with the objective of broadening the artistic scope using a social justice framework while working with a mentor to bring ideas to life.

During the fall semester, the Creative Cafe hosted three events in Boston and one at Emerson Los Angeles. Spring events are currently in development.

Elma Lewis Center

Over the last three years, the Elma Lewis Center has focused on social justice multimedia story work. During this time, programming and projects have quadrupled, and include:

The Elma Lewis Living Stories project, which documents one of Boston’s most important female Black luminaries, Miss Elma Ina Lewis, who would have been 100 years old this year. This project is in collaboration with the Social Justice Archive Network (SJAN), a group of people, mostly members of the same communities as the story sharers, collaborating with us to document these stories. And stay tuned for our ongoing Elma Lewis Living Stories Kitchen Table Conversation, a year-long series of live video podcast conversations (virtually) with people who knew Miss Lewis best.

FIREWATER Poetics is a monthly open-mic series (virtual and in person) emceed and curated by Black poet and artist Letta Neely, who is breathing life into this gathering. It is inspired by an open mic gathering that she and other artists of color hosted 20 years ago in New York City. This space is intended to be a safe, healing, welcoming, and inclusive community for people of color, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ communities, trans, intersex, women, femmes, and earthlings of all intersectionalities.

Social Justice Solidarity Circles is a year-long series of workshops with Emerson students focused on social justice and community organizing education and practice and includes an intense collaboration with a local social justice organization or group within the community.

The ELC also continues to support vibrant youth programming with Youth LEAD, CCN (Creative Community Network), and the TIDE Conference. The first two are Sharon and Boston-area based year-long workshops with high school students from 14 schools and 15 communities focusing on social justice education and practice and community building through the arts.

Social Justice Center

Emerson College

(617) 824-8528

Dear Community Members,

The staff of the Social Justice Center, which includes the Healing & Advocacy Collective, the Elma Lewis Center for Community Engagement, and Access, Equity, & Title IX welcomes you to the 2021-2022 academic year. We are grateful for your presence in this place, space, and time.

Included in this newsletter are some of the updates and offerings we hope to share with you, as well as a variety of resources and links should you be interested in exploring.

The month of September is one of excitement and transition. And yet, as we settle into the school year, we continue to be surrounded by change in many forms.

With love and gentleness, we remind you:

“All that you touch you Change;
All that you Change changes you;
The only lasting truth is Change.”
– Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower

[Image Description: blue background with blue mountains. In all caps: SJC IS HIRING EMERSON STUDENTS. SURGE: STUDENTS UNAPOLOGETICALLY RESISTING, GROWING, AND ENGAGING. MORE INFO @ HTTPS://BITLY.LY/SJCSURGE]

We warmly welcome Deborah Johnson and Lauren Brumfield who will be interning with the Healing & Advocacy Collective for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Deborah Johnson (she/they) is a Master of Social Work student at Boston College who loves talking about decolonizing mental health and creative wellness. Deborah is a multidisciplinary artist and yoga teacher, and in their free time loves adventuring outdoors (even if that means just staring at the clouds in the park!).

Lauren Brumfield (she/her) is in her final year of the Master of Social Work program at Boston University, and is especially interested in holistic healing from trauma and violence. In her free time, she loves trying out new recipes, listening to Phoebe Bridgers, and doing sudoku puzzles. She is so excited to meet everyone!

Deborah and Lauren are available to meet with individuals for advocacy-based counseling. You’re welcome to email advocate@emerson.edu to reach the Healing & Advocacy Collective.

[Image Descriptions: Black square with blue accents. A gray triangle that says “Sign up today” in cursive. Text says: 5-week series. Tuesdays: 12-1PM (ET) Sept. 28, Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, and Oct. 26. Under a green, white, and orange book titled “Care Work” is text saying: A Book Club Won’t Save Us: study, act, reflect, repeat.]

Staff, Faculty, & Grad Students: A Book Club Won’t Save Us – Fall 2021

What does principled struggle mean? More importantly, why does it matter? Staff, faculty, and graduate students are invited to join Samantha Ivery in a five-week series to begin a praxis of “study, apply, reflect, repeat.” Participants will meet weekly with the goal of:

Taking personal responsibility for increasing personal awareness and knowledge of societal norms linked to systemic oppression;
Developing critical thinking skills to integrate dissonant themes into practice;
Building a repertoire of reflective practices; and
Leaving motivated to repeat.

The first book of the Fall 2021 semester is Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.

“In this collection of essays…longtime activist and performance artist Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha explores the politics and realities of disability justice, a movement that centers the lives and leadership of sick and disabled queer, trans, Black, and brown people, with knowledge and gifts for all…Powerful and passionate, Care Work is a crucial and necessary call to arms.”

Students: Creative Cafe Meet & Greet 9/30 7pm

The SJC is launching a monthly conversation series open to all students focused on culture, entertainment, and politics that centers and empowers communities of color.

The Creative Cafe is an opportunity for students to broaden their artistic scope through the lens social justice while bringing creative ideas to life with the mentorship of faculty, staff, and industry professionals. Students will join a diverse group of creative scholars from different specialties for intensive workshops and discussions throughout the academic year.

Interested students are invited to a Creative Cafe Meet & Greet on Thursday, September 30, at 7pm in Walker’s Common Ground (10th Floor, 120 Boylston St.) featuring music, conversation, games, and a Creative Cafe overview presentation.

For more information, contact Jae Williams, Director of Special Projects, at jae_williams@emerson.edu.

Elma Lewis Center for Community Engagement

The ELC is excited to share new and ongoing collaborations with artists, youth, community organizers, students, elders and more in our communities. Join us September 15, 5:30-6:30pm for Happy 100th Birthday Miss Elma Lewis! The Elma Lewis Legacy Circle, some who knew Miss Lewis all 83 years of her life, will share stories, video clips, and family album photos in celebration of their relationships and work with Miss Lewis. This will launch our Kitchen Table Conversations: Celebrating the Life, Legacy and 100th Year of Miss Elma Lewis, a monthly live video series September 2021 – September 2022.

Links to join us September 15: Zoom Link or Facebook Live.

We are also excited to welcome a new ELC team member, Coco Rosenberg (they/them), Assistant Director of Youth Programming.

This semester, the ELC is also launching two new programs: Firewater Poetics, a monthly open mic poetry session hosted by artist and poet Letta Neely, and the Social Justice Solidarity Circles program. For more information about our work and opportunities to spend time with us this fall, please check out our website and stay tuned for this month’s email ELC Newsletter!

Nourishment & Connection

Facebook: @SocialJusticeCtr

Instagram: @SocialJusticeCtr

Emerson College: Social Justice Center

The Renewal Collective

We acknowledge the pervasiveness and impact of all forms of systemic oppression for women and gender-expansive people in Asian, Black, Latinx, Multi-racial, Native American and Pacific Islander communities, and because we believe that no one is disposable, we endeavor to create transformative spaces for individual and collective healing.

Join us this fall for our Monthly Intentions & Meditations on Wednesdays at Noon (ET) September 29, October 27, and November 17. This fall, Samantha Ivery, tamia jordan, and Tikesha Morgan will be leading these gatherings. Follow us on IG (@therenewalcollective) for inspiration, affirmation, joy, and Renewal Collective updates.

“We all deserve a place to land safely.” The Renewal Collective welcomes you to Boston and to the Emerson College community.

Radical Guide for Social Justice

Social Justice Center

SJC Community

Tag Archives: creative cafe

UPDATES – February 2022

Creative Cafe