By Rylan
CoLab is on the heels of returning from a wonderful event at University of California Davis called Imagining America. Imagining America is a coalition of higher education institutions working together to support grassroots community cultural and economic development initiatives. They are grappling with an essential question: what role can institutions like Cornell University and Stanford University play in working with communities oppressed by systemic economic and cultural injustice?
While the question does not have any easy answers it was rewarding to hear activist from communities from many corners of the country like rural Appalachia and West Baltimore share with their own voices how they would like to be supported and the value of institutional partnerships.
CoLab is a partner in a project called Performing our Future whereby we are working to extend this rich conversation and sharing of resources and perspectives online into discussion forums and a digital asset repository.
The model is predicated upon a blending of physical world meetups for in-person collaboration and the establishment of channels of communication and discussion online so that momentum from events like Imagining America is able to continue following in-person get-togethers.
There is another rich discussion forthcoming at Virginia Tech, one partner in development of this platform. The project is also being supported by the Roadside Theater and Appalshop who are spearheading the Performing Our Future work with support from Imagining America.
The conversation continues on Monday, October 30th for those in the Virginia area.