EYES ON THE PRIZE III: We Who Believe in Freedom
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I remember watching the original EOTP series as a child in grade school and being so inspired. It is one of my favorite school memories. Sharing a part of a much larger story of the movement of the past decade is no less inspiring—a new generation will see that we never stopped standing in our dignity and for whats right.
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Akeim called me after the premiere to ask how it went and to tell me he’s proud of me. What a life 🥹 Jari met some of her movement family via FaceTime as I shared the moment with them from NYC. Again—I was reminded of the importance of family blood and chosen.
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There’s so much left to do and over a decade in I believe the same things to be true. It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and protect each other.
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WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT OUR CHAINS 🖤
Happening on Monday!
Seeking Still Waters
Monday, November 18, 2024 | 6:30 -9:00 PM
Green Line Performing Arts Center | 329 East Garfield Boulevard
Join us for an evening of conversation, reflection, and creativity as we gather with 2024 APL/CSRPC Artist-in-Residence Johnaé Strong, alongside Cosette Hampton and Scheherazade Tillet, to explore how art uplifts the resilience and beauty of Black girls in the face of gender-based violence.
Through dialogue and the screening of powerful films from A Long Walk Home, BYP100, and Johnaé Strong, this event serves as a call to deepen our collective commitment to care and transformation. Be part of this vital conversation and witness the ways art can heal, inspire, and mobilize.
Register via the link in our bio.
this lil mama having a big exhibition today 💗
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love and gratitude. im super proud of this exhibition not just because of the work you’ll see on the walls but more so the work i’ve been doing behind the scenes with myself, my children, and my family. god is so good.
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if this be the end of the world let it filled with art. if it be the dawn of the new era - let it be filled with art 🖤
👶🏽first art show!
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it’s a major blessing to see my art in the world and even better when its spurred by a friend who happens to be one of the coldest in the city 🤞🏽
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thank you @ewrks_@eliza_e_fisher@ambercita for supporting me and so much love to all the amazing artists i was stunned 🤩
BLACK LIFE EVERYWHERE | Black Things Today Proof of Concept by Johnaé Strong (@johnaeisstrong ).
Black Things Today documents the story of the Betty Shabazz International Charter School "Village" through the eyes of three recent alum who are on a mission to carry on the legacy of their Pan African upbringing.
🔗Watch the full work with the link-in-bio
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ABOUT THE ARTIST: Johnaé Strong is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer from Cleveland based in Chicago. She is a commitment to healing Black girls all over the world. Johnaé’s work is heavily influenced by her time as co-founder and leader of BYP100 Chicago (2013-2017) and as a mother to Akeim and Jari @2chikids . Jari is Johnaé’s daughter with beloved organizer and artist Malik Alim who spearheaded ending cash bail in Illinois before his tragic passing in 2021.
Johnaé enjoys experimenting with materiality and time--interweaving film and digital to unearth archival moments. Her work projects symbols quickly decoded by Black folks and asserted for non-Black audiences. Playing with black and white, color, and movement, she animates freedom dreams. As the quilted symbols of enslaved Africans were a map toward liberation, Johnaé's work is a codex for collective freedom. Her writing has been cited in publications including In These Times, The Nation, and Abolition Feminisms Volume 2. (Haymarket Press). Johnaé is a current Artist in Residence at the School of Art Institute of Chicago.
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BLACK LIFE EVERYWHERE is a digital, multimedia magazine centered in the radical spirit of resistance and hope across the Black diaspora. Our digital leftist magazine aims to nourish and support local Black voices in actualizing their visions of freedom.
@blacklifeeverywhere is an initiative of @blackyouthproject which was founded by Dr. Cathy Cohen.
Black Life Everywhere is co-created by Amber Butts (@amberbuttswrites ) and Jonathan Lykes (@j.lykes ), with the support of local co-editor Damon Williams (@damon_af ).
#BlackLifeEverywhere #BLE #BlackYouthProject #BYP #Chicago #SouthSideChicago
