Immigrant Poetry and a Call to Action from our allies
Mn Immigrant Freedom Network
1) April 16th Tomas Riley and Equilibrium at the Loft
Equilibrium, the Loft Literary Center’s long running spoken word series, has always been devoted to not only showcasing the talents of artists of color, but also building community between these artists and audiences of color. In 2010, EQ, as it’s affectionately referred to, received an Anti-Racism Initiative award from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits as well as rave reviews for it’s CD ¿Nation of Immigrants?, featuring local spoken word artists challenging the popular notion that the U.S. is “a nation of immigrants,” by giving voice to the immigrant, adoptee, and refugee populations who have not always been welcomed here, in dialogue with Native Americans and other voices from communities of color.
In the spirit of community building, EQ’s April 16th show presents a lineup of local and national artists of color directly linked to the U.S. immigrant experience, and we would love to see as many members of the Twin Cities’ immigrant/refugee communities represented, so please come and part take in this meaningful event!
Saturday, April 16, 8 p.m.
Equilibrium: Spoken Word at the Loft presents:
Tomás Riley and Sham-e-Ali Nayeem
With special guests See More Perspective and Nimo Farah
Music by DJ Nak and visual art by Chamindika Wanduragala
At the Loft, Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis
$5/$3 for students and Loft members
Cosponsored by MN Immigrant Freedom Network and Mizna
Tomás Riley is a poet, educator and a veteran of the Chicano spoken word collective The Taco Shop Poets. A finalist for the California Voices Award from Poets & Writers Magazine, his first book Mahcic debuted in 2005 and a follow-up chapbook Post Chicano Stress Disorder has just been released. His work has been described as a meld of Chicano bilingualism and conscious cultural politics set to a soundtrack of hip hop, jazz and indigenous ceremony. Currently he lives and writes in the Mission District of San Francisco.
Sham-e-Ali Nayeem is a poet based in the Philadelphia area. Born in Hyderabad, India, she spent her early years in India and the UK before immigrating to the US. Her poetry has appeared in a variety of publications and can be found in anthologies such as Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out and Shout Out: Women of Color Respond to Violence, among others. Sham-e-Ali has performed her poetry internationally at various events including the Oxford Literary Festival and the Sister Fire 2004 Cultural Arts Tour of Radical Women of Color Artists and Activists. She is a mother to one 8-year-old boy who is her inspiration.
As you may also be aware, among the departmental units, the Department of Chicano Studies is the smallest unit, having only two full time tenured or tenure track faculty. This was never by the design of department leaders and faculty, but rather, from our perspective, a symptom of the lack of commitment by the college to invest in the realization of our potential. Nevertheless, as we approach the commemoration of the 40 year anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Chicano Studies, we are proud of the fact that over this period of time we have educated thousands of students in our classes, researched the history, culture, politics, and contributions of Chicanas and Chicanos locally and nationally, graduated numerous important scholars and community leaders, and worked diligently with dozens of community based organizations and educational agencies that support the well-being of our community. It is our firm belief that following the emergence of Chicana/os and Latina/os as the nations largest and fastest growing ethnic minority, now, more than ever, a renewed commitment to and investment in the distinctive nature of our mission is imperative. If there were numerous Chicana/o-Latina/o faculty in departments throughout the college, our anxiety might be lessened; but any casual examination of faculty demographics in CLA and the university as a whole reveals that we continue to be severely under-represented.
The sustained budget crisis of the last few years has resulted in a need for the University of Minnesota and the College of Liberal Arts, in particular, to seek administrative efficiencies. Within the college, a number of other academic units have also been asked to explore consolidation under a new administrative structure. The Ethnic Studies Units have been asked to enter into discussions with the Department of American Studies and the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies about how we might coexist within a single umbrella administrative structure. It is important to note that while these discussions are being initiated, there is no definitive timetable for decisions and any new structure would be implemented over a two to three year period. The college has expressed that it is committed to the continued offering of our curriculum, that maintaining status as a department may still be possible, and that cost savings from restructuring may lead to opportunities to make new hires in these units. Nevertheless, we have grave concerns over how a new administrative structure will lead to a diminished visibility of the department and a lack of representation around the college's decision-making table. We are equally concerned that the lack of parity among the departments being asked to co-exist under a single administrative structure will lead to conflict and competition when it comes time to make decisions about new hires.
We are writing you today to inform you of the situation because we take seriously our role as representatives of the community on campus and caretakers of the vision and legacy of the students and community members who founded the department. We ask you to participate in helping us find an amenable solution to this challenge we're facing. A number of opportunities for making your voice heard will arise. Follow this link to let us know if you wish to participate in these dialogues and to be kept informed of developments regarding a possible restructuring:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MSR2P9J. In addition, on Wednesday, April 20th, a group of students organizing under the banner of Whose University? will be holding a day of events on campus to ask critical questions regarding access to the university for underrepresented groups, the status of space assigned to cultural groups in Coffman Memorial Student Union, and a panel discussion on whose knowledge gets valued a the university that will evolve around diminishing support for ethnic studies. If your schedule allows, we ask you to attend the panel on ethnic studies because we believe that the voice and physical presence of community members and leaders on this matter is critically important in sending a message to college leaders that they should approach this issue cautiously because the Chicana/o-Latina/o community is invested in our standing at the university. We have identified the Whose University? event as an important opportunity to hold public discussions with the on and off campus community about the future of Chicano Studies at the U of MN. The student involved in the campaign have organized an impressive network of students, faculty, staff, and community members leading up to this event. Your presence will make a statement about the far-reaching implications of restructuring for our community. Please see the attached flier for details on the event, and watch the video regarding this emerging student movement addressing campus diversity issues.
The Whose University website, can be found here http://sites.google.com/site/whoseuniversityfilm/home. A trailer about their motives for this work can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/user/WhoseUniversity
Thank you for your patience in reading this detailed information. And thank you in advance for your ongoing support for Chicano Studies at the University of Minnesota.
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Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network
1516 East Lake Street, Suite 202
Minneapolis, MN 55407