Let’s get conversational (to the tune of Olivia Newton John). Jordan Alam, sára abdullah and Aisha Bint Gladys will be sharing stories of migration and Muslim life in the US. From the mundane to the magical, these artists are sharing new work and speaking about life under the current administration– but that’s not all! We’ll have free protest art from the “We are Irreplaceable Campaign” created by Jess X. Snow and Jordan Alam in solidarity with those affected by the Muslim Ban. Equip yourself for the resistance as these artists share their knowledge on how public art projects are tools for healing and social change.
This event is part of an ongoing series in collaboration with Jess X Chen.
RESERVE A SEAT!
$5 SUGGESTED DONATION | OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Jordan Alam is a writer, editor, doula, and social change educator based out of Seattle, Washington. Her short stories and articles have appeared in The Atlantic, CultureStrike Magazine, The Rumpus, and AAWW’s The Margins; she has spoken at events including the Aspen Ideas Festival and the Eyes on Bangladesh exhibition. You can read her piece Where Can Queer Muslims Go To Pray on The Atlantic, or her response to the Bengali photography exhibit Eyes on Bangladesh in The Margins. She is also the founder of the Asian American social justice publication, Project As[I]Am, and keeps a personal blog at The Cowation. Her debut novel is forthcoming.
sára abdullah is an indigenous SWANA/Filipinx non-binary femme Muslima descended from nomadic dreamweavers, kitchen witches, tricksters, and storytellers. She honors those who came before and those who gather with her in circle through a life’s work in plant medicine, healing, magic, writing, and nurturing the creative spirit in herself and others. As a poet, storyteller, cultural organizer, and healing artist, she is committed to uplifting radical tenderness, (re)membering embodied knowledge, and building collective liberation.
Aisha Bint Gladys is a NYC educator and artist who is sensitive about her shit. A Haitian-Sudanese Black person from Brooklyn, Aisha received a B.S. in Educational Theatre at New York University and an Ed.M. in Student Affairs Administration from the University at Buffalo. Aisha explores herself and humanity through film, fashion, and photography. She was featured in Your Year, a 30-second commercial that challenges the portrayal of Muslim women in Western media now playing at the Barclays Center Oculus. Aisha likes laughing at her own corny jokes, jamming to 80s dance music, and listening to others’ magical dreams.
Jess X. Chen is a queer filmmaker, multi-disciplinary artist/activist and nationally-touring poet. Her work exposes narratives of colonial trauma, diasporic love and collective protest. Through film, mural-making, poetry and education, she is working toward a future where migrant and indigenous youth of color see themselves whole and heroic, on the big screen and the city walls & then grow up to create their own. Her first full-length book of poems, Sing Me A Time Machine, is forthcoming. You can read Jess’ What I Saw Through The Telescope on The Margins here.
