Book Walidah Imarisha
Offerings
Walidah is an accomplished speaker and facilitator. The following offerings can be adapted to lectures, readings and interactive workshops.
Oregon Black History
Have you ever wondered why the Black population in Oregon is so small? Oregon has a history not only of Black exclusion and discrimination, but also of a vibrant Black culture that helped sustain many communities throughout the state — a history that is not taught in schools. Author and educator Walidah Imarisha leads participants through an interactive timeline of Black history in Oregon that speaks to the history of race, identity and power in this state and the nation.
Prison Industrial Complex
Using her groundbreaking book Angels with Dirty Faces, Imarisha presents on the history of prisons as well as alternatives to incarceration, situating her own process writing the book in that larger context.
Her Prison Industrial Complex offerings also include:
“Beyond Bars” workshop
This interactive workshop has participants explore what they know (or what they think they know) about the prison system, and then explores frameworks and concrete examples of alternatives to incarceration.
Interactive Photo/Video Booth
The author can work with a host to create a photo or video booth space, with a prompt that encourages attendees to think about and express their thoughts around issues of justice, and then take a picture holding up their response. Prompt can be created in collaboration with you. This activity is best done in conjunction with one of the other events.
Visionary Fiction
Imarisha can guide you through a Brief History of Visionary Fiction, time travel and SciFi Abolition.
Her Visionary Fiction workshops include:
General Visionary Fiction/Sci Fi & Organizing Talk
A presentation about visionary fiction, the connections between sci-fi and social change. It also shares tools for using science fiction as a practice ground for social justice strategizing and vision.
Collective Sci-Fi Writing Workshop
After a brief presentation on the larger themes of sci fi and social change, Walidah will lead participants through a collective story-telling/writing workshop where they create collective and individual stories based on current political issues.
Sci-Fi and Direct Action Training
Participants will use familiar stories of other worlds (such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Oz, Harry Potter, etc.) to design direct action campaigns that parallel the world we are fighting for in the here and now. By the end of the session, regimes will be toppled, evil forces vanquished and solid skills in direct action organizing developed.
2070 People’s Encyclopedia Zine Making Workshop
It has been 50 years since the historic Civil Rights/Liberation Movements of the 1960s and 1970s. In this workshop, participants will imagine themselves 55 years in the future, and engage in writing entries for the 2070 People’s Encyclopedia about current issues/events now, as a way of imagining how the world today can lead to the world we want. At the end, each participant will have a zine made during the workshop to take with them.