Reading Groups: Jaamil Olawale Kosoko’s American Chameleon: The Living Installments
Credits: Jaamil Olawale Kosoko | Photo Courtesy Jaamil Olawale Kosoko and EMPAC

TBA:20 INSTITUTE

Reading Groups: Jaamil Olawale Kosoko’s American Chameleon: The Living Installments


 

Dates

Wednesday, September 9, 4-5:30 PM PDT

Wednesday, September 16, 4-5:30 PM PDT

Wednesday, September 23, 4-5:30 PM PDT


 

Format

Private Zoom (link and password to be sent to pre-registrants in advance of session)

 

Capacity

Limited to 15 Portland participants, 15 Philadelphia participants per session.

 

Description

As an extension of Jaamil Olawale Kosoko’s project American Chameleon: The Living Installments, PICA and co-presenting organization FringeArts (Philadelphia, PA) are offering intimate, facilitated reading groups for deeper engagement with the academic and analytical texts that have influenced Kosoko’s work. Following Kosoko’s Syllabus for Peace, 15 participants from Portland and 15 from Philadelphia will read and discuss a selection from the syllabus that reflects on the influences of White supremacy and institutional racism on Black and Brown bodies, and the work ahead to imagine restorative and justice-filled futures. Participants will gather with guest facilitators Malkia Okech and Amalia Dache (Philadelphia) and Lisa Jarrett (Portland) to hear a short presentation on the text, split into discussion groups by city, and then return to a larger group for broader conversation. 

 

Details

The registration deadline for all sessions is 24 hours in advance of the session you wish to join. Audiences may only register for one of the three sessions so as to allow as many individuals as possible to participate. BIPOC+ will be prioritized, with particular priority for Black folks. White folks are welcome to send a registration inquiry and will be admitted if space is available at the deadline. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to self-organize reading groups using this syllabus, or explore on your own.

To Register: Email chameleon@pica.org and provide: 

1) Your name

2) Session date you wish to register for - include alternate(s) if your first choice is not available 

3) Confirmation that you are based in the Portland, OR area

4) Whether or not you identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or as a Person of Color (feel free to elaborate if you wish)

5) 2-3 sentences about why you would like to participate in this reading group 

 

You will receive a confirmation email within a few days indicating whether or not we were able to register you. If you are invited to participate, we will ask you for a bit more information so we can thoughtfully prepare for your engagement, including your gender pronouns and accessibility needs. A Zoom link and password will also be provided at this time. If you have questions, please email chameleon@pica.org and a member of our team will get back to you shortly!