Saturday, June 15, 4-6pm
Presented by Adee Roberson
Max 40 participants
Free / RSVP

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As long as Native experiences are “lamentable, but not grievable,” communities living in diaspora in Indigenous homelands cannot fully reckon with complexities of distinct and mutual marginalization or directly engage with ongoing or suspended moments of occupation. [1] These conversations (or lack thereof) become heightened during iterations of displacement and gentrification; calling arrivant and diasporic communities into action to maintain storied and lived spaces like neighborhoods in ways that often misses opportunities for collaboration that also respectfully engages the continued dispossession of Indigenous peoples and the original stories of place(s).

Speaking from her own context as tasitʸuyu yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini (a woman of yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe, San Luis Obispo County), living at xučyun (Oakland) nitspu chochenyo ktitʸu (in the land/world of the Chochenyo-speaking people) and as a visitor nitspu yaanga ktitʸu (in the land/world of the people of Yaanga [Los Angeles], Tongva homelands), Sarah Biscarra Dilley will share historical, lived, and contemporary contexts on the political lives of Indigenous peoples whose homelands are situated in what is now known as California, sharing acorn cake and in conversation with the practice of artist in residence, Adee Roberson, that speaks across saltwater.

Notes:

[1]  “The lamentable is pitiable, but not remediable. It is past and regrettable. Grieving, on the other hand, calls people to acknowledge, to see, and to grapple with lived lives and the commensurable suffering,” from Jodi Byrd (Chickasaw) in The Transit of Empire: Indigenous Critiques of Colonialism. First Peoples, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2011. p. 38.

Sarah Biscarra Dilley (b. 1986, unceded Nisenan land) is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, writer, educator and member of the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash tribe currently residing in xučyun (Oakland), the unceded homeland of the Chochenyo Ohlone people. Her interdisciplinary process is grounded in collaboration across experiences, communities, and place. Relating unceded land throughout nitspu tiłhin ktitʸu, the State of California, and places joined by shared water, her written and visual texts connect extractive industries, absent treaties, and enclosure to emphasize movement, resilience, sovereignty, and self-determination.

Adee Roberson was born in West Palm Beach, Florida in 1981. Her work weaves sonic and familial archives with landscape, technicolor, rhythm, form, and spirit. She is the WCCW’s artist in residence for Summer 2019.

Accessibility information for this event: WCCW has a 36” wide ramp at our front entrance and a stairway with 8 steps and a rail. There are 2 gender neutral restrooms. One restroom is wheelchair accessible, with a handrail. We provide scent free soaps and encourage guests to attend our events scent free. If you require ASL interpretation, CART, interpretation for a language other than English, supervised childcare, or have any other access needs or questions, please contact [email protected] at least two weeks in advance. It is our practice to do everything we can to create a safe and accessible space.

Childcare for this event: We do our best to provide low-cost, on-site childcare for our events when requested at least a week in advance. If you are interested in childcare for this event, please fill out this form.

*All members get 20% off paid programming. A limited number of free spots are also available for Warrior & Goddess level members. Email [email protected] to inquire about free tickets.

Our program costs go directly towards compensation of the instructors and staffers who work the event. We want to make programming as accessible as possible to anyone who is interested, however, so we offer volunteer opportunities in exchange for membership, as well as free community tickets to each program (number varies depending on capacity of the class). Email [email protected] for more info or to find out more about these opportunities for a specific event.