Black and Indigenous Futures: Aligning Our Visions and Activism

ArtsEmerson, HowlRound, and participants gathered for the Black and Indigenous Futures Convening on Thursday 21 September 2023 at 10 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. EDT (Boston, UTC -4) for a discussion that explored visions of activism, advocacy, co-leadership, and solidarity in Afro-Indigenous, Black, and Indigenous futures. This conversation was moderated by David C. Howse and will feature Federico Cuatlacuatl, Kasey Jernigan, and Dr. Tiffany Lethabo King.

This event was part of the Black and Indigenous Futures Convening, which brings together artists, scholars, educators, and practitioners to unearth history, examine fault lines, and imagine new and different futures. This gathering, produced by ArtsEmerson in partnership with HowlRound Theatre Commons, is one piece of a larger ArtsEmerson initiative that seeks to activate a liberated future in Boston through the shared experience of art and public dialogue. This convening is supported by the Barr Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the Panelists

Federico Cuatlacuatl (he/him) is an artist born in Coapan, Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. He is currently based in Charlottesville, Virginia and is an assistant professor in the Department of Art at the University of Virginia. Federico's work is invested in disseminating topics of Nahua Indigenous immigration, social art practice, and cultural sustainability. Building from his own experience growing up as an undocumented immigrant and previously holding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, Federico’s creative practice centers the intersectionality of indigeneity and immigration under a pressing Anthropocene. At the core of his most recent research and artistic production is the intersection of transborder indigeneity, migrant Indigenous diasporas, and Nahua futurisms. Federico’s independent film productions have been screened in national and international film festivals and exhibitions. As founder and director of the Rasquache Artist Residency in Puebla, Mexico, he actively stays involved in socially engaged works and binational endeavors.

Kasey Jernigan (she/her/they/them) is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and an assistant professor in the departments of American Studies and Anthropology. Her work links historical trauma with contemporary experiences of structural violence to make sense of disparate health outcomes among Indigenous peoples. She teaches courses on Native American and Indigenous Studies that address #MMIR, settler colonialism, and land-based health.

Dr. Tiffany Lethabo King (she/her) is the Barbara and John Glynn Research Associate Professor of Democracy and Equity at the University of Virginia. She is faculty in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. King is the author of The Black Shoals: Offshore Formations of Black and Native Studies and is a co-editor of the collection Otherwise Worlds: Against Settler Colonialism and Anti Blackness. King is also a co-director at the Black and Indigenous Feminist Futures Institute, a project funded by the Mellon Foundation. King's research and programmatic work focuses on strengthening existing Black and Native relations and creating new possibilities for collaboration.

About the Moderator

David C. Howse (he/him) was named one of the one hundred most influential people in Boston, is a recognized speaker and commentator on the arts and social integration, and for over a decade has been a leader in the nonprofit arts and culture sector. In his role as vice president of the Office of the Arts at Emerson College and executive director of ArtsEmerson, Howse is fiscally, administratively, and programmatically responsible for multiple cultural venues in Boston's downtown Theatre District. David serves on the boards of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Norman Rockwell Museum, and White Snake Projects. He also serves on the board of advisors for Eastern Bank, Boston Landmarks Orchestra and as co-chair of the advisory council of the New England Foundation for the Arts. Howse has received numerous awards for his innovative leadership and civic contributions including the Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres decoration by the French Government and being named one of Boston's Most Influential People of Color.

About ArtsEmerson

ArtsEmerson is the professional presenting and producing organization at Emerson College based in the heart of downtown Boston. Founded in 2010—the year the United States Census confirmed there was no single cultural majority in Boston—we set out to foster positive change in this historically segregated city. ArtsEmerson aims to tear down traditional cultural divisions and connect people across difference. In addition to presenting work on stage and screen, ArtsEmerson seeks to advance civic discourse in our city by producing impactful opportunities for conversation and connection.

About HowlRound

HowlRound is a free and open platform for theatremakers worldwide that amplifies progressive and disruptive ideas about the art form and facilitates connection between diverse practitioners. HowlRound functions as a knowledge commons, a social structure that invites open participation around shared values. HowlRound regularly produces convenings that bring folx together around critical field issues.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based, peer-produced, open-access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world’s performing-arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and develop our knowledge commons collectively. Anyone can participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected] or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal. View the video archive of past events.