Women Navigating the New Normal: Exploring Prison Re-Entry

How we tell the stories about ourselves, traumatic or otherwise, can be used to categorize us in ways that are not always equitable. Are marginalized groups expected to share traumatic experiences when dealing with institutions of power? Join sociologist, Aya Waller-Bey, community engagement storyteller Mike Keo, and Andrus Awardee Betty Bajek to explore what’s contributing to this issue, why it hurts us all, and how we can best address it.

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A world without housing insecurity. A realistic goal? Only if we better understand the inter-related array of steps that can lead to its elimination. Deepen your understanding and broaden your perspectives of this critical issue with the help of panelists Kellyann Day, CEO of New Reach, social worker Antwan Nedd, New Haven Housing Authority Director Karen DuBois-Walton, community organizer Billy Bromage, and New Reach's vice chair board member Aisha Bello.

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Artificial intelligence has been both idolized and demonized. Some have welcomed it into their businesses. Others fear it will destroy our lives. This lively presentation will help you take a fresh, informed, balanced look at how AI is impacting our lives now...and what we can do to ensure it will continue to be a force for good in the future. Speakers include Dr. Anat Lior, Bonnie Kaplan, and Michael Lynch. Moderated by CT Public’s Lucy Nalpathanchil.

This event was recorded live on June 17, 2023.

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Join us for a Behind the Actor's Studio-style interview with powerhouse practitioners in social change and cultural equity! Grantmakers in the Arts President Eddie Torres will be joined by Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre Founder and Artistic Director Rosalba Rolón in a session that will engage personal narrative to illuminate pathways of activism in the performing arts. Listen in as Eddie and Rosalba grapple with the tension between the individual and the societal as related to decisions on cultural values and funding. Come curious. Leave inspired.

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Amelia Winger-Bearskin showcases her art and science storytelling work and demonstrates how new technologies can help preserve and engage with ancestral knowledge. Discover how innovative formats can engage future generations. Additionally, Amelia discusses how her collaborations with scientists have enriched her artistic practice.

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The fight to save the planet begins with the drive to safeguard our towns. Learn how to do that in this discussion with climate change experts Bruni Pizarro and James O’Donnell. Moderated by John Dankosky, this panel will break down big concepts like climate justice and migration patterns into the effects on sea levels and storm water across Connecticut’s cities and towns. Just the kind of environmental insights you need to take smarter local actions.

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Join author and award-winning journalist Ari Berman and award-winning scholar, educator, and author, Khalilah Brown-Dean, for a discussion on the history and contemporary relevance of voting rights. Berman is the author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America and Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics. Brown's book Identity Politics in the United States traces the confluence of public policy, law, and institutional design in structuring political divisions.

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American troubadour Shawn Taylor draws from his expertise in mythology, theater, and pop culture to discuss fandom that radicalizes for change. Fandoms—communities that form around common interests, often entertainment series like Harry Potter, Star Trek, or the Marvel films—capture the hearts and minds of millions across the globe. How do we harness that enthusiasm for social change?

Shawn Taylor
Shawn is the creator and was the host of the top-rated podcast, “Surviving Creativity.” He’s a founding author of www.thenerdsofcolor.org, and a founding organizer of The Black and Brown Comix Arts Festival. Shawn is a recognized scholar and sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator in the areas of pop culture and participatory culture studies, mythology, folk and netlore, experimental theater and media studies. He was also a Senior Fellow with the Pop Culture Collaborative focusing on the transformative social power of fandom. Currently he works as a coach and consultant for individual creatives and organizations, and is a university lecturer. Shawn coined the term “Oakanda” to link 2018’s “Black Panther” film and the revolutionary history and spirit of Oakland, CA. His latest project, “Afrofuturism: A Cartography” is a multimedia work that will be released in 2022.

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Strike a pose! Drag performer and Beyoncé impersonator Miss Shalae and ball performer Aishah “Spyder” Murray discuss the roots of ball culture, an art form that originated in the queer and trans BIPOC community in the late 19th century. Today’s ball attendees dance, vogue, and serve looks in a range of fashion styles. If you loved FX’s hit Pose, a drama spotlighting the legends, icons, and ferocious house mothers of New York’s underground balls, this talk is for you.

Michell'e Michaels - Beyonce Impersonator
Michell’e Michaels is a Bay Area native. Born and raised in Oakland California. She is known as the “#1 Beyonce impersonator in the world.” She has lit stages on fire from California to Paris leaving ashes behind. She is an artist in her own right as she uses Beyoncé’s music to tell a story and share a message from a black woman of trans experience perspective. Michell’e is a staple in the ballroom community as the overall mother and co-founder of the Haus of Basquiat and prides herself in helping educate the community by working with nonprofits on issues faced by the LGBT people.

Aishah "Spyder" Murray - Ball performer
Spyder is an internationally known Legend deemed for Old Way and Women’s Performance. Former mother of a prestigious Ballroom house From NYC, Spyder is an androgynous woman who is a Temple University graduate with a BA in Film and Media Arts and a graduate of Mohawk Valley Community College with an Associates in Graphic Design. Spyder hopes to change the negative images of her community in mass media on stage and behind the camera and also bring them to the big screen. She believes that her family, spiritual beliefs, working hard, truly going for what you want, and never taking no for an answer is the key to her success! A member of mainstream Ballroom for over 10 years, the Kiki scene, and the WBT scene she holds a host of knowledge that she hopes to share in order to inspire the next generation of Ballroom and those she inspires.

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An honest discussion about the difficulties women face when returning home after prison, between Babz Rawls-Ivy and Tiheba Bain, who have been through the experience.

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