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Collaboraction presents A Letter to My Younger Self by Ada Cheng Cheng, a Chicago storyteller, educator and producer, shares a story about a series of emails with a young Asian American student who experienced a racist incident related to Covid-19. How does one overcome cultural conditioning and respond to bias and prejudice stemming from anti-Asian racism in the midst of the pandemic? How does one build solidarity with others in times of crisis and injustice? A Letter to My Younger Self is a part of the Peacebook Visions of Peace program features 5 videos about peace by Chicago artists. Peacebook is a part of Collaboraction's We Still Dream campaign that includes Lift Every Voice (premiering on Oct. 23, 24 and 25th) and The Utopian Ball on Nov. 14th. Go to collaboraction.org for tickets, bios, to become a member of the Together Network and to make a donation to support this work. Collaboraction's mission is to incite social change through artistic projects with deep community collaboration and engagement that cultivate knowledge, empathy, dialogue and change. A new video will be released to Collaboraction's YouTube Channel and Facebook page each day for 10 days starting Oct. 19, 2020. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to this page to see them all. *CONTENT NOTICE: HARASSMENT*

Oh, Colonizers is a Masterpiece Theatre styled satire hosted by self-proclaimed Cultural Historian of Black Joy Carla Stillwell. Oh, Colonizers unpacks the way white people throughout America’s history have spread "oppression mayonnaise" over countless Black and Brown people. In this episode, we look at the period after the Civil War when America had a choice between emancipation, reconciliation and capitalism. With the help of a metaphorical World Colonization game show and KAREN inspired commercials, Oh, Colonizers connects the dots between capitalism and the insurrection of January 6, 2021 with historical accuracy and enough comedy to help the medicine go down. Join the online screening of the pilot episode of Oh Colonizers on the one-year anniversary of the Capitol Insurrection on Thursday, January 6, 2022 at 7 p.m. CST on ZOOM! Tickets are $6 or FREE with a CollaborActivist Membership! Visit www.collaboraction.org/oh-colonizers for more information!

Collaboraction presents Back To Me by Darling Squire Squire, a Black trans woman, dancer and choreographer, fuses dance and poetry to pay homage to the music of her youth that has served as the foundation of her choreographic language. The days when dance was new to her and she would spend hours dancing in the studio, flying above the clouds and frolicking with the birds and bees like the winds whirling through the trees. Back To Me is a part of the Visions of Peace program of the 5th annual Peacebook Festival which features 5 videos about peace by Chicago artists. Peacebook is a part of Collaboraction's We Still Dream campaign that includes Lift Every Voice (premiering on Oct. 23, 24 and 25th) and The Utopian Ball on Nov. 14th. Go to collaboraction.org for tickets, bios, to become a member of the Together Network and to make a donation to support this work. Collaboraction's mission is to incite social change through artistic projects with deep community collaboration and engagement that cultivate knowledge, empathy, dialogue and change. A new video will be released to Collaboraction's YouTube Channel and Facebook page each day for 10 days starting Oct. 19, 2020. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to this page to see them all.

And now for our third artist spotlight of The Light! Meet Phallon and Kyra Pierce, mentored by Dana Anderson. Through dance, the Pierce twins examine the struggles of racism and injustice experienced by people of color, specifically African Americans. Get to know them and their social justice cause: representation, equity, and justice for all. The Light is Collaboraction’s youth mentorship program, focusing resources on the development of 6 youth artist-activists. Each of them is paired with a professional artistic mentor in order to foster, guide, and coach their voice development as much as possible in both their art and social justice cause of choice. Thank you for joining us this week in watching our artist spotlights of The Light! Please like and share and keep an eye out for the full documentary on The Light, coming to a screen near you in 2022! If you would like to support The Light and the continued production of this work, please consider becoming a CollaborActivist for as little as $1 a month. Your gift will help us continue to provide a platform for diverse voices that incite change in Chicago and beyond. For more information, visit collaboraction.org

Collaboraction presents I Used To Write With My Left Hand by Luzzo in Collaboration with Farbota Luzzo, a queer actor, dancer and choreorgrapher, debuts his new dance theater work about generational trauma caused by homophobia within Chicago’s South side Irish Catholic community, particularly how it affected Luzzo and his older queer relatives. I Used To Write With My Left Hand is a part of the Visions of Peace program of the 5th annual Peacebook Festival which features 5 videos about peace by Chicago artists. Peacebook is a part of Collaboraction's We Still Dream campaign that includes Lift Every Voice (premiering on Oct. 23, 24 and 25th) and The Utopian Ball on Nov. 14th. Go to collaboraction.org for tickets, bios, to become a member of the Together Network and to make a donation to support this work. Collaboraction's mission is to incite social change through artistic projects with deep community collaboration and engagement that cultivate knowledge, empathy, dialogue and change. A new video will be released to Collaboraction's YouTube Channel and Facebook page each day for 10 days starting Oct. 19, 2020. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to this page to see them all. *CONTENT NOTICE: SUICIDE AND CHILD ABUSE*

It's time for the final installment of Encounter Englewood! In this episode of our five part documentary “Encounter Englewood” showcasing the life and vibrancy of Englewood through six Change Makers, we showcase Lyana Funches and Pha’tal of Think Outside Da Block! Think Outside Da Block rallies the Englewood community through innovative programming such as the annual Roll N Peace bike ride. On June 19, 2021, Collaboraction shadow and document leaders Lyana Funches and Pha'tal as they coordinate the 2021 Roll N Peace the Roll N Peace bike ride, a communal night bike ride that celebrates Englewood and the community’s amazing spirit. For more information on the mission and work of Think Outside Da Block visit www.thinkoutsidedablock.org and please support them with a donation for the cause! It might be the end of Encounter Englewood Week, but you can watch all the episodes on demand on our YouTube Channel! Make sure to hit subscribe to stay in the loop on all our new work! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCktvzclqkDcN__WCwQcnXEQ If you enjoyed this documentary and would like to support the continued production of this work, please consider becoming a CollaborActivist. You can be a member of our CollaborActivist community for as little as $1 a month. Your gift will help us continue to provide a platform for diverse voices that incite change in Chicago and beyond. For more information, visit collaboraction.org

Here it is--our first artist spotlight of The Light! Meet Marcus Jackson, mentored by Willie Round. Through spoken word, rap, and storytelling, listen to what Marcus has to say about his social justice cause: bringing Christ back to the streets & community empathy. The Light is Collaboraction’s youth mentorship program, focusing resources on the development of 6 youth artist-activists. Each of them is paired with a professional artistic mentor in order to foster, guide, and coach their voice development as much as possible in both their art and social justice cause of choice. If you would like to support The Light and the continued production of this work, please consider becoming a CollaborActivist for as little as $1 a month. Your gift will help us continue to provide a platform for diverse voices that incite change in Chicago and beyond. For more information, visit collaboraction.org

Collaboraction presents Brother! Blackbird by Vernon D. Gooden in collaboration with Ashley Wilkerson What would it be like to meet your past and future versions of yourself? Would present self advise your past self differently? In Brother! Blackbird, Gooden, an activist, choreographer and former Paul Taylor dancer, uses dance and storytelling to explore liberation from cages and themes of identity, including sexuality, gender, race, culture and faith. Brother! Blackbird is a part of the Visions of Peace program of the 5th annual Peacebook Festival which features 5 videos about peace by Chicago artists. Peacebook is a part of Collaboraction's We Still Dream campaign that includes Lift Every Voice (premiering on Oct. 23, 24 and 25th) and The Utopian Ball on Nov. 14th. Go to collaboraction.org for tickets, bios, to become a member of the Together Network and to make a donation to support this work. Collaboraction's mission is to incite social change through artistic projects with deep community collaboration and engagement that cultivate knowledge, empathy, dialogue and change. A new video will be released to Collaboraction's YouTube Channel and Facebook page each day for 10 days starting Oct. 19, 2020. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to this page to see them all.