Equity Workshop
Join us for a workshop on equity in Austin and the arts. We are proud to have Angelica Benton-Molina, a member of Undoing Racism Austin, lead this workshop, which will focus primarily on using history and culture as a vehicle to amplify an antiracist narrative.
Angelica is committed to the amplification and up lifting of youth voices. She believes that education should give young people a sense of their own inner strength as well as the tools to make informed and healthy choices that allow them to grow in organic and authentic ways. Using history and culture as some of the guiding principles in promoting antiracist leadership development and growth.
Angelica has worked with young people around various social justice issues using an antiracist lens and framework since she was an adolescent. As part of the People’s Youth Agenda in the late 90’s, she helped facilitate the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond principles and workshop concepts to youth ages 9-17 in New Orleans. After receiving her Master’s degree in Acupuncture and Chinese Traditional Medicine, Angelica became interested in reproductive health with a focus on women’s health and fertility.
This path has lead Angelica to understand the inextricable correlation between racism and reproductive health and fuel her desire to work with youth around reproductive health and social justice. She does this as a Public Health Educator and a facilitator for various organizations.
Currently she is facilitating a History, Culture and Organizing Class, preparing to host the 3rd year of Undoing Racism Youth Workshops and working towards launching Austin's first Freedom Summer School.
Big Medium believes empowering artists and arts administrators to be allies and advocates for equity will strengthen our community as a whole and create positive outcomes for all.
From Undoing Racism Austin:
Everyday another story is played out in the news and in our lives that is connected to racism. Racism is imbedded into the fabric of society so deeply that it often becomes invisible, hiding in our unconscious habits of everyday interaction. It operates within our our city government and all of the city, county and state agencies and well as every other institution in our lives. And it impacts our communities differently, based primarily on race. The experience of African Americans and those of European Descent aka white people can play out radically differently everyday, with each interaction benefiting those with the most privilege.
Who Is the Elephant? – Racism in all its conscious and unconscious forms.
When we can begin to talk about racism and make it conscious and visible, we can interrupt and change those patterns and polices of oppression that are creating disproportionality and disparity.