Black Seeds School: Cohort 7 Application
APPLY BY September 17, 2023, at 11:59 pm PT.
TYPE: Training
CATEGORY: Movement Building
LOCATION: Old Town, Portland, Oregon
COST: Free
DATES:
Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday,. October 18, 2023, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday, October 19, 2023, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday, October 20, 2023, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM
OVERVIEW
The Black Seeds School is a five-day training cohort designed to build the capacity of Black movement organizers, activists, and strategists; and, most importantly, contribute to the critical mass required to sustain our movement.
Black Seeds is a school within Imagine Black's Black Leadership Academy (BLA). The BLA has trained over 115 Black leaders and graduated six cohorts. Through the Black Leadership Academy, Imagine Black works to build a cohort of transformative Black leaders who see themselves as kin—a collective, critical mass fighting behind, for, and with one another.
Recognizing that several of you will be participating in the Black Seeds School through other organizations, Imagine Black is pleased to offer a restricted number of needs-based stipends. Please specify in your application if a stipend would help eliminate any obstacles to your full participation.
This cohort is intended for people of African descent. If you do not identify as Black, please do not apply for this cohort.
WHO IS THIS school FOR?
The Black Seeds School is for people 21 and older who identify as Black or of the African Diaspora and can travel to the training location in Old Town neighborhood, Portland, Oregon, within the below dates. Room and board are not available. *Imagine Black will share the address upon acceptance into the school.
Unapologetic: Participants should be bold, progressive Black leaders who want to learn a framework rooted in Black radical imagination and with a Black Queer Feminist Lens.
Community Focused: Our ideal participants believe that Black people and families are experts in their lives and the solutions needed to build a better future for themselves and each other.
Involved in movement work: We seek to support Black organizers who are currently part of an organizing effort or are seeking to strengthen their organizing practice through base-building strategies.
Diverse: The Black Seeds School profoundly embraces diversity. We know that Oregon can be experienced and approached differently by Black folks based on one's culture, gender, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, or even how long one has lived here. We understand that these differences matter. There are as many ways of being Black as there are Black people, but the experience of being Black unites us. That is why we are committed to building a cohort that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills within the African diaspora.
EXPECTATIONS
Our ideal participants will attend 100% of the sessions to reap the most benefit from the programming. However, we know that circumstances may require your attention during the training. We ask that each participant attend 80% of the sessions.
We expect each participant to arrive at each session on time, participate actively in activities, and display self-reliance in learning.
INSTRUCTORS
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EKUNDAYO IGELEKE (he/him) is a Popular educator, culture worker, national strategist, grassroots organizer and writer. He currently is Resource Generation's Multi Racial Basebuilding Strategist and the founding Creative-in-Chief of Culture Dream Lab. In 2013, he organized his first Freedom School site to address the needs of an entire community by using education as a tool for liberation.
In 2014, Ekundayo became a member of the National Juvenile Justice Network through the Youth Justice Leadership program where he co-launched a Freedom School program inside of three youth correctional facilities in Ohio from 2014-2016 to decrease the re-entry rate and empower system-involved youth. In 2015, he was a part of the core team of The Peoples Justice Project focusing on base building and leadership development toward the decriminalization of the Black working class and the abolition of the prison industry.
Additionally, he was the Executive Director for the University District Freedom School, focusing on youth activism/organizing, parent liberation, and organizing toward restorative practices in all learning spaces. Ekundayo is currently an executive board member of the Maroon Arts Group in Columbus, Ohio, is an adjunct trainer with re:power, and co lead organizer with Black Men Build Columbus.
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DANITA HARRIS (they/them) is a native Portlander who calls the King neighborhood their first home. Their long-time activism has focused on LGBTQIA+ rights, worker’s rights, Black liberation, economic justice, and building an inclusive democracy that brings communities closer to decision-makers and ensures that decision-makers are not insulated from the issues impacting their constituencies.
Danita has lived throughout the Willamette Valley in both urban and rural communities and graduated from Western Oregon University with a degree in Social Sciences. Danita’s organizing history includes the WomXn’s March 2018 in Salem, OR, serving as Regional Field Director for the mid-Willamette Valley’s Yes on 97 Campaign and State Director of the Oregon Working Families Party, and working directly with State Representatives, Senate hopefuls and elected officials throughout Oregon.
When not organizing, Danita enjoys gardening and spending time with their family, which consists of two mixed-breed rescue dogs, two cats, and their partner Caitlin. With a passion for learning, Danita can be found expanding their knowledge by reading books, watching documentaries, visiting community museums, or engaging in robust and heartfelt conversation.
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IMAGINE BLACK (formerly known as PAALF Action Fund) helps our Black community imagine the alternatives we deserve and build our political participation and leadership to achieve those alternatives. Since our start in 2009, we have envisioned a world where people of African descent enjoy the rights, resources, and recognition to be a thriving, resilient, and connected community.
At Imagine Black, we have strengthened our commitment to a Black Queer Feminist (BQF) theory and practice. BQF provides a more holistic understanding of our conditions and connectedness as Black people. As a result, we understand that liberation for all Black people can only be realized by lifting up the voices, experiences, and prioritizing the issues of historically silenced and vulnerable groups within Black communities – specifically, queer, trans and GNC, femme, poor, disabled, working, and undocumented people (adapted from BYP100).
Imagine Black Futures is a 501(c)(3) multi-issue grassroots organization in partnership with our sibling 501(c)(4) organization, Imagine Black. More information about Imagine Black can be found at imagineblack.org.
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KEITH TERVALON (he/him) is a seasoned community organizer, was born and raised in Oakland, California. Growing up in a politically conscious family, he was deeply influenced by his mother, Renata Tervalon, who was one of the pioneering members of the Third World Woman's Alliance. This upbringing instilled in Keith a strong sense of community engagement and activism.
Having spent his formative years in East Oakland during the early 90s, Keith witnessed firsthand the impact of the war on drugs, gun violence, underfunded schools, and lack of after-school programs. These challenging circumstances motivated him to become actively involved in community politics.
Keith's journey led him to contribute to numerous impactful campaigns while working as a community outreach advocate for Oakland Rising. His efforts spanned a range of initiatives, from advocating for the removal of the "have you ever committed a felony" question from job applications (also known as "Ban the Box") in Oakland, to championing the implementation of ranked-choice voting. He also played a pivotal role in raising the city's minimum wage to $17 per hour and in the election of Oakland's first Asian American Mayor.
APPLY NOW
To be considered, applications must be submitted through this online portal by September 17 at 11:59 p.m. PT at imagineblackaction.com/cohort-7-apply.
Once you've submitted your application, an acknowledgment email will be sent to you. Virtual interviews are scheduled to occur from September 19 to 29, 2023.
Questions? Don't hesitate to get in touch with Danita at danita@imagineblack.org