No Studios will bring artistic flair and guests from across the country to social justice summit
Talis Shelbourne
A program to illuminate some of the intractable issues facing Milwaukee wouldn't typically call to mind African drumming, a string quartet, a movie screening, spoken word performances and dance.
But that's precisely what is happening Friday and Saturday, as artists, performers and social justice advocates from New York City to Los Angeles unite in Milwaukee for an event called "Art Activated."
Panelists at what organizers call the social justice summit will include Indian-American actress, feminist and humanitarian Freida Pinto; former Milwaukee federal agent, lawyer and homeless advocate Faith Kohler; and Jane Ekayu, the Ugandan founder of Children of Peace, an organization that helps child soldiers recover from trauma.
It’s all got the flair of a Hollywood production — and it should.
The event is the brainchild of John Ridley and Lisa Caesar.
Ridley is a Milwaukee native who won an Academy Award in 2014 for the film “12 Years A Slave,” and created the television show "American Crime."
In 2018, he founded the creative arts space No Studios as a give-back to his hometown.
RELATED:No Studios, Milwaukee's new creative arts hub, opens its doors with a plan and pragmatism
His sister, Lisa Caesar, is the chief operating officer of the company. She pulled the logistics together for this week's event.
The summit is meant to make those in and outside Milwaukee aware of some of the city’s challenges, the resilience of its residents and ways they can help.
For example, the film screening of "Blood Is at the Doorstep" is about the death of Dontre Hamilton. After the screening, Maria Hamilton, Dontre’s mother and the founder of Mothers for Justice United, will give a talk.
Ridley said he hopes hearing from those affected by issues such as police violence will remind people that behind every social justice topic is a person.
"We want to remind people that these aren’t just subjects; there are people enduring these issues every day," he said.
Artists will take the stage between different panels, featuring performances from spoken word artist Destinny Fletcher, the youth organization True Skool, Ko-Thi Dance Company and others.
As she considered how best to combine self-expression and social justice, the word that came to Caesar's mind was “experiential.”
“We’re hoping that by allowing people to open up to these experiences, that it will also help them be in a position to be open to the panelists,” she said.
Caesar said the event will also emphasize Sankofa. The word originated in Ghana and translates as “to go back and get.” Both she and Ridley said they try to exemplify the importance of bringing success and resources back to the city that produced them.
Kweku Ramel Akyirefi Smith, a leading mental health professional in the African American community and the summit's master of ceremonies, agreed.
“We lead the country in multiple negative social determinants that affect health and lifestyles,” he said. “It is imperative that those from this community become the vanguard to finding a balm to help soothe these pangs.”
Caesar and Ridley said hosting the summit was important because Milwaukee’s challenges are impossible to ignore and as Ridley put it, “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
Putting the summit together was a yearlong effort and a realization of No Studio’s mandate: using artistic expression to raise awareness about important issues, celebrate successes and inspire improvement.
“I think we are, unfortunately, living in an era where people are trying to take the concept of social justice and make it a pejorative, but it’s people who are trying to make a positive change,” Ridley said.
In addition to the speakers and panelists, No Studios is highlighting its new web-based platform, which will allow community organizations to interact with one other, so they can develop integrated solutions.
“We really want to dig into issues that people are facing and build infrastructure for those working on them daily; we can turn Milwaukee into a destination of problem-solvers,” Ridley said.
Ridley and Caesar said they hope people leave the event realizing Milwaukee residents are dedicated to making the city a better place.
“We don’t want this (event) to just be a one-off,” Caesar said. “We would love for this to be part of an ongoing process.”
If you go:
Community organizations can register here. For more information on parking, performers and other information, No Studios has created a brochure for the event and this page on their website.
Contact Talis Shelbourne at (414) 223-5261 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseer and Facebook at @talisseer.
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