the cosmic matter of Black lives

64 College St,Providence RI 02912

21 October, 2022

Description

It’s no coincidence that we are facing the greatest climate crisis in modern human history at the same time as our collective reckoning around the persistent lineages of racial injustice which founded this nation. The violence, exploitation, and degradation of the natural world has occurred in tandem with the violence, exploitation and degradation of Black people and other marginalized people across the globe. In this ritual performance, anchored by writings from her forthcoming book, the cosmic matter of Black lives, alumni Cherise Morris ‘16 explores the ways ancestral wisdoms and a reconnection with indigenous and diasporic nature-based healing practice can guide us forward into a future of ecological harmony and racial justice. Cherise Morris (Brown ‘16) is an award-winning writer, interdisciplinary performance artist, ritualist, spirit worker and healer born and raised in rural Virginia and living in Detroit, MI. Merging writing, poetry, prayer, ritual and performance, Cherise’s work strives to connect us through a shared sense of humanity and affirm and uplift us in our journeys of individual healing and collective transformation. Her writing and multidisciplinary performance work has been supported by a host of regional and national organizations, including the Knight Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, Red Bull Arts, Allied Media Projects, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Poets & Writers, and PEN America. Her essays have twice been recognized as notable works of literary nonfiction in Best American Essays 2018 and Best American Essays 2019. She is currently at work on her first book.