All Events
Book Reading
As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial, A Graphic Novel
Online
The goal is to create a space to read and unpack articles, PDFs, e-books, etc written by and for communities at the margins. There will be a specific focus on race/racism; colonialism and capitalism, (eco) feminisms from below, environmental justice, and coalition building/solidarity networks.
Participants will be asked to read the texts beforehand, and will be given a couple guiding questions; however, you can still join even if you have not read the material or answered the questions! Please email Abire Sabbagh, asabbagh@ucsb.edu , if you need access to the readings.
Cup of Culture
BAKOSÓ: Afrobeats of Cuba
Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi: Producer/Director, Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi: Co-Producer, Isnay “Dj Jigüe” Rodriguez
MCC Theater
Bakosó: AfroBeats of Cuba is a groundbreaking documentary that weaves the story of Cuban DJ and Producer Isnay Rodriguez, also known as DJ Jigue, and the creation of an entirely new genre. Stunning visuals and a vibrant score pulls the audience beyond the screen and into a story of this dynamic musical fusion.
Post film discussion and Q&A with Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi: Producer/Director, Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi: Co-Producer, Isnay “Dj Jigüe” Rodriguez.
Bios:
Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Producer/Director. Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi is a graduate of UC Berkeley. He received his MA degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Eli is an internationally-recognized and award-winning filmmaker. He is the co-founder and director of FistUp.TV, an international media platform uplifting and telling stories from underrepresented communities across the world. His work has circulated through National Broadcast: Free Speech TV, Teaching Channel, and PBS. Currently, Eli lives in Puerto Rico and is working on his new film “We Still Here,” a story of resilience and recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane María. His dedication to his craft is deeply connected to his commitment to social justice and the belief in the transformative power of film.
Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Co-Producer. Kahlil is a producer at Clenched Fist Productions- a media company dedicated to documenting the use of music as a tool for social justice. He has teamed up with his brother Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi on three award-winning documentary films- Bakosó being the most recent. Kahlil completed his Bachelors Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from UC Berkeley and a Masters Degree in Education and Technology from the University of San Francisco. His vision is to continue creating media, documentaries, and curriculum that speaks to the lived experiences of the African diaspora.
Isnay “Dj Jigüe” Rodriguez. Originally from Santiago de Cuba, DJ Jigüe is the founder of the Cuban independent urban music label, Guámpara Music, which is a pillar of both the hip hop and electronic music scenes in Cuba. DJ Jigüe is a pioneer of Afro-Cuban and electronic fusion, and has performed on stages across the world including at Brooklyn’s AfroLatino Festival, WOMEX in Poland and the Gilles Peterson Subelo Cuba tour this past fall. He calls his style afro-futuristic, and his signature cowboy hat make him known as somewhat of an Afrofuturistic Space Guajiro.
Diversity Lecture Series
Black Lives, Indigenous Lives: From Mattering to Thriving
Andrew Jolivette
Online
What can we learn from Black and Indigenous history, activism, and contemporary stewardship efforts in order to transform higher education, health, policing, and other Western institutions? This dialogue will examine and discuss major points of cultural and historic community convergence between Black and Indigenous Peoples with a focus on contemporary movements such as Black Lives Matter and Idle No More and the dismantling of racist statues, images, and mascots. Dr. Andrew Jolivétte will explore what these movements mean for enacting justice interventions and moving towards thrivance circuity, kinship building, self-determination, and abolition as transformational modes of joy production and ceremonial stewardship.
Co sponsors: Office of equity, diversity and inclusion and Office of Equal Opportunity & Discrimination Prevention, RCSGD.
Race Matters Series
Black Panther Party Community Survival Programs
Ericka Huggins
Online
Ericka Huggins is a human rights activist, poet, educator, Black Panther leader, and former political prisoner. For the past FORTY years, she has lectured throughout the United States and internationally. Her extraordinary life experiences have enabled her to speak personally and eloquently on issues relating to the physical and emotional well-being of women, children and youth; whole being education; over incarceration; and the role of spiritual practice in sustaining activism and promoting change.
