Oree Originol/Favianna.com
CultureStrike has partnered with The Sound Strike to produce a cultural festival in Tucson, Arizona that will feature some of the country’s most amazing artists and activists on Friday, August 31. There will be appearances by Jasiri X, Invincible, DJ Dirty Verbs, and Favianna Rodriguez. In addition, we will be showcasing the work of artists such as Julio Salgado, Dignidad Rebelde, Justseeds, Ernesto Yerena, and more. The event will highlight the indispensable role artists play in the immigrant rights movement, and how our cultural work can lead to social change.
CultureStrike has its foundations in Arizona. Last year, CultureStrike took a delegation of about 50 artists to Tucson. By taking artists to Arizona—ground zero for the anti-migrant crisis—we were able to give them the opportunity to witness first-hand the drastic effects of broken immigration policy, and the costs it has on individuals, on local communities, and on society at large. The trip inspired artists in a way that a policy report or news article could not. It was a transformational experience, and it helped all of us as artists to envision creative solutions to how we may begin to shift this reality.
One of our goals at CultureStrike has been to bring artists to those areas that are most affected by anti-migrant policy, as well as to inspire artists to develop pro-migrant content in the cultural work that they do. For example, one of the featured artists in this upcoming show, Jasiri X, is an emcee and activist at the forefront of calling out the police violence that exists against the Black community. We are excited to bring Jasiri X to Arizona because we want to connect the dots between the atrocities committed by the prison-industrial complex, the military-industrial complex, and anti-immigrant legislation. We want to show how unjust laws and policies not only target young Black men, but immigrants as well—all to make a profit in their subhuman jails.
We also seek to create a model for getting artists engaged in the pro-migrant movement in a way that really leverages the creative work they are already doing. So often artists are instrumentalized and viewed as people who can execute a plan, who can play a show or create artwork for free. Instead, we want to bring artists in at the ground level and help them to develop strategies to shift the imagination and to really touch people’s heart space. We want artists to learn about local and national immigration struggles, and to develop a long-term commitment to the cause.
We want this moment to inspire other artists, writers, musicians, dancers, comedians and cultural workers around the country to join the pro-migrant movement. We want artists to understand their indispensable role in creating a new vision for where we are headed. Just as movements have a communications track and grassroots organizing track, we also need a cultural track in order to really win. We are calling out to artists countrywide to get involved in migrant justice. Join us, support us! You don’t have to be in Tucson! You can follow us and Tweet us and stay tuned for more events happening all across the country.
TUCSON STAND UP!
An Arts Festival for Migrant Justice
August 31, 2012
MUSIC. ART. DANCE
@ SKRAPPYS 191 E. Toole. Tucson$5 – $10 ADMISSION. ALL AGES
5 PM Festival Opens 6:30 PM Showtime
Art Exhibit @ Studio One. 197 E. Toole