Our third Forum will elaborate on several key topics that emerged throughout the pages of Issue 03, “Envisioning Equity,” for which we brought together a range of voices to weigh in on how the concept of equity might be thought through and applied to our lives.
A word and idea that is often misconstrued, equity, at its simplest, is about ownership of a portion of a total value. While equality implies that every individual or group receives the same portion, equity considers varying circumstances and needs, and instead allocates the portion necessary to reach an equal outcome.
As in years past, the Forum will take place as three live virtual conversations, each addressing a distinct theme—interdependence, neurodiversity, and motherhood—and engaging Issue 03 contributors alongside a few special guests. These sessions will be held on January 20, January 27, and February 3 at 12PM EST; captioning and ASL interpretation will be available and each session will be streamed via Youtube.
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SESSION 01_ INTERDEPENDENCE
Session One will consider the necessity of relationality and connectedness to the wellbeing of all lifeforms. This discussion will feature guests Mia Birdsong, Taeyoon Choi, and Zenat Begum, and will be moderated by Ari Melenciano.
Guests—
Taeyoon Choi (he/him) is a Seoul-based artist who works with drawing, painting, computer programming, performance art, and video. He is the co-founder of the School for Poetic Computation in New York City.
Mia Birdsong (she/her/auntie) is a pathfinder, writer, and facilitator. She is the author of “How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community” the founder and steward of Next River: An Institute For Practicing the Future, and a Senior Fellow of the Economic Security Project.
Zenat Begum (she/her) is a native New Yorker, owner of Playground Coffee Shop, founder of Playground Youth, and an alumni of The New School. She intentionally seeks to center BIPOC, marginalized bodies, the arts, and community engagement in order to foster change in a shapeshifting and gentrifying BedStuy.
Ari Melenciano (she/her) is a designer, creative technologist, and researcher who is passionate about exploring the relationships between various forms of design and sentient experiences. She is a creative technologist at Google's Creative Lab, professor at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Graduate Program, and founder of Afrotectopia.