Black Presence
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The Black Gem Project was borne out of a desire to co-create space for the imagining of new possibilities for forms of Black presence, futures, dreaming, pacing, and gathering in the wake of hyper-visible anti-Blackness both within our lived and digital realities. This project grew from the vision, work, knowledge, and friendship of Dr Azeezat Johnson who brought us together. Collectively, we aim to co-create space for dreaming, writing, sharing, playing, and being in ways that are rooted in the many different and changing rhythms of Black life. This includes by sharing here in ways that embrace tenderness as we tend to ourselves and each other.
Dream event
by Sahra-Isha Muhammad-Jones
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I have reflected a lot on the Black presence gathering held by Francesca and Katucha. We were all gathered and brought together by Azeezat in some way or another and her impact was truly felt. Often the reason why we daydream is to hold spaces, safe spaces for our inner self and when we find others who share that need, that’s where we begin to outwardly carve out spaces beyond our imagination.
Oluwatosin halfway through the event mentioned that dreaming is us “Finding ways to create happiness and joy from spaces/places that have been a source of pain and harm” (Oluwatosin Daniju, 2022) and the event was a testament to that.
Grief can be explored and held in many ways and as I sat in my room on zoom, I felt a wave of gratitude for being able to hold space for emotions, something I hadn’t given myself time to do.
What was beautiful to explore was the link between dreams and imagining what home meant for each of us. After many personal explanations, a reminder was made about how back home, the idea of home (what home is) bears no boundaries, which begs the question, why do we limit our ways of dreaming? Whether this is academically, socially, politically or spiritually, our ways of recreating space should be endless and protected by us, for us. The question that lingers is how do I allow myself to explore this in a way that feels true to me? As victoria ọgọegbunam okoye put it “I am shaping constellations” (victoria ọgọegbunam okoye, 2022) and I pray that we all continue to have the capacity to do so despite the boxes that have been made for us.
Dreaming has shaped what we see as the GEM collective, the ability to do so in a manner that enables us to turn our thoughts into reality whilst supporting each other with care. Dr Azeezat Johnson led with this purpose to dream and place care at the centre of everything and I pray that we continue to follow in that practice as we hold space for each other.
Note: This online gathering focused on the theme of “Black Presence” and involved coming together to be in dialogue with Black early career scholars, PhD researchers, activists, writers, and artists. This gathering was supported by the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) funding that was awarded in December 2020 to Dr Azeezat Johnson, in collaboration with other GEM Collective members. For more information about the GEM Collective’s work on “what home meant”, please visit the “How We Build Home” project area.
Black Presence: A Gathering of Words
by Black GEMS
Azeezat Johnson, Francesca Sobande, Katucha Bento (and inspired by Oluwatosin Daniju)
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Grafting Flowers, Ancestors & Dreams
by Victoria Ọgọegbunam Okoye
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Footnotes can be listened to here
On Being (Together)
by Francesca Sobande (and shaped by everyone who is GEM)