The TSAL Quarterly Remix (December 2022)

MORE SOUL FOOD TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2022

THE QUARTERLY REMIX Artist Credit: Asia Amour

thirdspace ACTION LAB

1

MORE SOUL FOOD DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

JUNETEENTH 2022 ISSUE

Read | Watch | Listen

CONTENTS 1 FRONT COVER 3 LOOKING BACK ON 2022 5 REI 2023 SCHEDULE 8 RECAP 18 BOOK WEEK 21 THE WORK 25 MOVING FORWARD 2023 26 BACK COVER

Amirah Cunningham Amy Sherald

Kerry James Marshall

thirdspace ACTION ACTION LAB LAB

Amber N. Ford

2

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

READER SOUL CHECK

Artist Credit: Asia Amour

WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU TO COMMIT TO LOVE AS A LIBERATORY (COMMUNAL) PRACTICE?“

thirdspace ACTION LAB

3

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

READER SOUL CHECK

A FEW RESPONSES FROM THE TSAL TEAM WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU TO COMMIT TO LOVE AS A LIBERATORY (COMMUNAL) PRACTICE?“ BRITTANY

BILL

My liberated space is really a time. It is a time at some point in the future where we have turned a corner as a society: A time when we no longer look at each other as potential others. A time when we have given up the need to feel superior in exchange for the chance to feel of service. A time when our response to inequity is not to ignore it out of shame, but to end it out of duty. This vision is what refreshes me when it seems like forces are arrayed to bend the arc of the universe away from justice.

I have 2 Liberated Spaces. The first is a real place. I have a spot at the Ohio Erie Canal Reservation where I like to sit by the moving water surrounded by the trees on a breezy late Spring day (not too hot yet), with Golden Time of Day by Maze playing on repeat. I also like to birdwatch at this location (NEO is one of the best spots for birdwatching in the country!). Connecting with nature helps me get super clear about major decisions that I need to make.

My imagined Liberated Space is my future homestead where I'll grow food, raise chickens, goats, and cattle, keep bees, and reverse osmosis our water. Sustainability and liberation go hand-in-hand to me, so I'm always looking for ways to create a more sustainable environment for my family. A homestead is my ultimate idea of sustainability and sufficiency.

EVELYN My liberated space is with my day ones (the Sinister, Losh + Jerry) laughing, smiling, crying and returning to a hood club in a neighborhood on the other side of the world.

DR. MARTHA My liberated space is when my heart is open, and I have a sense of being interconnected to others and the environment.

DOMINIQUE My liberated space is anywhere I am alone with my mind + spirit and engaging in my spiritual practice. The solitude, lack of distractions, and focus provides a space to hone in on what is truly most important and release everything else. The tethers of the material world dissolve and I become free from tangible requirements created by the social structure we live in. Though I know they exist, I recognize I am not bound by them and am reminded that I am here to serve and support others while on my journey.

I also envision a physical space designed to freely engage in various forms of artistry (painting, drawing, photography), space to dance, and a comfortable area to nestle in and read. It's a colorful room of blues, greens, and yellows with natural light and a view of rich greens out the window. Blankets and pillows are in abundance, ready to engulf me when needed, perhaps for a nap.

SETH

thirdspace ACTION LAB

To me, a liberated space is one where anyone — regardless of race, class, gender identity or expression, orientation, country of origin, religion, physical + mental ability, language, age — has the welcome + the power to be the target audience, the performer, the event organizer, or even to build out the space themselves. I've been in lots of joyful spaces, but I'm not sure I've ever been in a truly liberated space. But we should definitely keep working to get there!

4

TSAL Monthly Newsletter

December 2021 DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

MORE SOUL FOOD REI 2023 SCHEDULE Read | Watch | Listen

Groundwater Sessions [VIRTUAL]

In this lively and participatory presentation, REI organizers will use stories and data to present a perspective that racism is fundamentally structural in nature.

By examining characteristics of modern-day racial inequity, the presentation introduces participants to an analysis that most find immediately helpful and relevant.

REI 2022 Groundwater Sessions

January 18 AT 3RDSPACEACTIONLAB.CO/2023REI July 18 REGISTER 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

1:00pm-4:00pm ET

February 13 February 14 1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

August 21 August 22 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

March 13 March 14 1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

September 18 September 19 ET 1:00pm-4:00pm

April 17 April 18 1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET May 15 May 23 1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET June 16 June 20 1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET July 17

1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

October 16 October 17 1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

November 13 November 14 ET 1:00pm-4:00pm 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

December 11 December 12 ET 9:00am-12:00pm 9:00am-12:00pm ET

1:00pm-4:00pm ET

REGISTER AT 3rdspaceactionlab.co/2022rei 11

5

TSAL Monthly Newsletter

December 2021 DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

MORE SOUL FOOD REI 2023 SCHEDULE Read | Watch | Listen

Groundwater Sessions Phase 1 Sessions [VIRTUAL]

REI’s two-day Phase 1 training is designed to develop the capacity of participants to better understand racism in its institutional and structural forms. Topics covered include our fish/lake/groundwater analysis of structural racism; understanding and controlling implicit bias; race, poverty, and place; markedness theory; institutional power arrangements and power brokers; importance of definitions of race and racism; history and legacy of race in American economic and policy development; racial identity and its interaction with institutional culture.

REI 2022 Groundwater Sessions

January 18

July 18

February 14 1:00pm-4:00pm ET February 15-16 9:00am-5:00pm ET March 14 1:00pm-4:00pm March 15-16 ET

August 22 1:00pm-4:00pm August 23-24 ET 9:00am-5:00pm ET September 19 1:00pm-4:00pm ET September 20-21

April 18 1:00pm-4:00pm April 19-20 ET

October 17 October 18-19 ET 1:00pm-4:00pm

1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET REGISTER AT 3RDSPACEACTIONLAB.CO/2023REI

9:00am-5:00pm ET 9:00am-5:00pm ET

May 23 May 17-18 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

9:00am-5:00pm ET

June 20 June 21-22 ET 1:00pm-4:00pm 9:00am-5:00pm ET

9:00am-5:00pm ET 9:00am-5:00pm ET

November 14 November 15-16 1:00pm-4:00pm ET 9:00am-5:00pm ET

December 12 December 13-14 9:00am-12:00pm ET 9:00am-5:00pm ET

July 19-20

9:00am-5:00pm ET

REGISTER AT 3rdspaceactionlab.co/2022rei 11

6

TSAL Monthly Newsletter

December 2021 DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

MORE SOUL FOOD REI 2023 SCHEDULE Read | Watch | Listen

Groundwater Sessions Latinx Challenges Sessions

[VIRTUAL] Latinx Challenges engages participants in a critical analysis of how racism disempowers Latino, Latina, Latinx people hindering both our personal well-being and our communities’ development. The workshop offers insights into the cultural backdrop of race and racism in Latin America that shapes our identity today regardless of our place of birth. We examine how people of Latin American origin, like people of all other ethnicities, have been racialized and racially situated in the US. We deconstruct how the US Census uses “Hispanic ethnicity” and “Race” as a political 1:00pm-4:00pm ET ET we instrument to engineer racial 1:00pm-4:00pm demographics. Also, highlight how our culture, identity and histories of struggle are vital sources of strength for Latinx individuals, families and communities.ET Throughout, we1:00pm-4:00pm emphasize how racism 1:00pm-4:00pm ET divides Latinos and African Americans, undermining crossracial solidarity required to create racial equity and to strengthen our growing multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi1:00pm-4:00pm ET for social transformation.

1:00pm-4:00pm ET generational movement

REI 2022 Groundwater Sessions

January 18

July 18

February 14

August 22

March 14

September 19

April 18 REGISTER AT 3RDSPACEACTIONLAB.CO/2023REI October 17 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

1:00pm-4:00pm ET

9:00am-5:00pm ET May 23

November 14

June 20

December 12

June 8-9

1:00pm-4:00pm ET 1:00pm-4:00pm ET

1:00pm-4:00pm ET 9:00am-12:00pm ET

REGISTER AT 3rdspaceactionlab.co/2022rei 11

7

DEEP ROOTS EXHIBITION

Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman (1959)

QUOTE / CONTEXT

"Our struggle is also a struggle of memory against forgetting.” ― bell hooks, Talking Back: Thinking Feminist, Thinking Black

QUESTION

To highlight the importance of remembering and memory, what are the physical space(s) that embody joy and liberation for you?

From May 7th to May 29th 2022, Thirdspace Action Lab hosted a series of artist talks with the creators.

Generations Artist Talk hosted by TSAL on June 25th, 2022.

“Generations” is a show dedicated to the artist and their families. We invited artists to create works with their children, parents, nieces and so on that represented their collaborative efforts.

So excited to engage the community and share what generations working together can produce.

10

8

DECEMBER 2022

SUMMER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

RECAP

INTERGENERATIONAL LUNCHES & FREEDOM FRIDAYS WATCH THE JUNE IG LUNCH RECAP HERE Clevelanders of all ages were invited to share and hear stories of life on the Black East Side.

"What began as a focus group for our Chocolate City Cleveland project has become a monthly “reality check” for Team TSAL. We provide the lunch and our Community provides the Soul Food—inspiration, advice, memories that unlock new insights into well-known historical events and/or figures. This year, we were able to bring in a few guest speakers + even had a surprise visit from Mayor Bibb!

I’m excited to continue building on the momentum + deep engagement next year, and looking forward to creating more opportunities for us to learn together with our Elders.”

— MORDECAIL CARGILL, TSAL CO-FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR

9

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

RECAP

WAKANDA FOREVER SCREENING WATCH THE SCREENING VIDEO HERE Our team at ThirdSpace Action Lab is honored to support the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF) in their screening of Wakanda Forever to effect critical narrative change by showcasing the richness and multiplicity of Black stories.

10

DECEMBER 2022

RECAP

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

CLEVELAND KIDS CAN'T WAIT ThirdSpace Action Lab is proud to be a partner in Mayor Justin Bibb's Community Listening Tour. ThirdSpace gathered feedback during focus group sessions with Cleveland families, students, and educators that represented all 17 wards in the City of Cleveland — engaging more than 250 community members. The final report will be used by City leadership in service to improving the education system for Cleveland Metropolitan School District families amid pandemic-impacted learning.

READ THE REPORT HERE

11

DECEMBER 2022

RECAP

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

TINY DESK CONCERT:

SMITH TAYLOR JULY 29, 2022 | WATCH THE REPLAY HERE

This special summer Freedom Friday was a night to remember thanks to the soulful sounds from Smith Taylor. He had the whole audience captivated as he truly pours his heart into this music. Visit his website here.

12

DECEMBER 2022

RECAP

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

RUNTEENTH 2022 WATCH THE RUNTEENTH 2022 NEWS CLIP HERE

ON JUNETEENTH, TSAL TEAMED UP WITH #COURTNEYCOVERSCLEVELAND AND #RUNWITHTHEWINNERS TO HOST THE 3RD ANNUAL RUNTEENTH! The goal of Runteenth is to get Black runners more comfortable with joining and interacting with the running groups in our area, which consist of predominantly non-Black runners. We also want the running groups in the area to be more welcoming to a diverse running community that may feel isolated.

With that being said, we're going to continue with these positive steps forward on Juneteenth!

13

DECEMBER 2022

RECAP

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

CLEVELAND VOTES: GET OUT AND VOTE As we know, historically and in the present day, there have been many oppositions put in place as a deterrence.

These various acts of suppression and obstacles have identified the need for Civic Holidays such as National Voter Registration Day and Vote Early Day.

PLAYLIST GRAPHIC

PLAYLIST GRAPHIC

For years, organizing collaboratives have advocated for their communities to increase important factors such as voter turnout. This in conjunction with voter education, and engagement is the push we need to continue our growth in democracy.

14

DECEMBER 2022

RECAP

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

CLEVELAND VOTES: GET OUT AND VOTE Democracy is more than voting though, it is embedded in the day to day of our lives. How we support policy development and implementation, directly impacts marginalized people. Resource mobilization is a way we build our democracy into one that both benefits and empowers the community. In partnership with TSAL, the democracy builders of Cleveland VOTES invite you to engage in this playlist, and share with people, rather familiar or strangers, as you dance your way to the polls! #JoyInDemocracy

LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST HERE: VOTE EARLY DAY 2022

PLAYLIST LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT WORK...

CHECK OUT CLEVELAND VOTE'S STRATEGIC PLAN HERE READ / SUBSCRIBE TO THEIR NEWSLETTER HERE

15

READING ROOM DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

“Each of the spaces at TSAL serves as a third space,” says ThirdSpace Reading Room designer Celia Williamson, whose colorful design is consistent with the eclectic style of the co-founders and their staff. “Home is your first space, work is your second space, and you have to have another space, and this is that space. We want people to gather, relax, unwind, and buy a book.”

— Christina Easter, ThirdSpace Action Lab opens a bookstore in Glenville, The Land, Source

The ThirdSpace Reading Room began as a digital repository of articles, videos, podcasts, and other resources which showcase how current-day racial equity discourse is impacting industries, politics, and hot societal issues.

VISIT THE READING ROOM BOOKSTORE HERE

16

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

CPL WRITERS & READERS: WRITERS AND READERS: ASHLEY C. FORD PICTURE / GRAPHIC GOES HERE

ThirdSpace Action Lab hosted Ashley C. Ford as part of the Cleveland Public Library's Writers & Readers series!

Ashley C. Ford is a writer, host, and educator who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her New York Times best-selling memoir, Somebody’s Daughter, was published by Flatiron Books in June 2021.

17

BOOK WEEK RECAP DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

BY HARRY ATWELL, TSAL COMMUNITY MANAGER In true celebratory fashion and tradition, ThirdSpace kicked off its annual schedule of summer festivities during Juneteenth weekend.

However, the 2022 summer kick off was truly an exciting and very special one indeed. After a nearly two year hiatus, we were able to relaunch our monthly Intergenerational Lunch and Freedom Friday community events within the space. Guests coming back for the first time were ushered into a brand new interior designed by close friend of ThirdSpace, Celia Williamson. Filled with light, color, warmth and texture, the sunny main room has been appointed with plush, comfortable seating areas to foster the exchange of ideas and enhance connections and conversations with one other over.

The transformation of this space was then completed with the grand opening of the ThirdSpace Reading Room bookstore; fully activating the first floor of The Madison building. The ThirdSpace Reading Room, currently the only bookstore in the Glenville neighborhood, offers a selection of both new and previously loved books in a wide array of genres for readers of all ages. Our doors have only been open for a short while but thanks to the kind and generous support of our community, we’ve been able to celebrate many milestones during our first six months of operation; some of which I’d like to share with you, now.

READ HARRY'S FULL BOOK WEEK REFLECTION HERE

18

BOOK WEEK RECAP DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

GREAT LAKES AFRICAN-AMERICANS WRITERS CONFERENCE

The Business of Black Books was a panel discussion attended by TSAL co-founder and creative director. The panel discussion was part of the 2022 Great Lakes African American Writer's Conference.

WATCH THE REPLAY HERE

19

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

READING ROOM AUTHOR TALKS AUTHOR TALK: NADIA OWUSU

We joined TSAL + ThirdSpace Reading Room co-founder + CEO Evelyn Burnett for an evening in conversation with Nadia Owusu and a celebration of ioby (in our backyards). Guests had a chance to hear select passages from Nadia's NYT best-selling book Aftershocks to engage in conversation about the book, writing and creativity, women's activism and service.

20

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

THE WORK

LIVING CITIES CLOSING THE GAP CONVENING

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor speaks to how the racial wealth gap was created, why it persists, and how institutions can leverage strategies to create racially equitable outcomes. Dr. Taylor encouraged the Living Cities cohort to account for the influence of systemic challenges on programmatic approaches to homeownership policy. TSAL has helped Living Cities' cohort to develop solutions with systems in mind, and looks forward to continuing work with leaders across the country.

"The racial wealth gap is real. And its existence is further evident of the profound racism and inequality that contains to define our society."

KEEANGA-YAMAHTTA TAYLOR SCHOLAR | AUTHOR | ACTIVIST

WATCH THE KEYNOTE SPEECH HERE

22

21

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

The Intellectual Work MIND FROM OUR CONSULTANTS: THE WORK

OHIO ARTIST ACTIVISM STRATEGY EXPLORATION

ThirdSpace Action Lab (TSAL) assisted Ohio Transformation Fund (OTF) in defining the organization’s Artist Activism Strategy. TSAL collaborated with Shooting Without Bullets (SWOB) in an exploration into OTF’s existing and potential relationships with grassroots Artist Activists and culture bearers to understand how to catalyze movement building and policy change through the arts. Arts Activist/Activism creates pathways to fill gaps with art. The artist and their activism raises the political consciousness of their network and the public broadly.

22

DECEMBER 2022

CONNECTION

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

The Community Work

FROM OUR CONSULTANTS: THE WORK NEW GROWTH INNOVATION NETWORK (NGIN) OCTOBER 2022 TEAM RETREAT

ThirdSpace Action Lab (TSAL) joined the New Growth Innovation Network in Newark, NJ as a facilitator and thought-partner during their October Team Retreat. Over the course of a day, TSAL and NGIN built relationships and trust to begin to engage in meaningful dialogue about improving the economic prosperity of indigenous and Black communities, nationally.

23

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

The Soul Work SPIRIT FROM OUR CONSULTANTS: THE WORK

CULTURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT LEARNING PARTNERSHIP CONVENINGS

In partnership with the Kresge Foundation, ThirdSpace Action Lab invited members of the Cultural Community Development Learning Partnership cohorts to reflect on the successes, challenges and lessons learned about liberatory practice(s).

24

DECEMBER 2022

TSAL QUARTERLY REMIX

MOVING FORWARD: 2023RDSPACE

Artist Credit: Jacob Lawrence

This past August marked TSAL’s 4th anniversary. The milestone arrived without much fanfare, and despite our best intentions, the moment was overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of daily life in Cleveland’s very own grassroots solutions studio–TSAL was working! Like so much of the COVID/post-pandemic era, this year has been a blur. As the days get shorter and temperature (slowly?) drops, we are reminded that although time moves forward in a peculiar sort of way, it is ultimately a social construct, and therefore, how we use the time is up to us.

Our 4th year in operations was our busiest on record. We began our largest client engagement to date, working with a national foundation to develop an explicitly antiracist community development funding strategy. We co-designed + launched multiple Community of Praxis experiments to uncover new insights into the ways community + economic development practitioners across the country (and across sectors) are attempting to disrupt the racial wealth gap. We hosted a monthly rap session with our Elders throughout the summer to learn about “The Good Ole Days” and dream together about the bright days to come in Chocolate City Cleveland. And, as if we needed more things to keep us busy, we chose to celebrate Juneteenth by opening a bookstore!

The pages in this quarterly issue offer a small glimpse into some of the work our (growing) team of problem-solving leaders have been nurturing. There are many more exciting updates to share that will have to wait until we’re together again in our Liberated Space on 105. That said, we have a big idea coming in the days + weeks remaining in 2022 that will signal another milestone in TSAL’s community collaboration practice — 2023rdSpace: a year–long Soul Working Celebration. Stay tuned!

Sending you Peace + Love + Soul Power this holiday season, and always, MORDECAI CARGILL, TSAL CO-FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR

thirdspace ACTION LAB

25

PEACE.

Artist Credit: Dayz Whun

Read | Watch | Listen

Follow ThirdSpace Action Lab for mo' Soul Food!

Twitter: @3rdSpaceCLE | IG: @3rdspacecle

thirdspace ACTION LAB

26