Decemeber 2023: TSAL Quaterly Newsletter

MORE SOUL FOOD TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2023

Artwork

by Lauren Pearce

ON REPEAT

LOOKING BACK TO GO FORWARD thirdspace ACTION LAB

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MORE SOUL FOOD APRIL 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

JUNETEENTH 2022 ISSUE

Read | Watch | Listen

CONTENTS 1 FRONT COVER 3 TSAL 5TH ANNIVERSARY 6 SOUL CHECK 12 MIXTAPE 13 2024 REI SCHEDULE 16 2023RDSPACE 20 JUNETEENTH 30 INTERGENERATIONAL LUNCH 33 THE WORK 39 THIRDSPACE READING ROOM 43 BACK COVER

Amirah Cunningham Amy Sherald

Kerry James Marshall

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Amber N. Ford

DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

TSAL 5TH ANNIVERSARY OUR FEARLESS LEADERS

EVELYN BURNETT

MORDECAI CARGILL

Our Senior Consultant for Digital Media + Storytelling, Tristen Hall, sits down with TSAL Co-Founders Evelyn Burnett and Mordecai Cargill on the journey to year five, inspiration, and hopes for the future.

What was your vision in 2018 and how have you surpassed that vision?

For me, when we started, I was really just trying to make sense of things. I had always wanted to open this coffee shop, I got introduced in college to this concept of a third place. I had seen things like that and other cities, and always felt like, “oh, I wish we had something like that here in Cleveland! I wish that my hometown in Youngstown had something like that.” I wanted to be a barber. A barber shop is in my definition and interpretation of a third place. Because it is the place where people go to just be like you tell it's people that tell their barber more than they tell their pastor, you know, they go to their barber with some of their most important life decisions. And, and so I think like, unconsciously, that was a little bit of what I was trying to create at ThirdSpace. I have always been a person that has not necessarily known what they want, but is willing to try anything. ThirdSpace was the first thing that I affirmatively wanted. So I found these plans that we had put together, years ago, and we were calling it the firm, you know, and this was going to be this place for like, black people could go

“I’ve always appreciated the idea of a place that people can just be”

We were envisioning a physical space that would make more concrete + visceral what it might feel like to live in a world where racial equity + inclusion were not just buzzwords. We were attempting to create Cleveland’s version of Busboys + Poets—a cafe, bookstore, community gathering space that was inspired by the historically- and predominantly black neighborhood we call home. In order to pay for The Dream, we needed to bring in some bread. We decided to take on consulting projects that emerged from the momentum of our efforts to mobilize the local community development + civic ecosystem(s) around the racial equity + inclusion awareness building imperative. Although we didn’t necessarily plan for ThirdSpace Action Lab to take on the structure + size it’s evolved into, we were intentional about our positioning in the awareness building journey. We wanted to be an answer to the question that typically arises by the end of a Racial Equity Institute workshop: “So what do we do with this information?” We wanted to work with The Willing (orgs + Institutions) to come up with some answers/experiments. I would argue that we’ve gotten pretty close to this vision for The Space.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

TSAL 5TH ANNIVERSARY

What continues to inspire you as TSAL reaches new milestones?

I'm always most inspired by people and the stuff that people can do. I'm inspired by how truly kind, and loving and committed to the sanctity of humanity that Mordecai is as a person, like for real, like, and it's natural for him, or I'm really inspired by every person on the team with stuff that they do that I'm like, wow, that is like a dope, you know? And in what way can I like, continue to bring more of that out, because I'm an extreme extrovert. I've always been since I was little. And so, I'm much more inspired by people than by things. Since COVID, I've been really inspired by Black film and TV. I really like seeing people work on their craft.

I'm also inspired by the elders that come to the Intergenerational Lunch that we know have experienced so much trauma and so much bullshit in their lives and they are just really joyful, happy people. You know, it puts a lot of what I get really frustrated by and turnt up about in perspective. Well, last thing for us.

Anything that people are doing that especially like, is them coordinating inspiring motivating teams to like, create and produce is very inspiring as well.

I’m constantly inspired by the TSAL Team + Alumni…as the Founders (and pretty visible members of our local civic ecosystem) our names are synonymous with ThirdSpace. But so much of TSAL’s magic is happening behind the scenes, “In the Lab” when these incredibly talented, creative + insightful individuals are discovering their own leadership capacity + bringing forth new ideas, working through complex Client and/or Collaborator problems, and doing the Soul Work necessary to show up every day and confront the urgent, multidimensional problems caused by structural racism. I’d also mention that the physical space (TSRR) provides daily reminders + motivation to keep on keeping on. Being located on 105, in the Glenville neighborhood, seeing neighborhood revitalization/gentrification happening out our front windows and concentrated poverty + substandard “affordable housing” out our back windows is a striking visual reminder of why we exist (in the physical realm).

“If it weren't for structural racism and socio-economic inequity, these places would be just as dope as the places that Black people have to leave some of themselves behind to feel safe in”

What are some of your favorite firsts at TSAL? EB: 1. Our first 5-figure check, realizing people wanted to pay us for our work 2. Signing our first paycheck and being able to pay someone else for their talent 3. Establishing our 401k - doing our part and living out our values 4. Our first sale at the bookstore 5. Our first logo that Mordecai had commissioned an artist and they made all these logos and it actually represents us a lot 6. When Celia from our team did the office upstairs

MC: 1. Our first BIG Juneteenth Celebration this year (Black is Free 2023) 2. Chocolate City Cleveland Map site activation at Cory United Methodist Church 3. Our first TSAL baby—Ariel Brent’s new bundle of joy 4. Our first bilingual report (NACEDA) 5. Harry’s first day as our ThirdSpace Community Manager happened to coincide with the grand opening of TSRR 6. Our first (definitely not the last) TinyDeskinspired concert featuring SmithTaylor.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

TSAL 5TH ANNIVERSARY

What is something that excites you about the future of TSAL? With the growth of the team and people getting in their bag, I look forward to me and Mordecai getting back in our bag. I have so many ideas of stuff that I want to do. I want to help incubate the black culinary arts scene in Cleveland. I want to do some documentaries I want to do. I want to continue to like, have one of the, if not the, dopest Juneteenth events in Cleveland. Hopefully, it becomes a thing that people from around the country are like, I'm either going to Galveston or I'm going to Cleveland for Juneteenth. I'm really excited about what's going to happen with the stuff that we've created for Chocolate City, Cleveland, the People's practice, like, you know, a lot of our client work. I'm really excited about the things that we learn from our client partners, and then get to apply in our work, or the things that we learn from people that we are adjacent to, and we get to integrate into our work; that stuff excites me. It excites me to know that we have really creative people, that can like turn this into much more interesting stuff.

“The promise of ThirdSpace is being realized when people are showing what is inside of them” The continued maturation of the ThirdSpace Reading Room + the development of our Chocolate City CLE project. TSAL is doing a lot of important work on behalf of our Consulting clients and I’m immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished. But that work is often proprietary and/or specifically for a particular organization or institution. I want our work to be relevant + interesting to our Community and I’m energized by the creative problem/opportunity of bring these ideas to The People!

I'm excited about some of the challenges that are ahead of us. And these challenges are, are not necessarily existential challenges. I'm thinking about the challenge of creating a business model that is, is a business the right type of container for the work that we're attempting to do. So I get excited about the opportunity to get it right. I'm excited about what it would look like for us to continue to lead with our values. I'm excited about the prospect of continuing to distribute leadership. There's so much potential power that's going to come from people feeling like they're really in their bags, like when when I see you like energize, doing the work, you know, being able to see that energy or that that effort put into our projects by the rest of the team, like that's, that's exciting to me.

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE WITH TSAL COFOUNDERS EVELYN BURNETT AND MORDECAI CARGILL

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SEPTEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

SOUL CHECK

WHAT'S ONE THING YOU'VE DONE RECENTLY THAT YOU ARE PROUD OF HERE AT TSAL?

Obou Gbais

EVELYN BURNETT CO-FOUNDER & CEO

I'm really proud of making it to year 5 as a firm; growth of the bookstore; refining consulting practice, the way we're activating space + fortifying our reputation for community collaboration; People's Practice; individual growth on the team; amazing events at the Reading Room; the best soiree of the year + a rocking Juneteenth week; deepening relationships + reconnecting with comrades (like Seth P). I would also add to it the newsletters. People who haven't seen me in forever and are just like these newsletters are amazing so I appreciate everybody's active participation.

MORDECAI CARGILL CO-FOUNDER & CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER

I’m really proud of the vibes we’ve created for + with our neighbors in the Intergenerational Lunch. Regardless of the topic, people love being in the Space with us every month. Even after a tornado spun down 10-5 the night before!

My part 2: We had an Author Talk in partnership with the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative to bring Omari Souza to the space and it was ROCKINNN; it was standing room only.

There are a lot of people who had this was still their first time then we’re still getting those folks who come in like, “oh, this used to be my pediatrician's office and I just am so thrilled by how y'all have transformed it.” So that's one of the things I'm really proud of.

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SEPTEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

SOUL CHECK SETH PINCKNEY IT CONSULTANT

I'm newer here so I'm having a chance to meet everyone, but I'm really proud to join TSAL as the IT Consultant. I keep it short and sweet and simple. I'm just proud to be a part of a growing team doing a lot of exciting work and being able to support you all in doing the best work that you can do.

DR. MARTHA POTTS AWARENESS BUILDING MANAGER

I am proud of the support I was given at the when I needed to take PTO last minute. Being present in the delivery room to help my Gen Z friend bring a new life into the world.

Appreciated the enormous support I received from the TSAL team that enabled me to support my friend.

DOMINIQUE MILLER DIRECTOR OF CONSULTING STRATEGY

I’m proud of the way we did our tabling at NACEDA in Atlanta.

Given, they had the wrong slideshow, so some slides weren't there, so we had to make adjustments in real time. Esme Estrada, TSAL Consultant was super supportive and helpful as well. I think just being able to put this work out there and being really thoughtful and cognizant of this like diversity and like the breadth that we've included in this work that we've got to present because it seems to be resonating really well with folks.

I’m feeling proud of the thoughtfulness and the efforts that we put in on the back end and again, we're able to share with a lot of people. I think almost 200 people or so were at the conference. So getting to share that with folks and see them be really engaged and even though it was the first day and it was the last session, folks really named that they liked our session the best so really proud of that.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

SOUL CHECK CELIA WILLIAMSON SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE CEO

I’m proud of TSAL as a team continuing to grow even though this is a still– as Brittany likes to say–a company in its infancy and with lots of growing pain and struggles along the way, but to have made it to year 5, you know, bigger and better than ever I am really proud of TSAL as a team and as an entity. I am really proud that I get to support that. I joined the team in a role that’s like let me help and I think that, in many ways, I've just been able to do that and to see my support being helpful.

ESMERALDA ESTRADA CONSULTANT

I am really proud of all the work we are doing for PERC, especially because a lot of the cities feel like they're siloed. But when we hear feedback that everybody is collaborating. The cities are just following our steps and we're paving the way has just been so impactful for me.

Especially because at one point I was doubting myself, but just hearing that and being able to use PERC for an opportunity for everybody here to collaborate–not only with the retreat, but we're also building communication strategies later on. I'm looking forward to developing marketing and and with that. So I'm really proud of being innovative and creative with PERC.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

SOUL CHECK EVA RODRIGUEZ

CONSULTING OPERATIONS MANAGER

I am proud of the professional exploration that I’ve not only been able to do and have the time to explore, but also actualize here at TSAL the last year. I nstarted and am continuing here in an admin space,but I just have so appreciated the flexibility and the opportunity to be spontaneous professionally and kind of fill in in other spaces and work on other projects and assist in consulting or expand my horizons at the company a bit. I'm really proud of myself for taking a chance on me in that way and to learn and experience new things here.

HARRY ATWELL COMMUNITY MANAGER

I’m mostly proud of the chalk drawings I’ve been able to do. I love to draw, but don't have much time to do it, so to be able to share that here in the space that people actually receive it is a proud moment. I love seeing people come in and say “look, look at that” and take pictures and enjoy it.

ANDRIANNA D. SHERIFF CONSULTANT

I'm proud to have collaborated on the North Coast Lakefront Master Plan project. Growing up in the Collinwood area, I've always been near our lake but didn't feel a physical or spiritual connection to the waterfront. I'm proud to have helped uncover similar stories and begin the work of repairing some of Cleveland's BIPOC communities' relationship to our lakefront through our salon conversations and our social media 'Soul Check' campaign.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

SOUL CHECK INDIA PIERRE-INGRAM

CHOCOLATE CITY CLEVELAND PROJECT MANAGER

I am really proud of the October Intergenerational Lunch specifically. All the IG lunches have been really great, but I think it really was a very nice balance of integrating our client work while also really offering the space for people to dive deeper into issues 1,2 and 38. I like to think we helped issues get closer to a yes. And finally, wrapping with a beautiful performance by Acacia Vocals which had folks singing out loud and dancing which just felt so joyful.

SEAN CLARK DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

I'm proud of 2 things. One is that more recently, I really started to just put my foot down and prioritize myself. For so long I had been pedal to the metal, doing what needs to be done without real consideration of my mental and physical health. The second thing I'm really proud of is the book sales this year. It is a lot more than the previous period. There's still a lot of learning, but we use our imagination and say, this is how we're going to talk about a book or, you know, let's just reach out to this audience and see if they will come.

It's kind of a whole new thing to have in your toolbox. So I'm really proud of the fact I was able help to market a bookstore

SHERRAE MACK SENIOR CONSULTANT

Thanks to the awesome project onboarding for PERC provided by Esme and Evelyn, I was able to create survey and breakout group tools for the PERC Retreat that assisted with the initial push of moving potential projects/initiatives forward. Overall, I'm simply proud to be in a space of continuing to get to know the team, and I'm looking forward to learning more about our work.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

SOUL CHECK TRISTEN HALL

SENIOR CONSULTANT DIGTAL MEDIA & STORYTELLING

I am really proud of starting to create some TSAL collateral that highlights the work that we do. I actually had a lot of fun creating the poster, and it felt like an opportunity to kind of get in my creative bag. I'm excited to continue, including the artwork from our team and showcasing our creativity. I'm really proud of the overall talent here, whether it’s specific to the work that you do at TSAL or it's something that you do in your personal life that you've incorporated into your work. I'm also proud to be a part of a team where everyone feels comfortable sharing those parts of themselves.

SETH BEATTIE

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INIATIVES

I am really proud of assembling people's practice mailing list in a place that's really creative. It is easy for us to be proud of what we've written or what we've designed or what we breathe into the world and that is really important. I don't think folks out in the world see how much incredible work happens in administration and operation to breathe creativity to life. So stepping back and looking at a database that might not feel like something I would ordinarily lift up as a point of pride, but really being able to see that doing that work is opening up and entire coalition of people who are going to get exposed to the beautiful things and provocative things and important things that we are trying to get people to see.

TINA CARGILL

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR

I am proud of embracing technology. I have this accountability partner she will not relent let up at all she will just stand right there and see me sinking, just shrinking so it has caused me to step up my game, and I'm actually grateful for that. It forces me to jump right in and that's what I’m most proud of that I've gone to another level.

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MIXTAPE

MONTH DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

ON REPEAT:

THE WAY OUT IS THROUGH As we wrap up one year to move to the next, our guiding practice asks us how we continue moving towards progress. These are the songs that keep us going as a team. In this playlist you’ll find tunes that uplift you when you’re down or play in the background during some of our biggest trials.

We hope this collection keeps you alfoat and reminds you what is most important.

ART GOES HERE

Bruce Row

LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST HERE

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

REI 2024 SCHEDULE 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.

SAVE THE DATE! REGISTRATION OPENS LATE JANUARY

February 12

August 19

March 11

September 23

April 15

October 14

May 13

November 11

June 10

December 9

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

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

July 15

1:00pm-4:00pm ET

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

REI 2024 SCHEDULE 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.

SAVE THE DATE! REGISTRATION OPENS LATE JANUARY

February 14+15

August 21+22

March 13+14

September 18+19

April 17+18

October 16+17

May 15+16

October 23+14

June 5+6

November 19+20

June TBD [In-Person]

December 11-12

July 17+18

December 11+12

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

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

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

REI 2024 SCHEDULE 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 instrument to engineer racial demographics. Also, we highlight how our culture, identity and histories of struggle are vital sources of strength for Latinx individuals, families and communities. Throughout, we emphasize how racism divides Latinos and African Americans, undermining crossracial solidarity required to create racial equity and to strengthen our growing multi-racial, multi-cultural, multigenerational movement for social transformation.

SAVE THE DATE! REGISTRATION OPENS LATE JANUARY

May 9+10

9:00am-5:00pm ET

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

2023RDSPACE RECAP How will we be resolute in moving toward racial justice in 2023?

CHANGEMAKER PROFILE

DONOVAN DUNCAN URBAN STRATEGIES, INC.

LUIS ORTEGA STORYTELLE3RS FOR CHANGE

MARCUS LITTLES FRONTLINE SOLUTIONS

BREAKOUT CONVERSATIONS WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE TO HAVE A RESOLUTE COMMITMENT TO RACIAL JUSTICE ACROSS INSITUTIONS?

CLIENT PROFILE

LAKEESHIA FOX LIVING CITIES

E. KWAME BOTCHWAY CLEVELAND NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESS

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SEPTEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

2023RDSPACE RECAP Can we make reflection a true priority in our racial justice work in 2023?

CLIENT PROFILE

AMY GILLIAN ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION

BREAKOUT CONVERSATIONS REFLECTIONS ON DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN STATUS QUO PRACTICE + ANTIRACIST PRACTICE

ANTI-RACIST COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

CLAIRE DUNNING UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

RAHWA GHIRMATZION UJIMA COMPANY, INC

ERIKA GEE FRONTLINE SOLUTIONS

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

2023RDSPACE RECAP What tools are you using to foster joy on your racial equity journey?

PATHWAYS TO JOY IN RESEARCH

DR. TRINEL TORIAN UC BERKELEY

APRIL CALLEN PURPOSE-BUILT COMMUNITIES

BREAKOUT CONVERSATIONS JOY IN MOVEMENT WORK: CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

JOY + PAIN: RESILIENCY, RESTORATION, REVELATION

GEORGE BARRETT MARIAN CHEEK JACKSON CENTER

KEILA ANALI SAUCEDO WATERERS

GRANT SUNOO LITTLE TOKYO SERVICE CENTER

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

2023RDSPACE RECAP How can we build intentional repetition into our work?

PLANNING WITH PURPOSE

KEISHA CHAMBERS CITY OF CLEVELAND, MOCAP

BREAKOUT CONVERSATIONS HOW DO YOU BRING INTENTION + MINDFULNESS INTO YOUR OWN RACIAL JUSTICE WOR?

SPOTLIGHT ON AWARENESS BUILDING

DEENA HAYES GREEN RACIAL EQUITY INSTITUTE

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

BLACK IS FREE SOIREE

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

INTERGENRATIONAL LUNCH CHOCOLATE CITY CLEVELAND MAP LAUNCH EXPLORE THE FULL MAP + SITES HERE

DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

BLACK IS FREE BBQ

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

DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

TSRR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY NISHANI FRASIER

DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

RUNTEENTH

JUNETEENTH

DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

DURING OUR BLACK IS FREE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION WE EXCLUSIVELY FEATURED LOCAL BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES AND VENDORS, CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST BELOW!

LO-KEY ENTERTAINMENT IG: @djlokey

LE SCOOP DESSERTS IG: @lescoopdessertboutique

LUSHOLOGY MIXOLOGY IG: @lushologymixology

PEARL FLOWER CATERING IG: @pearlflowerbrand

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DECEMBER 2023

JUNETEENTH

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

DURING OUR BLACK IS FREE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION WE EXCLUSIVELY FEATURED LOCAL BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES AND VENDORS, CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST BELOW!

COMFORT CLE

DJ KNYCE

IG: @comfort_cle

IG: @djknyce

PARKER & SONS BBQ

SLAMMIN SAMMY’S BBQ

IG: @parkersons_bbq

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JUNETEENTH

DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

DURING OUR BLACK IS FREE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION WE EXCLUSIVELY FEATURED LOCAL BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES AND VENDORS, CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST BELOW!

RECESS CLEVELAND IG: @recesscleveland

RINK IN THE BOX IG: @rinkinthebox

LIONESS BARBER IG: @lioness_barber14

CJ’S FAMOUS ANGUS

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JUNETEENTH

DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

DURING OUR BLACK IS FREE JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION WE EXCLUSIVELY FEATURED LOCAL BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES AND VENDORS, CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST BELOW!

STICKIICKI IG: @stickiicki

UPTOWN FINDS IG: @uptown_finds

AMANDA D. KING

NIQ.OUR PRINTS

IG: @iamandadking

IG: @niq.our

ZYGOTE PRESS

EAT ART GALLERY

IG: @zygotepress

IG: @eat.artgallery

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JUNETEENTH

Our Black is Free Juneteenth Celebration would not have been possible without the generous support from our sponsors. With their generosity, we were able to bring out the community for five days of events and programs where we could celebrate, honor and educate about the journey to Black freedom. Even more so we were able to continue to activate our comrades towards a journey of liberation.

Our gratitude extends to our dearest friends and volunteers who showed up on the ground to support Black is Free. Whether big or small, the contributions helped make each space as special as possible. We look forward to continuing to build and work alongside each other in the future!

THank You To our Sponsors platinum

gold

Silver

friends Teleange Thomas

India Pierce Lee

Fam

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

INTERGENRATIONAL LUNCH

This year our Intergenerational Lunches have been extremely special spaces. We started earlier this year in March and decided to continue our programming into December. The IG Lunch has blossomed into one of our most anticipated community events. We are so grateful for each and every attendee who continues to make the last Friday afternoon of every month so rich with stories, history, and laughter. We have been lucky to welcome a number of guest presenters and performances including Green Book Cleveland, Vince Robinson, NAACP Cleveland, Cleveland VOTES, North Coast Lakefront, Cleveland Metroparks Association, and many more.

Stay tuned for how IG Lunch continues to grow and evolve in 2024!

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

IG LUNCH RECAP

CHOCOLATE CITY CLEVELAND PROJECT MANAGER, INDIA PIERRE INGRAM, SHARES HER IG LUNCH HIGHLIGHTS

What was your favorite part of attending any of this year's IG Lunches?

Being able to connect around the vibrant history, culture, and community of the Gold Coast. Especially hearing folks' stories of being able to get everything they wanted and needed right on 105th.

Is there a specific memory that you particularly enjoyed while at an IG Lunch?

Watching Vince Robinson perform during our June 30th Intergenerational Lunch.

The music brought such a vibe to an already joyful event.

It was the perfect way to end Black Music History Month!

How did you feel about the programming?

I am proud of the programming, we had such vibrant conversations and presentations. I am still thinking about the ICA-Art Conservation workshop around the preservation of the items in your home.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

IG LUNCH RECAP

DESTINATION CLEVELAND CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER, HANNAH FRITZMAN BELSITO SHARES HER IG LUNCH HIGHLIGHTS

What was your favorite part of attending any of this year's IG Lunches?

Destination Cleveland is continually focused on finding opportunities to work WITH the community vs. FOR the community. The greatest opportunity to connect with the community is within their gathering circles and I so appreciate ThirdSpace inviting me in to such a joy-filled and innovative community circle.

Is there a specific memory that you particularly enjoyed while at an IG Lunch?

I just loved sharing meals with those that have called Cleveland home for decades and hearing their stories about its past and their visions for its future.

How did you feel about the programming?

The programming is incredibly intentional and always stirs something deep within me.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

CLIENT FEATURE

NORTH COAST LAKEFRONT MASTER PLAN

ThirdSpace Action Lab’s participation in the North Coast Lakefront Master Plan has been invaluable to achieving the project’s goals of co-creating with the community a vision that is built by and for ALL Clevelanders. Deep dives into topics and with individuals and cultural groups who are not often brought into captial infrastructure planning processes have helped the City and Field Operations shape the physical plan and well as surfaced both trauma and meaningful relationships – such as a the notion of reciprocity with Lake Erie. Storytelling during TSAL’s Salon sessions allowed us to see the lakefront through multiple lenses and will enable us to develop shared spaces that works for all of us to live, work and play.”

-Allison Lukacsy-Love, Managing Director, Major Projects, Greater Cleveland Partnership

Click Here to view the City of Cleveland’s North Coast Master Plan Virtual Draft Presentation

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

CLIENT FEATURE

NORTH COAST LAKEFRONT MASTER PLAN

THE CENTRAL THEME + GOALS: Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration envisions a North Coast Lakefront built on the core principles: Green + Resilient, Equitable, Uniquely Cleveland, Healing, Multi-Modal, and For All of Us. TSAL was engaged to invite residents to reimagine and co-create a future of the lakefront through intimate, candid and imaginative engagements.

TSAL has worked to elevate the voices of BIPOC communities to ensure that the future of our lakefront is welcoming and reflective of Cleveland’s diverse residents.

THE SUMMER ENGAGEMENTS: Community “Salon Series” that invites community members and stakeholders to unpack key themes + guiding principles that animate the North Coast Lakefront Master Plan.

Six-part social media “Soul Check Series” that invited community members to explore + reflect on their current + future relationship to our lakefront.

View the summary

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DECEMBER 2023

ANTI-RACIST

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT “This entire research project was, and continues to be, a humbling experience. Everytime I visit The People’s Practice I’m in awe and admiration of the work folks are doing and the insights shared. I love the honesty, vulnerability, and boldness displayed by the community development practitioners, visual artists, and webinar panelists.

The authenticity and enthusiasm we have seen and heard from partners and participants shows up on the page.

It truly is by and for “the people”, making it rich, relevant, and right on time. I can feel the energy coming off of the site, drawing folks in and encouraging curiosity and action. The most exciting part is that it’s just getting started. With only more practitioner-led content to come over the next few years, I’m excited and eager to see what unfolds on this site, and more importantly, how it helps and supports the anti-racist community development practices and efforts practitioners are engaging in.”

-DOMINIQUE MILLER, DIRECTOR OF CONSULTING STRATEGY

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DECEMBER 2023

ANTI-RACIST

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT “Once we got into the research project and heard all of this really insightful analysis from dozens and dozens of practitioners, it felt like we were sitting with something that could be a seminal reference point for the sector for decades to come. There’s a real sense of responsibility that comes with that.

We had a responsibility to make sure this didn’t just end up as a report on a shelf – that we made it digestible and actionable and moved from research to building practice. That’s what we’re trying to accomplish with The People’s Practice.

But there’s also a responsibility for each of us who work in community development to really examine our own place in the work. The project has really made me step back and consider what I’ve done in my own work that was helpful to advancing anti-racist work and where I’ve perpetuated or defended inequitable practices – or maybe even advanced new practices that were harmful. That’s definitely not an easy thing to interrogate, but I think it’s the only way that we move from being passive passengers to active drivers of change.”

-SETH BEATTIE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

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DECEMBER 2023

ANTI-RACIST

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

To hear more about the Anti-Racist Community Development research project and additional highlights from Dominique, Seth, and other practitioners, check out Next City’s podcast, Can Development Be Anti-Racist? This Report Tells Us How. The Anti-Racist Community Development Research Project was produced with support from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to increase understanding of structural racism in community development and pathways to racially equitable outcomes that promote health equity. The views expressed above do not necessarily reflect the views of RWJF.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

THE WORK

NACEDA COMMUNITY REPORT

Community development aims to improve the social and economic conditions that residents face in communities of color and communities of low incomes … but just how does resident voice show up in that effort? ThirdSpace paired up with the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations, with support from The Kresge Foundation to find out. In partnership with literary artists and community-based organizations in Dearborn, Michigan; Brownsville, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; and Richmond, California to interview more than 50 residents about how they engage in community development today … and the direction they’d like the sector to move in the future. Their wisdom contributed to fascinating research that increases collective understanding about where and how residents want to engage, and ThirdSpace also created a conversation guide to help facilitate that kind of exploration on the ground.

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TSAL READING ROOM

ON OUR BLOCK CLEVLEAND This fall we partnered with MoCaFi, Key Bank, NAACP of Cleveland, and Famicos Foundation to bring On Our Block Financial Empowerment Workshop to Cleveland. The afternoon featured an engaging discussion with Mayor Justin Bibb, Kelton Crenshaw of Klutch Sports Group, and MoCaFi Founder Wole Coaxum. Participants continued to enjoy an afternoon of good food, financial resource sharing, networking and activities.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

TSAL TAMIKA READING ROOM NUNLE OMARI SOUZA

THE ANTHOLOGY OF BLACKNESS: We were thrilled to welcome Omari Souza to ThirdSpace Reading Room in Partnership with Kent State University Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.

With standing-room only, Souza addressed the underrepresentation of Black professionals in the design field, exploring the reasons behind this disparity. By highlighting community-driven concerns related to the state of the design industry, design pedagogy, and design activism, the event underscored the importance of collective efforts in shaping a more equitable future.

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DECEMBER 2023

TSAL QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

RECAP

THE COLOR PURPLE SCREENING Our team at ThirdSpace Action Lab is grateful to Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland and Birthing Beautiful Communities for partnering to offer an advanced screening of The Color Purple.

TSRR HOLIDAY AUTHOR TALK DONOVAN X. RAMSEY Donovan X. Ramsey joined us in the Reading Room to share his powerful storytelling around the history of the crack cocaine era. He tells us that he “writes to complicate what people think they understand.” Through When Crack Was King, Ramsey provides a nuanced account of an underexplored and often misunderstood time period. His goal is to bring people’s humanity to the forefront.

Additionally, he and TSAL CEO Evelyn Burnett facilitated an inspiring conversation around writing and how we can utilize how history to revitalize our communities and our future.

WATCH THE TALK HERE

Art by Lauren Pearce

PEACE. Read | Watch | Listen

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