WHAT ARE WE DOING?
MOVING THROUGH SHAME TOWARDS RESILIENCE: A Healing Justice approach to Internalized Racism for Philly-based Asian Artists is a 5 part workshop series on moving through shame and undoing internalized racism for Philly-based Asian* Artists. We invite all Philly-based artists, creatives, and cultural workers of Asian descent to apply to be a part of this series cohort. Over the course of 4 months, we will deepen our understanding of how racism and internalized white supremacy impacts our bodies and our relationships, learn practices and frameworks that will help us to move towards healing, and build our capacity to show up for racial and economic justice with greater joy, tenacity, and compassion.
WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?
This workshop is for anyone who self-identifies as...
...an Asian, Asian-American*...
...artists, creatives, and cultural workers...
...based in Philadelphia, PA...
...who holds an interest in showing up for racial and economic justice.
​
*We recognize that language is constantly evolving and can be limited when we speak about our identities. We use the word Asian with the intention of acknowledging many ethnic identities and diasporas, including South Asian, Southeast Asian, East Asian, Middle-Eastern, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Mixed-Race folx.
WHAT WILL WE BE EXPLORING IN EACH WORKSHOP?
WORKSHOP #1: FINDING EACH OTHER
Sat, Sept 18th: 11:00AM - 1:00PM
We’ll start by coming together to get to know one another and why we are here. Who are we, where are we located, and what motivates us to keep going?
We will look at the trajectory of the series as a whole, make agreements about how we will move through it together, and begin to build trust. We will unpack how moving through shame and internalized racism can help us dismantle white supremacy and build towards liberation (and why it can be so hard!) We will build a shared vocabulary and name the lineages that guide us in moving towards collective liberation from our location as Asian Artists based in Philadelphia.
WORKSHOP #2: UNDOING INTERNALIZED RACISM
Sat, Oct 9th: 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Where do Asians fall within the constellation of racisms in the US? What are the myths about us and where do they come from?
For the second workshop of this series, guest facilitator Alicia ‘ayo’ Ohs, will help us explore how oppression manifests in our bodies. ayo will offer frameworks for understanding internalized racial oppression and how that might land for us as Asians in the United States. ayo will also offer us new tools to recognize and navigate these cycles in our bodies, and how we might move through them individually and together in community.
​
WORKSHOP #3: REACHING FOR HEALING
Sat, Nov 13th: 11:00AM - 1:00PM
What is racialized trauma and how can we move through it as Asian artists?​
In our third workshop, we will be joined by guest facilitator Shavon Norris, who will invite us to explore frameworks to help understand the relationship between race and trauma. Shavon will also invite us to explore tools to recognize and navigate the long-term impacts of racialized trauma within ourselves, our relationships and our communities.
​
WORKSHOP #4: RELEASING SHAME AND INVITING PLEASURE
Sat, Dec 4th: 11:00AM - 1:00PM
How do we, as Asian artists and cultural workers, invite the beauty of hope to come in and fill our hearts with the excellence of living?
In our fourth session, we will be joined by queer kink educator Yin Q, who will invite us into practices of releasing shame and embracing pleasure as a form of healing. This session will challenge us to begin to release our shame as we move towards being more accountable to ourselves and others for how internalized white supremacy and racism impacts our bodies and relationships. We will also have time for a Q&A with Yin to learn about their personal and professional experiences with navigating the relationship between power, pleasure, trauma, shame and healing as kink practitioner.
​
WORKSHOP #5: REFLECTIONS & NEXT STEPS
Sat, Dec 18th: 11:00AM - 1:00PM
Supporting our growth & accountability moving forward
For our final gathering,we will take time to reflect before looking ahead. What did we shift or learn throughout this series? What do we think our next healing edge is in navigating internalized white supremacy and racism? How can we move with greater purpose and joy within our bodies, our relationships, and our communities as we organize towards racial and economic justice?
WHO ARE WE?
For those of you who are new to PAPA, welcome! Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists (PAPA) is a collective of theatre artists who seek to enhance and strengthen the presence of Asian Americans in the Philadelphia theatre community. Our goal is to provide consistent, focused training with workshops and mentorship for their members through partnerships with professional theaters and artists. As a result of sustaining and increasing the skill levels of their group, we hope to empower and retain emerging Asian American theater artists in Philadelphia. As PAPA grows and strengthens, we aim to encourage and create performance opportunities for PAPA members and also reflect the greater diversity of this city and its stories. Learn more about PAPA’s work here!
[We recognize that two of our facilitators are not Philadelphia-based - Mieke and Mel made this choice intentionally because of the wisdom, mentorship and deep wealth of knowledge that these facilitators have contributed to our personal growth journeys. We are excited to include them as a part of our extended PAPA family.]
HOW CAN I SIGN UP?!
There are only 10 spots in this workshop because we want to be able to cultivate a strong sense of community, intimacy, and trust throughout our time together. We will give priority to those who can commit to all five workshops, but let us know where you're at and if this is prohibitive to you for any reason. It is important that we be able to create a strong container based on continuity and reliability, so that we can move through these difficult topics with care and depth. We also ask for a commitment to all five workshops because the material we cover will be cumulative.
​
All workshops will be held on Zoom.
​
*It is free to participate in these workshops*
​
Please fill out the application: Friday August 27th (8/27/21) by 11:59pm. We will let you know if you are a part of the cohort or on the waiting list by: Saturday September 4, 2021: 11:59PM EST