I had forgotten about Alternate ROOTS for a while, but they definitely deserve a mention in the world of disability and creativity in the Southern United States.
Alternate ROOTS supports the creation and presentation of original art that is rooted in community, place, tradition or spirit. We are a group of artists and cultural organizers based in the South creating a better world together. As Alternate ROOTS, we call for social and economic justice and are working to dismantle all forms of oppression – everywhere.
One of the artists who make up Alternate Roots is Nikki Brown. Nikki is a visual artist and ROOTS Executive Committee Member from Durham, NC. Her view as a creative activist/advocate sounds much like that of a disability rights activist/advocate.
For anybody who creates art, it’s a series of adaptations and modifications. And the art should stand alone and it should go on it’s own merit and not be special because you are a person with a disability, but because you are amazing.
But Alternate Roots isn’t only about ableism. It’s about all the other “-isms,” too. Their work calls for social and economic justice and for the dismantling of all forms of oppression. That’s what intrigues me about them. They come together to build a better world. They combine arts + community + activism to take the system apart piece by piece and rebuild it.
If you live in the South and you’re into any kind of art and activism, check it out.
Finding Our Voices Together 