Listen to the first episode of the "Stop the Violence" series
“My transformation work at IofC has to do with how the legacy of enslavement and dehumanization still takes effect in law, the economy and how communities are separated. That legacy has never been abolished from people’s minds and this affects so many different aspects and facets in people’s lives. ”
Welcome to the first episode in a podcast series, "Stop the Violence." This series is led by Allan-Charles Chipman, Faith Rooted Organizer & Transformation Strategist with Initiatives of Change USA. “Everything that’s current is not new,” is a statement that Allan often shares as part of his work. As a researcher, writer, lecturer, sound artist and organizer, he links how histories of violence persist in new forms from the eras of enslavement and Jim Crow to our present moment.
“We are already in a revolution - the tides of our society are treating people a certain way. The question is, are we going to continue to blindly lend our momentum to what is happening right now or are we going to change the way our society moves and who it prioritizes?”
Episode 1 is an introductory conversation where Allan discusses his work with interfaith communities, cultural institutions (Intersecting History), and community-based organizations in addressing multiple, intersecting levels of anti-Black violence that affect personal and collective self-esteem, housing security, educational achievements, and public representation, among many other things.
“STOP THE VIOLENCE gives a greater lens and a platform for the voices who have been saying this violence has been going on for quite some time and it’s been called something else - opportunity or redevelopment or investment. This gives listeners a chance to dig behind the wall, to say, ‘this is a perspective I didn’t know about.’ It’s also about organizing, pinpointing and redirecting them into ways they can get involved. ”
This podcast was recorded in February 2020 at Canvas House (Studios), engineered by Clair Morgan.