CUPSI WORKSHOP | SYSTEMS OF EXPRESSION [3.27.2015]

SYSTEMS OF EXPRESSION: COMBATING OPPRESSION WITH TOOLS OF OUR OWN

with Tariq Luthun, Sam Cook, Terisa Siagatonu, and Janae Johnson.


oppression [uh-presh-uh n]:
the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjustmanner.

As members of a very socially active community, we are no strangers to oppression and its ramifications upon us and/or those that we know and love. As orators, it is our duty to ensure that we are using our gifts, talents, and skills to help push underrepresented narratives out into the world-- whether those narratives are widespread or simply our own personal stories.  However, that can be difficult when existing in a world that often feels as though it is trying too hard to excise us and our stories from it. Often, this oppression manifests itself through a myriad of systems [human-made, or otherwise].

This panel workshop seeks to remind students that there are responsible parties behind the efforts that seeks to constrain us, but in response, we are a collection of faces and names that can create work that seeks to unhinge ourselves from those constraints. Whether that oppression be racism or loneliness, the idea is to expound upon the pedagogy of our existence not as the antithesis to oppression, but as standalone entities that-- instead of simply seeking to survive-- live to thrive. The goals of this workshop are to 1) develop a dialogue around what is deemed to be oppressive [especially within the collegiate environment], 2) developing a strategy laced with best practices to address building sustainable organizations that ensure safe/brave spaces whilst building community.