Ujima Wednesdays | Poetic Narratives of Black Fugitivity with Fred Moten

Liberation Study Hall: 

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Schools of 1964, the Boston Ujima Project proudly presents "Liberation Study Hall," a year-long exploration of historical figures, schools of thought, experiments and sites that have contributed to shaping our contemporary movements and global landscape.

Event Description:

“Fugitivity… is a desire for and a spirit of escape and transgression of the proper and the proposed. It’s a desire for the outside, for a playing or being outside, an outlaw edge proper to the now always already improper voice or instrument.”–Fred Moten

In current discourse, a growing body of narratives has emerged concerning fugitivity and marronage: the actions, organizing, and placemaking we undertake from the shadows, margins, and crevices to free ourselves. Such work is a reclamation of self for Black people and Black communities outside of nation-states that deny us agency. 

These narratives frequently refer to escape from racial violence pre-emancipation: scholars and cultural critics frame these concepts in the past tense. Yet there is a present and ongoing legacy of fugitive practices within education, cooperative infrastructures, migration, and abolition. 

In this month's series of workshops, we will explore the concept of fugitivity and its intricate relationship with Blackness, liberation, and economic justice. From independent Black placemaking (marronage) and Black self-sustaining communities (maroons), to political prisoner movements, to poetics and planning, we hope to gain insight into recent historical events and current practices of fugitivity and marronage. We will focus on sites of transformation, mobility, and possibility, and we will examine these practices through the lens of fugitivity–a tool for envisioning and creating new worlds from “the outside”.

Join us in conversation with Fred Moten, Black theorist and author of The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning and Black Study. Moten’s writing towards refusal and escape guides our discussion on the genealogy of fugitivity by way of musical and literary investigation. 

Facilitator Bio:

Fred Moten is a professor of performance studies and comparative literature at New York University concerned with social movement, aesthetic experiment, and Black study. He has written a number of books of poetry and criticism, including In the Break: The Aesthetics of the Black Radical Tradition (University of Minnesota Press, 2003) and The Feel Trio (Letter Machine Editions, 2014), a finalist for the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the winner of the California Book Award. His recent projects include a poetry collection, Perennial Fashion Presence Falling; musical recordings and performances with bandmates Brandon López and Gerald Cleaver; an appearance in long-time friend and collaborator Wu Tsang’s film MOBY DICK; or, The Whale; and an essay collection, All Incomplete, written with his comrade Stefano Harney. Moten lives in New York City with his partner, Laura Harris, and their children, Lorenzo and Julian.

In Person Attendees:

Testing: You must test before every in person/hybrid event, and show evidence of your most recent test results upon entry. 

Mask Requirements: We encourage all attendees to wear masks during the event.

Health Check: If you're feeling unwell or have been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, we kindly ask you to stay home and join us virtually.

Sanitization: Hand sanitizing stations will be available at the venue, along with masks and a restricted supply of COVID-19tests. We strongly encourage you to use them as needed. 

Allergies: Refreshments will be served, please include any allergies and dietary restrictions in the provided space.

Note: Seating is limited, so be sure to arrive early to secure your spot for this enlightening workshop. For inquiries and more information, please contact comms@ujimaboston.com.