Ujima Wednesdays | Art, Activism, and Housing: Ashé's Vision for New Orleans with Asali DeVan Eccles

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.

Building Black Worlds Workshop Series:

How does race structure American cities? Over the past decade, a growing body of scholarship has reframed the conversation around centuries of disenfranchisement and race-based environmental and structural violence. At the same time, in cities across the globe, Black people are building worlds unto themselves, enriching and challenging fields like urban planning and development. Join us this month at Ujima Wednesdays as we learn from scholars and practitioners who are fighting against structural injustice in housing, culture, climate and policy to build Black worlds.

Workshop Description:

Ashé Cultural Arts Center uses art and culture to support human, community, and economic development of people of the African diaspora in New Orleans. In this workshop, Ashé's executive director Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes, will outline their vision for New Orleans and Louisiana at-large.

The Ashé Cultural Arts Center was established in 1998 in a vacant former department store space. Ashé provides opportunities for visual art exhibitions and performances, education, community programs, and partnerships that lift up the work of African American artists and culture bearers. Over the last 20 years, Ashé has expanded their space to include the entire building for artists and community use as well as artist apartments. Most recently Ashé developed the Ashé powerhouse, a state of the art performance and exhibit space in a newly renovated historic building around the corner. 

Facilitator Bio:

Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes is a mother, daughter, educator, organizer, author, event producer, performance artist, and community servant. Most know her by her many pursuits, but the way this writer knows herself and the world around her, is through her exploration of the word.  Ms. Ecclesiastes excitedly brings her deep roots in New Orleans’ indigenous culture to her work as the new Executive Director of Efforts of Grace and Ashé Cultural Arts Center. 

Prior to joining Ashé, Ms. Ecclesiastes served as Director of Strategic Neighborhood Development for the New Orleans Business Alliance, where she designed equitable development strategies for high impact neighborhoods—empowering resident leaders and making bold commitments to address entrenched disparities.  She became devoted to this mission as the Claiborne Corridor Program Manager for the City of New Orleans’ Mayor’s Office, where she advanced place-based projects and secured funding within six priority areas:  economic opportunity, cultural preservation, affordable housing, transportation choice and access, environmental sustainability, and safe & healthy neighborhoods. The author of two TED Talks and chosen as one of the 300 most influential citizens for the City’s Tricentennial, Ms. Ecclesiastes is a 2019 Tulane University Mellon Fellow who counts among her honors President Obama’s 2012 Drum Major for Service Award, the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian Council’s 2013 Queen’s Scribe Award, and Essence Magazine’s 2018 Excellence in Service Award. 

Ms. Ecclesiastes is a graduate of McMain Magnet High School and Vanderbilt University, where she earned Bachelors of Science in English Literature and Secondary Education, with minors in Biology and African Diaspora Studies—a program she co-founded at the university with her sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.