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Transforming America In Real Time! Building Community Through A Pandemic…

December 5, 2020 @ 1:00 pm - December 20, 2020 @ 6:00 pm UTC-5

Transforming America In Real Time:
Building Community Through A Pandemic
December 5 – 20

Opening Day: December 5, 1 to 6pm EST
Gallery Hours:
Friday 4 – 8pm, Saturday & Sunday
1 – 6pm EST

Artist Talk with Suga Ray and collaborators
Thursday, December 17, 7pm EST
Zoom link sent upon Registration

*All visitors are required to wear a face mask and follow social distancing guidelines. 

Transforming America In Real Time! features photographs from events organized by Lashawn “Suga Ray” Marston, of Transform America, a Queens Native and lifelong Queensbridge representative.These events ranged in their focus. Some photographs document a Social Unrest for Change Demonstration in which Marston and a group of activists and advocates held up traffic at the Queensborough Bridge for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in honor of George Floyd who was killed by a police officer. Another captures a Freedom Tour bus trip and walking tour of Washington DC with youth and adults alike. Ongoing local events include the Wellness Wednesdays Vegan Food giveaways at Queensbridge Projects.

Transforming America In Real Time! is supported by the Flux Factory Rhizome Project. The Rhizome Project is a commitment to give intentional space to Black voices, and provide a platform for Black narratives by offering the support needed to help these narratives thrive and evolve. The Rhizome Project is an evolving entity that will begin with a series of programs in 2020 and 2021.


Artist Talk with Suga Ray and collaborators
Thursday, December 17, 7pm EST
Zoom link sent upon Registration

Lashawn “Suga Ray” Marston, born on March 14th, 1984, would endure a lifetime worth of pain by the time he was only 20 years of age; including losing his dad and oldest sister to cancer, being shot, going to prison, and witnessing friends killed by friends, but by a constant reflection of self and his surroundings, he found his way and since 2008 has been committed to assisting in the elevation of humanity and the liberation of all oppressed people.

Since his transformation, “Suga Ray” would go on to receive numerous honors and awards from high ranking government officials, his peers, and countless others he has worked with, on various fronts, from various parts of the World. None of that has changed him as he remains committed to the mission of healing our hurting world, and thus gives much more than he receives. “Suga Ray” is a peace activist, food activist, spiritual guide, community builder, public speaker, universal educator, program developer, writer, artist, humanitarian, podcast host, and Founder of Transform America, a community based organization operating predominantly in Queensnbridge Houses.

Dannelly Rodriguez is an Astoria Queens native, an organizer/activist with the Justice for all Coalition and the Queens DSA. He is also a 3rd year law student at the CUNY School of Law. He works to empower public housing tenants to be their best advocates with respect to ensuring dignified housing and fighting to defund the police. He has helped organize rent strikes as a tool to solicit repairs for NYCHA tenants and to demand a Green New Deal for Public Housing. Dannelly is currently working on mutual aid and political education efforts within Queensbridge, Ravenswood and Astoria Houses to support a network for the self-determination of these communities. As a lawyer he wants to be “the hoods” lawyer and plans on suing landlords and the police to build class power for his community. He fundamentally believes that people should have direct autonomy over their lives, including their homes, workplaces and schools and that policy should be shaped to support that. This work and this passion is what led him to begin working with Suga Ray.

Adrian L. Childress was born in Germany to a single mother of four serving in the Army, and he was raised in Texas. At 18 he joined the United States Marine Corps as an Infantry Rifleman. While completing two combat tours in Afghanistan he picked up his first camera. After capturing fellow Marines he decided to pursue a degree in Photography. Studying at the Academy of Arts University in San Francisco he made a decision to become a photojournalist. He sees so many people/stories go unseen and wants to help bring attention to them using his camera.In 2019, the “WE UNFUCK THE WORLD” project was born. The concept came from folks talking about how they would “UNFUCK THE WORLD” or what it means to them. Since becoming a photographer, Adrian’s dream was to move to NYC. In February 2020, he did. Adrian believes everyone deserves to be seen, and everyone needs to be heard which is why he wrote the motto for the “WE UNFUCK THE WORLD” project as:

“OUR VOICES, OUR MOVEMENT
UNTIL EVERY VOICE IS HEARD
WE UNFUCK THE WORLD”
This work and this passion is what led him to begin working with Suga Ray.

Details

Start:
December 5, 2020 @ 1:00 pm UTC-5
End:
December 20, 2020 @ 6:00 pm UTC-5
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