Last fall Cave Canem hosted its first ever anti-racism workshop facilitated by poet, social justice advocate and fellow Ama Codjoe. As part of our Lecture & Master Class series, “Walking the Walk: Poetry, Equity & Anti-Racism in the Literary Arts” marked the launch of Cave Canem’s Anti-Oppression Series, which offers workshops that facilitate conversations about institutional oppression and how to challenge it.

This past October, licensed psychologist Dr. Nicole L. Jackson facilitated “Self-care, Vulnerability and Resilience: Disarming Intersectional Microaggressions,” a workshop focused on the factors that buffer against and dismantle the impact of microaggressions. The workshop with Dr. Jackson included everything from a “loving kindness meditation” and discussion of Lucille Clifton’s triumphant poem “Won’t You Celebrate with Me” to conversations about trauma and vulnerability in relation to microagression theory and explorations of self-care strategies. One participant expressed that overall, “It was a deeply valuable workshop,” while another noted that the facilitator was “very effective at making space for a range of ideas.”

The next installment of the Anti-Oppression Series will welcome back Ama Codjoe in February 2019 for a second anti-racism workshop. Stay tuned for upcoming announcements on our website and social media platforms!