International Festival of Arts & Ideas

Social Justice meets sci-fi meets songwriting in this panel discussion between musician, composer, and curator Toshi Reagon; cultural producer & sacred artivist Hanifa Nayo Washington; and writer, activist, educator, and spoken word artist Walidah Imarisha. In partnership with the Yale Schwarzman Center, these award-winning luminaries will touch on themes of Afrofuturism, Octavia Butler, and bringing a creative approach to our understanding of what social justice initiatives of the future might look like.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTSThis event is presented in partnership with the Yale Schwarzman Center.

Esta conversación se llevará a cabo en español.

This conversation will be held in Spanish.

En asociación con Melting the Ice, un podcast y programa de radio bilingüe dedicado a compartir el testimonio de personas directamente afectadas por las detenciones de ICE, el presentador Luis Luna guiará este panel de discusión en el que una breve introducción al sistema de detención actual de ICE servirá como punto de partida para imaginar cómo se vería un mundo sin ICE, y cómo los organizadores y las personas están dando vida a esta visión del mundo radicalmente liberadora en la actualidad.

In partnership with Melting the Ice, a bilingual podcast and radio show dedicated to sharing testimonials from people directly impacted by ICE detention, host Luis Luna will guide this panel discussion where a brief introduction to the current ICE detention system will serve as a springboard for imagining what a world without ICE looks and feels like, and exploring how organizers and individuals are bringing this radically liberated world vision into existence today.

How do we create a world where we all care for each other? A world where fewer people have to fight for their rights to exist, while more people acknowledge and accommodate for the abilities of all? Host Lucy Gellman, editor of the New Haven Arts Council’s Arts Paper will be joined by cultural producer, performer, and inclusion expert Claudia Alick; poet and writer Cyree Jarelle Johnson; and producer, author and filmmaker Crystal Emery to underscore our need for better social awareness around issues of ableism.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

If you’re wondering where the spiritual "after party" for the Festival will be, look no further than this party in the form of a panel discussion, where New Haven Director of Cultural Affairs Adriane Jefferson will lead a talk among many of the festival’s headliners, including theater visionary Madeline Sayet, “wild” (PRI) front man of Mwenso & the Shakes Michael Mwenso, and BLACK HAVEN queer artist and activist Salwa Abdussabur. These luminaries will discuss what a future honoring artistic equity and liberation can (and should!) look like.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

What would a truly just system look like? In 2021 we saw a surge in anger and action regarding the state of the prison industrial complex, a system that is unjustly imprisoning Black and brown people, profiting off of their imprisonment, and killing our community members. Abolitionists imagine a different justice system that moves beyond punishment into transformative justice that works for all, not some. Facilitator, theater artist, intuitive coach and Queer Black Mama Kristianna Smith leads this panel discussion envisioning a healthy, functioning alternative to our current penal system.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

Monuments shape the fabric of our landscapes and serve as permanent reminders of what and who our society values. They are installed to commemorate moments and people from the past that we want to carry forward, to demonstrate our achievements and mourn our losses. In the past five years, tensions have escalated around the United States as people have worked to eliminate painful reminders of racism, colonialism, and other forms of oppression, and rethink their roles in American mythology. Host Adriane Jefferson, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven, will lead this panel discussion with artists and experts who will speak on issues ranging from the riots in Charlottesville to the removal of our own Christopher Columbus statue in New Haven.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

Celebrate the necessary and overdue passage of the Connecticut CROWN Act -- which prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of traits historically associated with race, including hair -- with this joyous panel discussion. Malakhi Eason, the Festival's Director of Programming and Community Impact, will moderate a panel of community advocates, beauty experts, and multi-dimensional artists on topics ranging from the politics and art of hair to styling trends.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

Imagine a creative life that unfolds in layers, fueled by your happiest memories of connection and belonging. Two-time business owner Alisa Bowens-Mercado has taken many a plunge into uncharted waters, making history while removing obstacles in the path for others. Hear how she is changing the game for craft brewing in Connecticut, and what "rhythm" has got to do with it. Bowens-Mercado will be joined in conversation by Randi McCray, co-founder of the Urban Collective, in a Q&A for aspiring entrepreneurs, followed by a brief ceremony to entrust artifacts from the two brands Alisa has built (so far!) into the collection of the New Haven Museum.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

How would it change your life if you had everything you needed within a 15-minute walk? Throughout the world, architects, city planners and community organizers are constructing aesthetically pleasing, human-centered cities that rely less on cars and other nonrenewable resources while providing more opportunities for people to live well. From bikes to helipads and high-speed trains, experts from around the world and close to home are developing the latest strides in transportation and eco-design. Join radio journalist and moderator John Dankosky for this series of short presentations from around the world followed by a panel discussion, in partnership with architecture firm Pickard Chilton and the CT Mirror.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

Raven A. Blake, cultural worker, community organizer and Founder and Visionary of Love Fed New Haven, hosts a conversation with global majority organizers and artisans who were working in mutual aid prior to the pandemic and who continue this vital work today. Panelists will engage with the legacy and power of love and its role in their collective past as well as how it shapes their work and visions for the future. What are alternatives to charity that empower communities to care for each other? Panelists include Farron Harvey, Disha Patel, Leah Penniman, Rachel Sayet, Tenaya Taylor, and Charline Xu.LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS