Currents
The DSL supports a range of projects each year, including: The DSL Writers & Manuscript Workshops and The DSL Community Fellows Program.
Community Fellows Program
The DSL Community Fellows are non-academic/non-institutionally affiliated community organizers, artists, cultural workers or groups who collaborate on projects with other participants and innovate DSL-sponsored projects of their own. The Community Fellows program invests in collaborative community work and supporting practitioners doing the work where they are.
The 2024 Community Fellows engage in art and healing, teaching and archives, dying and cultivating, and more. Read below….
The 2024 Community Fellows
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Mariah M. (they/them) is a queer diasporic African culture worker, creative and worldbuilder based in Greensboro, NC (ancestrally of the Occaneechi band of the Saponi Nation). Mariah is a founding member of SaltWater Sojourn, a North Carolina-based Blackqueer artist collective that believes in the transformative power art and cultural programming can have on the individual and the collective. They are a 2024 Roots.Wounds.Words. Winter Speculative Fiction Fellow as well as the inaugural artist-in-residence at The Beautiful Project (c. 2023) . Mariah moves with the knowing that their identity as an artist is intrinsically connected to their role in community. As an aspiring anarchist and practicing abolitionist, they are both creator and destroyer. A seeker and forever student of life. As LightSower of SaltWater Sojourn, they are the Co-Visionary Architect of Revival of the Seers (ROS), a paid-to-attend summer rest retreat for Blackqueer creatives. As a DSL Community Fellow, Mariah will be stewarding a relationship-building & skillsharing reunion for ROS attendees and members of the collective as well as a day-long festival for community with programs held by the creatives and collaborators within the SaltWater Sojourn ecosystem in Spring 2024.
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Xalli Zúñiga is a Latina/x community artist and researcher based in Mexico. They earned a dual Ph.D. in Art Education and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Pennsylvania State University in August 2022. Their academic journey also includes the Erasmus Mundus Crossways in Cultural Narratives Master’s program, completed at three European universities (at St. Andrews, Santiago de Compostela, and Perpignan) from 2013 to 2015, and a Bachelor of Visual Arts degree from the National School of Plastic Arts at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (ENAP-UNAM).
Xalli’s research uniquely intersects art, ethnomycology, and Latina/x theory. Their exploration of “mycorrhizal” connections—relations that foster rapport and connectivity—addresses the impacts of coloniality, capitalism, and environmental crises. Through drawing and dialogue, Xalli cultivates care ecologies and mutual aid, challenging anthropocentrism with “fungal feminist” perspectives and contributing to the decomposition of anti-colonial violence through aisthesis. This work supports the vision of a world that embraces diverse forms of world-making.
Xalli is also known for leading experimental drawing workshops globally and for her involvement in local community art projects. Their contributions include teaching drawing to women in prisons, and migrant shelters in Central Mexico. Currently, their research focuses on the relationships between women mushroom foragers and fungal networks in Amealco, Querétaro, exploring their experiences amidst extractivism, expropriation, and ecological decline. Employing Latina/x feminist theories and arts-based methods, they endeavor to enhance feminist ethnomycology, underscoring the critical roles of sexualized carers and mycelial networks in sustaining life and its complex interdependencies.
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David Cabueñas is a sonic and visual artist born in Manila, Philippines and raised in Queens, NY. His work is rooted in themes of liberation, spirituality, and the history and culture of the Philippine diaspora. As a community organizer and educator, David has collaborated with organizations such as Anakbayan NY, a youth and student organization for Filipino political education and advocacy, and The Weaving Hand, a healing arts school focused on textile arts for children and adults with developmental disabilities. David is also a part of Planet Locale, an independent record label dedicated to grass-roots Hip-hop.
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Emmanuela Douyon is a Haitian social impact consultant, feminist, social justice advocate, and writer based in Boston. Her work primarily focuses on addressing the challenges faced by economically disadvantaged individuals and underresourced communities, particularly in Haiti and the US. Emmanuela's dedication to social justice and inclusive development policies has led her to participate in various initiatives, both locally in Haiti and internationally. She founded POLICITÉ, a boutique policy lab & consulting firm specializing in development policy. Emmanuela has been actively involved in the Petrochallenge movement and the collective Noupapdomi, advocating for accountability and justice in Haiti's largest corruption scandal.
With over a decade of professional experience in diverse sectors in Haiti and the USA, Emmanuela is fluent in four languages and holds two master's degrees. She is interested in literature, arts, travel, gastronomy, outdoor activities, and cultural events.
As a Diaspora Solidarities Lab (DSL) fellow, Emmanuela will develop "Stories from Motel 6," a multimedia narrative project that portrays Haitian Migrants living in a Massachusetts shelter. The project aims to humanize Haitian migration statistics in Massachusetts through intimate interviews and poignant portraits, highlighting the migrants' harrowing journeys, hope, and day-to-day living in Massachusetts. This project will be part of her first exhibition, "Travèse" (the traverse).
For more information, please visit www.emmadouyon.com or follow Emmanuela on Twitter/Instagram: @emmadouyon.
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Bilphena Decontee Yahwon is a Baltimore based artist, archivist and restorative justice practitioner born in Suakoko, Bong County, Liberia. Her work is concerned with the uses of individual and collective memory: How we inherit it, how we preserve it and how we pass it down. Yahwon is the steward of her free online library, The Womanist Reader, a collective member of interdisciplinary publishing initiative Press Press, and a founding member of New Generation Scholars Intergenerational Institute. She was Washington Project for the Arts Summer Artist-Organizer-in-Residence (2021) and Transforming Communities Peer2Peer Fellow (2018). Yahwon is currently a 2023-2024 Processing Fellow at AFRO Charities, where she is assisting in preparing the AFRO-American Newspaper’s archival collection for public access. She launched Archive Liberia in 2020 as an invitation and site for recovering, holding and organizing the collective memory of Liberia.
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Patrick Harris II (he/him) is the author of the award-winning book “The First Five: A Love Letter to Teachers,” a memoir with a call to action. Harris hails from Detroit and identifies as a Black queer writer and storyteller. He is currently a ninth-year middle school English teacher and dean of students. He has won multiple national teaching awards for his leadership and innovation in the classroom, including recognition from the National Council of Teachers of English, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the International Literacy Association. Teaching is only part of who Harris is; he is also a big brother, a cat dad, and a lover of all things horror.
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Ivelisse Diaz, "Bombera de Corazón," hails from Chicago's Humboldt Park, the heart of the Puerto Rican community. Mentored by her uncle from Group Yuba from the age of 5, she became a lead vocalist at fourteen, contributing to Yuba's iconic album. A founding member of Yubitas (Chicago's first Bomba Youth group in 1995), founding member & lead vocalist of Bomba con Buya , director of all women ensemble Las BomPleneras, Ivelisse's impact extends globally. In 2009, she founded La Escuelita Bombera De Corazon, blending art education and social justice. Recognized for her unique artistry, educational prowess, and community leadership, Ivelisse is a resilient and influential figure in the world of Bomba and Plena. For nearly three decades, Ivelisse has immersed herself daily as a student, artist, and organizer in the vibrant world of Bomba. With a family tradition spanning three generations, she remains deeply rooted in her cultural heritage as a proud Boricua de Chicago, Guayama and a devoted mother to her daughter, Amaya.
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Deeply committed to praxis rooted in love, justice and radical change, Nasir Anthony Montalvo uses a polymathic approach in their work to combat oppression. Founder and curator of digital archive, {B/qKC}, Montalvo is utilizing the keepsakes of Kansas City's Black LGBTQIA2S+ community members to educate the world stage. As bigoted legislation and representation actively seeks to erase knowledge and indoctrinate future generations, {B/qKC} seeks to preserve and share Black queer history—not just as static stories but as didactic, interactive artifacts that educate, challenge, storytell, pay homage, repair, destroy, and build anew.
Montalvo received a grant from Stories For All, an initiative between The University of Kansas and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, to continue their archival work after successful, multi-location exhibits of {B/qKC}’s inaugural volume in Summer 2023. Montalvo is the Managing Editor for the abolitionist news and community organization, The Kansas City Defender; and a Fellow in BlaqOut’s LEAD Fellowship Program and the Solutions Journalism Network’s JOC Fellowship Program.
Montalvo graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in 2021. At their alma mater, Montalvo had extensive history as a student organizer: founding their university’s first official safe space for marginalized community members, starting a Black writers column in the campus newspaper, and leading numerous protest efforts against the construction of Gianforte Family Hall.
Montalvo and their work has been featured in The Advocate, GLAAD, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, NPR, HelloGiggles, and various other local and national outlets.
Montalvo is queer, Afro-Boricua, and originally from Kissimmee, Florida.
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Ruth Pión is an Afro-Caribbean woman, social researcher, and anti-racist activist from the Dominican Republic. Her work primarily focuses on challenging anti-Black sentiment, and systemic racism through History teaching. Ruth is a passionate advocate for social justice and racial equality, with a strong focus on promoting the recognition of Afrodescendant people and their heritage. As the founder AfrohistoriaRD, Ruth has dedicated her life to visibilizing and celebrating the rich, yet often overlooked, history of the enslaved Africans in Ayiti (La Hispaniola) through immersive experiences such as historical tours, workshops, and curriculum development.
With a solid academic foundation in Anthropology and Gender Equality, and her technical training in the management and protection of cultural heritage and Underwater Archaeology, Ruth seamlessly intertwines her scholarly pursuits with her pro-Black activism. Her research endeavors revolve around Culture, Gender, Education, and the preservation of local resistance memories with a decolonial and anti-racist approach. This includes various archaeological projects studying the history of slavery in the Dominican Republic, and promoting the democratization of cultural heritage and community's integration in cultural resource management processes.
Ruth has also participated as a panelist and keynote speaker in various national and international platforms to discuss issues regarding racism, antiracism, feminism, gender, Black History, and social movements. Due to her work and activism, Ruth has been targeted by alt-right nationalist organizations, receiving hate messages, threats, harassment, and doxing. In recognition of her remarkable contributions, and her political risk as an activist and educator, Ruth was selected as the inaugural Threatened Scholars Fellow by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute (CUNY DSI) where she developed a syllabus on Academic Freedom and Public Scholarship during 2022. Her work embodies resilience and a deep commitment to elevating Afro-Caribbean heritage and promoting cultural inclusiveness.
Solidarity : 2023 DSL Writers & Manuscript Workshops
Solidarity : 2023 DSL Writers & Manuscript Workshops
The DSL Writers & Manuscript Workshops is a space for discussions about academic and trade publishing, writing/sharing, and workshopping. TheDSL Writers meet monthly as a group to read and workshop each other’s works in progress. Each writer will also have the opportunity to have a full manuscript workshop with two external reviewers fully funded by the DSL.
Organized and led by Dr. Treva Lindsey.
Subscribe to our contact form for more information.
The 2023 theme is: Solidarity
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Sarah Bruno is the 2022-2023 postdoctoral fellow in Latinx Art, Cultures, and Religions in the Humanities Research Center at Rice University. Her first manuscript, Re-Sounding Resistencia centers the Afro-Puerto Rican genre of bomba as a site and method in constructing cartography of Black Puerto Rican femme feeling throughout history. Her research and art lie at the intersections of performance, diaspora, and digitality. She often writes to carefully curated Spotify soundtracks
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To Live in the Hurricane's Path: Plotting Survival in Dominica
'It's not a fragmented book with no point of view.
There is a poetic intention ... linked to landscape.
Each fragment is a landscape... which leads us to a new idea of how to tell a story'
(Glissant and Obrist 2021)
Unfolding in Waitikubuli (the Kalinago name for Dominica; meaning: 'tall is her body') during the time after Hurricane Maria (and earlier storms), this book shares stories of human survival in relation to the island's animate land, sky and sea. The last island in the Antilles to be colonized, once a refuge to maroons and indigenous peoples (the latter very much present today; the former living in the spirit of its people), Dominica is a sheer, recalcitrant and animate land that comes alive during hurricanes. Centering each chapter or interlude on a feature of the landscape - the wind, sea, river, beach, zion (farm), house, forest, tarpaulin, barrel, sous (freshwater spring) and so on - To Live in the Hurricane's Path 'plots'• ecologies of black/indigenous survival and repair in a time of planetary crisis (world capitalist ecology).
Adom Philogene Heron is an ethnographer of the Caribbean whose work spans: (I) black ecologies, hurricanes & repair; (II) Bristol's spectral post-slavery geographies; & (III) Caribbean kinship, fatherhood & their affects. Methodologically, he is committed to collaborative & experimental ethnographies (incl. digital cartography, visual, sound, Caribbean poetics). His scholarly praxis seeks the 'grounding' of urgent questions –e.g. on environmental racial justice, how we remember slavery and Caribbean fatherhood– within public dialogues.
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La Petite Mort: Sex, Seduction and Caribbean Decolonization studies the linkages between sexual desire and decolonial liberation in the Caribbean literary imaginary. The book consists of an introduction, four chapters, and a conclusion, much of which has been drafted via conference presentations. I need to expand upon these drafts and create chapter length pieces that convey the myriad ways sex has come to language the political and state-sponsored approach to decolonization and the literary-philosophical approach to decolonization.
Natalie M. Léger is an Assistant Professor of English at Temple University who specializes in anti-blackness and anti-colonial thought and decolonial philosophy in Caribbean literature and hemispheric American fiction. Her research interests focus on race and visual culture, African diasporic literature, and magical realist cultural production.
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Tacuma Peters is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and James Madison College at Michigan State University. His teaching and research are focused on the history of political thought and contemporary political philosophy as it relates to chattel slavery, European empire, and decolonization.
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Aurora Santiago Ortiz is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies and Chicane/Latine Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on antiracist feminisms, decolonial perspectives, popular education, and participatory action research. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Law, and a B.F.A. in Film and T.V. from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her work has been published in the Michigan Journal for Community Service Learning, Tracce Urbane: Italian Journal of Urban Studies, Curriculum Inquiry, and in Chicana/Latina Studies Journal. She has also been a contributor to Society and Space, NACLA, The Abusable Past blog of the Radical History Review, Electric Marronage, Open Democracy, and Zora magazine. She is also a co-founder and member of the community organization Colectivo Casco Urbano de Cayey.
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Dr. Nadejda I. Webb is an ACLS Emerging Voices postdoctoral fellow in Black Data and Black DH at Johns Hopkins. Her research explores imaginaries in the quotidian, belonging, and representation. Before completing her joint-Ph.D. in English and Comparative Media Analyses and Practice at Vanderbilt, Nadejda earned a B.A. in English Literature at the City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter College.
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Treva B. Lindsey is a Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University and the co-founder of Black Feminist Night School at Zora’s House. Her research and teaching interests include African American women’s history, black popular and expressive culture, black feminism(s), hip hop studies, critical race and gender theory, and sexual politics. Her most recent book, America Goddam: Violence, Black Women, and The Struggle for Justice (University of California Press) was described as “required reading for all Americans” a starred Kirkus review. Her first book, Colored No More: Reinventing Black Womanhood in Washington D.C was a Choice 2017 “Outstanding Academic Title.” She has published in The Journal of Pan-African Studies, Souls, African and Black Diaspora, the Journal of African American Studies, African American Review, The Journal of African American History, Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism, Urban Education, The Black Scholar, Feminist Studies, and Signs. She was a 2020-2021 ACLS/Mellon Scholars and Society Fellow. She was the inaugural Equity for Women and Girls of Color Fellow at Harvard University (2016-2017). She also writes for and contributes to outlets such as Time, CNN, Al Jazeera, NBC, BET, Complex, Vox, The Root, Huffington Post, PopSugar, Billboard, Bustle, Teen Vogue, Grazia UK, The Grio, The Washington Post, Women’s Media Center, Zora, and Cosmopolitan.
