Racial Justice Studio

Who We Are

Racial Justice Studio seeks to amplify the work of Arizona Arts scholars, artists, and educators for whom anti-racism is a core tenet embedded in their professional and personal lives, while also partnering with stakeholders, advocates, and activists beyond the UA campus. It was conceived and founded by Chelsea Farrar, Amelia (Amy) Kraehe, and gloria j. wilson to …

1. Promote deep understanding of racism and production of anti-racist knowledge through creative practice and arts research broadly conceived;
2. Provide transformative learning opportunities and community engagement that build race-consciousness in and through the arts; and
3. Build connections, compassion, and co-conspiratorship among students, faculty, departments, initiatives, centers, and institutes within and beyond the Arizona Arts that share a commitment to anti-racism.

 

Guiding Principles

Five principles for engagement will support the work of the Racial Justice Studio as pillars.

1. The principle of endemic anti-blackness is a commitment to centering race, anti-black racism, and the relationship between the arts and white supremacy rooted in anti-blackness.
2. The principle of justice as process recognizes that racial justice is not an endpoint, but instead is a life-long process carried out in innumerable everyday actions and decisions.
3. The principle of non-exploitation means that we will not ask BIPOC people to do work without compensating them equitably for their labor.
4. The principle of accountability requires that racial justice be linked to outcomes and impact, not good will or best intentions.  
5. The principle of timelessness holds that racism is endemic, enduring, and evolving and, thus, rejects any treatment of racism as “timely” or “on trend.”

Dr. Amelia Kraehe

Dr. gloria j. wilson