CORE Immersion 2023

Day 13 called for caffeine. Our morning began with a walk around one of Chicago’s neighborhoods that’s rich with Latinx culture, Pilsen. We stopped at a local coffeeshop in the community and set off for a walking mural tour. Pilsen is adorned with murals that represent the various stories in the community from the journey of immigration, the stories from youth in Chicago, the influence of prominent Latinx figures, the tragic outcomes of police violence, and the complexity and simplicity of everyday life in Pilsen. We paired up with our journey partners and were able to reflect on the feelings and emotions invoked in the murals and how art was being used to tell the stories unique to this neighborhood.  

Throughout the immersion, we have viewed murals as a form of resistance and reclamation. As taking up physical space in a place, they can send a significant message that the power is still in the people who are from and live in that community. From Detroit to Chicago, art has been used as a method of sharing a story that might otherwise have been forgotten and sending a distinct and powerful message that “we are still here”.  

Following our mural tour, we went off to Montrose Beach to each lunch and refresh before heading off for the rest of the busy day. Throughout our immersion trip, we have learned that rest is resistance. Taking a quick break to refuel before engaging with content and community organizations has helped us stay intention throughout our trip.  At Montrose Beach we all ate sandwiches with the view of Lake Michigan, even explored the beach, read, and soaked in some sunshine knowing that us Portlanders only get that so often.  

As the day continued we headed off to Center on Halsted where we got a tour of their space and a better understanding of the services they offer. Center on Halsted is a community center dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ people of Chicago through programs and services that advance the well-being, health, and safety of LGBTQ+ folks. We learned about a variety of services from their free HIV testing center, volleyball open gym, a seven week culinary class and certificate program, therapy, youth programming, performances and more. 

After five days connecting with the Inner-City Muslim Action Network’s staff and community, we got to have a goodbye dinner with a few members of their staff that we’ve gotten to know during our time here – Ahmad from Community Organizing, Ariya from the Ceramics Studio and Saleem from the Communications team.  

-Taylor Sipila

Today was short and sweet in events. We started with going back to IMAN to do some ceramics. For many of us, it was our first time so Ariya, the ceramic studio manager, guided us through. We began by cutting a piece of clay and kneading it to a dense state. We then slapped it onto the pottery wheel. Starting to spin, we pushed against the clay to get it centered, which is easier said than done. Many of us had to repeat this state numerous times but once done, we had to poke our finger on the top of the clay to “enter” and create a hollow inside. Although we couldn’t keep our creations, we still enjoyed the experience of playing and connecting with the clay.

We headed to Freedom Dream and Chicago Future, an event at the University of Illinois Chicago, where various guests, including the newly elected Mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, were present. The event featured activists and community organizers as guest speakers, who shared their valuable insights on their work and the historical relationship between Chicago and the police force. We got to learn about the selection process and rationale behind the appointment of the new Mayor, which highlighted a strong emphasis on accountability and the shared goal of reducing police-related fatalities in the city of Chicago.

After spending a day of immersing ourselves in the history and culture of Chicago, we spent Thursday (5/18) getting more localized in the South Side. The two main areas that we found ourselves in today were Chicago Lawn and Englewood, each area with its distinct history and identity. In Chicago Lawn we went to the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) headquarters where we were able to get a tour of the facilities and the services they provide. As they have expanded in the last years, they have embodied their mission statement by creating a variety of spaces for the holistic care of the individual. With a federally qualified health center, a behavior health center, job training, and arts centers IMAN seeks to empower marginalized communities through their social programs. Due to Gov. Greg Abbott’s decisions surrounding asylum seekers, many find themselves sleeping on the ground inside of Chicago Police Stations. Right now, this is where many of IMAN’s resources are focused whether is by sending their mobile care unit to those stations or providing therapy for those after they have left those conditions. After speaking with Saleem, Ariya, and Abdul-Raheem we gained a deeper understanding of the services offered but also the mission and intention behind offering those services. As individuals are displaced, whether that be through militarization, the justice system, or occupation the trauma and systemic forces that are working against them fuel a cycle that pushes these people into roles that cause more trauma. Saleem says that their work centers on breaking apart this cycle, guided by faith IMAN has multiple programs that seek to do just that. Green Reentry specifically works with those who are reentering society after being incarcerated and puts them through a multi-step process that includes therapy, trades training, and eventually internships and apprenticeships. Abdul-Raheem works with community engagement and safety cultivating a sense of security with the residents around IMAN and those coming in to take part in their services. In the Arts and Culture Department Ariya works as the ceramic studio manager and helps to cultivate a place where people can center and express themselves. After the conversation and tour, we headed East down 63^rd towards IMAN’s Go Green Community Fresh Market.

We then had a delicious lunch with Ahmad Jitan, IMAN’s director of organizing, and Ndidi Amatullah Okakpu, director of development. The food was all from IMAN’s Go Green Community Fresh Market, where we were all astonished by the affordability and picked up some groceries on our way out. Our group talked while we ate, practicing making 1:1 connections through conversations about the motivation behind our work. We then listened to Ahmad’s presentation on community organizing. We learned about the Cornerstore Initiative, healing Arab and Black community relationships through conversation, breaking down barriers, and incentivizing access to healthy options amidst a food desert. We were able to discuss a comprehensive overview of community organizing, IMAN’s history, mission statement, and current efforts of their significant recent expansion. There were also cupcakes that were quite yummy.

-Fabian Barba and Shane Ruyle

Today we began our morning at 3:45 am to attend IMAN’s Saturday dawn prayer service, Fajr. 

When we arrived at IMAN central, we were greeted by an elder of the community and got to witness him perform a call to prayer in the streets of south side Chicago. While the sun began to rise, we sat in ritualistic prayer with IMAN community members, which was then followed by a cypher. In the cypher, we formed a large circle and one by one offered a prayer to Allah. We each shared our name and one thing we would like group to pray for us. For our group, this moment was incredibly powerful and particularly special. After the cypher, many of the immersion participants stated how attending Fajr helped them feel relaxed and comforted. Over the past few days, we have learned a lot of new things about one another and have grown closer in our mission. Additionally, for many of us, this was our first close experience with the Muslim culture and faith. It is incredible to witness IMAN’s values being reflected in the service and care they offer to their community. After the prayer and cypher, we joined the other attendees over a breakfast meal. This was a great time to meet others in the IMAN community and converse about their experiences of living in Chicago and being part of IMAN. 

We ended the day with dinner at Giordano’s and enjoyed deep dish pizza. This was many of the group’s first time trying the famous Chicago dish. We learned about the history of deep-dish pizza during the presentation night prior to the immersion. We had many laughs, and it was a great time enjoying the company of the group after a long day.  — Mackenzie Thomas-Graves and Betelhem Kefle

The day started with a morning service at the Historic King Solomon Baptist Church. As we walked in, we were greeted by an expansive echoing room and high ceilings. The room was sectioned off by drapes into the pew/service area, a conference or dinner space, and the Sunday school. Walking in, it’s hard not to wonder how the building’s changed since 1963 when Malcom X gave his “Message to the grass roots” address in the space, or when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited just a week after his “I have a dream” speech in D.C. The service began with a series of songs, running seamlessly together. The room was led passionately by an older man who’s years of experience were evident, backed by three little girls no older than ten, each carrying their own, swaying to the beat and not missing a word. Young men accompanied on the drums, sound, and projector visuals, while the preacher played along on the piano. The joy of each song was met with waving hands and exclamations from the crowd. Our group clapped along and listened.

As explained by the preacher, Rev. Charles E. Williams, the King Solomon mission statement is: “Our mission at King Solomon is to revitalize the church, community, and spirit of God’s people that suffer from the devastation of global socio-economic inequality. Together as a congregation, we seek to empower and educate the lost and disenfranchised through the example set forth in the gospel of Jesus Christ.” As we listened to the sermon, the church’s entwinement with social justice was clear. There is no version of King Solomon that doesn’t have civil rights and the pursuit of social progress at its center. As Rev. Williams said, Detroit is the heartbeat of the country’s justice revolutions, and King Solomon is the heartbeat of Detroit. The topic of this week’s sermon was action- making a decision before it makes you. We were each motivated to reflect on our own driving heartbeats back in Portland, and how that gives life to our action. The Detroit motto, Speramus Meliora Resurget Cineribus (We hope for better things, It will rise from the ashes), is an embodied mantra lived by Detroit’s diverse neighborhoods. We saw this throughout our city mural tour with former Moreau Center staff, Irene. The rich history of displacement and socioeconomic inequality has bred strong communities with deep ties to both cultural institutions and geographic locations. Many times we see those cultural communities being displaced from their geographic locations through predatory loan practices and gentrification. Now what does it mean for those communities to reclaim those spaces, call attention to those struggles, and create hope for the future? To create system change, the culture of the system must change first. Sydney G James, like many other Detroit artists, works in shaping culture through public artworks and murals. The Girl with the D Earring is a mural located in New Central Detroit on E Grand Boulevard.

This mural serves as an embodiment of the themes seen throughout murals in Detroit. These themes involve Liberation, Joy, Regrowth, and recenter Black bodies, voices, and histories in public spaces. The Girl with the D Earring does this more literally by replicating The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer and replaces the original subject with a community member. This highlights the local businesses pushed out by gentrification, showcasing their logos and names on the sleeve’s patches.

Another example of this is The Spirit by Waleed Johnson, a work derivative of the statue “The Spirit of Detroit”. This reframes the Black experience as the future of Detroit, as depicted by the woman holding a representation of God, a pursuit to uphold and obtain closeness to the divine. While these are more concrete representations of the pursuit for a sustainable Black future, the Heidelberg Project tells a variation of the story through abstract artistic expression.

Built on the foundations of burnt buildings, the Heidelberg Project is an immersive experience that tells the story of a lost community. A community lost to inequality, the stories of these displaced individuals are told through the objects they left behind. The stories and significance of these repurposed objects creates a living collection of exhibits surrounded by the loose concept of time. Heidelberg serves as a push forward to achieve the future that the many other murals across Detroit advocate for; a future full of hope and respect for the past that allows for Black bodies to be the center of public space. A key part of that recentering is changing of culture, exemplified at Wall Park.

Initially used as a wall to mark segregation between Blacks and Whites, it is now the site of joyous murals that tell the history of the community. It has worked towards reshaping the culture surrounding that wall. While murals may not be the most active forms of resistance or cultural change, they have played a public role in changing the landscape of the city and amplifying the voices of change. These public artworks allow space for a change in culture to make decisions and eventually change systems.
– Fabian Barba and Shane Ruyle

We wrapped our last day in Detroit working with Congress of Communities and having a group discussion with the Boggs Center. In the morning we went to Congress of Communities new headquarters to prepare for the grand opening this Saturday. We did different tasks including garden beautification, building some of the basement game center, and helping with the front garden. This gave us an opportunity to reflect on our first meeting with Congress of Communities a few days ago and what we have been learning from the community partners we have met this week.

At the Boggs center we engaged in a critical discussion on the evolution and development of social movements. Emphasizing how in creating a strategy for new social movements, we must examine the internal contradictions within our ideologies. Leaving us with the difficult question, how can we find balance and create space for both?

In our reflection this evening we discussed how beautification relates to themes we have been learning about in our immersion experience and how might we bring these ideals back to Portland. In summary, collectively we appreciated how the needs and the wants of the community were reflected in the development of the community center, creating a “third space” for community engagement.
– Betelhem Kefle and Mackenzie Thomas-Graves

Today was a busy day. We went to visit the organization COC (Congress of Communities) who works mostly with the Latino population in Mexicantown but is open to anyone in Detroit. Their goal is for people from the community to get access to resources they lack. After getting to know their headquarters, they gave us a driving tour where we learned more about the city.

The next stop was the Detroit Eastern Market. There, we heard a presentation from the organization Detroit Equity Action Lab. Their goal is to uplift people of color to get into positions where they can combat structural racism. We also get to know about the projects that they have done. One thing we learned from them is shifting the mindset in the workplace and community to help improve the culture of the community. We ended the day with meeting the Eastside Mutual Aid group. We sat down and had an open dialogue, talking about racism and inequality and how to alleviate it. After the briefing we did some volunteer work at the place. Some of us created hygiene kits, we organized donated clothes and shoes. Lastly we had a final debriefing about our experiences and what more we can do. Overall it was a fun, eventful day. – Lucy and Benji

              E-MERSE! As co-coordinators we (Bella and Christopher) are here to write about the group’s first day of the Community Organizing and Resistance Immersion. Today we visited another college campus, Detroit Mercy. We met with their Titan Equity Nourish Network (TENN). TENN works with the neighborhood around the college to connect students to community members through food deliveries right to the door of neighbors. They are attempting to get rid of the barriers between the two communities and form one community in the neighborhood. As a group we experienced and reflected how community organizing can look on a college campus and the differences apparent between Detroit Mercy and UP and how we can bring those differences to UP. Today helped the group analyze how different food related programs are not simple because of the many different social and institutional structures that may either limit or enhance programs.

              We also visited a Museum! We went to the Detroit Historical Museum to get a glimpse of Detroit’s history. We started off by learning about how colonialization affected Indigenous peoples and moved into the development of Detroit’s industrial sectors through time. A big focus though was the Summer of 67 exhibit (focused on the Detroit Rebellion/1967 Detroit Riot), which was able to show how one perspective of a narrative can distort other’s perspectives based on who was sharing that narrative. This connects to the learning goals we came up with as co-coordinators and being able to recognize how history is told and how that influences today’s circumstances. We hope that the group can utilize the museum in how it shows different ways the history of Detroit is told and that they can connect that to their experiences on immersion.

-Bella Metcalf and Christopher Karo