Communities around the world are witnessing how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates inequities and structural weaknesses in our societies — but also reveals the survival skills that have allowed marginalized communities to endure.
That is why a group of public humanities scholars at Cal Poly have begun a "dreams journal" project that reflects your experiences as a part of these marginalized communities [Black, Indigenous, people of color, differently abled, LGBTQ+, non-binary, immigrant, undocumented, international, etc.]. They reach out to you with a call to archive your dreams, visions, reflections of your world, moments of your despair, hope, resistance, joy, care, all of which will serve to co-create a new otherwise world(s).
They reach out to you from the Cal Poly community, San Luis Obispo County, and Northern Santa Barbara County, with the aim of recording and preserving the stories that have historically been overlooked, unheard, and unacknowledged. They reach out to you from a world where your struggle and the struggle of your ancestors have finally resulted in the dismantling of the systems of oppression. And they reach out to you from a world with its foundation in love, its nourishment in community, its pillars in care and joy.
Your dreams will become the basis of transformation, your reflections the guide to building, the snapshots of your emotions the pathway to healing. And they will help shape how we understand and who we remember in this extraordinary moment.
This project is an archival project to create space to, one, explore and reflect on the past and present interactions with systems of oppression, and two, dream futures that transcend the current state of crisis. Through this project, they hope to create space for healing, reflection, co-creation of art, and centering of affect and desire. They will make this collection accessible to the public, especially for storytellers, community members, and scholars to create exhibits, essays, storytelling, or other public engagement opportunities that teach us about who we are as a community and how we can grow.
To participate, you will receive a journal for two weeks during which time, the journal can serve as your space to document your dreams, visions, hopes, emotions, feelings, resistances, reflections, etc. Click on the links below to learn more.
Link to dreams journal project sign up (tinyurl.com/dreamsjournal)
Link to website (centralcoastsnapshots.online)
Follow on Instagram (instagram.com/centralcoast_snapshots/)