"From Cultural Movements to Social Movements" - Common and Chinaka Hodge

ArtChangeUS@Kennedy National Conversations launches Tuesday, March 21st with a dialogue between Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe winning rapper, actor, and activist Common; and Chinaka Hodge, a poet, educator, playwright and cultural organizer at the forefront of her generation’s voice. Their conversation will focus on the role of the artist in transforming times and how cultural movements propel social movements. In addition, Okayplayer and the Kennedy Center will partner to livestream this interactive conversation.” Common has been lauded for his work on the films Selma and 13th and his numerous albums including his new album, Black America Again. Chinaka Hodge is currently on tour for her new book, Dated Emcees; she has played a prominent role in the national spoken word movement, as a leader of Youth Speaks. She is currently the Associate Director of Programs and Pedagogy for the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts where she is evolving innovative curatorial practices. ArtChangeUS@Kennedy National Conversations is a series of dialogues between prominent artists and pivotal change-makers who are advancing a pluralistic vision of America. Future conversations to look forward to include: April 24th, Water is Life: Living our Legacy; May 22nd, Community Organizing and Movement Building; June 5th, Immigration; July 11, Placekeeping and Urbanism; (August TBD) Cultural Community Benefits Principles; (September TBD), Mass Incarceration and Detention. For more information please contact Ariel Shelton at aeshelton@kennedy-center.org or Kapena Alapai at kapena@artchangeus.com. Events will be live streamed.