BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/Detroit X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Detroit BEGIN:VEVENT UID:33062@arabamerica.com DTSTART;TZID=America/Detroit:20240622T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Detroit:20240622T193000 DTSTAMP:20240618T141740Z URL:https://www.arabamerica.com/events/roots-routes/ SUMMARY:Roots & Routes DESCRIPTION:Join us for a powerful and transformative event celebrating the resilience and strength of those who have faced displacement and found be longing. This immersive experience brings together visual art\, comedy\, m usic\, and food to highlight shared roots and uplift the narratives of ref ugees and immigrants.\n\n🎨\; Highlights:\n\nGallery Viewing (4:30-5 :30 PM): Explore Dima Zaghal's interactive exhibit in which she takes us t hrough personal recollections and material consciousness surrounding Pales tinian identity. And immerse yourself in the standing exhibit by the Abrah amic Center\, showcasing the interconnectedness of faith\, with an emphasi s on Islam.\n\nArtist Talk (5:00 PM—5:25 PM): You'll have an opportunity to talk with Dima Zaghal about her art and the essence of her work.\n\nIn teractive Activities: Throughout the event\, you will have the opportunity to engage in activities that allow you to reflect on what it means to be displaced and the journey toward belonging.\n\nPerformances (5:30 PM -7:30 PM): Enjoy live comedy\, music\, spoken-word poetry\, and storytelling th at highlight themes of belonging.\n\nSpoken Word Poets:\n\n Shivani Gupta - A writer\, curator\, performer\, dancer\, and all-around stage-loving hu man\, Shivani recently moved to Chicago after performing in cities across India and Scotland for the past 10 years. Her Partition Poetry has been fe atured on BBC &\; Forbes\, and her powerful pieces on cultural and gend er identity won the Mumbai Poetry Slam in 2018.\n\nShivani’s work has gr aced stages at the Loud Poets Anniversary Show\, Fringe Festival (Edinburg h)\, Jungle in the City Festival (Aarey Forest)\, SXonomics\, Unerase Poet ry (Mumbai)\, Femme Fest\, Grandma’s House\, Test Literary Series\, Chic ago Mehfil (@chicagomehfil )\, and the South Asia Institute (Chicago). As the Development Committee Chair for the Chicago Poetry Center (@chicagopoe trycenter ) she champions equitable access to creative literacy.\n Liz Ba jjalieh- Liz is a Palestinian activist\, artist\, and poet. Liz's work ref lects on the lived experience of being Palestinian and community empowerme nt. SCREAM Until You Know What God Is poetry book coming out in 2024 with Fernwood Press\n\n-Comedians\n\n Zaid Fouzi- Zaid Fouzi is a Syrian-Ameri can comedian based in Chicago who has performed across the U.S. and Canada . He dedicates his comedy to advocating for the Arab-American identity and has worked with some of the top Arab-American comedians including Bassem Youseff\, Sammy Obeid\, Ahmed Ahmed and Amer Zahr. His work and story have been featured on NPR\, and AlAraby TV.\n Manaeha- Manaeha (they/she/he) is a ceramicist living in Chicago\, originally from California\, about to go to law school. In love with clay\, SRK\, jellyfish\, languages\, dancin g\, and making people laugh. They are still new to the stand up scene\, bu t are perpetually\, dangerously committed to the bit anyway so. Whats the difference...\n\n-Musician\n\n ADE - He is a multifaceted musician with a rich tapestry of experiences. Born in New York and raised in Iowa\, ADE's love for storytelling shapes his music\, which blends acoustic vibes with R&\;B influences. As a producer\, mixing engineer\, singer\, rapper\, and songwriter\, ADE's work reflects his innermost thoughts and the comple xities of love and life.\n\nInspired by artists like Daniel Caesar\, Clint on Kane\, Lizzie McAlpine\, Labrinth\, and Smino\, ADE creates a unique so und with extended chords\, moody lyrics\, and powerful vocals. Proficient in six instruments\, his journey began with a memorable third-grade solo a nd has led to notable performances\, including opening for Davido and perf orming at the Mission Creek Festival.\n\n-Storytellers\n\n Lena Azzouz - Lena is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Finding Refuge and a g raduate of San Francisco State University\, where she studied social psych ology and conducted research on racism\, ethnic identity\, and time perspe ctive. Lena served as a research assistant for the Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship\, studying the experiences of Arab immigr ants and refugees in the Bay Area\, California. She was also a board membe r of the General Union of Palestine Students at San Francisco State Univer sity. Lena spent the last year in Palestine teaching English and reconnect ing with her roots as a grandaughter of refugees who were displaced during the first Nakba in 1948.\n\n\n Safia Mahjebin -Hailing from the County o f Kings (power to the people)\, Safia stretches through space and time as an artist\, recently diving into documentary filmmaking. A proud alum of t he UChicago Popular University for Gaza (May the university of Chicago be cursed for profiting off of war)\, she carries the fire and love from her experiences into ever-liberatory directions.\n\nFood &\; Drink: Savor d elicious food and drinks\, including food catered by Chicago pies\, chai\, and delicious mocktails.\n\nAuction &\; Raffles: You can bid for incre dible artwork and experiences.\n\nInvest in a Dream: We believe dreams are powerful. Our residents choose to dream boldly despite the challenges the y face. You'll have the opportunity to invest in our residents' dreams\, r anging from becoming a professional soccer player to saving lives as a nur se to reuniting with lost family members.\n\nProceeds from this event will go toward Finding Refuge. We support refugees on their journey to healing and recovery post-displacement by providing dignified housing and pathway s to self-sufficiency. We envision a tomorrow where people build successfu l futures undeterred by displacement. Our unique approach:\n\n Community- Led Program Design: Our programs are designed and implemented by individua ls with lived experience as refugees\, ensuring that the needs of their co mmunities are accurately reflected and met.\n Innovative Housing Solution s: We break traditional models of housing for unhoused communities by inve sting in sustainable solutions that facilitate the transition to independe nt living.\n Fostering Belonging and Cultural Exchange: We cultivate comm unities that center on belonging while encouraging cultural exchange among people from diverse backgrounds.\n\nIn addition to supporting Finding Ref uge's housing programs\, a portion of the proceeds will be allocated to pr ovide emergency relief to people in northern Gaza and Palestinian refugees .\n\nJoin us in creating a future where everyone\, regardless of their pas t\, can find a place to call home and a community where they belong.\n\nEv ent Program &\; Ticket Tiers\n\n4:30-5:30PM : Open Gallery viewing+ Soc ial Hour+ Interactive Activities+ Food &\; Drinks\n\n5:30PM-7:30PM: Int roduction of Finding Refuge\, Performances\, Fundraising\, &\; Auction\ n\nTier 1 Tickets: $5-$20 for Open Gallery Viewing\, Social Hour\, and Art ist Talk only\n\nTier 2 Tickets: $25-$50 for Open Gallery Viewing &\; S ocial Hour\, Musical\, Comedy\, and Spoken Word Performances &\; Auctio n\n\nThis event will take place in partnership with the Abrahamic Center f or Cultural Education. The Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education (ACCE) is an Islamic art gallery and resource center located in downtown Chicago that is dedicated to creatively educating the community on Islam and Musli ms\, their cultural\, historic\, and contemporary identities\, while also preserving the community's heritage and stories. By working with individua ls and academic\, religious\, public\, and private institutions\, ACCE sup plements existing educational programs at schools\, universities\, and oth er spaces with free training\nsessions\, presentations\, and additional re sources to help our community raise more culturally competent generations. Our two main services are educational presentations and visits to our exh ibition space.\n\nACCE is a proud core partner and board member of the Chi cago Cultural Alliance and a Chicago partner for Communities in Schools. A CCE is an initiative of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA®)\, a global leader in halal certification. For\nmore information and a full list of the services and presentations we offer\, please visit our website at www.abrahamiccenter.org. ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.arabamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2 024/06/https-cdn.evbuc_.com-images-778014629-2164474015133-1-original.2024 0528-213145.jpeg LOCATION:The Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education\, 55 West Van Buren St reet #Suite 220\, Chicago\, IL\, 60605\, United States GEO:41.876695;-87.629471 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=55 West Van Buren Street #S uite 220\, Chicago\, IL\, 60605\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE =The Abrahamic Center for Cultural Education:geo:41.876695,-87.629471 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Detroit X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Detroit BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20240310T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR