"Envisioning Freedom: Black Women’s Creativity, Memory, and Resistance Across Pan-African Landscapes"

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel explores the transformative power of Black women’s creativity and resistance across artistic, cultural, and activist landscapes, examining their roles in shaping collective memory and envisioning liberatory futures. Rooted in the spirit of Sankofa, the presentations uncover how Black women retrieve ancestral wisdom to inform solidarity and resistance in the Pan-African world. Through the lens of the LA Rebellion’s cinematic movement, we explore the spiritual worldbuilding that centers on Black feminist futures, where filmmakers crafted narratives of resilience and renewal, offering a radical reimagining of identity and community. Shifting to music, we delve into the profound influence of the women from Ray Charles’ childhood, whose care and strength shaped his genius and reflected broader narratives of Black womanhood. Lastly, we connect the activism of Aponka Karenyane in Ghana and Nina Simone in America, highlighting their transcontinental resistance to systemic oppression through grassroots reform and musical defiance. By intertwining themes of memory, solidarity, and creative expression, this panel underscores how Black women’s voices and actions continue to inspire transformative change, embodying Pan-African unity and power in the 21st century.

Sub Unit

• Humanities & Cultural Research

Chair

• Randal Jelks, Indiana University

Individual Presentations

• Visualizing Black Feminist Futures: The Spiritual worldbuilding of the LA Rebellion - Elena Guzman, Indiana University Bloomington

• “You Look Nothing Like Your Mother, You Look Everything Like Your Mother” Ray Charles’ “Mothers”, Ambiguity & Country Music." - Olivia Ekeh, Indiana University Bloomington

• Resistance Movements, Reform and Music: A Case Study on Aponka Karenyane (Ghana) and Nina Simone (America). - Nana Amoah-Ramey, Indiana University Bloomington