Courtesy of Gabriel Ramirez
Penn State Berks will host Gabriel Ramirez for the “I Am Here: Affirmation as a Form of Resistance” workshop at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the Perkins Student Center Auditorium. The workshop will allow participants to speak about past experiences that impacted who they are today while learning how affirmations can be empowering in self-discovery and growth. This event is free and open to the general public.
A catalyst to choosing oneself through difficult times and practicing the importance of one’s truth, “I Am Here: Affirmation as a Form of Resistance” is a workshop where participants can speak back to that which has made them feel small and invisible throughout their lives. This workshop encourages participants to reclaim their bodies and histories.
During the workshop, there will be poetry readings from authors such as Audre Lorde, Lucille Clifton, James Baldwin, Jericho Brown, and Ocean Vuong, and a discussion of the work of visual artists like Frida Kahlo, Kehinde Wiley, Flying Lotus, and Nick Cave.
Ramirez is a Queer Afro-Caribbean poet, activist, and teaching artist who has received fellowships from The Conversation Literary Arts Festival, Palm Beach Poetry Festival, The Watering Hole, and CantoMundo. Their electrifying writing and performance are catalysts towards healing and bring awareness to mental health, Afro-Latinidad, the African Diaspora, self-care, masculinity, and social change. Ramirez has performed on Broadway in New York at the New Amsterdam Theatre, as well as at the United Nations, Lincoln Center, Apollo Theater, and other venues and universities around the nation. Their work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Vibe magazine, and on Remezcla.com.
This event is sponsored by the Penn State Berks Arts and Lecture series. For more information, contact the Office of Campus Life at 610-396-6076.
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