Activating Our Imaginations

The KEY (Knowledge Empowers Youth) team (staff & interns) kicked off this school year with a staff retreat that focused on the theme of imagination. I was inspired by the work of Dr. Ruha Benjamin who wrote Imagination: A Manifesto. The text leans into the ways imagination must be taken seriously as an integral part of liberation and hope for the future. 

Dr. Benjamin defiantly rejects the idea of the unicorn status, or individual exceptionalism, which is pervasive in our society and instead offers that “the most effective means to refute the prevailing ideologies is to do so collectively” –  to consider, or imagine, new systems and possibilities that cultivate everyone’s creativity and curiosity. In essence, it embraces the criticality of community and collective spaces. 

This was such an important and urgent reminder that we need community, and we need to activate our imaginations in these collective spaces where we feel safe to grow, to love and be loved, to cry, to laugh. These spaces are not just important, they are necessary for our survival. They allow us to “dream a little before [we] think,” as reminded by Toni Morrison, and to dream before we act without letting pragmatism take hold.  

During the retreat, we had an imagining session where one of our interns dreamed about how students would gather and build a community together. She pushed us to remember that people with different backgrounds and experiences can connect on a human level and grow in a deeper understanding of ourselves as we grow in understanding one another. This collective dreaming and pursuit is what guides and grounds the circles and spaces we get to be part of through NCO. And it is here that we find flourishing. During one of our recent circle sessions, one student reflected on how fascinating it is that we started as strangers in circle and now those strangers are sharing about their identities, dreams, and goals with one another in authentic, meaningful ways.   

It was inevitable that as I reflected on this I had the opportunity to reflect on this past year for New Community Outreach. We talk about the safe, restorative spaces we work to cultivate and maintain consistently for our youth and our community members. However, as I reflect on this book and the role of imagination, I remember distinctly how the spaces we have had the honor of hosting and nurturing this year were the place for new relationships, collective healing, and self-discovery. 

To be able to do this work consistently, year in and year out, means there is a growing trust and love between NCO and our partners, neighbors, youth, and supporters. That trust is invaluable. And we know that the work continues; it is something that is ongoing so that we can all continue to heal, reconcile, and flourish in our restorative relationships and spaces. 

As we wrap up 2024, I thank you for the many ways you have supported NCO’s work and our efforts in serving the greater Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. I thank you for getting involved and staying involved. I wish for moments to activate your imagination and dream before you think & act within the context of community as this year wraps up and as we look into 2025.