Abstract Jude tells the story of being born in San Diego, California to a very musical family, where they spent most of their time outdoors, playing sports, exploring. They moved to Seattle, Washington in early 2000s, where a new and different journey starts, including composing music and taking piano and vocal lessons. Jude then goes to Oakwood College in Alabama, where they deepen their musical practices, composing own songs, while facing the realities of overt racism in the South. Jude spends time...

Abstract

Butler (she/they) narrates their experiences at Busboys and Poets, first as a child and later as a poet and employee. She explores the cultural role that Busboys has played in DC along with gentrification in the city and how it has impacted arts spaces. Butler describes their understanding of the responsibility that business owners have toward the communities that they serve, in particular DC’s local Black community.