"Who are better prepared than the oppressed to understand the terrible significance of an oppressive society? Who suffer the effects of oppression more than the oppressed? Who can better understand the necessity of liberation? They will not gain this liberation by chance but through the praxis of their quest for it, through their recognition of the necessity to fight for it." - Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
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contextualizing hamtramck
Though Hamtramck is an entity legally separate from Detroit, the organizing, spaces, and movements created within the municipality occur within the context of the Motor City. Oppression of poor, predominantly Black communities has taken pointed form in Detroit of foreclosed homes and subsequent vacancy, high unemployment, privatization of city services, and insufficient educational opportunities. Concerns, outrage, and mobilization around these issues are evident in the material offered and spaces utilized by Hamtramck Free School.
Personal stake and contributions
The contributions I provide to this digital space from personal experience come from a summer spent in Hamtramck and Detroit. I did not personally partake in the program, though I was interning with two women of color who did. My perspective on the cultural, social, and political influence of HFS draws from this experience and has distinct limitations that I have attempted to bolster with extensive, online archival research.
Educational offerings
HFS identifies itself as a rhizomatic educational project, seeking initiatives that rise out of the community based on the needs of its members. The following examples highlight the types of material that surfaces from this model.
Reading Groups - "₡₳₱I₮₳£ $UNDAY$"
₡₳₱I₮₳£ $UNDAY$ is a reading group started in March of 2014 running "until the end of time, or the end of Volume 1 of Das Kapital" that provides folks with the opportunity to navigate the dense material together. Organized by Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the League of Revolutionaries for a New America (LRNA), the reading group draws from Marxist thought. As labor and revolutionary groups were the ones leading the charge, this focus is designed to aid people in recognizing the exploitative nature of capitalism. The consistent meeting place is 140 Atkinson in the North End neighborhood of Detroit and the most recent reading was scheduled to be discussed the March 15th of this year.
Reading Groups - "₡₳₱I₮₳£ $UNDAY$"
₡₳₱I₮₳£ $UNDAY$ is a reading group started in March of 2014 running "until the end of time, or the end of Volume 1 of Das Kapital" that provides folks with the opportunity to navigate the dense material together. Organized by Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the League of Revolutionaries for a New America (LRNA), the reading group draws from Marxist thought. As labor and revolutionary groups were the ones leading the charge, this focus is designed to aid people in recognizing the exploitative nature of capitalism. The consistent meeting place is 140 Atkinson in the North End neighborhood of Detroit and the most recent reading was scheduled to be discussed the March 15th of this year.
Courses - "Black Feminist Thought"
While the facilitators, location, and meeting time of the course were unclear, this course had a syllabus with objectives. Though it was not explicitly called as such, these terms are the most legible for what has been presented online. With this increased structure (though it is not clear who is guiding the course and its participants), a hierarchy similar to that of the dominant teacher-student model is replicated. In this sense, there are some hegemonic power dynamics that - although they may not be counterproductive to the course and participants' learning - could affect the ability of participants to contest the material and the facilitators.
However, the course was prefaced as an opportunity to "pay particular attention to [Black feminists'] awareness of a multitude of oppressions, intersecting strategies of resistance, and the necessity of maintaining an affirmative stance toward difference in the face of an alienating homogenization." The primary objective of the course was to read the texts, "then discuss them in a constructive and elucidating manner." This discussion may have been helpful in offsetting any power imbalances that may have manifested in the class, but it is unclear from the archives what the course environment was.
While the facilitators, location, and meeting time of the course were unclear, this course had a syllabus with objectives. Though it was not explicitly called as such, these terms are the most legible for what has been presented online. With this increased structure (though it is not clear who is guiding the course and its participants), a hierarchy similar to that of the dominant teacher-student model is replicated. In this sense, there are some hegemonic power dynamics that - although they may not be counterproductive to the course and participants' learning - could affect the ability of participants to contest the material and the facilitators.
However, the course was prefaced as an opportunity to "pay particular attention to [Black feminists'] awareness of a multitude of oppressions, intersecting strategies of resistance, and the necessity of maintaining an affirmative stance toward difference in the face of an alienating homogenization." The primary objective of the course was to read the texts, "then discuss them in a constructive and elucidating manner." This discussion may have been helpful in offsetting any power imbalances that may have manifested in the class, but it is unclear from the archives what the course environment was.
Workshops - "Fight Tax Foreclosure," Banner and Sign-Making Workshop
This workshop provided people with the space to create signs and banners for demonstrations to stop the tax foreclosures that are rampant in the city of Detroit. The workshop webpage encouraged folks to join various activist groups, including Eviction Defense, to aid in this action. No theoretical frameworks or historical context was given. Rather the workshop represented a moment in which folks who involve themselves with HFS or those whose interests are focused more on organizing can take action.
This workshop provided people with the space to create signs and banners for demonstrations to stop the tax foreclosures that are rampant in the city of Detroit. The workshop webpage encouraged folks to join various activist groups, including Eviction Defense, to aid in this action. No theoretical frameworks or historical context was given. Rather the workshop represented a moment in which folks who involve themselves with HFS or those whose interests are focused more on organizing can take action.
HFS as a rhizome is clear in individuals from IWW and LRNA, a professor from University of Michigan, and the community members affiliated with the Klinger Street Studios who organize and facilitate these offerings. It is apparent in the course structures - such as Black Feminist Thought - that allow folks to drop into the courses when the material is most relevant to them. It is solidified by the readings that are put online in PDF form for increased accessibility and left there, even after a course has finished.
spatializing learning//organizing
In looking through the HFS archives that detail the locations and meeting times of the educational offerings, there was use of public and private spaces in Hamtramck and Detroit. The People's Community Center, Hamtramck Historical Museum, the 9338 Campau Gallery, Public Pool (which is actually an art gallery), Klinger Street Studios, and Cafe 1923 were six of the public spaces used for Free School activities in Hamtramck. Trinosophes, a multipurpose, public space with a coffee shop, exhibition area, library and museum, served as the space for a discussion on "Riot and Revolt," after a failure to indict Darren Wilson for the murder of Michael Brown.
Two private spaces in Detroit - both appearing to be residential - were used for HFS reading groups and classes. The ₡₳₱I₮₳£ $UNDAY$ reading group (in addition to other offerings) is hosted at 140 Atkinson in Detroit, implying that members of either IWW or LRNA could reside here.
Two private spaces in Detroit - both appearing to be residential - were used for HFS reading groups and classes. The ₡₳₱I₮₳£ $UNDAY$ reading group (in addition to other offerings) is hosted at 140 Atkinson in Detroit, implying that members of either IWW or LRNA could reside here.
HFS Research Library
HFS provides other resources for people to engage with beyond the courses, primarily through the HFS Research Library. The library was opened in November of 2014 and is open to the public from 12-5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. These works are often difficult to access, especially in low-income neighborhoods. With the help of a donation from the Art Resource Transfer and their Distribution to Underserved Communities Library Program, this library was opened. Through its donations from the community and participation from the community members, folks can interact with this space from several sides. This library, perhaps more than the educational offerings, provides opportunities for folks to engage with texts that acquiesce liberationist learning with less potential for hierarchies to stifle learning.
Porous Borders Festival
The Porous Borders Festival (PBF) demonstrates that not only are the educational offerings composed of several entry points and types of courses, but also that the physical manifestations have the ability for people to have several tangible entry points to a transcultural space: the Detroit-Hamtramck border. A workshop was hosted at the Klinger Street Studios, the same location as the HFS Research Library, where community members could come together and create art for the festival. All materials were provided by HFS. The workshop and festival foment a space in which folks could engage in the hands-on experience that is a pillar of HFS' existence, while attempting to bridge the spatial and cultural divide between Detroit and Hamtramck, the state's "most internationally diverse zip-code."
With involvement in both Detroit and Hamtramck, it is evident that HFS is in fact a rhizomatic space made available to people throughout both municipalities, with tangible impact in each city. The extent to which this educational space is accessible, however, is separate from the physical spaces it occupies, and would require knowledge of HFS participants to see who exactly is engaging with the offerings.
Of the 22 educational offerings and discussions that took place between March 2014 and April 2015, 8 were at the Klinger Street Studios and 3 were 4 were at the 9338 Campau Gallery. As these two places have become some of the most consistent meeting spaces, it does appear that the meeting spaces have become rooted more so in Hamtramck. This rootedness, while providing a consistent sense of place, could pose difficulties in reaching out to folks in Detroit. More information on participants would be necessary to fully parse this potential obstacle out.
HFS provides other resources for people to engage with beyond the courses, primarily through the HFS Research Library. The library was opened in November of 2014 and is open to the public from 12-5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. These works are often difficult to access, especially in low-income neighborhoods. With the help of a donation from the Art Resource Transfer and their Distribution to Underserved Communities Library Program, this library was opened. Through its donations from the community and participation from the community members, folks can interact with this space from several sides. This library, perhaps more than the educational offerings, provides opportunities for folks to engage with texts that acquiesce liberationist learning with less potential for hierarchies to stifle learning.
Porous Borders Festival
The Porous Borders Festival (PBF) demonstrates that not only are the educational offerings composed of several entry points and types of courses, but also that the physical manifestations have the ability for people to have several tangible entry points to a transcultural space: the Detroit-Hamtramck border. A workshop was hosted at the Klinger Street Studios, the same location as the HFS Research Library, where community members could come together and create art for the festival. All materials were provided by HFS. The workshop and festival foment a space in which folks could engage in the hands-on experience that is a pillar of HFS' existence, while attempting to bridge the spatial and cultural divide between Detroit and Hamtramck, the state's "most internationally diverse zip-code."
With involvement in both Detroit and Hamtramck, it is evident that HFS is in fact a rhizomatic space made available to people throughout both municipalities, with tangible impact in each city. The extent to which this educational space is accessible, however, is separate from the physical spaces it occupies, and would require knowledge of HFS participants to see who exactly is engaging with the offerings.
Of the 22 educational offerings and discussions that took place between March 2014 and April 2015, 8 were at the Klinger Street Studios and 3 were 4 were at the 9338 Campau Gallery. As these two places have become some of the most consistent meeting spaces, it does appear that the meeting spaces have become rooted more so in Hamtramck. This rootedness, while providing a consistent sense of place, could pose difficulties in reaching out to folks in Detroit. More information on participants would be necessary to fully parse this potential obstacle out.
hfs as An assertive space for insurgent citizenship
The HFS provides an educational and pedagogical foundation that catalyzes organizing. Michael Rios proposes that "assertive spaces anchors group solidarity in the urban landscape." Though HFS fails to have a unifying and explicit cultural identity, events and workshops - such as the Fight Tax Reform workshop - do "challenge existing codes and symbols." It is less clear, based on the information on HFS archives, whether the meanings of public space are transformed. The HFS research library (a private home converted into a public library with limited hours) demonstrates that there is potential for HFS to continue to fully become an assertive space. More work needs to be done in the way of HFS transforming public spaces. Nonetheless, the combination of theoretical frameworks for radical, liberationist organizing and workshops that provide the space to carry out work indicates that HFS has incredible potential to be an assertive space in the post-industrial city of Detroit.
Works Cited
Daskalaki, Maria, and Oli Mould. "Beyond Urban Subcultures: Urban Subversions as Rhizomatic Social Formations." International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. 37.1. (January 2013): n. page. Print.
Rios, Michael. "Claiming Latino Space: Cultural Insurgency in the Public Realm." Insurgent Public Space: Guerilla Urbanism and the Remaking of Contemporary Cities. London and New York: Routledge. 103. Print.
Rios, Michael. "Claiming Latino Space: Cultural Insurgency in the Public Realm." Insurgent Public Space: Guerilla Urbanism and the Remaking of Contemporary Cities. London and New York: Routledge. 103. Print.
*Author's note: There are several gaps in this inquiry. Unfortunately, those who operate Hamtramck Free School could not be reached to provide information about participants in the programs, from where - if any - funding comes, where these offerings are advertised, etc. Details for further study are provided throughout this space.