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The Untokening: A Convening for Just Streets & Communities
The Untokening will be the first-ever convening of mobility justice leaders in the U.S. We will discuss the intersections of creating just streets and communities and establish core values for a mobility justice agenda.
Leader
Naomi Doerner
Location
40 Courtland St NE Atlanta, GA 30303
About the project
The majority of people who travel on foot, by bike and on public transit in U.S. cities come from low-income, immigrant and/or people of color communities. Yet the dominant agenda in mobility advocacy is not co-created with with leaders from those communities. Building on a broader social consciousness around racial justice nationwide, the Untokening will — for the first time — convene equity- and justice-centered mobility advocates from across the nation to discuss critical issues facing our communities today. Through facilitated conversation we’ll establish values around culture, street safety, community engagement, and gentrification, displacement and affordability. We’ll also form powerful position statements that will serve as the foundation for a mobility justice agenda.
Intentionally organized after Facing Race in Atlanta, the Untokening will be the catalyst for a sustained effort to advance justice and equity in communities nationwide, giving a network of leaders an opportunity to co-create a unified vision for mobility — and identify an ongoing organizing platform or structure. We’ll translate our vision and mobility justice agenda into action, working together and with partners at the local and national level in 2017 and beyond.
The Steps
- Finalize the design of the Untokening’s daylong facilitated conversation (October).
- Design optional pre-convening walking and bicycling tours for participants (October).
- Select scholarship recipients (October).
- Place catering order for a healthy breakfast and lunch for participants (October).
- Print program materials and purchase all budgeted facilitation materials needed (November).
- Solicit sponsorship and individual donations throughout the project (September - November).
- Host the Untokening (Sunday, November 13th).
- Synthesize Untokening notes and evaluations (December).
- Publish notes and share co-created values publicly (December).
- Publish next steps to create and move mobility justice agenda forward (2017).
Why we‘re doing it
Our physical environment plays a central role in determining our destinies. In many cities life expectancy can be mapped by zipcode. A distance of a few miles — even a few blocks — can mean a 20-year disparity in how long we live. Much of this is due to dramatic differences in neighborhood environments, mobility and our access to opportunities i.e. jobs, education, and healthcare. Meanwhile, many of the agencies, institutions, and advocacy organizations that shape discussions and decisions around these matters aren’t led by people of diverse background nor are decisions, past and present, prioritized by those most in need.
To truly reclaim streets for people and make them safe and accessible for all, we need to address how mobility advocacy intersects with race, culture, class, identity, and community. The Untokening will bring together leaders of color and advocates whose voices have been marginalized to create a new paradigm and mobility justice agenda.