What is offered in this sound collage is a brief journey into my pedagogy of worldbuilding this year. The year of 2020 is marked by a global pandemic, an apathetic government, uprisings against state-sanctioned violence, life disruptions, school closures, and a long-lasting presidential election. For me, this year has been marked by the death of a parent, start of grad school, a marriage proposal, political consciousness-building, and a deep dive into Octavia Butler’s Parables. During this year of isolation, I have been on a steady soul-searching journey requiring me to mother my trans self and develop a pedagogy to best use this pandemic for self exploration.

I propose a new pedagogy, a new philosophy of being, of growing and of mothering ourselves through this transformation. Pedagogy is reflexive, cooperative, and amniotic – a vessel in which life grows. Pedagogy holds us, grounds us, challenges us, but does not save us because God is Change. We are disciplined – or whipped, if that’s your kink - by this pedagogy. Discipline and eroticism can guide us to new worlds in concurrence. This audio is a peek into my worldbuilding process which has anchored me and that I hope will serve as a guide.

From critical pedagogy, Marxism, prison-industrial complex abolition, unschooling, parenting for liberation, and critical youth studies, to the always fundamental Black feminism, womanism, Black queer studies, disability studies, reproductive justice, and decolonization theory. There is much to be learned from others’ worldbuilding. The future is fertile and necessitates the building of new worlds. Enter this process with rigor, creativity from your erotic power, openness to collaboration and dialogue, and maternal patience and grace.

Audio Sources (in sequential order)

LaTierra Piphus and Ash Haywood, “LaTierra Piphus Oral History,” Womanist Working Collective Archive, accessed November 9, 2020, https://wwcarchive.omeka.net/items/show/373.

Okichie Davis and Ash Haywood, “Okichie Davis Oral History,” Womanist Working Collective Archive, accessed November 9, 2020, https://wwcarchive.omeka.net/items/show/374.

“Audre Lorde, Reading from 13th Moon Series 1982 (Tape 1),” Lesbian Herstory Archives Audio Visual Collections, accessed November 9, 2020, http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/document/733.

“Voicemail from Dad June 2nd, 2019,” Ashby Combahee Personal Archive, accessed November 1, 2020.

Ashby is a musician, community oral historian, and education abolitionist based in Atlanta, GA which sits on Muscogee Land. S/he earned a BA in Music Composition at Bennington College and is currently an archival fellow with the Womanist Working Collective. In addition to being a full time college admissions counselor, Ashby collects oral histories of community organizers and creates audio collages which draw lineages of radical thought among various social movements.