Inqlab #2: Economic Displacement

Sunday, August 11, 1–4PM
On Zoom & St. Elmo Village*:
4830 St Elmo Dr., LA, CA, 90019
*street parking is limited, we suggest carpooling and transit
Cost: $10-20; no one turned away for lack of funds (email us at info@fccwla.org if cost is prohibitive) — offerings contribute to our community fund which supports future gatherings and collaborations with critical partners

Inqlab, which means ‘revolution’ in Urdu, is a place where we’ll build community by engaging in political education, experiential anti-colonial activities, and experiment with revolutionary tools for change. Each monthly session will expose central organizing principles of settler colonial nation-building across critical geopolitical territories — inviting us to unravel the knots of our collective oppression, foster new modes for connection, and strategize the means for constructing a world beyond the current occupation.

The August gathering focuses upon economic displacement as one of the three central tenets in the making of settler colonial nations. We will explore the role of colonial capitalism in the emergence of settler colonies. This will involve a deep-dive into the history of labor systems, such as enslavement, indenture, and immigration policies that preserve the power majority of occupiers to this day. The structure of economic displacement not only influences our access to resources but also informs our social fabric, from neighborhoods, to family structures, to our own personhood. As a collective, we will unlearn, explore, and experiment with how the political and personal exist within a white settler structure of economic displacement.

 Our Inqlab community lab is a space to understand systems of oppression while building upon modes of liberation; a creative undoing of sorts. Our political unlearning will incorporate experiential modes of embodiment that range from the whimsical to the astute. We will explore with play, through my ‘Colonial Capitalism Red Flags’ game, an interactive ‘Digital Land Back’ map, and engage in sowing seeds of change through activities like ‘Green Flags of Interdependence.’

Lastly, the Inqlab community lab will be followed by an informal gathering to further connections, share laughs, and relax in the beautiful community space of St. Elmo’s Village. Join us for the mini after party, stay for the food, music, and the joys of community.

Visit our website to learn more about Inqlab, Dr. Verma and up-coming sessions, as well as readings, resources and online discussions. 

You can attend this program in-person in LA or on Zoom from anywhere, register to receive a recording and a link for the livestream. If you can’t make this event, we encourage you to join us for future sessions.