Practicing Freedom in an Unfree World

Freedom isn’t a distant, political goal, but rather something we can practice right now, argues organizer, artist, and co-host of the podcast How to Survive the End of the World Autumn Brown. Autumn writes, “We ask ourselves, with every choice we make, how are we building capacity, fortitude, strength, intuition, and resilience that births a future freedom we could all live and thrive in?”   

Join Autumn and CIIS faculty Kesha Fikes for a powerful conversation exploring how to practice freedom in an unfree world as she shares insights from her recent book, Temper. She draws on the ancestral wisdom of Harriet Tubman and other fugitives, the lineage of Black Feminism, and the discipline of martial arts to teach us how to temper our bodies and spirits for this resilient practice of freedom—exactly where we are.  

Autumn shares how to shift from a fugue state of trauma-induced dissociation to a fugitive state of alertness and agency to navigate the ever-changing world. Learn how to stop attempting to control your environment and begin the practice of conditioning your body and spirit for the unknown. Discover how your deepest sources of pain can connect you with ancestral wisdom and other discredited ways of knowing. Experience how falling apart together during times of collapse can create a sense of life-saving connection.

Autumn invites you to step onto the fugitive path and discover the truth: you were made for this crossing. 

This conversation includes live audience Q&A. Books are available to add to your order at checkout.

Meet the Speakers

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Autumn Brown an artist, organizer, theologian, and facilitator dedicated to political education and liberatory practice. She is the co-host of the beloved podcast How to Survive the End of the World with her sister, adrienne maree brown. A worker-owner of the AORTA cooperative and a student of aikido and yoga, she grounds her work in the belief that healing emanates from the human heart. She lives in Minneapolis with her three brilliant children. Find the author at www.iambrown.org or on social media.

Kesha Fikes (she/her) is a psycho-political facilitator, somatic therapist, and Professor of Somatic Psychology in the clinical MA program at CIIS. Her main research focus is creative disruption of the violence of universal reason in everyday life.  She holds a doctorate in anthropology (UCLA), authored Managing African Portugal: The Citizen-Migrant Distinction (Duke), and is completing a book on a facilitation process she created called Somatic Extimacy. She previously taught as Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Chicago and as core faculty in the former doctoral program in Somatics at Pacifica Graduate Institute. 

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Important Information

We are grateful to our Bookstore Partner
Marcus Books is the nation’s oldest Black-owned independent bookstore celebrating its 60th year. Marcus Books’ mission is to provide opportunities for Black folks and their allies to celebrate and learn about Black people everywhere. Learn more about Marcus Books. 

Accessibility Information 
If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page.

Recording Policy 
Ticket holders will have access to an ad-free replay of the event for one month after the live event, after which unlimited viewing with ads will be available. Portions of the audio will also be released on our podcast. Only registered ticket holders who choose to watch live can participate in the chat and Q&A.

Attending as a Prospective Student? 
Contact Admissions at admissions@ciis.edu to learn about complimentary tickets.

Refund Policy 
All tickets and add-ons purchased for this event are nonrefundable.