NAACP

• Grammy award-winning singer, producer and songwriter Babyface at the sixth edition of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, 2024.
• On the final day of the Summit, Grammy award-winning singer, producer and songwriter Babyface took to the stage for a conversation with Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy®, echoing Legend’s sentiment.
• Saadiyat Island Cultural District in Abu Dhabi provides one such space.”
  Panos A. Panay, President of Recording Academy®, has taken part in the Culture Summit since its first edition in 2017.
• For more information on Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, its full programme, and sessions available to watch online, please visit www.culturesummitabudhabi.com
  Culture Summit Abu Dhabi Press Kit, including imagery, is available here .

• Dr. Toldson is a renowned researcher in education, with a proven track record of conducting impactful research and advancing educational equity initiatives.
• Prior to joining Concentric, Dr. Toldson was the national director of Education Innovation and Research for the NAACP.
• Commenting on Dr. Toldson's appointment, Dr. David Heiber, founder and CEO of Concentric Educational Solutions, stated, "We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ivory Toldson to our team.
• Dr. Toldson expressed his enthusiasm for joining Concentric Educational Solutions, saying, "I'm thrilled to join the Concentric team to elevate the status quo in education.

• "Impact is in the name of the Newark Community Impact Fund because that is its foundational purpose," said fund host Hans Dekker, president of the Community Foundation of New Jersey.
• "NJCC will help the next generation of change agents and difference makers prepare our nation for a better, more just future.
• "This generous gift to the Paterson Mayor's Wellness Campaign will help our collective efforts to support our community," said Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.
• Every bit of support for our constant, ongoing efforts in violence prevention and community engagement is deeply appreciated by the Parker administration."

• However, many issues in the history of Black Americans can get lost in a focus on well-known historical figures or other important events.
• Today, communities are using “restorative mapping” as a way to tell stories of Black Americans.

Maps as a visual storytelling technique

• While most people think of maps as a useful tool to get from point A to point B, or use maps to look up places or plan trips, the reality is all maps tell stories.
• Like many marginalized groups, Black people have used maps as a visual story-telling technique for “talking back” against their oppression.
• They have also used maps for enlivening and giving dignity to Black experiences and histories.
• The SNCC research department’s maps and research on racism played a pivotal role in planning civil rights protests.

Maps for restorative justice

• Restorative mapping is an important part of the Living Black Atlas: It helps bring visibility to Black experiences that have been marginalized or forgotten.
• An important example of restorative mapping work comes from the Honey Pot Performance, a collective of Black feminists who helped create the Chicago Black Social Culture Map, or the CBSCM.

While engaging Black Americans in the effort, the CBSCM map tells the story of Chicago through a series of artistic movements that highlight African Americans’ connection with the city. After years of gentrification and urban renewal programs that displaced Black people from the city, this project is helping remember those neighborhoods digitally. It is also inviting a broader discussion about the history of Black Chicago.

Restoring a sense of place

• This connects with the broader restorative justice movement that seeks to address historic wrongs by documenting past and present injustices through perspectives that are often ignored or forgotten.
• Thus, the map helps highlight how this geography is still present in Chicago in archives and people’s memories.
• Through this digital representation of Black Chicagoans’ deep cultural roots in the city, the mapping aims to restore a sense of place.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.