In a time of cultural censorship and erasure, two West Harlem institutions unite for a robust public response through art, health, and collective memory. As debates rage over what histories deserve to be amplified and who gets to belong in America, From May 30 to June 7, 2025, The Children’s Art Carnival and Centro Cívico Cultural Dominicano launch The Rasanblaj Symposium and Exhibition—a major, public-facing initiative to reclaim diasporic identity, challenge systemic erasure, and honor cultural memory through radical art and civic engagement.

For additional information and schedule visit: https://childrensartcarnival.org/the-rasanblaj-symposium/.

This collaborative effort is more than an arts event—it is a call to action anchored in community resilience. Drawing from the Haitian Kreyòl word rasanblaj (“gathering” or “reassembly”), this initiative brings together over 30 artists, scholars, and healers for a week of immersive installations, critical panels, and cultural healing in the heart of Harlem. “When books are banned, and history is rewritten, we respond by gathering, remembering, and making art that cannot be erased, ” says Dr. Gina Athena Ulysse, Symposium Keynote Speaker and professor of Humanities at UCSC.

In a climate where cultural programs are being defunded, and entire communities are pushed to the margins, the Rasanblaj Symposium offers a vibrant counter narrative—one that centers art as a public right, memory as resistance, and gathering as liberation. Funded partly by the West Harlem Development Corporation, this initiative is a local activation and a bold statement: that the arts are not a luxury but infrastructure for democracy, healing, and truth-telling.

Featured Events:

Opening Night: May 30 | 6–9 PM

Venue: Centro Civico Cultural Dominicano

Join keynote speaker and performer Dr. Gina Athena Ulysse for a powerful opening reception, launching a week of artistic resistance and community reflection.

Symposium Day: May 31 | 12–8:30 PM

Venues: The Children’s Art Carnival, Centro Cívico Cultural Dominicano, and Hamilton Landmark Galleries

• Keynote + Libation Ceremony
• Panels on Menstruation, Displacement & Diasporic Memory
• Interactive Exhibitions & Ritual Installations, including:
  • Reflections of WEUSI (Parts 1 & 2)
  • Living Winds: Oya’s Altar for Decolonization
  • I AM PRE-COLONIAL POWER
  • Decolonizing Menstruation
• Workshops on textile art, soap making, and home mapping
• Performance & Discussion: The Last Gatekeeper by Germono Toussaint

Arts & Culture Health Fair | June 7 | 12–5 PM

At Centro Civico Cultural Dominicano

145th Street between Broadway & Riverside

This powerful closing event unites indigenous healing practices, community health resources, and the arts. It offers services from local practitioners and activation for all ages, fostering a sense of community and belonging.

At a time when identity, memory, and truth are under siege, the Rasanblaj Symposium transforms Harlem into a living laboratory of resistance, where the arts provide tools for wellness, remembrance, and liberation.

Free and open to the public.