DiasporaDNA Program Constellation

DiasporaDNA’s program season runs from May through October, offering a dynamic blend of live and digital events designed to engage and inspire the community.

Our program constellation works to unify the connection between global majority diasporas and our shared humanity; fortifying our stories, across a spectrum of cultural forms and creative formats. Book your program today by emailing us: info@diasporadna.org.

Signature Programs:

1. Edify (Archives Activation)

2. Storify (Immersive Experiences)

3. Amplify (Creative Economy Support)

4. Identify (Ancestry + Ambiance)

5. Beautify (Creative Art Making + Healing)

6. Testify (Education + Presentations)

During this six-month period, participants can experience a variety of workshops, performances, and educational initiatives, both in person and online. The season reifies opportunities for connection, inclusion and access across the city.

Our active season affords intentional rest, reset, research, international travel and reflection among our team, which emboldens us to push the work forward.

Whether attending in person or virtually, audiences can expect a rich array of programming tailored to diverse interests, piqued curiosities and community needs.

Edify (Archives Activation)

Explore the art, history, and lives of the global majority through a deep dive into the archives of the Montgomery Collection.

Our archives are the bedrock of DiasporaDNA, proudly showcasing black history and world cultures. They serve as a valuable teaching tool for conscious-raising education.

Edify Programs bring literature to life through public humanities, scholarly talks, workshops, and reading rooms for discovery of archival treasures.

Celebrate intergenerational power and knowledge, via the forthcoming 25th Anniversary of the book ‘Collecting and Sharing African American History’ (Launching 2026) featuring the process of preserving stories that defined our past, reflect our present, and shape our future.

[Edify - Instruction encouraging intellectual improvement.]

Storify (Immersive Experiences )

Experience exhibits, escape rooms, and performances that share testimonies and triumphs from diverse global diasporas.

Storify Programs visualize and vocalize our lived experiences through interactive live shows and displays, inviting participation from all backgrounds.

[Storify - Sharing stories, history, and lived experiences.]

Amplify (Creative Economy Support)

Enjoy vibrant storytelling and meetups from local event producers, utilizing voice, poetry, film, theater, dance, food, civic pride, and heritage to curate joyful celebrations that capture the heart of the city’s festival and event scene.

Our Philly Festivals work, cross pollinates festival and event producers, artists, and audiences to advocate for story and creativity in public gatherings.

Amplify Programs offers a creative economy Think Tank, marketing platform, and professional development to provide technical assistance and moral support to elevate and upskill citywide celebrations.

We are launching this work with an initial focus on festivals and large scale events, but we anticipate amplifying other areas of the creative economy as our work grows.

[Amplify - Expanding opportunity and reach to the grassroots levels of our community.]

Identify (Ancestry + Ambiance)

Delve into genealogy, kinkeeping, and resources for creative writing and research focused on self, society, and identity.

Create personal narratives, poetry, memoir, timelines and oral histories. Connect with family stories and ancestral memories from the past and uplift the descendant stories of future generations.

Identify Programs offer a culturally conscious space to build up the tools, techniques, and training for the makers and minds in this generation to be inspired by the continuum of time.

[Identify - Reflect on legacy, memory and traditions.]

Beautify (Creative Art Making + Healing)

Participate in Art’ventures; Art making and mindfulness activities in an environment intended to increase your calm and reduce your trauma.

Creative art therapy holds space for visitors to bring their lived experience, release grief, and reclaim power through expressions of culturally-inspired artmaking activities and wellbeing practices.

Beautify programs promote healing and address issues plaguing urban communities, offering psychological safety utilizing creative wellness and evidence based mental health approaches.

[Beautify - Celebrating arts and culture to promote wellness.]

Testify (Education + Presentations)

Learn how community engagement and media justice supports global majority communities pursue and own their stories. Through consulting, presentations, podcasting, and education we fuel the future for global majority diasporas to thrive.

Testify Programs echo understanding that audiences seek spaces where they can feel heard, seen, and affirmed. These connections are essential to a deeper sense of belonging.

Patterns of Our Diasporas Podcast broadcasts cultural commentary, artistic activity, and thoughtful reflections from urban thinkers, public intellectuals, and creatives we admire.

[Testify - Celebrate the stories that connect our communities with agency, insight, and pride.]

Email info@diasporadna.org today to book your program!