Hope & Healing through Earthtones: A conversation with Ayoade Balogun (Stanford ’21) and Rachel Lam (Stanford ’20)
Artist Spotlight
Earthtones, an annual environmental justice arts festival that normally takes place on campus, was one of many events whose planning came to a sudden halt after students were sent home last spring. Advertised as a festival “celebrating the connections between people of color and the environment” where attendees normally enjoy food, create art, enjoy a live concert, and see art exhibits, Earthtones has had great success in its three-year existence. Ayoade Balogun (she/her) and Rachel Lam (any/all), two of the event’s student organizers, explained, “It’s a one-day event that hosts workshops, celebrates artists and activists, and engages the public in centering BIPOC relationships with the earth.” Earthtones also highlights the importance of interracial solidarity, especially during difficult times that have disproportionately impacted BIPOC communities.
When the festival was suddenly cancelled at the start of the outbreak, Ayoade and Rachel worked hard to keep the spirit of the event alive through alternative means. They refocused their energy toward a new endeavor: an Earthtones Zine. Centered in the original festival’s theme of environmental justice, the Zine features the art, poetry, and writing of Black, indigenous and people of color communities at Stanford. Like the original festival, this project is dedicated to making space for members and organizations outside of the Stanford community as well. As an example, Ayoade noted, “One important organization we always make space for is The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust.” The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, according to their website, “is an urban Indigenous women-led land trust based in the San Francisco Bay Area that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to Indigenous people.” (More information about the trust can be found below).
The zine captures the response of student artists of color at a unique and disruptive moment, with the simultaneous rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, the international resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, and, for those on the West Coast, historically damaging wildfires. For one contributor, undergraduate Bocar Wade, the zine “was an important moment of reflection and provided a medium to express [himself] and [his] emotions.”
This collective creation has a dual purpose of showcasing student art responding to the moment while raising money for other artists of color. After selling 65 hard copies and receiving over 100 donations, the zine raised $1,090 for the Arts Leaders of Color Network.
In the introduction of the zine, Rachel and Ayoade note: “This final product represents a moment in time for us as artists, writers, and organizers individually, as well as an enduring picture of how we have always and will continue to process grief and fear, practice community care and radical rest, and exude hope and joy.” Indeed, one glance at the Zine’s cover, shown below, perfectly encapsulates the sentiment of hope after multiple tragedies that the editors intend to share through the collection.
As a contributor to the Zine, I was honored to share a photo essay that attempts to capture these sentiments as well. I share my work alongside the work of other student artists whose art has inspired and sustained me over the last few months. My involvement in this project and the work of the other students highlight the importance of interracial solidarity during this time of immense struggle and resistance. True solidarity, as I’ve come to learn, stems not only from expressing alignment with social justice movements, but also in stepping back and taking the time to listen to the voices of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups. I stepped back to have a conversation with Ayoade and Rachel about the creation of the Earthtones Zine. What follows are a few excerpts. Ayoade and Rachel answered the questions jointly.
How did the idea for the Earthtones Zine come to be?
The zine idea came when we were still planning our on-campus festival. We had a lot of new ideas to expand this year’s iteration of Earthtones, and to build upon the art exhibit that the festival normally featured, we wanted there to be a way for people to take home….. We also thought it would be another great way to feature the work of our designers and student writing. Once it became clear that the festival couldn’t happen, we turned to the groundwork we had laid for the zine to have something to show for all that everyone had put into Earthtones 2020 — we were devastated to lose the festival but put all that energy into seeing the zine through.
How did you choose the artists?
I guess it’s more that they chose us! Some contributors were part of the organizing team since we started planning the festival, some are friends whose work we’d seen and thought would be important contributions to the zine.
What does this project mean to you?
The festival creates an intentional space for BIPOC people and allies to rejuvenate and collaborate. American educational institutions were not created with BIPOC in mind and the cultures at these places can often be alienating. As Indigenous and Black people, we’ve often felt alarmed and distraught by our experiences at Stanford. Doing work for this festival and the zine are a way for us to combat the dominant culture at Stanford and carve out space for ourselves and our communities.
Can you tell me a little more about the intersection of environmental and racial justice as it relates to the theme of the zine?
BIPOC all have unique histories with the earth. Many of us come from indigenous cultures that have true relationships with our natural environment; however, through colonial and imperial disruption, there has been a lot of violence instituted in those relationships (from slavery, coercive farm labor, indigenous removal, etc.). Part of this theme is to support the reconnection of BIPOC with the earth. Another part of this theme is to celebrate the work which BIPOC still do with the earth — many of us are on the frontlines of activism against environmental degradation.
Tell me about the cover art!
The cover art was drawn by Esther Omole, an amazing artist who focuses on themes of abundance and Black womanhood. She also did the small illustrations you can find within the zine of wheat stalks and flower patches. You can see more of her art and support her work on instagram: @estherabiso1a_
What impact has this project had on you and the communities you worked with?
Working together on this project was a very therapeutic experience. This spring and summer was very uncertain and turbulent in a number of ways, but the process of creating this zine carved out space to have conversations about the uncertainty and turbulence as well as work together towards something with healing potential.
We sold about 65 hard copies. 132 people requested hard copies or online copies, and donated if they could. Altogether, we raised $1,090 for the Arts Leaders of Color Network.
What do you hope people will take away from the zine?
We hope that people feel loved inside, connected with other people, and inspired to do their own work.
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Having read through the zine many times myself, I can attest to the fact that their creation does make its audience feel both loved and connected with other people. The messages carried throughout the Zine are especially salient now as the West Coast experiences devastating fires that have displaced countless families, leaving many jobless, and blanketing much of the State of California with unhealthy air. As Rachel and Hope Harrington, an indigenous Stanford alum, noted in the Zine’s land acknowledgement, “Climate change and everything related to environmental degradation are direct extensions of European industrialization and imperialism. The United States and all of American civilization, including Stanford University, has been and remains complicit in a political agenda which uses the earth, non-humans, and humans as resources to capitalize on.” Our collective response to these fires should be based in this context and the knowledge that we are visitors on native land. We have a responsibility to not only acknowledge this reality, but also join in advocacy efforts to support indigenous communities.
Moving forward into this new school year and reflecting on the difficulties of 2020, we might look to a prayer written in the introduction to the Zine for words of wisdom and guidance:
“A prayer in gawonihisdi (“Cherokee” for language):
Unetlanvhi, sgidoliga. Gadugi igaduliha. Gesdi esga uyehldi yigaduliha. Tohi
sidanelvi igaduliha.
Creator, understand us. We want for people to come together
and to help one another. We don’t want to be thinking back towards ourselves. We
want health and balance.”
The first of many projects to come, Ayoade, Rachel and the rest of the Earthtones team have already begun planning Earthtones 2021. If you are interested in learning more about what they have planned, please reach out to Ayoade or Rachel via their emails, which are listed down below.
Resources to support BIPOC communities and their work:
Native Americans in Philanthropy
First Nations Development Institute
Native Arts Cultures Foundation
White Mountain Apache Tribe COVID-19 Relief Fund
Ayoade Balogun (she/her), Stanford ’21, is majoring in African and African American Studies and Environmental Systems Engineering. She’s found homes on campus in Stanford’s Black community and in the strong community of environmental justice organizers, artists, and activists. She grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she was nurtured by the steady watch of the Blue Ridge Mountains and her first generation American/Nigerian immigrant family. Ayoade can be contacted at ayoade@stanford.edu.
Rachel Lam (any/all), Stanford ’20, graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Psychology. They are Anigiduwagi enrolled in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a first-generation Malaysian-American. He would love to see more inter-community coalitions on the Stanford campus into the future. She grew up in Seattle, Washington and likes to eat salmon and blackberries among many other things. Rachel can be contacted at rlam13@stanford.edu.
Therese Santiago (she/her) is a Stanford undergraduate double majoring in English and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. She is passionate about racial justice, community organizing, photography, and stories that move people. If you are a Stanford artist interested in being interviewed for our Artist Spotlight series or have any questions, please contact Therese at tsantiag@stanford.edu.
