Our Hxstory
ECSS (formerly DCDS) has been a community-funded project for 7 years and running! With the banning of ethnic studies in many universities and public schools around the U.S., increased surveillance and policing of immigrant and people of color communities, and the recent global and local activism of #BlackLivesMatter, #GirlsLikeUs and violence against Trans women of color, and uprisings against western imperialism, drone strikes, and border controls, it is important to support critical spaces of learning, questioning and base-building in our Desi communities. Last year, 30 youth and adult allies from D.C., New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania participated in our 3-day retreat to address issues of inequality, social justice and youth organizing through critical and Desi perspectives.
What exactly happens at ECSS? Watch the videos from DCDS 2013, DCDS 2012, and DCDS 2010 to see what really goes down!
What exactly happens at ECSS? Watch the videos from DCDS 2013, DCDS 2012, and DCDS 2010 to see what really goes down!
PAST WORKSHOPS
2009 Workshops
Workshop: Identity: From Personal to Community
Dinner / Documentary: “When the Coolie Becomes Cool”
Vijay Prashad
Immigration
Gender and Domestic Violence
Heterosexism/Homophobia
Skits – Putting Together What We’ll Bring Home from DCDS
Career Panel
“Divided We Fall” – documentary by Valerie Kaur
Gandhi Brigade – youth voice through media
2010 Workshops
Workshop One: Identity and Class (Paramita & Saba)
Workshop Two: Workers' Rights: ROC-DC (Nikki Lewis)
Workshop One: Deconstructing Gender (Alvina Pillai)
Workshop Two: Sexism (Chai & Ramesh)
Keynote speaker: Javaid Tariq (NY Taxi Workers' Alliance)
Workshop Three: Resistance around Land Struggles: Connecting the Local & Global (Lena & Sheena)
Gentrification Tour (Sonal) (45-60 min., call cabs to get there)
Workshop One: Capitalism & Neocolonialism in Haiti and the Global South
Workshop Two: DRUM Workshop (Mayank?) on their Education Campaign?
Workshop Three & Lunch: Arts & Activism (DJ Rekha)
Q&A with DJ Rekha
Workshop Four: Transformative Organizing (Amrita Wassan)
2011 Workshops
Workshop One: 3 Is of Oppression (interpersonal, internalized, institutional), Why are we doing this work? What do we have in common/our differences? (Dinu)
Workshop Two: Eat My Words:The Political Relevance of Food Writing (Nandini Dhar)
Privilege Walk (Sulekha) - Step forward, step back
Workshop: South Asians in America: What’s Your Entry-Point? (SAALT: Mou Khan)
Lunch: Vijay speaks at 1:20
Mental Health in SA Communities (Sasha Ahuja)
Workshop Three: The Color Line (Simon Sandh)
Workshop One: Criminalizing Communities of Color (Pabitra Benjamin & Sameera Hafiz)
Workshop Two: Counter-military Recruitment
Workshop Three: Mandeep's workshop
Workshop One: Queer Issues (Amrita)
Workshop Two: Environmental Justice (Kari Fulton)
Action Steps, Regional meetings (with action ideas), & Staying Connected (blog, googlegroup, organizations, conferences, campaigns), what kind of support do you need to make this happen?
2012 Workshops
Day 1:
Workshop 1: What does it mean to be desi? & Guiding Questions (1.25 hours)
Workshop 2: Regulating Queer and Non-Queer Bodies: South Asian Immigration
Day 2:
Workshop 1: Capitalism Framing/Overview (1 hour) - Kavita
Workshop 2: Racism (2 hours) - Sasha A. and Sheena
Workshop 3: Sexism (2 hours) - Sonal and Mitali
Workshop 4: Creative Piece (1.5 hours) - YaliniDream
Day 3:
Workshop 1: Nuts & Bolts of Organizing (1.5 hours), Planning Actions - Ilana
Workshop 2: The Importance of Archiving Our Work - Samip Mallick from SAADA
Workshop 3: Reflection, Revisiting Guiding Questions, Planning Next Steps (1 hour)
Evaluations: discussions, sustaining DCDS, staying connected, paper eval for day (30 min.)
2013 Workshops
YSS organizers (early 2000s)
Workshop: Identity: From Personal to Community
Dinner / Documentary: “When the Coolie Becomes Cool”
Vijay Prashad
Immigration
Gender and Domestic Violence
Heterosexism/Homophobia
Skits – Putting Together What We’ll Bring Home from DCDS
Career Panel
“Divided We Fall” – documentary by Valerie Kaur
Gandhi Brigade – youth voice through media
2010 Workshops
Workshop One: Identity and Class (Paramita & Saba)
Workshop Two: Workers' Rights: ROC-DC (Nikki Lewis)
Workshop One: Deconstructing Gender (Alvina Pillai)
Workshop Two: Sexism (Chai & Ramesh)
Keynote speaker: Javaid Tariq (NY Taxi Workers' Alliance)
Workshop Three: Resistance around Land Struggles: Connecting the Local & Global (Lena & Sheena)
Gentrification Tour (Sonal) (45-60 min., call cabs to get there)
Workshop One: Capitalism & Neocolonialism in Haiti and the Global South
Workshop Two: DRUM Workshop (Mayank?) on their Education Campaign?
Workshop Three & Lunch: Arts & Activism (DJ Rekha)
Q&A with DJ Rekha
Workshop Four: Transformative Organizing (Amrita Wassan)
2011 Workshops
Workshop One: 3 Is of Oppression (interpersonal, internalized, institutional), Why are we doing this work? What do we have in common/our differences? (Dinu)
Workshop Two: Eat My Words:The Political Relevance of Food Writing (Nandini Dhar)
Privilege Walk (Sulekha) - Step forward, step back
Workshop: South Asians in America: What’s Your Entry-Point? (SAALT: Mou Khan)
Lunch: Vijay speaks at 1:20
Mental Health in SA Communities (Sasha Ahuja)
Workshop Three: The Color Line (Simon Sandh)
Workshop One: Criminalizing Communities of Color (Pabitra Benjamin & Sameera Hafiz)
Workshop Two: Counter-military Recruitment
Workshop Three: Mandeep's workshop
Workshop One: Queer Issues (Amrita)
Workshop Two: Environmental Justice (Kari Fulton)
Action Steps, Regional meetings (with action ideas), & Staying Connected (blog, googlegroup, organizations, conferences, campaigns), what kind of support do you need to make this happen?
2012 Workshops
Day 1:
Workshop 1: What does it mean to be desi? & Guiding Questions (1.25 hours)
Workshop 2: Regulating Queer and Non-Queer Bodies: South Asian Immigration
Day 2:
Workshop 1: Capitalism Framing/Overview (1 hour) - Kavita
Workshop 2: Racism (2 hours) - Sasha A. and Sheena
Workshop 3: Sexism (2 hours) - Sonal and Mitali
Workshop 4: Creative Piece (1.5 hours) - YaliniDream
Day 3:
Workshop 1: Nuts & Bolts of Organizing (1.5 hours), Planning Actions - Ilana
Workshop 2: The Importance of Archiving Our Work - Samip Mallick from SAADA
Workshop 3: Reflection, Revisiting Guiding Questions, Planning Next Steps (1 hour)
Evaluations: discussions, sustaining DCDS, staying connected, paper eval for day (30 min.)
2013 Workshops
YSS organizers (early 2000s)