Groundbreaking Ceremony: Digital Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD)
Featuring a Special Play Reading of The Rescue
Join us for a powerful cultural moment as we break ground on the Digital Black Arts Movement Business District —a visionary virtual venue designed to preserve, expand, and reimagine Black cultural space online. This groundbreaking ceremony will feature a staged reading of The Rescue, an original play by Latisha Jones.
About the Play: The Rescue
Set in 1851 Boston, The Rescue follows Rosetta Douglass, the educated and ambitious daughter of Frederick Douglass. As she and her brother write about the federal court case of local freedom fighter Lewis Hayden, slave catchers arrive in the city, threatening the safety of both free-born and formerly enslaved Black people. Rosetta, embedded in the Black anti-slavery community, must confront questions of justice, power, and legacy.
TEAM
Playwright & Producer: Latisha Jones
Digital Producer: Maiamama
Executive Producer & Director: Claudia Alick
Introducing the Digital BAM House
Located inside the Calling Up Justice Digital Encampment (hosted in GatherTown), the Digital BAMBD is a new virtual hub built with Disability Justice at its core. It will serve as:
- A living archive for Black Arts in Oakland
- A livestreaming center for BAMBDCDC festival programming
- A digital stage for theatrical experimentation by the Lower Bottom Playaz
This project expands the cultural footprint of the Black Arts Movement Business District into accessible digital space—ensuring that disabled, distant, and otherwise marginalized community members can fully participate in the cultural life of Oakland. This initiative supports BAMBDCDC’s mission to prevent displacement, preserve Black creative space, and support Black artists. By establishing a durable digital home, we create new pathways for connection, participation, and cultural continuity—particularly for those impacted by inaccessibility and gentrification.
The Digital BAM House project seeks to archive and preserve Black arts by documenting, celebrating, and safeguarding Black cultural production in Oakland. Through livestreaming and interactive features, the project will expand accessibility and engagement, making BAMBDCDC programming available to those unable to attend in person. It also supports theatrical innovation, offering the Lower Bottom Playaz a platform to experiment with new digital performance forms. As an act of digital placemaking, the project extends BAMBDCDC’s mission into virtual space, reinforcing and expanding Black cultural infrastructure.
Claudia Alick and collaborators will lead the design and development of immersive digital replicas of the BAM House, enriched with historical and creative media. A team of trained digital ushers and facilitators will support access and foster real-time engagement. The Digital BAM House will also be integrated into 2025 BAMBDCDC festival, hosting livestreamed events and facilitating audience interaction. Beyond the festival, the space will remain open year-round for rehearsals, community gatherings, and ongoing conversations.