Recording | Coffee with Crossroads: Creation as Sustenance & Resistance - A conversation with Kwajelyn Jackson

What began as a pandemic gathering has grown into something bigger. Coffee with Crossroads is a live conversation series featuring change-makers, thinkers, and practitioners reimagining what's possible—people whose work pushes us to think, act, and organise differently.

Across nearly every workshop and conversation this year, one theme keeps surfacing: this political moment has people overwhelmed, discouraged, drained, and angry — and rightly so. Which is exactly why grounding ourselves and cultivating our imaginations isn't a luxury in difficult times; it's a necessity for resistance. Imagination is one of our most powerful tools.

So this fall, Crossroads Transitional Executive Director Jessica Vazquez Torres will sit down with artists, musicians, writers, painters, and creatives of all kinds for honest, informal conversations over coffee — live for the Crossroads network. With her guests, Jessica will explore creativity as a source of sustenance and fuel for resistance. Each session will have three outcomes:

• Hear the guest's story and creative journey
• Explore how creativity awakens their imagination
• Talk about why imagination is essential to the work of justice

These aren't polished presentations.  They're real conversations about what it takes to imagine — and fight for — a more just world

OCTOBER 2nd: “Rage is tinder, hope is fuel.”

What if imagination is the most radical tool we have?

In this episode of Crossroads’ Coffee with Crossroads, part of our fall series on imagination and resistance, Executive Director Jessica Vazquez Torres sits down with Kwajelyn Jackson, head of the Feminist Center for Reproductive Liberation in Atlanta.

Jackson’s creative life runs deep, from the style she inherited from her grandmothers to her work as a “tattoo doula,” helping people show up as their full selves. But she’s clear that support alone isn’t enough. Movements must stand behind people when they take real risks.

Listen to hear:

• Why meeting basic needs unlocks imagination
• Jackson’s “telescoping vision” practice: picture the world 100 years from now, then work backward to what you can do today
• Why care work is anything but “soft”

And you’ll come away with a line you won’t forget: “Rage is tinder, hope is fuel.”

Pour a cup. Press play. Imagine what’s next.

THE LOGISTICS

• Watching the conversation requires registration.
• Once registered, the link to the conversation recording will be sent in the confirmation email.

THE COMMITMENT

At Crossroads, we believe meaningful dialogue should be open to everyone. That's why Coffee with Crossroads is free — a gift to our friends, partners, collaborators, and the broader public. If these conversations and the voices we're amplifying mean something to you, consider chipping in. We suggest $20, but every contribution — big or small — helps. Your support keeps this space open, accessible, and thriving. It's how we keep bringing you thoughtful, inclusive conversations that spark change and build community. To donate: select "Donation" at checkout and enter your amount.