Accessibility Update As of Oct. 19th, the wheelchair lift at The Lab is currently broken and repairs have been stalled due to bureaucratic barriers. Repairs are scheduled for this week, but it’s still uncertain if the lift will be operable for Sticking Together + Fighting Back with Dean Spade on Oct. 26th. We will keep you updated. Alternative venues we explored were not available. We sincerely apologize for the inaccessibility and inconvenience. We will refund anyone who cannot attend due to this, and send the recording of the event. Please email: admin@thehalacollective.com

Sticking Together and Fighting Back: A Workshop with Dean Spade + Fundraiser benefitting Bay2Gaza mutual aid and Alameda County residents impacted by ICE

Monday, October 26 | 6 - 9PM | All Ages 
The Lab (2948 16th St., San Francisco)

Workshop Description:
We are living in frightening times, and we have a lot of work to do together. We have to meet the immediate emergencies being caused by wars, ecological destruction, poverty, immigration enforcement, criminalization, and patriarchal violence, and prepare for the coming crises. We have to care for each other and fight back against those who seek to control our lives and endanger all life. But when we try to get together to do these important things, we often fall apart. We struggle to address conflict together, we cultivate resentments, we talk behind each other's backs, get mired in avoidance, and disorganize ourselves. This workshop will look at some of the common relational patterns that are breaking up our efforts, and cultivate skills for working with them so that we can stick together and fight back. 

All proceeds from this event will be split between mutual aid for Alameda County residents impacted by ICE and the Bay2Gaza Mutual Aid Collective, which currently supports 5 Palestinian families and a collective fund for urgent needs in Gaza. You can donate directly to their campaigns below:

• Emergency Funds for Aid Worker in Gaza
• Cultivate Life for Bayan and 4 Siblings in Gaza
• Help Remas Al Attar and Family Survive
• Help Hayam and Family of 5 Rebuild after Escaping Gaza
• Support a Young Family with Triplets in Gaza
• Help Khaled Recover and Rebuild his Life

Event Schedule:

5:30PM - Doors Open for Meet & Greet 
5:45PM - Meet & Greet and Book Signing with Dean Spade
6:15PM - Break (15 mins)
6:30PM - Opening Performance by ZAK + Introduction
6:45PM - Workshop with Dean Spade (75 mins)
8:00PM - Break (10 mins)
8:10PM - Q & A with Dean Spade (30 mins)
8:40PM - Closing Performance by DDDabke, Drag, & Drums
8:45PM - Event Ends

Accessibility Information:

• Masked event with masks provided at door.
• Speakers and performers rapid tested negative prior.
• Please stay home if you feel any symptoms of illness. 
• Low-scent and low-fragrance space - we ask that you do your best to arrive fragrance-free. 
• The Lab is located 300 ft from 16th St. Mission BART - carpool or public transit recommended.
• ASL Interpretation available - please request at ticket checkout at least one week in advance to guarantee we can meet your needs. 
• The venue has limited seatings of 180 seats and the capacity of the venue is 400. We will prioritize ADA seating close to the stage. Where we will offer to sit on the floor or stand in case the capacity is higher than 180 attendees. 
• NOTAFLOF - If cost is a barrier, please email us at: admin@thehalacollective.com
  

Featured Speaker: Dean Spade

Dean Spade (He/Him) has been working in movements for queer and trans liberation, anti-militarism, and police and prison abolition for the past 30 years. He’s the author of Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics, and the Limits of Law, and Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next) the director of the documentary “Pinkwashing Exposed: Seattle Fights Back!.” His new book is Love in a Fucked Up World: How to Build Relationships, Hook Up and Raise Hell Together, and he is the host of a new podcast with the same name.

Photo Credit: @matthewlawson

Co-Host: Mama Ganuush 

Mama Ganuush is a Palestinian Trans artist & organizer. Parent of Salon HALA, The HALA Collective, and JAHA Film Festival & School. They have premiered their first short film A Message, watch here for free.

Co-Host: King LOTUS BOY

Photo Credit: @gwendystar.media

King LOTUS BOY (He/Ze/They) is a transgender, Chinese-American drag king and community organizer who is unapologetically disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically illUSTRIOUS. He is a proud member of The HALA Collective, community outreach for JAHA Film Festival, and co-host of Cabaret Palestina with Mama Ganuush. Since 2022, Ze has served on the Boards of Directors for Oaklash, the Bay Area’s drag festival, and Disability Power Bloc, a non-profit fiscal sponsor for disability justice initiatives led by disabled people. King LOTUS BOY also organizes with Clean Air Network, a mutual aid group providing free PPE and a community lending library of air purifiers for events in the Bay. His work has been featured at KQED, SF Disability Cultural Center, SF MoMa, Chinese Historical Society of America Museum, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, United States of Asian America Festival and more.

Featured Performer: ZAK

ZAK is a powerhouse pop-punk emo singer with influences crossing into soul, folk, country, rock. His writing deals with personal stories, navigating queer love, and breaking free from the systems that hold us down. These dynamic subjects are complimented with high highs, sultry growls, and the heart of a quiet boy from the midwest.

Featured Performer: DDDabke, Drag, & Drums