Malia Gilbert-Neal, the executive director of Arts Well, grew up poor and Black in Philadelphia and has been creating community empowerment organizations her entire adult life. In conversation with host Desire Wandan, she shares her life story and the work of Art Well, founded in 2000 in response to chronic community violence in Philly. Today Art Well partners with over 400 organizations to bring arts related activities to schools, libraries, health and social service organizations throughout the Philadelphia area. In all her work Gilbert-Neal strives to focus on the wellness of individuals, communities and the earth. “America makes it very hard to be well. We’re all experiencing the same capitalism that is overworking and underpaying people, expecting them to make huge sacrifices of themselves for the sake of profit and dollars. We’re all experiencing the same racism, sexism and challenges to our human rights,” says Gilbert-Neal. “We’re all swimming in these systems of oppression, so it’s really important to talk about wellness and how to sustain it.”

www.theartwell.org

Instagram: @Maliaknowsthings

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Welcome to All Power to the Developing, a podcast of the East Side Institute. The Institute is a center for social change efforts that reinitiate human and community development. We support, connect, and partner with committed and creative activists, scholars, artists, helpers, and healers all over the world. In 2003, Institute co-founders Lois Holzman and the late Fred Newman had a paper published with the title “All Power to the Developing.” This phrase captures how vital it is for all people—no matter their age, circumstance, status, race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation—to grow, develop and transform emotionally, socially and intellectually if we are to have a shot at creating something positive out of the intense crises we’re all experiencing. We hope that this podcast series will show you that, far more than a slogan, “all power to the developing” is a loving activity, a pulsing heart in an all too cruel world.

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