HXSTORY
common ground follows in the tradition of One Mic, an open mic series that was coordinated by the spoken word group, Mai Piece, and ran from January 2004 to February 2006 throughout Orange County. Following transitions and location challenges, One Mic went on permanent hiatus.
In 2010, there was a statewide gathering of over 50 people who identified as Viet and progressive to learn, share, and explore what it means to build a vision for social justice in the Viet community. This gathering sparked renewed interest in recreating an open mic series in the region. And this seemed like an opportune moment coinciding with VAALA's Cultural Center opening in Santa Ana the previous year. Shortly after the gathering, local activists, artists, and organizers met to discuss and develop what would be known as common ground, which kicked off its inaugural show at the VAALA Cultural Center in August of 2010. common ground continued at the VAALA Center until 2016, drawing hundreds of community members across Southern California and beyond.
In February 2017, with the political climate continuing to be more dire and hostile for our marginalized communities, common ground regrouped from hiatus to offer space for arts, healing, and action. The moments of liberation within the open mic space are meant to allow individuals in the space to process and strategize through creativity. In doing so, we hope to cultivate a sustainable moment centering love as a means of resistance. In August 2018, common ground co-presented a special show with VietRISE (Finding H.O.M.E.) around the #citizenship4all and #housing4all campaigns and invited our community to reimagine what self-determination and agency can look like and the ways we as a community can reclaim our Hxstories, reclaim our Opportunities, propel our Movement forward and reclaim our right to Exist in both love and pain.
Today, in 2020, with our communities forced to #shelterinplace while those most impacted continue to struggle to survive, common ground returns via the virtual platform, embodied by our own hxstory and community values, to offer a space to breathe, heal, create and further our movement together. Join us.
OUR VALUES..
Abundance - Joy & Care - Transparency - People-Centered - Recognizing our Collective Power
In 2010, there was a statewide gathering of over 50 people who identified as Viet and progressive to learn, share, and explore what it means to build a vision for social justice in the Viet community. This gathering sparked renewed interest in recreating an open mic series in the region. And this seemed like an opportune moment coinciding with VAALA's Cultural Center opening in Santa Ana the previous year. Shortly after the gathering, local activists, artists, and organizers met to discuss and develop what would be known as common ground, which kicked off its inaugural show at the VAALA Cultural Center in August of 2010. common ground continued at the VAALA Center until 2016, drawing hundreds of community members across Southern California and beyond.
In February 2017, with the political climate continuing to be more dire and hostile for our marginalized communities, common ground regrouped from hiatus to offer space for arts, healing, and action. The moments of liberation within the open mic space are meant to allow individuals in the space to process and strategize through creativity. In doing so, we hope to cultivate a sustainable moment centering love as a means of resistance. In August 2018, common ground co-presented a special show with VietRISE (Finding H.O.M.E.) around the #citizenship4all and #housing4all campaigns and invited our community to reimagine what self-determination and agency can look like and the ways we as a community can reclaim our Hxstories, reclaim our Opportunities, propel our Movement forward and reclaim our right to Exist in both love and pain.
Today, in 2020, with our communities forced to #shelterinplace while those most impacted continue to struggle to survive, common ground returns via the virtual platform, embodied by our own hxstory and community values, to offer a space to breathe, heal, create and further our movement together. Join us.
OUR VALUES..
Abundance - Joy & Care - Transparency - People-Centered - Recognizing our Collective Power
