(c) Clariva Rijkland
Hi, I am Tracian Meikle. I am lover and facilitator of imaginative community building and inquiry, and seek to explore this through creating moments and spaces that allow for connection, authenticity and deep thought, with some laughter thrown in.
I came to Amsterdam in April 2014 from Jamaica to start my PhD that examined the role of street art in inner-city communities in Kingston. While the university provided a place for a certain kind of intellectual enquiry that I embraced, I found myself longing to find both community and other ways of seeking elsewhere.
This led to the co-founding of Amsterdam Black Women’s Collective in March 2015 with the intention of creating a space where black women could fellowship with each other and be themselves, while growing in the city. I also sought out and became involved in activist, artistic and intellectual spaces that grappled with issues around blackness, racism and anti-capitalism and this became the foundation for my life in the city of Amsterdam.
Over the years, I have organized numerous events for the Amsterdam Black Women’s collective, moderated various panels exploring topics from film to literature to feminism, marched on the streets in the fight for a better university and a more equal city, visited, curated and participated in artistic initiatives and lead healing circles that honed in on the emotional undertaking of our lives.
These experiences have come together to concretise my life work of seeking deep human truth through the intersection of art, academia and activism, rooted in the spirit of blackness. Balmyard is the vehicle through which I seek to continue this exploration. Join me.
Feature Article in Metropolis M