Moonwake: Ethnographic Performance of Healing from Racial Trauma was developed in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement when most colleges and universities’ responses did not focus enough on addressing healing for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students who had experienced years of discrimination, microaggressions, and racial trauma within their educational institutions. This project was a response, an effort to rectify this damage. Ghina Fawaz, Hilary Cooperman, and Tiara Ashurst all conducted research with college-aged students of color who attended predominately white institutions (PWI) on the racial trauma and racism they endured there and how it shaped them. This research was used to write the show Moonwake, an immersive, site-specific, choose-your-own-adventure ethnographic performance, which provided an impactful medium for public witnessing and engagement.

The research and staged reading are supported through a Rollins Diversity Infusion Grant and The Edward W. and Stella C. Van Houten Memorial Fund, The Elizabeth Morse Genius Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Fund, The John R. and Ruth W. Gurtler Fund