Fibroids — mysterious uterine tumors prevalent in Black people — are often compared to fruit in size. Some are as small as blueberries while others grow as large as watermelons. Their origins continue to stump researchers, but some point to stress and repressed anger as a cause.

Who's allowed to be angry? Repression is a form of social control that weakens both the physical and collective body. With no safe way to be expressed, our anger can turn inward, becoming shame and silence, powerlessness and pain. How can we reclaim our right to feel and express anger? What would transform — inside and around us — if we set our anger free?

Where does anger live in your body, and what does it want you to know? Join poet and Northwestern Feminist-in-Residence Kemi Alabi for a speculative theory of fibroids and fruit-filled Pride Month rage room. Featuring music by DJ Love Marie, fruit banquet and libations by Alexandra Antoine, and somatic support by Liberation Wellness, we'll shake, smash, speak, feel, and air out what ails us.

7:00 - 7:30 | Call & Response

An interactive gallery walk. Enter the world of fibroids and share your own relationship to pain, stress, and anger.

7:30 - 8:00 | Opening the Vent

Doors close, vents open. An audio immersion, the pouring of libations, and a toast to begin.

8:00 - 8:45 | Rage Banquet

A fruit banquet table to dine on or smash. A shake space with vibes by DJ Love Marie. Somatic invitations to let the anger move you.

8:45 - 9:00 | The Balm

Closing it out with conversation, herbal supports, and calls to action.

Supported by the Northwestern Women's Center in collaboration with UChicago Arts + Public Life.