Our Gatherings are Cultural Organizing
Alternate ROOTS’ gatherings are at the heart of our cultural organizing strategy. Through events like ROOTS Week, ROOTS Weekend, Porch Sits, Rhizomes and even Executive Committee meetings (which are open to all members!), we build strong relationships with members and partner organizations across 14 states by hosting gatherings that place art and culture at the center of all of our organizing strategies.
ROOTS Week 2025
ROOTS Week 2025
Mapping a North Star: Tools for Present Times
Tuesday, August 5 – Sunday, August 10
Lutheridge Camp and Conference Center
Arden, NC
we gaze up to the infinite sky
fix our eyes
on hōkūpa`a, the north star
it keeps us grounded and steadfast
rooted in our tradition
we are home
From “New Day” by Kealoha, first Poet Laureate Emeritus of Hawai’i
What’s Your North Star? How do you stay aligned with it during turbulent times? What art and cultural organizing is your North Star inspiring you to create?
These are some of the questions we’ll be asking as we gather for our 49th annual ROOTS Week this August 5 – 10 in Arden, NC. This year’s theme, Mapping a North Star: Tools for Present Times, calls us to reflect on how we’re creating, resisting, and organizing for a better world through art and culture.
About ROOTS Week
ROOTS Week 2025 welcomes artists and activists back to the beloved weeklong retreat at Lutheridge Conference Center in North Carolina. We gather in August to make community through art and everything we bring as justice-loving cultural workers.
Over Alternate ROOTS’ 49-year history, this annual gathering has included art making and sharing, critical and engaging conversations, singing, dancing, the organization’s Annual Business Meeting, and late-night shenanigans!
Alternate ROOTS members enjoy priority registration for ROOTS Week. Check your email for the link!
During ROOTS Week, we will calibrate our navigation and affirm the tools we need for the world we are in right now. We will make music, share stories, and enjoy art and performance. We will define our own North Stars and be guided by justice.
ROOTS Rhizomes
Alternate ROOTS exists throughout the entire southern region in the form of our members. When our members come together to share their art and organizing, learn about others’ work, and build strong local networks, ROOTS calls these gatherings Rhizome Events. Rhizomes take their name from nature: a rhizome is a continuously growing horizontal underground stem that puts out lateral shoots and roots. Rhizomes are vital to the long-term sustainability of Alternate ROOTS – they grow and nurture our coalition of artists and cultural workers around the region. Some Rhizomes are hosted by ROOTS, and some are hosted by members.
The first step in hosting your own Rhizome is setting up a meeting with the Membership Team.
ROOTS Calendar
