Join us as we continue our journey in afrofuturism through the Futures Lab Book Club. We have two short stories for this month, The Comet and Ark of Bones.

The Comet by W.E.B Du Bois, is a short story focusing on Jim Davis and Julia, two survivors after a comet disaster kills everyone in New York. This story engages in Black speculative fiction, laying the foundation for Afrofuturism.

Ark of Bones by Henry Dumas, follows the tale of Fish-hound and his friend Headeye, who claimed mystical powers, joins him on his fishing trip. Both stories explores themes of religion, social boundaries and renewal.

Let’s create new worlds together!

Join teaching artists Dr. Catherine Squires and Marika Pfefferkorn for a creative collaging event. Ground yourself in art and—in the words of Octavia Butler—in community.

Octavia’s Collage is part of a thematic workshop series hosted at local sites across the Twin Cities, drawing on themes from books and essays by Octavia Butler and writers inspired by her legacy.

Two decades after the publication of Butler’s last book, Fledgling, and 10 years after the collection Octavia’s Brood declared the emergence of a new generation taking up her mantle, this workshop will seed creative energy and support those dedicated to dreaming up a new world.

This event is in collaboration with the Walker Art Museum.

In Episode 2, we explore Electronic Hall Passes aka E-Hall Pass. School leaderse are relying on E-Hall Pass systems to enhance school surveillance to monitor students’ locations, track pass duration and manage hallway traffic. These systems log when and where students go.

We invited the National Campaign for Police Free Schools, the Advancement Project and the Alliance for Educational Justice to help us understand why school are turning to controversial technogies to monitor students’ movements.

Proceeds from this event go towards supporting the National Youth Summit on Digital Liberation. Please consider donating an additional amount to support the summit.

Let's create new worlds together! Join lead artists Dr. Catherine Squires and Marika Pfefferkorn for a creative collaging series to get grounded—in art, in the words of Octavia Butler, and in community.

The Octavia's Collage series offers five thematic collaging events, hosted at local sites across the Twin Cities in 2025-2026. Each event will draw on a different theme from books and essays by Octavia Butler and writers inspired by her legacy.

Two decades after the publication of her last book, Fledgling, and ten years after the collection Octavia's Brood declared a new generation taking up her mantle, this series will seed creative energy and support youth dedicated to dreaming a new world.

In Episode 1, we feature the latest research led by the NOTICE team on Vape Detection Technologies in Minnesota schools. We share what those closest to the problem (youth, families, administrators, educators, counselors, & school board members) have to say about their experiences & possible solutions.

Hear directly from the team that led the first long-term civil & human rights investigations assessing the consequences of AI surveillance technologies in education.

Learn about how this work is impacting the way we address complex challenges that thread across public health, education, science, & safety.