Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 4 p.m.

The School of Performing Arts at Virginia Tech presents “Art, Community, and Social Health,” a series of talks by nationally recognized artists and thought leaders on the power and practice of art and culture as essential elements of healthy communities.

These public presentations are meant to lead to open dialogue on the practical values of art as a core element for building strong communities.  These will be hybrid events. Guest speakers will be on Zoom. Audiences can gather either on Zoom or in person at the Blacksburg Public Library.

Michelle Ramos applies critical race theory and lived experiences to disrupt long standing white supremacist structures and systems. Her work focuses on shifting power to black, brown people through pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo and reflecting values of equity and justice in her day to day practice. Before leading Alternate ROOTS, she worked as Managing Director for the Vera Institute of Justice New Orleans and Program Officer for the Women’s Foundation of California. She serves on the boards of Dance/USA and Performing Arts Alliance.

A licensed attorney with a PhD in Cultural Psychology, Ramos has significant organizing experience and has committed her career to serving communities and individuals adversely impacted by issues of race, gender, disability, class, socioeconomics, inequitable laws and systemic oppression. She has consulted for over 20 years nationally and internationally.

She is the proud mother of Broadway choreographer, Ellenore Scott.  Since retiring from her own dance career, Ramos has continued to teach dance, has competed as an Iron man triathlete and now enjoys her Southern New Orleans lifestyle.