Mercedes Hicks
Livable Futures undergraduate research fellow 2023 - 2024
Dance, The Ohio State University
Biography
Mercedes Hicks (she/they) hails from Dayton, Ohio-located on the traditional and ancestral lands of the Myaamia, Shawandassee Tula, and Kaskaskia peoples. She has nearly completed her B.F.A in dance at the Ohio State University where she has had numerous opportunities to be a performer, a collaborator, and most importantly an activist.
Q & A
What makes more livable futures for you?
More livables futures for me means protecting the lives of those experiencing humanitarian crises, or any crisis for that matter. I think of the ongoing genocide being committed against Palestinians, and the labor abuse those living in the Democratic Republic of Congo endure. I also think of the trans youth in America watching their basic rights being debated and/or legislated away, and the gentrification of BIPOC neighborhoods leaving thousands of them houseless and without any sustainable forms of support. Livable futures will remain an idea if there aren’t any futures to be had in the first place.
What are you reading, viewing, listening to right now?
I’m only reading books authored by BIPOC. Specifically sci-fi and fantasy novels. Tracy Deonn’s Legendborn series is a personal favorite: It provides an incredible yet complex world to get lost in while calling out the centuries of racism that America was founded upon. I’m listening to the stories of families who have been impacted by the previously mentioned issues and ways to support them. Art is almost always the answer. I’m viewing and engaging with these various forms of art.
What practices are sustaining you?
Yoga! I’ve been working on my 200 hour certification for almost a year and I feel really grounded in it. I’m not sure what the name of this practice is, but I want to acknowledge Naiya Sayavong for introducing it to me. The idea is that you create an image of your ideal room in your head. Get to know all the details of this room-the size, the layout, what colors are in it, etc… This room can be accessed whenever you desire to go there. It can also be accessed however you want. We mostly use improv, but when I’m not in a movement friendly environment I visualize it.