Allison Erdneka Budschalow
Allison hails from Philadelphia where she was born and raised as part of the Kalmyk Mongol diaspora. She is a mama of color with a history of supporting the hard and necessary work to build movements for justice, dignity, and human rights in the U.S. Most recently, she focuses on how grassroots fundraising can support and sustain community-building. She aims to bring her praxis to her work in a number of different community spaces in Philadelphia.
Awarded Grants
2018
Art and Change Grant (ACG)
Related grantees
Overview
Allison will revive the lost stories of the Kalmyk Mongolian people who first settled in the U.S. in the early 1950s in Northern Liberties. The interviews that she conducts with three generations of family members will be shared on YouTube and in a blog to preserve these histories in the midst of an ever-rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. The voices of 12 Kalmyk people will be at the forefront of these story pieces with their shared lessons and perspectives, followed by Allison’s own personal reflections and narrations. This is phase one of what Allison hopes to be a larger project that preserve the traditions and culture of Kalmyk people.
