Building Community Power Through Art: Reflections from Climate Kickback Charlotte and the Future We Imagine Together

By Edilah “EJ” Jordan, Senior Director of Transformative Communities and Campaign Lead, Stop Toxic Tech: Green the Grid

As I reflect on our Climate Kickback in Charlotte, NC, one phrase comes to mind: collective power.

Not the kind of power measured by technology, infrastructure, or investment dollars, but the kind that emerges when people gather, share stories, express their creativity, and imagine a future together.

On June 6, 2026 community members, artists, organizers, entrepreneurs, and local leaders gathered in Charlotte for an evening that blended education, art, culture, and conversation. While Climate Kickback Charlotte was designed to raise awareness about the impacts of rapid data center expansion, what unfolded was something much deeper. It became a reminder that our most important conversations happen when people feel invited into them.

At Dream.Org, our Stop Toxic Tech: Green the Grid campaign is focused on building community power in the age of rapid data center expansion. Across North Carolina, communities are asking questions about transparency, accountability, public health, energy demand, water use, and how large-scale data center development impacts the places they call home. These are important conversations, but they can often feel technical, complicated, and disconnected from everyday life.

My vision as the curator of Climate Kickback Charlotte was to transform this important conversation into an immersive experience rooted in art, culture, creativity, and community. Rather than hosting a traditional meeting or policy discussion, we created a space where people could experience the issue through storytelling, music, visual art, spoken word, and meaningful dialogue.

I have long believed people are eager for opportunities to engage, for spaces where they can learn, ask questions, exchange ideas, and contribute their own perspectives. And the Kickback only affirmed that when those spaces are intentionally designed, something powerful happens.

Throughout the evening, artists and community members helped translate an issue often discussed through technical reports and public hearings into something personal, tangible, and deeply human.

From Ty McBride, Tiffonyé Wilkins, and Melvin Nix, along with community leader and spoken word artist Ebonè Lockett, each of our featured artists challenged us to think more deeply about our relationship to technology, community, and the future we hope to create.

We were also honored to hear from Dream Entrepreneur Network founding partner, Dr. Reginald Parker of Green Power Ventures, whose reflections on leadership and innovation reminded us that communities are not simply stakeholders in the future but the architects of it.

One of the more memorable moments was the creation of the Climate Kickback Quilt. Community members were invited to create a quilt square reflecting the challenges and solutions surrounding climate change or their hopes for the future. Each square represented a unique story, perspective, and vision for what comes next and together these individual pieces will be assembled by Harvesting Humanity and members of Charlotte's quilting community into a collective work of art, with a Dream.Org bandana at its center. What began as individual reflections will become a lasting symbol of community, creativity, and the shared hopes of a community.

The quilt is a perfect representation of Climate Kickback itself. No single square tells the whole story. It is only when the pieces come together that the larger picture emerges.

Building community power works the same way. It happens when neighbors, artists, advocates, entrepreneurs, students, faith leaders, and local organizations come together around a common purpose and bring their unique experiences together in service of a shared vision working toward a foundation for lasting change and a future that reflects their hopes, values, and aspirations.

As the evening came to a close, I found myself reflecting on an idea I’d shared that night: the music may have to stop, but the movement will continue.

The conversations that began at Climate Kickback do not end when the artwork comes down or the music fades. They continue in neighborhood conversations, community meetings, local organizing efforts, and opportunities for civic engagement across North Carolina and if those conversations resonated with you, I encourage you to stay engaged. Whether that means participating in North Carolina Lobby Day, connecting with local organizations working on these issues, attending future community events, or learning more about Stop Toxic Tech: Green the Grid, there are many ways to get involved.

Building community power requires more than a single event. It requires ongoing participation, relationship-building, and a commitment to ensuring communities have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their future.

To learn more about the campaign and upcoming opportunities to engage you can join our Stop Toxic Tech: Green the Grid campaign and participate as we continue building community power in the age of rapid data center expansion.

Climate Kickback Charlotte reinforced for me that when we create spaces that invite participation, creativity, and dialogue, we surpass education. We build relationships. We strengthen communities. We create the conditions for collective action. What we created together was a reminder that meaningful change begins with people who are brave enough to use their voices to imagine a better future.

That is the power of community. And that is worth celebrating.