Right to the City
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Right to the City
JUNE 9 – AUGUST 8, 2026
Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery
Right to the City is an international movement combating the political, cultural, and environmental repercussions of inequitable land and property (re)development. Over the last decade, advocate and photographic ethnographer Dominic Moulden (Hon.’25) has traversed shorelines, capturing the global resistance against displacement.
This traveling exhibition provides a survey of grassroots organizations, scholars, and community members combating the global repercussions of gentrification. The first site location, Boston University, is anchored by images taken by Moulden in 2023 and hosted by urbanist and scholar-activist Loretta Lees, Director of the Initiative on Cities at Boston University. Thereafter, the exhibition will travel to London. It will be hosted in partnership with Queen Mary University of London, where the display will center around images Moulden captured while touring sites with Loretta Lees and working with Dr. Joseph Hoover, Director of TheoryLAB and Reader in Political Theory at Queen Mary University of London.
Curated by academic Ky Vassor, Right to the City serves as a call to action, uplifting ways we can all safeguard the fundamental human right to a healthy place called home.
Curated by academic Ky Vassor, Right to the City serves as a call to action, uplifting ways we can all safeguard the fundamental human right to a healthy place called home.
About Dominic Moulden (Hon.’25)
As a community organizer, artist, and educator, Dominic Moulden (Hon.’25) leads a multifaceted and creative approach to activism that captures Black resilience and fights systematic racism and colonialism. His deep commitment to social justice and racial equity is evident in his photography, which documents the Black presence across the US, global connections to “home,” and the beauty in Black communities. Alongside his work as a photographer, Moulden is also the founder of the Elephant Free School, a Black-centered academy that offers political education as well as coaching and training in resident-led community development, equitable revitalization, cooperative economics, affordable housing, fundraising and organizing strategy, shared leadership, and workplace democracy.
For over three decades, Moulden’s community organizing has played a paramount role in transforming lives across Washington, D.C., Orange, New Jersey, and Baltimore, Maryland. Through his leadership at Organizing Neighborhood Equity (ONE DC) as the Resource Organizer, Moulden co-created and managed a 34-member team for a successful $1.2 million campaign to permanently house the Black Workers & Wellness Center (BWWC). This extraordinary project followed Moulden’s prior housing activism in DC, which led to the first Community Benefits Agreement to increase the supply of quality affordable housing in underserved neighborhoods.
In addition to Moulden’s profound dedication to equity through direct community impact, he is recognized internationally in his work that crosses into academia. With a strong background in philosophy, Moulden has been published in numerous scholarly journals, including his co-authored article, The Making of the Just City: Housing, Gentrification, and Health, and a piece for Shelterforce’s essay series, What Does Community Control of Land Mean to You? As a lecturer at various universities and conferences, he also presented his research at the IOC’s 2023 International Conference, “Gentrification and Displacement – what can we do about it?” Through this academic influence, Moulden’s philosophical scholarship reflects an equal attentiveness to justice and liberation, as well as his active involvement in social movements.
As demonstrated through countless empowering initiatives, Moulden’s artistic advocacy and organizing stem from his keen devotion to resolving inequities and supporting marginalized communities. Dr. Loretta Lees emphasizes, “Dominic has done so much; he has had such a positive impact on people’s lives. In what follows, I give a flavor of this, and as you will see, he is especially deserving of this recognition.”
Cited from IOC’s Honorary Degree at Boston University’s 2025 Commencement
About the Initiative on Cities
The Initiative on Cities (IOC) at Boston University is a global urban research center founded in 2014 that serves as an interdisciplinary hub for urbanists, connecting research and practice and leading place-based experiential learning programs for students. We marshal the talents and resources of wide-ranging disciplines across the university and forge ties to cities locally, nationally, and globally – in pursuit of creating more livable and resilient cities.
