tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82663712024-03-07T23:07:48.541-05:00Springer's Journalwherein we entertain the notions of a creature embroiled in sorting multiple identities. is she a mother? a poet? a performer? an organizer? or is she simply the product of a feminist movement in which women dreamt that simultaneously singing opera, tap-dancing, spinning plates, spouting rhetoric and solving algorithms was liberation. here are the rough drafts.Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.comBlogger543125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-33644801934782048472020-03-21T19:04:00.003-05:002020-03-22T12:02:46.681-05:00The Politics Of Household Management <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When The Great Toilet Paper Scarcity happened, I was ready. I already had a working familiarity with <a href="http://fpcpower.com/" target="_blank">Freedom Paper Company</a>. (I learned about them back when my heart was breaking because of the death of Tamir Rice. <a href="http://christinaspringer.blogspot.com/2014/12/this-revolution-is-womens-work-take-one.html" target="_blank">Here is my convoluted rambling blog about that.</a>) I knew our best way forward was to work towards self-sufficiency and reduced dependence on corporations.<br />
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Much of how I manage my household comes from doing my best to honor what I say publicly with my private actions. I still believe much of this revolution will be "women's work." In addition, for the past 20 years, I had committed to a strong spiritual practice which included regular meditation and communication with my ancestors. Amazing how it takes a virus for people to become interested in household management. There is so much political wisdom in the ways our grandmother’s kept house. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPNL6OWpArg7Oqxs1LfMFtfgMHWDKg1HdVltxEjMmovBl061R014OY3rxPJ0C2beh_x2ApJxkwpFR4i7zLAIob0udensjd8hY_JT0js1Qw2eNJ79Oa2Iv5nClZHprRSRLCcvQ/s1600/welfare+whiskey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="501" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimPNL6OWpArg7Oqxs1LfMFtfgMHWDKg1HdVltxEjMmovBl061R014OY3rxPJ0C2beh_x2ApJxkwpFR4i7zLAIob0udensjd8hY_JT0js1Qw2eNJ79Oa2Iv5nClZHprRSRLCcvQ/s400/welfare+whiskey.png" width="167" /></a></div>
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You’ll remember that many of the Black Panther’s were opposed to WIC and food stamps because they saw the way in which we, as a people, would become dependent on a government that would never have our best interests at heart. They knew our relationship to our environment would change. Gone would be the backyard gardens and the dandelion wine. They were also in communication with members of AIM who spoke of the way in which government food handouts devastated the health and well-being of many an Indigenous Nation. <br />
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Have you also noticed that poor Black and Indigenous people have a way of doing things which is filled with power and connection to Nature. Then, White folks come along and tell us that we are doing things all wrong. And then, the next thing we know, White folks are doing what our elders had been successfully doing. And we’ve locked ourselves into some bullshit, powerless narrative which makes us dependent on enriching White people. <br />
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Take for example midwifery. Until - within my lifetime - we didn’t have good hospitals which accepted us as patients. But, we had herbalists, healers and <a href="https://www.euphoricherbals.com/blogs/news/black-midwives-you-should-know">granny midwives</a>. Have you noticed how White women are now pining after homebirths and we’re going to the hospital? I haven’t gone looking for the proper statistics on maternal and infant mortality because I get the feeling they weren’t even counting us back then. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/12/07/568948782/black-mothers-keep-dying-after-giving-birth-shalon-irvings-story-explains-why">But, here we are.</a><br />
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In addition, our homes were less toxic. You don’t really need much to keep a clean house. Water, baking soda, epsom salts, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, some household herbs and bleach (sparingly used) will do you just fine. (I’ll put a few recipes below.) If you are a spiritual person, you can actually do so much to fortify, protect and uplift your home by simply making your own cleaners.<br />
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Fortunately for me, my mother grew up during The Great Depression. So, I learned how to stock a proper pantry. And because of her, I always feel a little insecure if my pantry isn’t stocked. It helped me get through many a rough time in my life. I remember the first thing I used to do when I got a check once a month was add to the pantry. My daughter doesn't actually know how poor we were when she was little. Regardless, anything can happen at any time. The list below should do you well enough to simply pick up fresh fruits and veg every other week. (Keep in mind, milk and cheese can be frozen. I don't have the freezer space. But, if you do. Add that to your freezer list.) We didn’t really have to do much shopping when the Covid-19 hit. <br />
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Having a stocked pantry helps put you in a position to help or feed others. I remember a neighbor had hungry kids. I went to my freezer and pantry and was able to get him to payday. Everything you put out comes back to you. There have been many times I was low on food and people fed me or gave me what I needed to feed myself. This is part of being ready.<br />
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So even before we entered into a Pandemic, we thought about our relationship to the world in which we are living. I began to look at our goals as a family. How do we make a difference? What small things can we do now? What can we grow towards? Then, I broke those goals down into what we could easily manage. Awhile back, when I was ill, I gave up a little. My son recently reminded me, “It doesn’t matter if everyone else is doing it, what matters is that we’re doing it. It counts.” <br />
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<i><b>These are our goals:</b></i><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Make better use of small, local stores - especially Black vendors.</li>
<li>Develop better relationships with local farmers.</li>
<li>Keep a successful home garden.</li>
<li>Learn how to can our own food from our own garden.</li>
<li>Reduce dependence on Amazon.</li>
<li>Reduce waste. (Compost. Buy in bulk when possible, install a bidet, work towards <a href="https://lifehacker.com/please-don-t-use-cloth-toilet-paper-1823649458" target="_blank">The Family Cloth</a>, reuse what can be reused.)</li>
<li>Live more harmoniously with nature.</li>
<li>Do our best to live in relationship and community with others.</li>
</ul>
So, we’re doing pretty okay with getting to some of those goals. We have chickens now. We do<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtsHnzb4uKRhZpt-_rSjuJEnBb0BtII6T8HIDA7KWSHcG87_zsl-e1wbBJhSpOHKCgwKy1xIu4SXxciaCvqasOGUq8p_xkm_Ik20dl180Lnk6MtgR5mcsITv9tFFZIEIAGCtp/s1600/egg+meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtsHnzb4uKRhZpt-_rSjuJEnBb0BtII6T8HIDA7KWSHcG87_zsl-e1wbBJhSpOHKCgwKy1xIu4SXxciaCvqasOGUq8p_xkm_Ik20dl180Lnk6MtgR5mcsITv9tFFZIEIAGCtp/s320/egg+meme.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Our girl Pepita's eggs.</td></tr>
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compost. We had a decent garden last year. We dug up our front lawn and are slowly putting in a bee and butterfly garden. (Last year, we got bumble bees, butterflies and a wild bunny!) We’re reducing our dependence on Amazon. It’s been about five years. (And if something happens and you break your own rules, forgive yourself.)<br />
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It helps that I really hate grocery shopping, so I’d rather have a stocked pantry and refresh as needed or when there are sales. You can have a fully stocked pantry by doing it over a period of time.<br />
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It helps to pick one action to which you can commit to and master it. Then choose another. Getting into a smooth household rhythm takes time. Years. Build on what you know and then improve on it. For example, my mother didn’t bake her own bread or raise chickens. That was something I chose to do. I am expanding on the knowledge she gave me. <br />
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<b><i>There are our rules:</i></b><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Plan for the obvious.</li>
<ul>
<li>When you go out, you are going to get thirsty. Carry your beverage with you.</li>
<li>Pack a snack.</li>
</ul>
<li>We don’t buy or use bottled water. If there is a choice, we choose the product in the glass or aluminum container.</li>
<li>We don’t shop at Walmart</li>
<li>We don’t use Nestle Products.</li>
</ol>
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<b>A quick word on water... <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpp0a9PngQ86jYDB-U6ptTNUfnW2WEBTMHa-gPGm9Y2edlA2lNwywCmvzEAx2aBVRGBmLlyJmZCjvhqExolvno2bhguiqei1a1MXbiETKKjMuLOeWhhs-yLcHj4XUeG1C3S4Q/s1600/water+filter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicpp0a9PngQ86jYDB-U6ptTNUfnW2WEBTMHa-gPGm9Y2edlA2lNwywCmvzEAx2aBVRGBmLlyJmZCjvhqExolvno2bhguiqei1a1MXbiETKKjMuLOeWhhs-yLcHj4XUeG1C3S4Q/s320/water+filter.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">These are our water filters. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">They go in white. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">They come out this way.</span></td></tr>
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Please stop buying bottled water. If you can, get a water filter like a Brita Filter. If you rent, ask the landlord if you can install a water filter on your kitchen tap. If you own your house, get a whole house water filter. It will pay for itself in 6 months. It will amaze your skin and hair. You will save money and you will be saving our planet. On that note: It is my opinion that in some manner, we should require whole house water filters for every property. I think now is a good time to pressure for that simple basic human right - the right for clean, potable water in every dwelling.<br />
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<b>The How To</b><br />
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Remember...<br />
1. Don’t throw away those glass jars! They are so handy for so very many things. (wink) <br />
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2. Dinner happens...every single day … whether we are ready or not. Best to be ready.<br />
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3. Managing your kitchen chores for ease takes time away from preferred activities, but truly, it helps. <br />
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<i>Stock your pantry</i> </div>
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1. If you use something, make sure that when you replace it, you send the newer item to the back or bottom. </div>
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2. In the case of dried goods. I remove grains, beans, etc. from their packaging and store them in sterile glass jars. When you replenish, empty remaining beans into a bowl; fill your bean jar; and return old beans to the top. (Make sure you wash your jars and resterilize every few months.) </div>
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3. In the case of stacked canned goods, take all the old cans down from the shelf. Put the new cans where they were, restock on top.<br />
4. If you have a great freezer, stock up on frozen vegetables. (I don't have a good freezer. Sigh.)</div>
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<i>Prepare to Cook Daily By Prepping For The Week</i><br />
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<ul>
<li>Cut up the things you use in almost every meal. (Fresh garlic, onions, celery, bell peppers, carrots and mushrooms.) Store them in any clean food safe containers you have on hand. (Old yogurt tubs, small pyrex containers, old sauce jars.) Potatoes can be diced and kept in water with a little bit of salt and lemon juice.</li>
<li>Think of your favorite recipes and make a spice mix. I will often buy bulk spices and then combine the different “flavors” into 1 medium Mason Jar. That way when I cook, I’m not fumbling for all the different jars. I just add a tablespoon or so... and done. I put a recipe for my basic goes in everything spice and what I remember for a dish described below.</li>
<li>Defrost two meats at a time in warm water. Cook one that night. Season the other for tomorrow's meal (You can use a ziploc for that or an airtight glass container.)</li>
<li>Once a month make broth. (Save ends of carrots, onion peels, mushroom stems, celery bottoms, add garlic cloves, bay leaves, salt and whatever vegetables that may have gone off. I often buy parsnips and turnips just for broth making. If you eat meat, on grocery shopping day, it is more cost effective to buy one of those cooked chickens and then throw the carcass with everything else into a stockpot, instant pot or slow cooker.)</li>
<li>Make pizza dough and refrigerate it as a popular easy meal for the night you don’t want to cook. Pro-Tip - if you have a food processor, do it in this order, pastry crust, pizza dough, bread. You don’t even have to clean the bowl. Just boom, boom, boom. Pastry crust can be frozen in plastic wrap or ziploc for 3 to 6 months. (Haven't figured out how the ancestors did this without plastic yet.) You ask why pastry crust? Because it is super for easy meals or leftovers. It’s also better to divide your bread dough into rolls so it doesn’t get eaten all at once and can be used for sandwiches… or French Toast!</li>
<li>Cook two boxes of pasta and reserve half for an easy casserole.</li>
<li>Once a month consider batch cooking. My current home isn’t set up for that. But, basically, double or triple cook a meal and freeze two of them for future use. I used to do individually wrapped burritos in aluminum foil. You can do this for beans, soups, etc.)</li>
</ul>
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<i>Make a dinner vision for the week. </i></div>
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Here is a first of the month rolling in the monies menu.<br />
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Grocery day, Cooked Chicken, Steamed broccoli, Pesto Pasta. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLTLUok-KITzibVJv5q-804kvOGogbVQuwDI7TkL_b4nIhIJb_dmegFcT5-yUUyqsFNnGscFWsS6q7PbiiejtHTPeiphuYq1jXPsRgA1em9H7XTdiGbC6snj5TVe5SxbaWfse/s1600/salmon+dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLTLUok-KITzibVJv5q-804kvOGogbVQuwDI7TkL_b4nIhIJb_dmegFcT5-yUUyqsFNnGscFWsS6q7PbiiejtHTPeiphuYq1jXPsRgA1em9H7XTdiGbC6snj5TVe5SxbaWfse/s320/salmon+dinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15 minute meal</td></tr>
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Prep Day - Soup, fresh bread, salad<br />
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Monday - Faux Mole Seared Chicken breasts, yellow rice, spinach.<br />
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Tuesday - Macaroni and Cheese, brussel sprouts<br />
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Wednesday - Pizza with leftover chicken, whatever you like, fresh garlic, onions, etc.<br />
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Thursday - Lentils Bulgur Wheat & Salad<br />
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Friday - Pan seared Salmon, Rice, oven roasted squash & sweet potatoes<br />
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Morning of Grocery Day Bonus - Set out pastry dough in refrigerator for Squash & Sweet Potato empanadas in the morning. <br />
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The above menu shows how having a vision for the week ahead by prepping (extra pasta or planning for leftover chicken and extra vegetables) makes cooking easier.<br />
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<b>What Goes In A Fully Stocked Pantry</b><br />
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(Family of four to six. Approximately 2 - 3 month supply)<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgXIrvXNuVpBLSIUDWrkvxFDTDVWxJI2DusLuVchmucoKHt5q0a-FQCSpMEGzaVBNWxn2UyVa7fENNTn7YMXhCSfQ4T5qqZceNf9jMY6Qg-anGFjG9zZXgu4JQ7AONjsbDPMr/s1600/pepita+and+sam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgXIrvXNuVpBLSIUDWrkvxFDTDVWxJI2DusLuVchmucoKHt5q0a-FQCSpMEGzaVBNWxn2UyVa7fENNTn7YMXhCSfQ4T5qqZceNf9jMY6Qg-anGFjG9zZXgu4JQ7AONjsbDPMr/s320/pepita+and+sam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our girls Pepita and Sam</td></tr>
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<i>Dry Goods</i><br />
5 pounds of each variety of dried bean you like. (I keep lentils, black eyed peas, navy, pinto, kidney and black beans. <br />
<br />
8 pounds of coffee beans<br />
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3 pounds of Bulgur Wheat<br />
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5 pound bag of rice<br />
<br />
12 boxes of pasta<br />
<br />
6 boxes spaghetti<br />
<br />
6 pounds of flour<br />
<br />
10 pounds of “white” sugar (I use the bulk unbleached sugar)<br />
<br />
3 pounds of brown sugar<br />
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6 jars ready made pasta sauce<br />
<br />
6 cans tomato paste<br />
<br />
6 cans tomatoes with jalapeno peppers<br />
<br />
1 large box of dried milk<br />
<br />
1 case condensed milk<br />
<br />
1 case of coconut milk<br />
<br />
1 case Coconut Water<br />
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2 big bottles of Hershey’s syrup<br />
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3 big bottles honey<br />
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4 bottles maple syrup<br />
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1 case green beans<br />
<br />
1 case canned corn<br />
<br />
2 big jars of peanut butter<br />
<br />
4 jars Better Than Bouillon<br />
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2 jars of yeast (One in the freezer)<br />
<br />
2 cans baking powder<br />
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4 boxes salt (If you feel weird, just use all kinds, sea, kosher, pink and black)<br />
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4 massive boxes of baking powder. <br />
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Olive Oil<br />
<br />
Coconut Oil<br />
<br />
Grapeseed Oil<br />
<br />
3 Cans of Breadcrumbs / Panko<br />
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24 rolls paper towels<br />
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Nuts<br />
<br />
Dried Fruits<br />
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1 months worth of toilet paper per bathroom<br />
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2 gallon jars of White Vinegar (for cleaning) <br />
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3 bottles of rubbing alcohol (for cleaning)<br />
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2 large dish soap bottles<br />
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Mega size dishwasher Tabs.<br />
<br />
2 large Dr Bronner’s soaps per bathroom.<br />
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<i>Freezer</i><br />
<br />
12 pounds of butter (butter can be frozen)<br />
<br />
8 smoked turkey wings<br />
<br />
6 pork neck bones<br />
<br />
12 vegetable patties<br />
<br />
6 pounds ground beef. (Individual freezer safe packages)<br />
<br />
12 chicken thigh frozen packets (I get the fresh ones that come in freezer ready bags at Costco)<br />
<br />
12 Chicken breast frozen packages. (See above)<br />
<br />
1 bag frozen salmon filets (See above)<br />
<br />
1 bag reheat sausage patties<br />
<br />
3 pounds shredded cheese<br />
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So, that's your pantry. If you have a good freezer, consider 6 bags of spinach, 3 bags of peas, 6 bags of cauliflower or broccoli. <br />
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Leave a comment if you want to know what to do with certain pantry items. Below, are some of the things I mentioned. </div>
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<b>Spice Recipes</b><br />
<br />
<i>Mama Spice</i> <br />
<br />
1 part Onion granules<br />
<br />
1 part Garlic Granules<br />
<br />
⅛ part celery seed<br />
<br />
⅛ part lemon peel<br />
<br />
⅛ part Paprika<br />
<br />
You can do other jars with for example, 1 part Mama Spice to 1 part Herb De Provence or Italian Seasonings<br />
<br />
<i>Faux Mole</i> (a great dry rub for pan seared chicken)<br />
<br />
6 parts sugar<br />
<br />
2 parts salt<br />
<br />
1 part cocoa powder<br />
<br />
1 part Cumin<br />
<br />
1 part Paprika<br />
<br />
½ part ground Coriander<br />
<br />
½ part chipotle powder<br />
<br />
½ chili powder</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
some Mama Spice for kicks.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Bring a skillet to just about smoke heat. Add a few drops of grapeseed oil. Cover a chicken breast in rub. Sear on both sides. Place in oven at 400 for eight minutes.</div>
<div>
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<br />
<b>Cleaning Recipes</b><br />
<br />
<i>Hardwood and Tile</i><br />
<br />
To your mop bucket of hot water add<br />
<br />
1 cup White Vinegar<br />
<br />
1 cup Infusion of Basil, Rosemary, Bay Leaf<br />
<br />
(Or several drops of your preferred essential oil.)</div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<i>Carpet</i><br />
<br />
1 cup Baking Soda<br />
<br />
1 Cup Sea Salt or 1 Cup Epsom Salt<br />
<br />
Grind to a semi fine powder - lavender, chamomile, rose petals<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Glass Cleaner</i><br />
<br />
1/2 cup rubbing/isopropyl alcohol<br />
<br />
1/3 cup white distilled vinegar<br />
<br />
distilled water (Filtered is fine)<br />
<br />
(A few drops of your favorite essential oil)<br />
<br />
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Thanks for reading! </div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-48268687956843204102020-03-19T17:40:00.000-05:002020-03-21T20:50:45.317-05:00Unified Individuality - Finding New Family Rhythms <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8iAMEOrYkOeG5y-rAUMeqg3QEgbNsF_Rp-wqDYiYRTEYnDNfBTb8SidVjiaE6Hy1i33TLpWOoP1CUksiTJTLqs1BRt5h-NIsrd_A33Z4Kdz5l8aQmswJw6nE6umTTgY4zCyQ/s1600/moon+pan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8iAMEOrYkOeG5y-rAUMeqg3QEgbNsF_Rp-wqDYiYRTEYnDNfBTb8SidVjiaE6Hy1i33TLpWOoP1CUksiTJTLqs1BRt5h-NIsrd_A33Z4Kdz5l8aQmswJw6nE6umTTgY4zCyQ/s320/moon+pan.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boredom leads to grabbing the moon in a pan.</td></tr>
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Okay, parents, so you've had a bit of time to get used to this 24 / 7 shared space thing. It's pretty crazy, right? Maybe you started with schedules and activities. Then, that fell away. Next came the onslaught of suddenly new and free internet content. And you were scrambling to see all the "lives" and "tours" and "shows." Cool. There’s so much to do online!<br />
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A good bit of it was there before the pandemic. A good bit of it will be there after the pandemic. Have you considered that now is a good time to step back? Because not only is this virus healing the world, right now, it’s inviting us to heal ourselves. <br />
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Our society always asks us to measure our worth in relation to our productivity. If you are a parent, all too often, you have been trained to look at your child as a product. The factory is your house. The bosses are the grown-ups. How your “product” turns out is due to flaws in your manufacturing process. The contractors (school) didn’t deliver “the right education.” The contractors (their friends) were faulty products which damaged your goods (children.) The construction team (government, economy, etc.) skimped on your resources. If the products (young adults) are unfit for consumption by industry, then the factory is to blame.<br />
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This is a malignant, destructive lie which is built into every aspect of our society. Do you like how that feels seeing yourself in this manner? I didn’t. That line of thinking over 16 years ago, sent me down an amazing journey with my family. <br />
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Your children are wonderful beings with whom you have chosen to share a life. They have ideas and opinions. They are creative and loving. They are thoughtful and caring. They can talk on and on and on. Sometimes, it is hard to listen. But, what a terrific gift! To know that someone in the world is actually listening to what you said. This one really small thing is a gift that keeps on giving. It can be really hard. It can be mind-numbingly boring. But, children ask us to stretch to our highest selves. When we are making mistakes and working towards being our best, they are watching. Imagine a whole world of people who actually <b>listened</b> to each other. I am not saying agree. I am not saying do what is asked. I'm saying listen.<br />
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Just the other day, my son wanted to do something. He became frustrated because we didn't agree. So, I asked him to stop and remember. I said, "every fiber of my being stretches to find ways to tell you yes. My first and preferred answer is always yes. It's all the other stuff ... like safety ... that gets in the way. So, hold onto that idea for a moment and then help me say yes." He instantly became less frustrated. But, he remembered over our lifetime together, I was someone he could count on to listen. And we reached an accord. We found a way to have both of our needs met.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVGGw_Uv5V1K4jW3tCwLsqEfUQmFobrDtBn2-nWsUEsrgdLJHgzbSBlAZgRq_l4j8lfUevy0CLcNhZeuIDgjhEyCnUcRrCBuUaGO7bKFx8pKU27sQRun64f3xoR3cZwpulBw3/s1600/Save+as+fruit+ice+bowls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVGGw_Uv5V1K4jW3tCwLsqEfUQmFobrDtBn2-nWsUEsrgdLJHgzbSBlAZgRq_l4j8lfUevy0CLcNhZeuIDgjhEyCnUcRrCBuUaGO7bKFx8pKU27sQRun64f3xoR3cZwpulBw3/s320/Save+as+fruit+ice+bowls.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit/edible flower ice bowls he designed.</td></tr>
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I'm hoping this will be a really beautiful time for you to become immersed in relationship with your family. Truly active relationship. So much of our lives are structured around being productive for someone else and achieve someone's else's goals. We are always asked what we are "giving" to our jobs and our schools, we often forget to be generous with ourselves and our families.<br />
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This is an opportunity to discover each other and the inner rhythms of each individual in your life. A time to become acquainted with the different ways you family flows together and apart. A time in which you begin to learn the practice of Unified Individuality.<br />
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1. Stop trying to entertain each other.<br />
2. Start just being with each other. Or near each other doing different things.<br />
3. Stop trying to make everything “perfect.”<br />
4. Make yourself available.<br />
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It can be so frustrating to be available all the time for your children. I actually developed this idea of Unified Individuality from my son. From the time he was very small, he had a way of sitting patiently in a LOUDEST manner. It was nothing at which I could point. He was just sitting. Content. Self contained. But, it was so loud! Eventually, I grew to realize that the 10 minutes it would take to answer a question or do some small task would not derail my thoughts. I could actually stay on task easier. That was the day I realized, we had been doing what we needed to do for ourselves together. Unified Individuality - he's watching tv while I read a book. He's making ice bowls, I'm writing a poem.<br />
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What is important is to give your absolute, undivided attention to the times when you are actually needing to connect with each other. To be fully present with each other. If you are trying to share an important idea or feeling, there should be no screens, no phone, no music. Connect. Talk. Take as much time as you need.<br />
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Often the first advice people are given when they jump into homeschooling is to allow the kids a period to "deschool." "Deschooling" is a process by which kids shake off the system. During the deschooling process, they release all of that crazy energy that institutionalized living forces into their fresh and vibrant beings. They may want to play video games all day. They may want to watch all the shows on the devices. Let them. <br />
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I remember once a long time ago, my son just wanted to watch all the things. So, I let him. You know what happened? He found it terribly boring about 2 months into the process. He has not been much of a device person ever since.<br />
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Boredom is magical. Just sitting leads to great inventiveness and creativity.<br />
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During this time, we’ve actually pulled back from devices as a family. We’re spending much more time with each other than we usually do. It’s really nice. But, we’ve had a lot of practice with unified individuality. That thing where you are all in this together, but, able to do your own thing side by side. With breaks for talking with each other. Whenever that arises.<br />
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Ease the burden on yourself to be a food delivery service. Batch cooking is cool. Leftover lunches can be heated up easily. I’ve been finding that having a few self-serve meals are optimal.<br />
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I try to make a fresh new dinner made for those who care to eat that specially prepared hot meal... whenever they want it. We've actually moved away from "the family meal" unless we all seem to be congregating in the kitchen at the same time. We don't really need the family meal anymore because we flow in and out of each other's day. "Dinner time" is a necessary thing in a world where people are separate all the time and are not in absolute control over their own time.<br />
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Find new ideas to discuss. Find something everyone can read and challenge its ideas. Have civilized debates. Find your natural family rhythm.<br />
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You may never want to go back. Then, you’ll truly be able to demand more from the people you've contracted to make your life meaningful and enjoyable - your government, your schools, your workplaces.<br />
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If you relax into this time and fully make the most of it, you’ll have a clear picture of exactly what your demands are. Time slows magically down when you are not on someone else's time table. You begin to feel less frenetic. You begin to feel as if you can be luxurious and generous with your attention. Imagine living your life this way. Knowing when you have external obligations and completing them efficiently so you can move on to the things which give your life meaning. We don't really need 40 hours a week. Most meetings can happen as emails. Many folks don't need to go out at all.<br />
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For the people who provide the incredibly valuable labor our society requires: chefs, grocery store workers, delivery people, truckers, nurses, sanitation workers. I don't have solutions for how to slow down. But, I'm going to stay dreaming about that...even if we only come to a realization - as a society -that your work should be valued with appropriate compensation; that you are given humane hours; that you are given ample sick leave and vacation time. That is something I would like to use this time doing. Figuring out how we make the world a better place for people who really serve our community.<br />
<b><br />For Parents Of Littles</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90xwI7y0CC3gvbfZRfNRpcpbuek4P4gkp-JsD5gZczP4CoG19vL9aXRXMfiu5sbFxShd_Tp5mXKIrgZl05mgB9brZR3bOaWEKrwUzG2p5XrvPy2LEKxK6qJcPfqIDzPrEoho3/s1600/bat+bath+fizzers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90xwI7y0CC3gvbfZRfNRpcpbuek4P4gkp-JsD5gZczP4CoG19vL9aXRXMfiu5sbFxShd_Tp5mXKIrgZl05mgB9brZR3bOaWEKrwUzG2p5XrvPy2LEKxK6qJcPfqIDzPrEoho3/s320/bat+bath+fizzers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batah bath fizzies</td></tr>
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It occurs to me to talk about ways of fostering autonomy. As a parent who home educated using my own philosophy of directed autonomy, I'm seeing a lot of science and math links on the page. They are so fantastic. But, those websites might feel daunting. Like any parent, I needed time. Here was my strategy for coping with providing fun, educational activities.<br />
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When mine was a little, I always made sure the kitchen sink and the counter next to it was clean. Then, I put a box full of fun and messy activities on a shelf nearby. (The Science Shelf/Box).<br />
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It had a few yogurt containers for pouring back and forth or mixing items. I think I made sure he had a set of clear, plastic measuring cups and some empty clean, clear water or soda bottles. Also it contained supplies like baking soda, vinegar, cornstarch, sugar, salt, food coloring, a plastic bottle of oil. He was allowed to play with all those exciting messy things in the kitchen sink. He would mix them together, pour them out. It was completely autonomous science.</div>
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I also made a thermometer available to him. He was welcome to roam around writing down the temperature of anything he could think of.</div>
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The nice thing about the box was he could also take it outside. Many a volcano was born in our backyard.<br />
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The point being I didn’t have to direct him constantly. He was free to observe, explore, play, have fun. Sometimes the things he mixed together had exciting reactions. Sometimes they didn't. But, he was learning all the time. I would refresh the supplies on a schedule. If he ran out, he ran out until the next refill. That way, he also learned to be judicious about how much he used. He taught himself moderation.<br />
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See if there are anyways you can adapt your home to encourage autonomy. One thing I did do was make sure all the toys were put away after bedtime. So, the palate was fresh and new every day to inspire self-directed learning activities. I used to leave a puzzle out on the table after he went to bed. Our set up the beginning of a domino structure. They were great morning discoveries! "Show me what you discover or figure out" was my phrase.</div>
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To encourage independent play, a timer is always a good resource. I'm going to do [whatever] until the timer rings. Show me what you created when the buzzer buzzes.<br />
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<b>Autonomous Necessities</b><br />
About that sleep thing. I used to keep my little in the bed with me. Keep a basket of toys near your bed so they can play next to you while you are sleeping. Also - you can let them know that it is "Mommy Time" after a certain hour. They can be in their room.<br />
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Food: Also - consider teaching them how to make a bowl of cereal. Keep fresh washed fruit at eye level in the fridge so they can help themselves to snacks. (If they can not be counted on to be rational about it, keep a few selections at eye level and put the rest where they don't see them.) I also had a snack shelf. Again, it's a time for learning. Eat them all up, they're gone. Now is not the time for buying anything. But, I also kept a child sized pitcher for drinks. That way, they can be hungry and manage their needs.<br />
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-10629237334753590022020-03-09T10:36:00.001-05:002020-03-09T10:36:33.878-05:00They Speak Of Covid <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQllnKQ6fIoBLvL2A9LTyxEw6nTg8HTYKWx2Ey7AJBowXDsjrDWleukxCuEYW8zXMEO7OHum22MKhnB9dxk5h2qPJkuDDCed10HTSCmMPVfWzznoW6wcX4xj8RgyxntzFCfmwF/s1600/vineyard+yard+trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQllnKQ6fIoBLvL2A9LTyxEw6nTg8HTYKWx2Ey7AJBowXDsjrDWleukxCuEYW8zXMEO7OHum22MKhnB9dxk5h2qPJkuDDCed10HTSCmMPVfWzznoW6wcX4xj8RgyxntzFCfmwF/s320/vineyard+yard+trees.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="goog_1257440933"></span><span id="goog_1257440934"></span>In the forest, they leave me to die.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A disabled elder, useless & flawed.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The water called me, by name, to her side.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In my mouth, she tastes of heavy sighs</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">lavender, lemon, mint, and straw.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In the forest, where I was left to die,</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">lucious lascivious is the night sky.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A twerking orange moon inspires awe.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The water called me, by name, to her side.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Crows settle in, then the cranes fly.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A show better than Mardi Gras</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in the forest, where I was left to die.</span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She said, Cry a bit, child, it is not your time.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When I send you back, you gonna feel raw</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The water called me, by name, to her side</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to give me a package for the ones who forget</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">the vulnerable among them they must protect.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In the forest, they leave me to die, but,</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">the water called me, by name, to her side.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-60452334673237543462020-02-16T14:49:00.000-05:002020-02-16T22:31:25.494-05:00A Fantasy: The Dark Side of Healing From WhySupremacy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVP2u3H6UBuxuOrqDJWyalMpScg3jqY_d32jrWOZbaeJQGTBAf0zQOPTYtW6GVsiMZjZ87Ubkl2ol_WLFELfJeKx1T4KLyZaT817UyYN3vmoxd9a5jTRFUedfWI2F8lY6-p9n/s1600/ally+cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVP2u3H6UBuxuOrqDJWyalMpScg3jqY_d32jrWOZbaeJQGTBAf0zQOPTYtW6GVsiMZjZ87Ubkl2ol_WLFELfJeKx1T4KLyZaT817UyYN3vmoxd9a5jTRFUedfWI2F8lY6-p9n/s1600/ally+cookie.jpg" /></a>Recently, someone told me that Whypipo are trying to take steps in the right direction to become better people. I was told that change is hard and we need to remain patient while they figure out how to right the wrongs of the past. It came at a moment when the ongoing resistance efforts of the Wet’suwet’en in Canada are enlivening the righteousness of people all over the planet.<br />
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<a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2020/02/11/reconciliation-is-dead-and-we-will-shut-down-canada-wetsuweten-supporters-say.html?fbclid=IwAR2-Re5ziwIhvQB_4Z-0x8MZWlFU19_SSa-jgK7IsUXR4IvuxpajmBThAuU">Quoting from this article in The Star,</a> "Cricket Guest, an Anishinaabekwe Métis who demonstrated with Indigenous youth and <a href="https://www.thestar.com/topic.climate_change.html">climate change</a> activists in Toronto on Tuesday, said disruption of traffic and business goods is “absolutely necessary” to bring attention to the injustices inflicted by the government and police on Wet’suwet’en in B.C.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Cricket Guest: “Reconciliation is dead. And we will shut Canada down. We’ve been resisting for 500 years and we’ll be resisting for 500 more if that’s what it takes to earn the respect and have a real nation-to-nation relationship.”</blockquote>
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So, I thought about what would help my kind and thoughtful friend whose heart is in the right place, even if her actions lag far behind it. And I came up with this. </div>
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Imagine this. It may help you think through the advice to take dismantling Why Supremacy with slow and easy baby steps. Because this is what polite, progressive liberalism feels like to me. <br />
<br />
Scenario:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvzH-Rm7KnZboKsgPeMoDtIFnJ0JEYbAuuK2NiprTSl9Uw4Jfc_8vJ4Ce15uD7WNugpVnOLTyrPF2wNI6uYf0J1vuNv3H487BeNw00WMgdu6HMojAPSBuE2aT4zAnWNR3tmtd/s1600/king+white+laziness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvzH-Rm7KnZboKsgPeMoDtIFnJ0JEYbAuuK2NiprTSl9Uw4Jfc_8vJ4Ce15uD7WNugpVnOLTyrPF2wNI6uYf0J1vuNv3H487BeNw00WMgdu6HMojAPSBuE2aT4zAnWNR3tmtd/s320/king+white+laziness.jpg" width="320" /></a>It’s a week long anti-racism workshop. The cost is free. However, the participants sign a contract which gives The Workshop all rights to any real property they might own, and the entire contents of any checking, savings or investment accounts, should they fail to complete the workshop. Upon entry, they would turn over any and all personal property. Prior to their arrival they would be advised to purchase travellers insurance and make flexible travel arrangements.<br />
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Each day of The Workshop represents a century. Each Whyper in attendance would be paired with another that they preferably do not know. That pair would be assisted in their training by Anti-Racism Trainers (a team consisting of a Black and an Indigenous person.) Their trainers would rotate in and out as they needed.<br />
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The workshop would proceed in this manner. For the first 4 days, the Anti-Racism trainers would pinch the Unlearners in the same spot every five minutes on the inside of their upper arm. This would begin at 7AM and go on into the night until bed time. If the UnLearner cried out, their partner would be given a very hard smack with a ruler on their thigh. At night, their sleep would be disrupted. They might be called away from their floor pallet to sleep at the foot of their Trainer’s bed. They might be called to deliver water to their Trainer. The pinching exercise would continue the next day. <br />
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Meal breaks would be given. The Anti-Racism Trainers would eat luxurious meals served to them by Allies who have already undergone the training. The UnLearners would be served what remained from the plates ...if anything…. and a dixie cup of water. <br />
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After four days, the Unlearners would be given the opportunity to say "Please, stop," in the most polite manner possible. If their tone changed or they omitted the word please, their partner (who is also being pinched ) gets thwacked with a ruler. The Anti-Racism Trainer would confer with their partner. They may or may not stop for a brief period of time. But, they would resume arbitrarily at their discretion. During such a break, the Unlearners might (or might not) be offered fresh food. An ice cube might (or might not) be offered for the bruise which has surely formed by now. <br />
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After four days, (400 years) the Anti-Racism Trainers would be allowed to start saying "sorry" after pinching the Whype. The pinching would continue, just if they felt like it, the trainers could say "sorry." </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfLf-iRXOWE37XbD4f0bT3-3CtJcs0iqJt-y1zAMXwMGz2brjoYLOXjmkjt5UvSSWG8Yq9btrsTrwkfcYAFFsBm-fALO4csL837jMg_Cl2Gg2UQiyzUB-6QMhbePD6KB2GpIx/s1600/white+supremacy+pyramid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="650" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfLf-iRXOWE37XbD4f0bT3-3CtJcs0iqJt-y1zAMXwMGz2brjoYLOXjmkjt5UvSSWG8Yq9btrsTrwkfcYAFFsBm-fALO4csL837jMg_Cl2Gg2UQiyzUB-6QMhbePD6KB2GpIx/s320/white+supremacy+pyramid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Remember, if you leave, The Workshop gets all of your assets. All of them.<br />
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On the 5th, the people could pinch a little less hard. But, now, the Anti-Racism Trainers can berate them about how being here was their choice. The Trainers would also tell them that it is their fault. The Trainers would remind them how horrible their previous lives were and that they should be grateful for the chance to be a better person. <br />
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On the 6th day, after each pinch, the Trainers would ask the Unlearners what might make this situation better. Whatever the Unlearners said would be ignored. </div>
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Remember, if you leave, The Workshop gets all of your assets. All of them.<br />
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On the 7th day, the Unleaners and The Trainers would come together for a big festival and feast. The Unlearners would be invited to sit at the table. The Trainers and other attendees would pepper them with questions about their experience. Anything the Unlearners said would be questioned, challenged and dismissed. During the late afternoon, they would be informed that Training must be continued because it had not been very well executed. <br />
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Everyone would return the the Pinch Without A Single Sorry routine. <br />
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Remember, if you leave, The Workshop gets all of your assets. All of them. </div>
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On the 8th Day, the Unlearners would be informed that they were not going home. <br />
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On the 9th day, the Unlearners would be informed they were not going home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4jg2Xm-zeytITeF0optPlaqoAnRSzmfGJ3v3qphXs3BaRIRf3txvl4bEIK1DQ6yswa2oQ7J4aeiz9dsoB1MbTymUwtRreBF4Tme1B0JZIAQGj0sAxtTeszVdZ3hNnwimPDVO/s1600/white+work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4jg2Xm-zeytITeF0optPlaqoAnRSzmfGJ3v3qphXs3BaRIRf3txvl4bEIK1DQ6yswa2oQ7J4aeiz9dsoB1MbTymUwtRreBF4Tme1B0JZIAQGj0sAxtTeszVdZ3hNnwimPDVO/s320/white+work.jpg" width="320" /></a>On the 10th day, the Unlearners would be free to go. They would be reminded that the contract they signed had an iron clad non-disclosure agreement. Their personal property would be returned. And they would be escorted from the premises with no arrangement for transportation or food.<br />
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This is how it feels. This is how the last 40 years of my life have felt. And I'm actually waiting for so many people about whom I love and care to even take one step. It's time for Whype to stop talking. Talking is all done. Talk on your own time. The doing must begin.<br />
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What dark places Racism takes all of us. But, sometimes we have to stare into those dark places in order to allow them to birth light.</div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-64492440201704023692019-11-25T17:19:00.000-05:002019-11-25T17:42:49.064-05:00The Daily Read: All The Things Spiritual & African/Atlantic Hit The News The Same Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBs0vZUzACbL9Q-d0wjt7syyVJULT0OuBAkgh-NSaGEEGMyKPNg_OK9HrfPDGTbfnYWF-Ree_Ex2yWXMWg1-OjXM8BjBvCSKZdvUGGtXVHCxOdswhDK0XNuRs7_4kN9bdtjik6/s1600/lilith+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBs0vZUzACbL9Q-d0wjt7syyVJULT0OuBAkgh-NSaGEEGMyKPNg_OK9HrfPDGTbfnYWF-Ree_Ex2yWXMWg1-OjXM8BjBvCSKZdvUGGtXVHCxOdswhDK0XNuRs7_4kN9bdtjik6/s320/lilith+book.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/nyregion/fetgede-voodoo-haiti.html?fbclid=IwAR2lK4qDfSw_NdglkWQzx4evmaqJs-Wc_iM1uoF_7R6Hk7sAPt0VSwX3Uzg">‘Voodoo Is Part of Us’</a></h3>
says Haitian native "Agathina Ginoue Nozy, "It’s who we are. It’s the culture. Voodoo is the food that we eat. It’s the language that we speak.” By all accounts, about a week ago, there was a wonderful Fet Gede gathering in New York. The event brought together voodoo practitioners, Haitians and the ever curious. Every culture who remains close to the Earth has some element of ancestral reverence. Fete Gede (Festival of the Dead) is one of those celebrations in which the loa and the ancestors are given a special remembrance.<br />
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<i>"What voodoo is not, contrary to popular belief, is a dark spell-casting practice full of pin-dolls and demonic prayers, said the party’s organizers, Monvelyno Alexis, 43, and Riva Précil, 30, a husband and wife musical duo who have organized one of the city’s most popular Fet Gede events for the past seven years."</i><br />
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Interest in the surviving religious and spiritual practices of African-Atlantics has strongly risen over the past few years. The more folks move towards personal liberation, the more they begin to internalize the violence which is Christianity. Spirituality is an important part of life for many. </div>
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What used to be hidden, in order to protect it, is rapidly becoming visible. I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. It isn't necessarily a good thing. We only have to turn to yoga and smudge sticks at Walmart to understand one of the reasons why. Because our orisha, loa, nkisi, mpungu, egun are very active, tangible forces - they can and do attract. But, many humans - especially certain kinds - aren't here for the service part of the religion. And many, many White people (because of centuries of cultural soullessness) think they can cherry pick or simply insert the parts of African mysticism they like into texts (fictional and otherwise.) </div>
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Regardless, there a emergence is happening. "African Traditional Religions" are hot right now. Just be careful where you get your information. And celebrate the people who do the work, live the life and actually have mentors in the form of a lineage of some sort.</div>
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Here are some cool places to start.</div>
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New Non-Fiction </h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uMvRDeQfrQK4yTFdalH6VxJoQXgxk6emuMaPg0_iRSOgsOahyodfhXVJb7yyKZMMhMwXWVmeghJlm9kbx8Wp2u3ktAJx4NLLpIWowPi5nw1rh0-rW7gbR9Qg1dRP87zQFs9Q/s1600/aganju-cover-bg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="358" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uMvRDeQfrQK4yTFdalH6VxJoQXgxk6emuMaPg0_iRSOgsOahyodfhXVJb7yyKZMMhMwXWVmeghJlm9kbx8Wp2u3ktAJx4NLLpIWowPi5nw1rh0-rW7gbR9Qg1dRP87zQFs9Q/s320/aganju-cover-bg.png" width="255" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.blackmadonnaenterprises.com/">My Journey To Aganju</a> is probably the deepest exploration of Aganju ever written. This African-Atlantic author, Jo Anna Hunter, has lived and travelled in Africa, Cuba, Europe, Asia and Brazil and studied of Lucumi religions for more than three decades. She is holds an M.A. Degree in Cultural Sociology, but more importantly and relevant, is that she is a Iyalorisha of Aganju and an Iyanifa.</div>
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<a href="https://lilithdorsey.com/">Lilith Dorsey </a>is back with another new title, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Orishas-Goddesses-Voodoo-Queens-Traditions/dp/1578636957">Orishas, Goddesses & Voodoo Queens.</a> This one focuses on the divine feminine as expressed through diasporic African culture and history. She's always a handy author for connecting the dots. Dorsey embraces her full and complete heritage by exploring the magical and spiritual traditions of all of them. Her traditional education focused on plant science, anthropology, and film at the University of Rhode Island, New York University, and the University of London. She has numerous initiations in Santeria, Haitian Vodoun, and New Orleans Voodoo. This one is available as a pre-order.</div>
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<b>Get a firm grip.</b></div>
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The above books are amazing and belong on your bookshelf. However, as exciting as it is, we (Black People) had and still have something powerful, vibrant and effective. This comes with the responsibility to learn as much about its history, origins, and philosophy. One simply can not try on spiritualities like a bunch of new dresses, scarves and hats. Worse yet, is using bits and pieces from each one to make your spirituality ensemble du jour. By nature of who you are (as an Afro-Atlantic) you may be drawn to one or all of the ways your ancestors worshipped. So, understand them. Understand what they brought with them. Understand how enslavement changed them. Understand how all of these things play out in regards to what you have available to you today. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_eCN_pXuuJmJls-D24ArPSBCRC3dZ4JXFcVu-l6sKhXru_SHt3SpmN112ULT2obF1UVzlkant9dkm7tYqYtuXM3RxoZonuSCS8ySdPyhdYhKL3BVEXbvTRLkFHTNk7OP0s_t/s1600/african+atlantic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_eCN_pXuuJmJls-D24ArPSBCRC3dZ4JXFcVu-l6sKhXru_SHt3SpmN112ULT2obF1UVzlkant9dkm7tYqYtuXM3RxoZonuSCS8ySdPyhdYhKL3BVEXbvTRLkFHTNk7OP0s_t/s320/african+atlantic.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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If you are American, Black and southern, I highly encourage you to begin here. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/African-Atlantic-Cultures-Carolina-Lowcountry-Cambridge/dp/1107668824/">African-Atlantic Cultures and the South Carolina Lowcountry</a> by Ras Michael Brown is scholarly, heavy with history, and one of the best starting points for understanding the impact of American slavery on the spirituality of the African people who ended up on these shores. </div>
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John Mason spearheaded the dissemination of accurate and properly researched Lucumi information. Check out his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Orisa-Black-Gods-New-World/dp/B01N9F5FKS">Orisa: New Word Black Gods</a>. This is Lucmi through and through. No side trips. No other examinations. Just the orsha. </div>
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Another truly excellent read in the same vein as the Ras Michael Brown's book, is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mojo-Workin-African-American-Hoodoo/dp/0252078764">Mojo Workin': The Old African American Hoodoo System</a> by Dr. Katrina Hazzard-Donald. An initiated Lucumi Ogun Olorisha, Dr. Hazzard-Donald became interested in African traditional religion as a result of her involvement in studying and performing traditional African dance. Traditional African religions utilize dancing as a form of religious expression. In the process of study and practice she observed many similarities in how African religions approach human existence, problems and concerns, and that body of practices known to African Americans as Hoodoo, conjure or “root work.” Examining those similarities led to her current research interest and continuing work on the book. </div>
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If you like things less scholarly, easier to read, with ideas for a few workings, the ever classic <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jambalaya-Natural-Personal-Practical-Rituals/dp/0062508598">Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals</a>by Luisah Teish, who broke ground in the early 90's with her then taboo sharing of long held secrets. </div>
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Fiction</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPLwvdySsixL1UNu4SCKHO-sZ9iEZ3Vc4SiY5VYTsw8Q9O5pMbF3l2Y6K7mRFfAb1eoRDRcby7liNG-bcHqguOhyAVbymEoLJDlMp9B3_nAV1bsD-Q7DhlT7652bjQMiU8Gae/s1600/ikenga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPLwvdySsixL1UNu4SCKHO-sZ9iEZ3Vc4SiY5VYTsw8Q9O5pMbF3l2Y6K7mRFfAb1eoRDRcby7liNG-bcHqguOhyAVbymEoLJDlMp9B3_nAV1bsD-Q7DhlT7652bjQMiU8Gae/s320/ikenga.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://ew.com/books/2019/11/25/nnedi-okorafor-middle-grade-debut-announcement/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-share-article&utm_term=6566256&fbclid=IwAR0iXbvNL2Wqsk2Ql-QihU2b3FmM4xJdBQaaVXsK5s6Y2RqluC4xnAJ8GEU">Exclusive: Nnedi Okorafor's middle-grade debut basks readers in contemporary Nigeria</a></h3>
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<a href="http://nnedi.com/">Nnedi Okorafor. </a> If you've been with my blog for a long time, you'll remember me constantly writing about <a href="http://christinaspringer.blogspot.com/2008/04/fine-chefs-feeding-my-inner-princess.html">Nnedi Okorafor</a>. There have been many, many books since that last blog and she has certainly kept me nourished. She's back with a middle grade reader, Ikenga, an Africanjujuist novel set in contemporary Nigeria about a boy who can access super powers with the help of the magical Ikenga. With all of the above talk, Nnedi brings an African perspective to the topic of juju. Source and origin are always so important. </div>
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<a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/latino/latina-authors-explore-santeria-afro-caribbean-religions-article-1.962650?fbclid=IwAR39KzdkqbhHosI8xYua6_cPbO-deqoqyZ19n_vdzqVhG83LCRXus1mcXsU">Latina authors explore Santería and other Afro-Caribbean religions</a> </h3>
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I wonderful look at what the Latina community is doing with religious and spiritual practices they received from the African ancestors.</div>
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<b>& Music!</b></h3>
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<a href="https://remezcla.com/lists/music/10-santeria-artists-list/">10 Artists Honoring Santería & Candomblé Faith in Their Music Today</a></h3>
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They've got some music I'd heard before and some new ones for tucking in an learning what is giving rise to the reclamation of Black spirit. I am so delighted to have new music which reflects my spirituality. More importantly, as a mother raising a child in these spiritual practices, it helps to have this sort of validation. They missed a few that are important to our household, maybe I'll post about that another time.<br />
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But, check out... <a href="https://youtu.be/Nko8inpQmPI">Richard Raw "Ase</a>" and <a href="http://osunfemi%20wanbi%20njeri%20feat%20wolfhawkjaguar%20%22ire%22/">Osunfemi Wanbi Njeri feat WolfHawkJaguar "IRE"</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/juju-is-the-black-witch-story-that-fans-have-been-waiting-for">Juju Is The Black Witch Story We've Been Waiting For </a></h3>
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NO, It isn't. I put it here because... it hit the news right around the same time all the other things did. It's a great example of why knowledge is power and well... it's good to have advisors, mentors and experts. (Even Spike Lee knew to do that when he hired Santana Caress Benitez to play Mars' sister Lulu on "She's Gotta Have It. In this article she tells you <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-before-practicing-lucumi/">10 Things You Need To Know Before Practicing Lucumí</a>)</div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-76454239008024356762019-11-23T17:35:00.000-05:002019-11-23T17:48:01.237-05:00The Daily Read: Erroll Garner, Elephant Dung Gin, Black Pete, British Colonizers Refuse To Leave, Nick Cave Autobiography, Rosemary Reclassified and Bees<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This picture is here because I saw it on the interwebs. The end.</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGIAXYRvvOgQgX-bI-TxLAPUHBb-GPgxc8Vn8YfS0WUF0GAA0w-Mkrq0pWOx8ZWPa_0K3dVIs-QT9Uw-mMexg0Qe63_4EE8yo3hu3e3WJZ70SCeMoMwsWyyWqX-WGJ5mvWNR9/s1600/a+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="767" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGIAXYRvvOgQgX-bI-TxLAPUHBb-GPgxc8Vn8YfS0WUF0GAA0w-Mkrq0pWOx8ZWPa_0K3dVIs-QT9Uw-mMexg0Qe63_4EE8yo3hu3e3WJZ70SCeMoMwsWyyWqX-WGJ5mvWNR9/s640/a+party.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Keith Haring, Grace Jones, Fela Kuti & Jean-Michel Basquiat</td></tr>
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But first, let's laugh. <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/gin-elephant-dung-south-africa?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=gastro-page&fbclid=IwAR2c_UW8GGZj5AJXwKP621ytRte6ggG1-I_vo0FTFrmfbGik3iV159_M2Tc">A South African Couple Has Turned Elephant Dung Into Award-Winning Gin</a></h3>
“If you’re going to make gin from shit, you can’t make a shit gin,” says Les Ansley, one of the founders of Indlovu Gin. Indlovu is Zulu for “elephant.” So, since elephants forage over large distances, no two batches will taste exactly the same. But, wait! They have an answer. Each bottle will be labelled with the GPS coordinates and date on which the dung was collected. It doesn't get much better than this! The best thing about this whole project is that it creates an economic motivation for conservation. Sad, but, true. Human will only save elephants and habitats if there's liquor involved. Leave it to some colonizer White people to come up with that scheme.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCZbbikpjo65FQ9s3GkAP2_kr3PBU_Vp-DilxB1pVADiHR7V6-3gRWgN5BTIhCFyFfYwwG0LwYdFxkLbLr809ARbvkHzW5f_LDnnnxV8AjLSoEkXjo261XNGe9kyh5QtaQbh6/s1600/kangaroo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1100" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCZbbikpjo65FQ9s3GkAP2_kr3PBU_Vp-DilxB1pVADiHR7V6-3gRWgN5BTIhCFyFfYwwG0LwYdFxkLbLr809ARbvkHzW5f_LDnnnxV8AjLSoEkXjo261XNGe9kyh5QtaQbh6/s320/kangaroo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/paraglider-lands-gets-socked-in-the-face-by-a-kangaroo-and-it-s-all-captured-on-cam/?fbclid=IwAR3tFs_VCY8Ieh2cPkxqrn_aCglxabFjCHAdwjpRZg8ZHNNt9fcu3L0uvW4">Paraglider Lands, Gets Socked In The Face By A Kangaroo While Recording The Whole Thing With Their GoPro</a></h3>
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The kangaroos knows what to do with colonizers invading their habitats just so they can feel "wild" and "free." That is all.</div>
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<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/sumatran-rhino-extinct-in-malaysia-as-lone-survivor-dies?fbclid=IwAR2UF1HKYy7Ch_bvjKk8TVTdSKMGVAdPUTrX69f8yFy0XJO5RTiXncyvewg">Sumatran rhino extinct in Malaysia as lone survivor dies</a></h3>
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What a sad day. No gin or fueling of corporate interests could save these animals who once roamed all of Asia, including India. Deforestation and poaching were the culprits. <i>"The Sumatra rhino is the smallest of the rhinoceros species and the only rhino with two horns." </i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhdEK3xzsFWIQGtB8h4n2wslXdBt1kuseQMLvki4WSvnZ1l0bDgzaFMRU0oQJ25vY1M7gYpVTqdlWU-slKV7ahfqhYDBj5uqc_sU_6pM148pLndSPAk36x3zGaCc_yX6wuHsG/s1600/eroll+garner.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhdEK3xzsFWIQGtB8h4n2wslXdBt1kuseQMLvki4WSvnZ1l0bDgzaFMRU0oQJ25vY1M7gYpVTqdlWU-slKV7ahfqhYDBj5uqc_sU_6pM148pLndSPAk36x3zGaCc_yX6wuHsG/s1600/eroll+garner.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://variety.com/2019/music/news/the-true-story-of-erroll-garner-the-first-artist-to-sue-a-major-label-and-win-1203413083/?fbclid=IwAR3kdskal_DAfrVFCSP2t05KY6ehl8VpVIXRt_vke_PWRKhkHmCm8D0tI4I">The True Story of Erroll Garner, the First Artist to Sue a Major Label and Win</a></h3>
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History is really important and one of Pittsburgh's own, Erroll Garner, gave us a lesson back in 1960. Before Prince or Kanye, someone was out there litigating on their own artistic behalf. The best part of this article are Garner's own words: </div>
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<i>“I must demand that you immediately withdraw ‘Swinging Solos’ record album which your Columbia Records subsidiary released … this took place despite my written notice to your record people … the material was not approved and was unworthy of public sale. As a matter of ethics I am amazed that release took place precisely at the time my manager was meeting with [you] at [your] request and while [you] were assuring her that the album would not be released.</i></div>
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<i>Is it you feel you can sandbag me because I am a Negro artist? Must demand that sale and distribution of album stop immediately and that it be recalled from press, radio people and record dealers who have previously received it … because it not only violates my artistic integrity but that of every artist on your label.”</i></div>
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The rest of the article in Variety is a nice read.<br />
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/22/sacha-baron-cohen-facebook-propaganda?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR1uR0SdvUhdMiB86tiVaU1YTeQmhk8vKoi0NwLLcvPae7qvOilmDqNKDHU">Read Sacha Baron Cohen's scathing attack on Facebook in full: 'greatest propaganda machine in history'</a></h3>
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In a recent speech, Baron Cohen called Facebook<i> </i>“the greatest propaganda machine in history." One of the reasons Facebook silences it's Black users in such a precise and calculated manner is that we don't fit into their ideas of what a best future looks like. Remember, we are what my father calls, <i>The Disposables. </i>Worth the whole read, here are the highlights. </div>
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<i>"It’s actually quite shocking how easy it is to turn conspiracy thinking into violence. In my last show Who is America?, I found an educated, normal guy who had held down a good job, but who, on social media, repeated many of the conspiracy theories that President Trump, using Twitter, has spread more than 1,700 times to his 67 million followers. The president even tweeted that he was considering designating Antifa – anti-fascists who march against the far right – as a terror organization.<br /><br />So, disguised as an Israel anti-terrorism expert, Colonel Erran Morad, I told my interviewee that, at the Women’s March in San Francisco, Antifa were plotting to put hormones into babies’ diapers in order to “make them transgender”. And he believed it.<br /><br />I instructed him to plant small devices on three innocent people at the march and explained that when he pushed a button, he’d trigger an explosion that would kill them all. They weren’t real explosives, of course, but he thought they were. I wanted to see – would he actually do it? The answer was yes. He pushed the button and thought he had actually killed three human beings. Voltaire was right: “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” And social media lets authoritarians push absurdities to billions of people."</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFYXgjVdpQFrvfLWspuwBJ3SbcxwkBjKIEh7Vlq7y573VdZmWsSvTs4f-nohZ7FDmYSZ74ZwEJkY0On50d4v7puW2GsMxLCKX1CgNg0ER7HSNTEHRbxwgnZDS4z6j2VVai6_p/s1600/Black+Pete.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="580" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFYXgjVdpQFrvfLWspuwBJ3SbcxwkBjKIEh7Vlq7y573VdZmWsSvTs4f-nohZ7FDmYSZ74ZwEJkY0On50d4v7puW2GsMxLCKX1CgNg0ER7HSNTEHRbxwgnZDS4z6j2VVai6_p/s400/Black+Pete.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.humanityinaction.org/knowledge_detail/black-pete-analyzing-a-racialized-dutch-tradition-through-the-history-of-western-creations-of-stereotypes-of-black-peoples/?fbclid=IwAR3vURbJ3CFM9b3tXrHGphyLlIxAiFDa_PeS4OPRm0tz7cqhf8BW6JEJL0k">Black Pete: Analyzing a Racialized Dutch Tradition Through the History of Western Creations of Stereotypes of Black Peoples</a></h3>
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This is more for White people, but, it is a fabulous read about Black Pete. It gives a comprehensive examination of stereotyping, it's role in oppression, and it's colonial history as a tool to justify the enslavement of African peoples. More importantly, it blows a lid off of the Dutch notion that they've done so much better than the rest of Europe in being <i>"extremely tolerant and anti-racist. "</i></div>
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The Dutch people like to point at their history and their open policies. <i>Yet there is a huge discrepancy between what is claimed by society in general, and what many minorities experience. The traditional Dutch celebration of Santa Clause, “Sinterklaas” in Dutch, is an example of such a discrepancy. The character of Black Pete, “Zwarte Piet,” in the Sinterklaas holiday has been a very controversial issue in The Netherlands.</i></div>
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<i>"The problem however is that the stigma of racism has spread faster than the consciousness of racism. That stigma works as a deterrent to developing the sense of consciousness. Why? Because we live in a world of people, most of who are well intentioned, whose fears of being labeled prejudiced are stronger than their fear of actually being prejudiced. Therefore, they contribute to prejudice. The stigma of prejudice often resonates deeper within non-oppressed peoples than the harm it causes the oppressed. There has developed a gross perversion of the spirit of the concept of political correctness. It is about an awareness and sensitivity to the historical oppression of a peoples for the purpose of not only avoiding inflicting further harm upon them, but also for developing a means with which to deprogram ourselves from the notions that have been ingrained in us throughout our lives and the lives of those who raised us. Is this only out of ignorance however, or does it also stem from people’s resistance to face their own demons? Haven’t these issues been brought up before, or does our extremist definition of racism serve as a way for us to separate ourselves from those other kinds of people, who intentionally and openly hate. Can we look down on them and say, “I’m not racist, I’m not one of them?”</i></div>
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It's a long read, but it is worth your time. More importantly, pass it around. There are so many other ways this stereotyping lives in the modern world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcVamGTRo-syuWTceeviIpxZsZOFzjWrGehIB3Ewq0gQtDZcPeVDTLC2_9wxehCQQ1fEZ_PBlWp0Zs0OzgNrj1QdhU5QzzyUt9u6MzX3bWT2Iw9Pl_EwXcxz3ol7mKvYPGox0/s1600/Chagos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcVamGTRo-syuWTceeviIpxZsZOFzjWrGehIB3Ewq0gQtDZcPeVDTLC2_9wxehCQQ1fEZ_PBlWp0Zs0OzgNrj1QdhU5QzzyUt9u6MzX3bWT2Iw9Pl_EwXcxz3ol7mKvYPGox0/s320/Chagos.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://newsone.com/3894749/chagos-islands-uk-colonizers/?fbclid=IwAR2CrAJLVZA6gqSBzJtBPQipAYw6gU90hTSFSfLXbO9zZVqvNpyjTT2v1dA">British Colonizers Occupying African Nation’s Islands Refuse To Give Up Power</a></h3>
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Descendent of the people enslaved by France in 1793 call The Chagos Islands home. Chagossians, a Creole ethnic group are the last Africans remaining under British control. This archipelago remain a British colony despite orders from the United Nations. According to <a href="https://biot.gov.io/about/history/">History.com</a>, “The UK paid the colony of Mauritius a £3 million grant in recognition of the detachment of the Chagos Archipelago and amongst other legally binding undertakings, gave a commitment, repeated by successive governments, to cede the islands to Mauritius when no longer required for defence purposes.” Purchase or not, the land was never for sale.</div>
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<a href="https://nonprofitquarterly.org/diversifying-boards-means-ceding-control-are-white-nonprofit-leaders-ready/?utm_source=NPQ+Newsletters&utm_campaign=34f53c85d9-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_11_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_94063a1d17-34f53c85d9-13048053&mc_cid=34f53c85d9&mc_eid=7cc5f9d92a&fbclid=IwAR0rZyKYzkHN-EwQk9sOpn3CZrJ_DzPoSV2KmkThri368FzmoR_Re6uxcwU">Diversifying Boards Means Ceding Control—Are White Nonprofit Leaders Ready?</a></h3>
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Great read. The answer is no. Most White people want to talk, not do.</div>
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<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/11/22/rosemary-not-rosemary-rules-rhs-sage-tell-gardeners-change/?fbclid=IwAR1ZqTRdSIiXgyw3NLAs_Jv03uhYir_D27jz7Sdsr1P-5BrQEQH3tP6W57s">Rosemary is not a rosemary, rules RHS - it's a sage, as they tell gardeners to change plant labels</a></h3>
The Royal Horitcultural Society (RHS) declares that we shall no longer be calling Rosemary officinalis by that misnomer. It shall henceforth be addressed by it's scientifically expanded name as Salvia rosmarinus, rather than Rosmarinus officinalis. The article describes the reaction from the general public, as them "meddling for meddling's sake". I'll go along with it. For science! But, I won't sing "Parsley, Sage, Sage, and Thyme. " It throws the rhythm off.<br />
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<a href="https://kstp.com/news/beekeepers-bee-lovers-excited-new-minnesota-state-grant-program/5380247/">Beekeepers, bee lovers excited about new state grant program</a></h3>
This year, ripped out the front lawn and began planting a pollinator friendly garden. It's a crazy mess - tomatoes and sunflowers up against echinacea and rudbeckia. If I lived in Minnesota, I'd be so excited! The state legislature set aside $900,000 to be used as grants to help cover the cost for homeowners interested in planting bee-friendly plants in their yard to create new or more thriving bee habitats.</div>
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<a href="https://happymag.tv/nick-cave-announces-stranger-than-kindness-an-illustrated-autobiography/?fbclid=IwAR0UnzB0l6quLgqwfCcSN4bnyLjY9sdDZboVlMcJPZczVKwi-iCyegMdcGM">Nick Cave announces ‘Stranger Than Kindness’, an illustrated autobiography</a></h3>
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The book will accompany an exhibition by the same name at The Black Diamond in Copenhagen which opens March 23, 2020. </div>
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<i><i>“Stranger Than Kindness is a journey in images and words into the creative world of musician, storyteller and cultural icon Nick Cave. This highly collectible book contains images selected by Cave from ‘Stranger Than Kindness: The Nick Cave Exhibition’, presented by the Royal Danish Library in partnership with Arts Centre Melbourne. Featuring full-colour reproductions of original artwork, handwritten lyrics, photographs and collected personal artefacts, it presents Cave’s life, work and inspiration and explores his many real and imagined universes.”</i></i></div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-30141476240959356392019-11-22T18:26:00.004-05:002019-11-22T18:26:39.165-05:00The Daily Read: Black Art in DA Office, Farming While Black, Njaimeh Njie On Water & Memory, Wu Tang Part 2, Synthetic Honey, Hasidic Rabbi Becomes Trans Woman, Indigenous Cooking Shows, <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDv8OSYu3NDCbdk99kGmtf9lEdp_VTyMQDv1Qig2KLRRLdawbM6dOIwZoPfU_Ykk6dmigdynEhUu4q3CBNOTUcvfeplD_OqRZPgSaQ0qOUGkpBEqxkaiJA6VF4VDa_JFq1mAss/s1600/Hough+Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="715" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDv8OSYu3NDCbdk99kGmtf9lEdp_VTyMQDv1Qig2KLRRLdawbM6dOIwZoPfU_Ykk6dmigdynEhUu4q3CBNOTUcvfeplD_OqRZPgSaQ0qOUGkpBEqxkaiJA6VF4VDa_JFq1mAss/s320/Hough+Art.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Title Unknown, James Hough, Artist</td></tr>
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<a href="https://whyy.org/articles/philly-da-names-offices-first-ever-artist-in-residence-james-hough/?fbclid=IwAR0oTe93s_wRTN3XjPXO70vOXFRcaQWzuB2NDUMypaajfS49KGSQX1IpD2c">Philly DA names office’s first ever artist-in-residence, James Hough</a></h3>
Pittsburgh-based James Hough was selected to be the first artist-in-residence in the Philadelphia’s DA’s office. I'm really excited for him. I don't know him, but, what I have seen of his artwork (left) it is powerful. The Prison Industrial Complex took 27 years of Hough's life. During his time inside, Hough focused on his artistic practice, becoming involved with Mural Arts Program and its Restorative Justice program for inmates. Whatever his opinion on incarceration are, I'm just happy for the brother.<br />
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Philly's DA, Larry Krasner must have run a very interesting campaign . He "believes criminal justice reform is having a “cultural moment.” The article explains all of that to you because my head spun around when I read it the first time.<br />
Regardless, it was progressive platform. And apparently, he believes that "criminal justice reform is an important civil rights struggle of our time, and it is finding cultural expression." I only wish Hough was working for the other side. </div>
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<a href="https://scoundreltime.com/rion-amilcar-scott-is-an-mcs-mc-an-interview-by-reginald-dwayne-betts/?fbclid=IwAR33BPMfD-2U4PYZnGJ9KvIt2rwRs2L3WX-gMdnecreEOKNo9POTJfY6Q5w">Rion Amilcar Scott Is an MC’s MC: An Interview by Reginald Dwayne Betts</a></h3>
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What can I say? It's a fascinating read. Both authors are extraordinary. I'm more familiar with <a href="http://betts./">Betts.</a></div>
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So, the most I can say, if you really want to enliven your day, check out this article.<br />
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<a href="https://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/2019/11/samaria-rice-aclu-create-booklet-in-tamirs-memory-to-teach-kids-what-to-do-when-they-encounter-cops.html?fbclid=IwAR0A9VxVKO4Xe6WUrmfL8UCEKKOnQ3NTvH_enGpj0PN_ez9-uouKYCco1bs">Samaria Rice, ACLU create booklet in Tamir’s memory to teach kids what to do when they encounter cops</a></h3>
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For me, there will never enough justice for Tamir Rice. And I know for Ms. Samaria that feeling is magnified and intensified one million fold. If this is how she wears grief, let me study her. She teamed up with the American Civil Liberties Union to release a booklet that guides children through the stress of police interactions. The eight-page guide is available for download on the <a href="https://www.acluohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ACLUofOhio_TamirRiceSafetyHandbook_2019-11.pdf">ACLU’s website</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/11/how-black-mothers-prepare-their-children-school/599578/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share&fbclid=IwAR1MUOlGxjrwF9pP3iF9xphC28mhFKF_CmGDppA4gu_MAkVq5k9SiYusgKk">What’s Lost When Black Children Are Socialized Into a White World</a></h3>
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Giving this a head nod in the #WaterIsWet category, say it again louder for the people in the back. Fortunately for us, we have grown to a point where the trauma has processed enough for me to joke sometimes with my parents and I say, "Remember that time to sent me out among the White girls to learn their evil ways?" And we laugh and realize that in spite of everything, who we were as a family may have made some changes in the world. It's all how you sift through the memories, order, reorder, understand and heal.</div>
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<a href="https://news.avclub.com/the-kids-of-the-wu-tang-clan-have-formed-their-own-wu-t-1839887257?utm_medium=sharefromsite&fbclid=IwAR1whyPQJRfIEMwkJXPdRwWL1kPM2WO1_hSnBmTzxXcFhbqzRDqPNYgOLyI">The kids of Wu-Tang Clan have formed their own Wu-Tang Clan</a> </h3>
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and it goes on. It makes me look around and ask, "What is your legacy? How are we grooming our children to create connections and empower them to walk through the world with a unified voice? (Or enough of a unified voice they can collect and be comfortable?)<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQAs82xeK5i71r8hK7cyFpPq1-nE6BZ05hyphenhyphengyfkP7lU5VTYFShQ-Jw9wvUJK22rz7GS8Hd7BApOuAFxj5toTTU90NTBGsw7M5uURNI7Cb3pQSTLj4Dbfyb-xv177EH2FPxo3k/s1600/ritual-de-iniciacion-de-las-hijas-de-santo-museo-amparo-puebla-20190909-025916.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQAs82xeK5i71r8hK7cyFpPq1-nE6BZ05hyphenhyphengyfkP7lU5VTYFShQ-Jw9wvUJK22rz7GS8Hd7BApOuAFxj5toTTU90NTBGsw7M5uURNI7Cb3pQSTLj4Dbfyb-xv177EH2FPxo3k/s320/ritual-de-iniciacion-de-las-hijas-de-santo-museo-amparo-puebla-20190909-025916.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://museoamparo.com/artistas/perfil/764/jose-medeiros" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">JOSÉ MEDEIROS</a><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">Ritual de iniciación de las hijas de Santo</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://wearyourvoicemag.com/race/africamericanos-exhibit-puebla-mexico?fbclid=IwAR23Jnw2NsSHoJOYX-9DmW4idX1qUU-EisNDRb3MxmDcjjHhGMOHap1CsaA">Mexico's AfricaAmericanos Exhibit Explores Black Identity In Latin America</a></h3>
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It is long overdue, but, Latin America is finally beginning to explore Anti-Blackness. As we saw yesterday with the new magazine, <a href="https://www.revistaetnica.com/">Revista Étnica</a> by Sacha Antonetty-Lebrón Puerto Rico addressing the issue of colorism. Here we see artists exploring the fact that #WeHaveAlwaysBeenEverywhere. <br /><br />The exhibit is a mix of historical, archived and contemporary photos of the Afro-Mexican communities that were not only enslaved by the Spanish, but those people who self-liberated from the U.S. My next question is when will someone address all those Olmec heads?<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Farming-While-Black-Practical-Liberation/dp/1603587616">Book Cover for Farming While Black</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://therevelator.org/farming-black/?fbclid=IwAR0m5YvEnp0z3pbHfThFqZiyUhfE3kwnJHtF2kY7f8Kq5bf2NRAj-FQrj44">Farming While Black: Growing Food and Community While Saving the Earth</a></h3>
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I already had high hopes. But, this interview begins the perfect way. "Author, Leah Penniman quotes Toni Morrison as inspiration: <i>If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.</i>" </div>
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Not many people know this about me, but, my biggest fantasy in life was to live in the country in a little dome house that I owned, grow my own food and make art. I've had pieces of my fantasy over the years. And I'm grateful. This is one of those "White-acting" things of which I have been accused. Which she mentions in the interview. LOL! Again, the age of the internet is beautiful thing. It connects people. </div>
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But, like this story, my discovery of <a href="http://www.soulfirefarm.org/">Soul Fire Farm</a> was organic. I met poet and educator, Mistinguette Smith, at <a href="https://cavecanempoets.org/">Cave Canem</a>. As we stayed in touch, I learned about a project she began, <a href="http://www.blacklandproject.org/">The Black Land Project. </a> "Black/Land gathers and analyzes stories about the relationship between Black people, land and place." When I began to discuss the importance of Black self sufficiency, Mistinguette pointed me in the direction of Soul Fire Farm. There is nothing I love better than people living out my fantasy. It lets me know, 1) that it is possible, 2) I am not alone and 3) there might still be time. </div>
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Soul Fire Farm isn't just a farm. <a href="https://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/welcome-to-black-and-latino-farmers-immersion">Yes Magazine wrote a great article about their BIPOC Farm Immersion Program </a>. They have a youth program, offer workshop, community farm days and run a farm on 72 acres which feeds the people in Albany and Troy County. What an inspiration! Anyway, Leah Penniman wrote a book. This article let's you hear her voice. </div>
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Here is an independent seller for buying <a href="https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/farming-while-black">Farming While Black:Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.ohiowatershed.org/tracing-water-memory-and-change-black-experiences-along-and-near-route-65.html?utm_source=PublicSource+newsletter&utm_campaign=75f0b1449b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_11_20_09_27_COPY_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b58fd7b533-75f0b1449b-337313077&mc_cid=75f0b1449b&mc_eid=871213fdc3&fbclid=IwAR0MpCvWb_ixvnfqKzX_dAO2m8697fQLr4iAdNHVOCkFEcCSoidHykLIreI">Tracing water, memory and change through Black experiences along and near Route 65</a></h3>
This is a lovely photo essay by Njaimeh Njie. She begins the essay talking about her work which, "focuses on how history shapes the contemporary experiences of Black people in the industrial Midwest, and I’ve been thinking about water as a gateway to explore the deeper forces that shape the lives (and livelihoods) of Black people in this region. Black residents have traditionally lived close to the waterways — sometimes by choice, but often because of racist housing and land-use policies. Over the years, the proximity to water allowed access to transit, jobs, bathing, washing, fishing and leisure, but it also placed these communities at a disproportionate risk for flooding, pollution, disease and other issues caused by water." The essay goes on to offer portraits of people and the landscape. Definitely some eye candy and food for thought.</div>
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<a href="https://thinkprogress.org/flint-epa-lawsuit-water-crisis-judge-b0add02dcdd5/">Flint residents allowed to sue EPA over lead water crisis, judge rules</a></h3>
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Good news. It won't necessarily bring much justice. It might not even repair all of the damage done to the residents of Flint, Michigan. What excites me about this news is that a precedent is being set that the people we elect and the people they <i>assign</i> to carry out the necessary policies and programs for basic human rights can be held accountable for their actions - one way or another. The ballot box is not our only answer. (Never has been, but, that's a different story. The courts have never been our answer either. But, I digress.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCd65z9SaK7MXn2mlvheiYcX01q9YNFZuq_OoXbqp_jVfmI1ez_FC5irOqz1q0rENObdkoYGFfx7eatJ2TvNTrdfzyHBU6TP00oZbKNjTTdTLlAoAATbf9SnQXGl7FaRpQkKS/s1600/morrison+funeral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCd65z9SaK7MXn2mlvheiYcX01q9YNFZuq_OoXbqp_jVfmI1ez_FC5irOqz1q0rENObdkoYGFfx7eatJ2TvNTrdfzyHBU6TP00oZbKNjTTdTLlAoAATbf9SnQXGl7FaRpQkKS/s320/morrison+funeral.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/21/books/toni-morrison-new-york.html?fbclid=IwAR2QIr2SczxkJI3QrgB1ZZ51T9yKfqHgtiIpsBAiDK67WKzmmRh4YcDPwA8">‘She Saved Us’: Mourners Pay Tribute to Toni Morrison</a></h3>
The Nobel laureate, who died in August, was honored at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York. Speakers included Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis and Fran Lebowitz.</div>
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<a href="https://civileats.com/2019/11/19/first-look-a-new-docuseries-highlights-leading-indigenous-chefs/?fbclid=IwAR1nvxBd7m_0oH3TviCS7civXPz-OW09x4k5mgUcySIjp-Ol70cKTgI7s0Y">First Look: A New Docuseries Highlights Leading Indigenous Chefs</a></h3>
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This is really exciting. A few posts back, I discussed The Sioux Chef and his personal story about the Harvest Time Celebration (Thanksgiving.) It seems we only think about Indigenous people, culture and food this time of year. So, for a whole tv series to launch focusing on three chefs is exciting. </div>
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<a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/alter-native-kitchen/">This link takes you to a few short videos about the chefs, some of the topics, and even one on what the elders think. </a> The series introduces (me) to Navajo/Diné Chef <a href="https://www.yazziethechef.com/">Brian Yazzie</a>, Hawaiian Chef Kalā Domingo, and Pawnee–Athabaskian Chef <a href="https://www.icollectiveinc.org/chefs-cooks">Hillel Echo-Hawk</a>. Echo-Hawk is part of the Icollective "an autonomous group of Indigenous chefs, activists, herbalists, seed, and knowledge keepers."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGzQOVZocRMhmHW-pOpeVjAMzqGGxXY-5g45ak3lmQ0E0Rj7qKecjRIK61LwuoCRpbYYFRP8yijdA82m7WpOBrysn-RSpt8LWbBJjndoukBRO89l0ZLwg1O7Ugss5lmgMNWRy/s1600/indigenous+elders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="790" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGzQOVZocRMhmHW-pOpeVjAMzqGGxXY-5g45ak3lmQ0E0Rj7qKecjRIK61LwuoCRpbYYFRP8yijdA82m7WpOBrysn-RSpt8LWbBJjndoukBRO89l0ZLwg1O7Ugss5lmgMNWRy/s320/indigenous+elders.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Gwaaganad (Diane Brown) washes a 42-foot monumental pole.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/05/07/features/indigenous-matriarchs-stand-together-dark-times?fbclid=IwAR3rcT8W6RfLH3JnlmIzSvYU1UBBrdWgmjsRIV5TgJgW-COPGCb4VrxJuds">Indigenous matriarchs stand together in dark times</a></h3>
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This is so beautiful. Not only are the youth moving. I'm beginning to see more elders stepping up to offer guidance and support. Eight women were chosen due to their lifelong commitments to their cultures and communities by The Spirit Aligned Leadership Program. They come from from across North America. Started in 2017, they will become the second circle of legacy leaders who will strengthen their sisterhood, share their life teachings, and plan pathways forward. The women are Haida, Cheyenne, Cherokee, Ojibwe, Ute and beyond.</div>
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<a href="https://www.jns.org/israeli-students-win-award-for-making-honey-without-bees/?fbclid=IwAR0ylY77Iift9aHBGRhKgGXk1SmHHm-HcNr52RbVOs4ksZZK-HaNRTCJrsw">Israeli students win award for making honey without bees</a></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">In contrast...no. Not award worthy at all. We don't solve the problems of breaking the <i>Earth</i> by using technology to <i>replicate</i> nature. This is almost first in line to win the award for <i>all the idiotic ways to harness one's intelligence. </i>It's very telling, though... how White people think about the future. A majority of people are not in their future. Technology can replace all of the<i> Undesirables. </i>Doesn't that award really belong to someone who is saving the bees? The article is worth reading to simply unpack the level at which corporations are operating to influence and determine an agenda set by the world's most elite.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/ultra-orthodox-rabbi-openly-transgender-abby-stein-shares-her-story-n1085951?fbclid=IwAR3B8n0nLwnqaIW1tgc_bquPXZLzIUBnzqRS0KHhO-b5DtHGdbZvUBurbgY">From ultra-Orthodox rabbi to openly transgender: Abby Stein shares her story</a></h3>
Abby Stein grew up in a very closed Hasidic community in Brooklyn. Her membership in the tenth-Baal Shem Tov, (founders of the Hasidic movement) goes back ten generations. In 2015, Stein came out as a woman, and she now works as a trans activist. In spite of speaking only Hebrew and having controlled and limited internet access, she managed to find information on being transgender. She wrote a book about her experience, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Eve-Journey-Ultra-Orthodox-Transgender-ebook/dp/B07PCPLG7T">Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VlfzpnAhBoLC1pscNYjsQWXsY5zDFCMErv1VrdoWyRLcbpc2eeihw9xKP43nfjaHt2huPDmOPUS8HdvarQbtjur9c4OSb22URJ81YpoE5J9inSO_aCl8id4pA-mUHwnzGwLN/s1600/scottish+wildcat.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VlfzpnAhBoLC1pscNYjsQWXsY5zDFCMErv1VrdoWyRLcbpc2eeihw9xKP43nfjaHt2huPDmOPUS8HdvarQbtjur9c4OSb22URJ81YpoE5J9inSO_aCl8id4pA-mUHwnzGwLN/s1600/scottish+wildcat.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<br />Other stuff I read:</h3>
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<a href="https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/scottish-wildcats-to-be-reintroduced-in-the-highlands-to-stave-off-extinction-1-5048273?fbclid=IwAR0zDSJghn3HvGDFC-mpBckqxN8a8zVVGU4KHduriYbiSuv-aDmBIcMaptY">Scottish wildcats to be reintroduced in the Highlands to stave off extinction</a></div>
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<a href="https://deadline.com/2019/09/dark-shadows-cw-warner-bros-television-barnabas-collins-mark-b-perry-dan-curtis-1202729676/?fbclid=IwAR0IH7i8Vl1BZibRnQintzlzZsd556j6E7QeyntYQb9grDj0bgfTNSIs26k">‘Dark Shadows’ Gets New Blood With Sequel Series In the Works At the CW From Writer Mark B. Perry</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.wideopeneats.com/15-cast-iron-skillet-bread-recipes/?fbclid=IwAR1n-7yL03lXAymg-hya5IbArhw33g74KNZ7ZDIZ8UB-InL815UuuW0HgzM">Techniques to make bread fast in a cast iron skillet. </a> (Ignore all the blatant ads.)<br />
<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/mother-teresas-charity-being-investigated-child-trafficking-1027780?fbclid=IwAR3girUznuCHS4Ai1s5TND7AT2U8teElVidCODk0mObzZ0q06WzcoS1-O6I"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/mother-teresas-charity-being-investigated-child-trafficking-1027780?fbclid=IwAR3girUznuCHS4Ai1s5TND7AT2U8teElVidCODk0mObzZ0q06WzcoS1-O6I">We all new Mother Theresa was no saint. But, wait! There's more!</a><br />
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-16556111478127349212019-11-21T17:14:00.001-05:002019-11-21T18:42:19.536-05:00The Daily Read: Orgasmic Mushrooms Debunked, Glyphosate Explained, Black Goths, Invisible Chains, Vampires, Paintings Without Canvas, Black Poets, Dr Who<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://huffpost.com/entry/mushroom-female-orgasm_n_561ec498e4b050c6c4a42e2d">Bad News For Women Who Want Those Orgasm-Inducing Mushrooms</a></h3>
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I saw <a href="https://www.foodbeast.com/news/mushgasm/?fbclid=IwAR19rp2zE70MrwhTpowzIomf3p5oRs6DiQuRwju_4cxvlQzsJV3x0CAZVeE">an article</a> about some Hawaiian mushrooms which make women orgasm. It was a misogynistic article celebrating nature and rape culture. Seriously, I really imagine the author thought they were writing exclusively for a group of frat boys in a locker room and that nobody else was reading. The article brought out the fact checker in me like a beast. I do have to say, though, that they worked really hard. Their two links clicked through led to actual scientific journals. But, when I went to read the studies, guess what wasn't there? You got it right, the studies. Just goes to show, read everything critically. Chase down the studies. Check the scientific process. Read the findings. Get a secondary source. And better yet, just read the article before posting it. </div>
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So, why did I go chasing down the studies? A few days ago, my child and I were sitting around having our usual cool morning check-in with each other. He told me about a science study that he'd read which concluded women dream in color and men dream in black & white/less color.<br />
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He stated that he dreams in color. (Well, of course he does, he's totally engaged with protecting the fullness of his humanity.) So, I told him to ask his Dad. And lo! His Dad dreams in less color/black and white. This made us wonder if children dream in color or in black and white/less color. And if their dreams changed color with the onset of puberty? And do trans people dream in themselves or their assigned gender? We did an informal poll in a group of friends and the results debunked whatever article he had read. </div>
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Regardless, I think our discussion yielded a more important takeaway than chasing down studies in click-bait. <b>It brings up the larger issue of scientific studies and inclusivity. If these mushrooms caused women to orgasm, were the scientists transgender inclusive? Shouldn't any scientific study which is determined to gender something include everyone?</b><br />
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<b><br /></b><a href="https://www.out.com/print/2019/11/20/trans-obituaries-project-honoring-trans-women-color-lost-2019?fbclid=IwAR23AYjiByRC8p2oLMBOTXP74nAYeVj0tHYalRW5ycptOiU4UBq7A5A7pj0#media-gallery-media-1">The Trans Obituaries Project: Honoring the Trans Women of Color Lost in 2019</a></h3>
This is a whole pause and take a moment article. Illustrated by Jacob Stead, these small glimpses of the vibrant people we've lost are moving. If you are on a computer, it might be interesting to listen to this interview from Democracy Now about <a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2019/11/20/transgender_day_of_remembrance_lala_b">Transgender Day of Remembrance: “Celebrate the Living” While Honoring Loved Ones Lost to Hate</a>. If you don't know or love a person who moves beyond binary, it is easy to get fixated on the tragedy and death. The best question to ask oneself - today, the day after the day of remembrance is what I doing to support life? </div>
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<a href="https://www.post-punk.com/goth-so-white-black-representation-in-the-post-punk-scene/?fbclid=IwAR0x7IqOLZDMoSSnKMwcqiFV9jmXXd9Amb1zPE_rBM200AYMsy80Q3rqF7Q">Goth So White? | Black representation in the Post-Punk Scene</a></h3>
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In high school and college, I was into punk and new wave. Always the lone Black girl doing what I wanted when I wanted. My brother and I had a funny laugh about it the other day. He recalled wanted to go out with me one night I was off to see something like Gina Sue Cotton and The Banshees. And I told him, he was not going out dressed as he was and proceeded to tear his clothing apart and safety pin it back together and patch it back together. LOL! </div>
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One of the things I like most about the invention of the internet has been its ability to connect people who otherwise felt disconnected. More importantly, for Black people, it makes it easier to document that #WeHaveAlwaysBeenEverywhere. <a href="https://afropunk.com/2016/05/op-ed-living-colour-bad-brains-and-fishbone-made-history-fighting-back-against-the-gentrification-of-rock-soundcheck/?fbclid=IwAR3DZv01feZNggiL41LtrTDaAFMK-1q7tULua3agKXEVmKXjuqoqXMeUbDY">Afro-Punk has a great article about Black Punks.</a> </div>
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Along came my husband and the goth scene. (Even though he was a bit more industrial than Goth, Pittsburgh had a goth scene. It's been about 17 years since I've been out to a Goth club. My husband and I were one of the few Black folks in Pittsburgh who participated in the Goth scene. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcikliFTcaptvruQzv-2yQ5eFF2z0oN_lZmW0I4y8VDqcG9fV2_1h9wyunPPZNu8zotarcMMuoFSlgW_5waUeT0g9LhV3BwALhj9e0cQmR-nmFN2SLTcWF_LOJehmJ1BSO7qE/s1600/invisible+chains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcikliFTcaptvruQzv-2yQ5eFF2z0oN_lZmW0I4y8VDqcG9fV2_1h9wyunPPZNu8zotarcMMuoFSlgW_5waUeT0g9LhV3BwALhj9e0cQmR-nmFN2SLTcWF_LOJehmJ1BSO7qE/s320/invisible+chains.jpg" width="320" /></a>Back then, a lot of folks thought we were some White-acting Black people because of our active engagement with the whole wide world... a diverse selection of music, funky cool clothes (which we often made ourselves,) fantastical creatures, love of mythology and history, comic books, role playing games and technology. </div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Chains-Michelle-Renee-Lane/dp/1949140032">Invisible Chains</a></h3>
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The Pittsburgh goth scene was where we met our friend Michelle Renee Lane, author of Invisible Chains. Michelle is an exceptionally bright woman with a honed and sharp sense of humor. She occupies her brown body with with a sense of peace and certainty about the importance of her individuality. She was a relief and a validation to me. So, when her book was published last year, I was and remain ecstatic. I'm so incredibly proud of this work she created. So, enjoy the above article about the young people. And be thankful to all of us old heads who held space for you by buying Michelle's book. As you can see from the picture, I have bought and read it myself. </div>
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From the website:</div>
"Jacqueline is a young Creole slave in antebellum New Orleans. An unusual stranger who has haunted her dreams since childhood comes to stay as a guest in her master’s house. Soon after his arrival, members of the household die mysteriously, and Jacqueline is suspected of murder. Despite her fear of the stranger, Jacqueline befriends him and he helps her escape. While running from the slave catchers, they meet conjurers, a loup-garou, and a traveling circus of supernatural freaks. She relies on ancestral magic to guide her and finds strength to conquer her fears on her journey."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAv3RFVe5EHlvRBG9ti_r_6cHJ7PKbQ_9uRL4fZ82e3BQW4DPl2bdC2jjGNxByitx_pbscpxaaCLuntxlK9kDwQRIlyoDK9dTsbgJi6niEXAqBGY7Q945xQWw5dRCloLkiLrq/s1600/Jackson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAv3RFVe5EHlvRBG9ti_r_6cHJ7PKbQ_9uRL4fZ82e3BQW4DPl2bdC2jjGNxByitx_pbscpxaaCLuntxlK9kDwQRIlyoDK9dTsbgJi6niEXAqBGY7Q945xQWw5dRCloLkiLrq/s320/Jackson.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">“Turtle, Phoenix, Pleasures” (2019), Suzanne Jackson</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/t-magazine/suzanne-jackson-artist.html?fbclid=IwAR0x3LVhKvX4hEapKlY6hkxxaEpu95ztt9OCHQAJEnRQZoTY3Oua6Ox_bs8">An Artist Who Makes Paintings Without a Canvas</a></h3>
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This week has been rich feast! Delicious and magnificent. Really enjoy this article about Suzanne Jackson. I wish I had the privilege of meeting her at <a href="https://cavecanempoets.org/">Cave Canem</a>. What inspired me? The fact that she has pushed the medium of acrylic paint to achieve such luminous, evocative abstracts. Her work feels unfettered to me with an artistic freedom only faith and ingenuity can deliver. It's a great interview. Well worth your time. </div>
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<a href="http://www.offbeat.com/news/poet-and-author-kalamu-ya-salaam-to-receive-literary-achievement-award/?fbclid=IwAR0ica-XIt7-fNPAaCWtPUbXSYZ-LJJJbE6N_fbXsLKvYWEjEMq2hrbtJIg#.XdYFBp30bCQ.facebook">Poet And Author Kalamu Ya Salaam To Receive Literary Achievement Award</a></h3>
This news, after the announcement of <a href="https://www.moma.org/artists/5102">Betye Saar's first exhibit at MOMA</a>, gives me hope that this will be a year in which those elders who have diligently stayed true to their muse and artistic mission will be honored and recognized. New Orleans author, essayist, poet and activist Kalamu ya Salaam will be a recipient of <a href="https://www.penoakland.com/">PEN Oakland</a>‘s Josephine Miles Awards. It's about time. If you are the kind of person who digs deep into Black poetry, you know his work and you know it well. Because I love history, I have come to notice a few things. In every arts scene, to truly understand its stars, you must also know the voices that surround them and inform who they are. Art, politics and its personalities often decide who spends time shining and who labors in love regardless of accolade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNZNODOGqScNQQNluh0f7i1ldqvbixniLtc4epWQ3629bDekZAAYiWDAcxHX0o7KTb4beckzzUAr5AUWERjjDkRwqtY34pf50AaF8pMJfkFBLjNRjIF0vwkiSOjt58zZwXrJu/s1600/Reed_Ishmael_900x600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNZNODOGqScNQQNluh0f7i1ldqvbixniLtc4epWQ3629bDekZAAYiWDAcxHX0o7KTb4beckzzUAr5AUWERjjDkRwqtY34pf50AaF8pMJfkFBLjNRjIF0vwkiSOjt58zZwXrJu/s320/Reed_Ishmael_900x600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Author, Ishmael Reed</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.publicbooks.org/writing-for-a-global-audience-an-interview-with-poet-ishmael-reed/?utm_content=buffer7b445&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR1-EP7D03ehuZwSTJmx0hD1qOmDTJXNfYqu3LF9L-Hx-K-2CG4A7lQ4BaU">Writing For A Global Audience, An Interview With Ishmael Reed</a></h3>
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Ishmael Reed is prolific! It's hard to keep up with all his writings. But, when you do catch up, it's worth it. He is the author of one of my <i>heart books</i> (a book I return to again and again.) I don't know about you, but, reading interviews with excellent artists always emboldens me. This section of the article spoke to me. "When I was living in New York, I was a token-in-waiting, but when they chose to anoint me, I said that there were Black writers who were as good as me. I left New York for the West. I wish all tokens would make that announcement. bell hooks said that white feminists told her that in order to succeed, she had to write for them. As a result of tokenism, generations of Black writers who write as well or better have been obscured. It’s all political."</div>
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<a href="https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a29107354/afro-latinos-puerto-rico-magazine/?fbclid=IwAR3FvlvRPNUWiwP6y2tVPbXBzHeT-NY-wEwXu3TH_r2rAPkCKWJToG3GGFE">This Afro-Latina Started a Magazine in Puerto Rico to Celebrate Black Beauty</a></h3>
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Colorism is a Thiiiing! Especially in the Afra-Latina community where <i>light is bright. </i>The perfect body must make clear that Africa has been subdued and colonized. The perfect body must only gaze through through the mist at ghosts from Taino genocide. What then of those of us who do not conform? Well, read the story of Sacha Antonetty-Lebrón. This is what we do. Keep pushing forward and demanding our right to thrive. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLLvtuWBOZmu6Z-s7IWhhWYmfSA0PA2VwrH1DDwZZvxSd7_T4400Fb0P7Jm8VsC-1_JQJljIN3hJF2AdiEeZrDsW8TLwylCSZmit81YK3BqLYh69DDVYy60Uh5XcgUwKFjb7u/s1600/partake.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLLvtuWBOZmu6Z-s7IWhhWYmfSA0PA2VwrH1DDwZZvxSd7_T4400Fb0P7Jm8VsC-1_JQJljIN3hJF2AdiEeZrDsW8TLwylCSZmit81YK3BqLYh69DDVYy60Uh5XcgUwKFjb7u/s320/partake.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The founder's daughter looking at their new snack packs.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://partakefoods.com/blogs/news/glyphosate-the-worlds-most-used-herbicide-explained">Glyphosate, the world's most-used herbicide (you've never heard of), explained.</a></h3>
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How did I know to pay attention to glyphosate? Cookies. Anyone who followed me on Facebook knows that I've been in love with a cookie company for about two years. <a href="https://partakefoods.com/">Partake Foods</a> is a Black and woman owned company who deliver tasty cookies that are gluten free, vegan, kosher and free of the top eight allergens. </div>
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They started the company when they discovered that their daughter had severe food allergies. With a whole lot of love and determination, the decided to develop a suitable substitute so that she could participate in all of her childhood activities without standing out. </div>
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A few days ago, they announced that their cookies are officially certified glyphosate free. Amazing. They are so ahead of the game. Learn even more about the effect of this chemical in an interview on their blog with Dr. <a href="https://drbojana.com/about/">Bojana Jankovic Weatherly</a>, an award-winning physician who is double board certified in internal and integrative medicine. </div>
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<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/roundup-cancer-1882187755.html?fbclid=IwAR1dusGr1JZJXI3DmLcJ6R4yS6mdztQhxgBJFyDdF0z7YBYNna5Oiq5pdlI">Why Is Glyphosate Sprayed on Crops Right Before Harvest?</a></h3>
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Why do I care? Well, this article does a great job summarizing <a href="https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-016-0070-0">this study published in Environmental Sciences Europe</a> by Charles M. Benbrook, a former research professor at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University. (Okay. Real science established.) Last year, it would seem, that both the World Health Organization and the state of California classified it as a probable carcinogen. There is also a growing body of research which shows that it is an "endocrine disruptor and that it kills beneficial gut bacteria, damages the DNA in human embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells and is linked to birth defects and reproductive problems in laboratory animals."<br />
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Meanwhile,<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/world/asia/indonesia-tofu-dioxin-plastic.html?fbclid=IwAR0gBooYpyNVMGBbVfS77xD1pi2L3-BvHC-HAxVd12TJyFY1IMUo_elbBnI">To Make This Tofu, Start by Burning Toxic Plastic</a> </h3>
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Our belief that other countries should pay the price for our failure to adapt causes environmental mayhem. In this case, the plastic terrorism is happening in Indonesia. The tofu they make is probably not sold to us. But, it is a staple for people in many Asian countries. </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://unofficialnetworks.com/2019/11/18/barrow-alaska-winter/?fbclid=IwAR2CUrRx1v_qyn2zOp8t5cyhU57qaY0kGfFhPvh8Dxc6WRTTCPtCscm28mY">The Sun Will Set In Barrow, Alaska This Afternoon And Won't Rise Again Until 2020</a></h3>
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Be grateful for your light. It's a cloudy day today in Pittsburgh. I never much minded cloudy days. In fact, I missed them fiercely when I lived in California. I used to refer to the weather as <i>relentless sunshine</i>. In the winter, though, I dislike the early sunset. What many people in the Northern Hemisphere experience in the winter is unimaginable to me. So, when the sun sets around 5PM tonight, I will think of these folks. I will remember to be grateful for the end of my cloudy day. </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-11-20/doctor-who-series-12-lenny-henry-stephen-fry/?fbclid=IwAR07oWS3Z0Be0jc0sZnzNlVGdAkwRNmXr4r_FSLMhUF8RYBN5WAwz0l1cRg">Lenny Henry and Stephen Fry confirmed to star in new Doctor Who series</a></h3>
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It's Doctor Who news. You have to share it.</div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-47407187654349369922019-11-20T21:58:00.000-05:002019-11-20T21:58:21.736-05:00The Daily Read: Barbados /Pittsburgh environmentalism, Alison and Betye Saar, Black Vegans, Tiny Seahorses, Black Composers, Indigenous People Of Norway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCz2oFZYRADHOe1Dt9cTY5C5Am9KMFY0NZsXiVN0KpPHlQmgwRike1iMzH2qxWVCPB0KiHVSt3sB9Fs-tNXrtQJC1aOi1GqaAiy5zXWKV3zd0lhKi5_EyxvpqLv3mRzZyVuLz/s1600/fall+saa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCz2oFZYRADHOe1Dt9cTY5C5Am9KMFY0NZsXiVN0KpPHlQmgwRike1iMzH2qxWVCPB0KiHVSt3sB9Fs-tNXrtQJC1aOi1GqaAiy5zXWKV3zd0lhKi5_EyxvpqLv3mRzZyVuLz/s320/fall+saa.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alison Saar, Fall</td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.publicsource.org/the-pittsburgh-group-challenging-the-suppression-of-the-black-and-environmental-identity/?fbclid=IwAR36howlLXr_GJP0w1yxdlSeeTQlAN2VDjO2gcCmeZ2IBws_gP4v6g5r7ts">Learning from Barbados, Pittsburgh collective builds local model for Black environmentalism</a></h3>
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My family's Bajan identity was incredibly strong. Our connection to the land was important to us. </div>
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That made a huge impact on me, especially witnessing my cousins as I grew up. We would go "home." There is nothing like being in a well run Black-majority country. There is a palpable energy. As a child, I loved Barbados. I remember sitting in the tamarind tree with my cousin. (Yuck!) My other cousin could scale a coconut tree. I was so impressed. They had a different relationship to the land than we did. Those visits informed how I constructed my identity.</div>
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I remember my mother once saying that her mother came because she had not inherited land. The story has changed over time. Regardless, my grandmother, after emigrating the the U.S. went on to become a realtor. When I was a young adult, my grandmother once asked how I was doing. </div>
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I said something like, "I have a cute house..." </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLcNpahQbiIHLyKa25mCjjWI4W68NO4od0bHRoO1F3A5zDcwa2O5I96VpHhpma_Ro940sB9q_BFqB_eQ1GmXF26wGJVeG7qMAdmb9YXJOkOsRlqdQH9qEj45z_wCKeC-MljWt/s1600/Bussa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLcNpahQbiIHLyKa25mCjjWI4W68NO4od0bHRoO1F3A5zDcwa2O5I96VpHhpma_Ro940sB9q_BFqB_eQ1GmXF26wGJVeG7qMAdmb9YXJOkOsRlqdQH9qEj45z_wCKeC-MljWt/s320/Bussa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of slave Bussa from the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bussa%27s_rebellion">Bussa Rebellion</a><br />
in 1816 in Barbados </td></tr>
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She stopped me right there. "You own this house?" </div>
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"No, but..." I responded, preparing to go on.</div>
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"When you tell me you own your property, I'll know you are fine." She said. Then she turned around and went to make us a cup of tea. </div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://bombmagazine.org/articles/thread-to-the-word-alison-saar/?fbclid=IwAR0xlsYSO8cMNeEzIP9gaCchYlwLWkjnpBPzc3gbcqQpiq_sZGYJzW9VNq8">Thread to the Word: Alison Saar by Hadley Roach</a></h3>
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Alison Saar (right hand side above) This artwork speaks to me in such a deep and personal way. The above article got me so excited. And this art connect me to that article. My father used to once describe Black and Indigenous people as "People Of The Earth." He meant that culturally, we had a different relationship to the Earth than Europeans. Our connection to the land was enough of a distinction, to him, to distinguish us from other groups.<br />
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This interview with the daughter of Betye Saar is tremendously insightful. I love reading about her thought process. I love hearing about her life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Betye Saar, Black Girl's Window</td></tr>
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(LEARN & GROW!!! Learn about her mother, who at <span style="color: red;">93</span> is receiving her <i>first ever</i> exhibition at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/17/arts/design/betye-saar-moma.html">Betye Saar at MoMA: Prelude to a Revolutionary Breakthrough</a>) Bet those articles last week about <a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-fe-bma-female-artists-2020-20191115-33s5hjjnqfghzhmwkt7dqbargq-story.html">Baltimore only buying women artists</a> and the first Black curator make more sense now.<br />
MOMA. </div>
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<a href="https://nowtoronto.com/movies/features/disney-frozen-2-indigenous-culture-sami/">Disney signed a contract with Indigenous people before making Frozen II</a></h3>
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Not trying to be decisive, just honest. But, kind of like America has no problem with immigrants from Europe, so to does Disney care about Indigenous people in Europe. It's a good thing, though. The Sami should be recognized and compensated. I became interested in them when they showed up at Standing Rock to stand in solidarity with the Water Protectors. They made real change happen in Norway by getting <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/17/sami-dakota-access-pipeline-norway-pension-fund-divest">the Norwegian government to divest their pension fund. </a></div>
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<a href="https://roaring.earth/seahorse-grain-of-rice/?utm_source=sharebuttons&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=mashshare&fbclid=IwAR3MOfFUNbqUIQezFoD8CPSsVIQWTEXa5OnafBYxUpoLaxqP8HpZeLgK9XM">Newly-Discovered Tiny Seahorse is Size of a Grain of Rice</a></h3>
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So cute. Nature is wonderful. </div>
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<a href="https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/black-composers-who-made-classical-music-history/?fbclid=IwAR3VVThbNBR4Sp_J3_5zyRSfMNUfUbvoKOdtJF6pw3VpFduy8UkweQcT1z0">8 black composers who changed the course of classical music history</a></h3>
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Of course I clicked this link. Le Chevalier de Saint Georges has been a favorite since <a href="https://christinaspringer.blogspot.com/2008/02/history-at-home-8-silken-words.html">this really old blog post.</a> I came back to blogging again partially because my son stumbled on an old post and was incredibly moved by it. I think the most important this about this article is that it may introduce you some important music. But, also to the understanding that #WeHaveAlwaysBeenEverywhere. </div>
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<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-gastronomy/how-carob-traumatized-a-generation?utm_campaign=falcon&utm_medium=social&utm_brand=tny&mbid=social_facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_social-type=owned&fbclid=IwAR2CqJ319g4rTd0Iu_EHLJ4VbE1pTrmZBjqH3J1IKuiKxNaZPdELi01jyC8">How Carob Traumatized a Generation</a></h3>
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Ha! This is good fun. </div>
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<a href="http://aph%20ko%20on%20speciesism%20as%20an%20extension%20of%20white%20supremacy/">Aph Ko on Speciesism as an Extension of White Supremacy</a></h3>
Fascinating thought.<br />
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<i>“[V]eganism isn’t just about kicking a meat-eating habit and getting some veggies into your diet. It’s a powerful rejection of a racist food system and a racist, cannibalistic politics that characterizes animals and nonwhite people as disposable and consumable. This is why anti-racist theory matters in our efforts to free animals. The goal isn’t just to get people to replace chicken with tofu (although that’s a great start). The goal is to get the public to understand why animals matter on a political and ethical level. The goal is to reveal how the current power structure relies upon anti-Black and anti-animal ideologies to strengthen itself.” -excerpt from Racism as Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out, by Aph Ko</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvu45mgYH0PCUQ-JcgIup_IhIK2XcMLNVE2DFPsijIxA0o6GnFBTFd4llXfTXRJIHF4Lw3uQUF2syNKzQEvRZaroUF2VRXJ9FdoA3XJf_psw05yeLz9TKo0A0ZOM1uxsUoj_-/s1600/medieval+death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvu45mgYH0PCUQ-JcgIup_IhIK2XcMLNVE2DFPsijIxA0o6GnFBTFd4llXfTXRJIHF4Lw3uQUF2syNKzQEvRZaroUF2VRXJ9FdoA3XJf_psw05yeLz9TKo0A0ZOM1uxsUoj_-/s320/medieval+death.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><a href="https://www.thepoke.co.uk/2017/05/16/medieval-death-bot-posting-people-medieval-england-died-fascinating/?fbclid=IwAR2aOPLjCEBWEKDm4k5-vIUGmjvCJ4FbYuTFyg6yW7YEVtLR0MewiX4rzgs">Medieval Death Bot is posting how people in medieval England died and it’s fascinating</a></h3>
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This is just way too much fun. And what was with all the baby killing sows? And why are their prices so widely divergent. And who knew that someone's fundament is their ass?</div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-28981406963433270352019-11-19T21:11:00.000-05:002019-11-19T21:20:55.777-05:00The Daily Read: Paris Is Burning Rerelease, Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, Tea Party Disco, Florida Voting Rights, Nazi Killing Teenage Girls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/11/18/paris-is-burning-rerelease-new-footage-jennie-livingston-30-year-anniversary/?fbclid=IwAR0TRqRBmvWKYSnuXpkoQpcJgy2Sz-K-2hy_7thw1bYeOZYjjiwuOyk1NDE" target="_blank">Paris is Burning is being re-released with a full hour of unseen footage</a></h3>
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I can not believe that Paris Is Burning is turning 30 years old. I saw it in a movie theater at a film festival. It was the first thing I turned to when the series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7562112/" target="_blank">Pose</a> began. I turned to my son and said something like, "this has already been done." Which it hadn't. Sometimes, this strange urge comes over a parent to exclaim loudly and for no good reason, <i>Hey, I was cool once. </i>I'm really lucky my son actually thinks I was pretty cool once and could be awarded that status every now and again. But, it is one of those things older people have to say every now and then. So, I did. Regardless, it will be interesting to watch it again with the new footage. But, part of me will notice that nothing much has changed for Black gender non-conforming queers.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JHL7BTekJyfgYzRp_QnApVxGtbHA-8TilKjkvEBho2DQEyu6U7JaY_kPYNWBvbT36OHurPcwEyfk81ljJpn0a-th1EgDl2OKwmX7LgCErxh_c1RjiqyNt7nnMUTsgPzbq0ov/s1600/indigenous+fashion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1155" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3JHL7BTekJyfgYzRp_QnApVxGtbHA-8TilKjkvEBho2DQEyu6U7JaY_kPYNWBvbT36OHurPcwEyfk81ljJpn0a-th1EgDl2OKwmX7LgCErxh_c1RjiqyNt7nnMUTsgPzbq0ov/s320/indigenous+fashion.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dress by<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%C2%A0http://www.angelademontigny.com/">Angela DeMontigny</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.citynews1130.com/2019/11/18/vancouver-indigenous-fashion-week-kicks-off-tonight-with-gala/?fbclid=IwAR3tpja11RaayeoQP8-9sP2PYCoRLiBhK49A8RGMzJAWYWLONfx9aDkM_Y0" target="_blank">Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week kicks off tonight with gala</a></h3>
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Sometimes, the best part of an article are the click throughs. The first click takes you to <a href="http://vifw.webflow.io/" target="_blank">the event page </a> from there are links to individual designer's web pages. It is nice to see a full blown spectacle documenting Indigenous designers after years of European designers ripping off everything from textile patterns handed down from mother to daughter through the generations to traditional jewelry. It happened in 2015 when <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-wednesday-edition-1.3336554/nunavut-family-outraged-after-fashion-label-copies-sacred-inuit-design-1.3336560" target="_blank">a Nunavut family became outraged after a fashion label copied their sacred design</a>. And again when <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/jun/17/mexican-mixe-blouse-isabel-marant" target="_blank">a Mexican family sued </a>Marant’s Etoile for a blouse in their collection. It's gotten so bad out here for Indigenous people that <a href="https://qz.com/896520/the-maasai-want-their-brand-back/" target="_blank">the The Maasai want their brand back.</a></div>
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In addition, they are not shying away from politics or the ugly realities of their community. The whole event kicked off with The Red Dress Event which was "in honour of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, girls LGBQ, and Two Spirit community." Do you ever think you'd see such a thing on a Paris runway? I think not. </div>
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While we're talking about fashion, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/essence-magazine-bought-by-shea-moisture-founder-returns-100-percent-black-ownership-1071575?fbclid=IwAR038erZjW40_0co_lzQfX0Qz-LWMlWpjXlM8rlqIctvv2gsspAVqY-_hAQ" target="_blank">Shea Moisture Founder Buys Essence Magazine, Returns to 100 Percent Black Ownership.</a> Let's see what that does (if anything.) All skinfolk aren't kinfolk. It would be nice to see them go in the same hard hitting political direction <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Welteroth" target="_blank">Elaine Welteroth</a> to <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/2020-presidential-candidates-dismantle-school-to-prison-deportation-pipeline" target="_blank">Teen Vogue. </a><br />
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<a href="https://mypositiveoutlooks.com/nightclub-for-the-elderly-is-fighting-loneliness-with-tea-party-disco/?fbclid=IwAR2rBf3rnGkpN4PrC3RuJOFqiGHKzqxBeMwV1em8-TgaSm88t0icI53f4Ks">This nightclub for the elderly is fighting loneliness with tea party disco</a></h3>
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Wonderful. Leave it to the country which had a baby disco to create the Posh Club. When we lived in London, a pub in Stoke Newington used to have a monthly "Baby Disco." They opened the door around 5PM, hired a dj, and the toddlers hit the dance floor. It was fantastic. What I always found amusing is you could tell which scene the child's parents had been in before Lil One came along and ended their club days. We had little rave kids, hip hop kids, goths and punks all dressed much like their parents would have been dressed when they went out. When we returned to Pittsburgh, we tried to start the same thing, Club Family. But, alas, this is Pittsburgh. (See below.) Regardless, I am so excited to learn of Posh Club. Now, I have to consider how to get back to England for my late-in-life. (Also, see below.) Because yes, after all the kids are out there living their very best life, I intend to be dancing.</div>
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<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pittsburgh-worst-place-black-women_n_5dc5cb5ee4b0fcfb7f662842?fbclid=IwAR2GkTMUP8KsXsAZeMEaunnpr_iA-OUwAXsXNN5h3Z_FM0A9yLM0FJ2EPeE">My City Was Named The ‘Worst Place For Black Women To Live.’ Is That My Cue To Leave?</a></h3>
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Wherein one thinks one is going to get an answer and finds themselves thinking they should have taken the time to write this piece. But, this author did such a fabulous job, now one can use their time for other things.</div>
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/09/us/florida-felon-voting-rocket-docket.html?mc=aud_dev&ad-keywords=auddevgate&subid1=TAFI&ad_name=INTER_20_XXXX_XXX_1P_CD_XX_XX_SITEVISITXREM_X_XXXX_COUSA_P_X_X_EN_FBIG_OA_XXXX_00_EN_JP_NFLINKS&adset_name=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2019%2F11%2F09%2Fus%2Fflorida-felon-voting-rocket-docket.html&campaign_id=23843902735120063&fbclid=IwAR058KQdo64EKhVtVtxnn6q3tcnL0981cf81G5PHqPHp1oNPD39j8UOHmD8" target="_blank">‘A Proud Day’: Ex-Felons Clear Final Hurdle to Vote</a></h3>
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Florida really needs to stop being a joke. The whole country was watching when they passed Amendment 4 which allowed felons to vote. As we all know, a disproportionate amount of Black folks are incarcerated. So, having been convicted of a felony, in essence, disenfranchises Black people. Modern Republicans really don't want Black people to vote. So they passed a different law to disenfranchise Black people.</div>
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If you are following along, yesterday, we read about Wisconsin's <i>prison gerrymandering. </i>This is a<i> </i> system where they can benefit from federal funds specifically targeted to assist areas with a high density of Black people. But, those funds don't benefit Black people because all of the Black people in that district are incarcerated. Seems like a 20th century <a href="https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/the-three-fifths-compromise-rationalizing-the-irrational/" target="_blank">3/5ths Compromise,</a> doesn't it?</div>
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Well, Florida create <i>rocket dockets</i> to get rid of the fines through the court system. This way, former get a certification stating clearly that they have no financial obligations and are eligible to vote. It's a fascinating article.<br />
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<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannawiest/2019/11/04/millennials-hate-phone-calls-they-have-a-point/?utm_source=FACEBOOK&utm_medium=social&utm_term=Valerie%2F&fbclid=IwAR1cdAF8SZbvITYaHGx1rR6Fj5CZZColXTjh8A_k9aNqxO2g2dLvPnVIOcs#505bebb7517e" target="_blank">Millennials Hate Phone Calls, And The Have A Point</a></h3>
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Or do they? It was Forbes. I thought it would be worth the read. I thought I would understand. I don't. Then again, I was always in agreement with Miss Manners that "the telephone is an inherently rude instrument." Yet, I prefer it to text. I think perhaps if millenials had paid more attention to Miss Manners and her philosophy about the assumption of other people's availability, this article might never have been written. </div>
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<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/nazi-germany-dutch-resistance-freddie-truus-oversteegen-hannie-schaft-a9188306.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3KZNDb-Kq903K5pRlmL47y4A7UW9ENQKLzfgifYcSVRfweaiSb8eLn3OM#Echobox=1573902840" target="_blank">The teenage girls who flirted with Nazis before luring them into woods and shooting them</a></h3>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-79639094182511410382019-11-19T13:27:00.003-05:002019-11-19T21:53:24.293-05:00God Does Love Ugly - Examining What Compels People To Remain Unloved & Bound By Family<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Until recently, I thought I understood the intention behind the phrase family is family. Recently, it has been used in the context of some new associates, but, in a manner which diverges greatly from my concept of family. It invited me to some soul searching. Especially since it's that season. <br />
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Over the next two months, thousands of people will resent feeling coerced to suffer time with their family of origin. They will politely (or rudely) endure relatives who impolitely deny the essential essence of core of their identity. Abuse will be tolerated. Or it won't be tolerated; screaming matches will occur; and the family member with the least standing (youngest) will be made to feel guilty for breathing. This same abused member will be threatened with shunning, at the worst , or threats to their ongoing physical wellbeing in the form of food and shelter. Coping mechanisms will be triggered. There will be anxiety. Depression will follow. It's ugly. <br />
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And yet, so many people do it. I don't understand. I wonder why. So, of course, I turned to the <a href="https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/family">dictionary</a>. What is family? It had a whole lot of definitions, most of which deal with biology. But, the section that caught my eye read "also denoting the servants of a household or the retinue of a nobleman): from Latin familia ‘household servants, family’, from famulus ‘servant’" In other words, the retinue attached to one dominant person. <br />
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I began to think about that one dominant person. They say <i>God don't like ugly.</i> Why would God force someone to remain attached to one dominant person if that dominant person is abusive or harmful? And even though I am not Christian, the Bible to mind. It's command "Honor thy father and mother" addresses the household part of the dictionary definition of family. But, why? Where did that commandment come from? <br />
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It quite literally says <a href="https://biblehub.com/niv/ephesians/6.htm">"father and mother</a>." That's where I took a wrong turn. Because full examination of the quote in its entirety, in combination with other references in the same text goes on to address the treatment of slaves and the importance of fathers, specifically, to not exasperate their children. This makes me say <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK5zqikbfUw">hmmmm, like Arsenio Hall.</a> So, I looked deeper. I am returned to that idea in the Latin familia of a singular dominant person, usually male, around whom all others congregate. </div>
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What is worse is that while reading interpretations of the Talmud and the Bible, I came to the conclusion that God does love ugly. One argument for honoring one's mother and father consists of an assertion that to honor God, one must honor their parents because the three of them are who caused you to come into being. But, the actual real reason any of these attitudes are in place is to uphold the State (Israel in their case) and the status quo. There has to be a hierarchy and in order to maintain dominance, the chain of command must be clearly established. By extension, this attitude extends to assgrabbing, homophobic Uncle Bob and Grandpa.</div>
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So my confusion about why people stay in unhealthy family situations is partially alleviated and explained. The concept of family being more important than self is ingrained and enshrined in the very structure of our society. </div>
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In my family of origin, there is no dominant person. I return often to an article titled <i>Who's Boss? Executive couples find balance is the key</i>, in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, April 15, 1985. My father is quoted as saying: </div>
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<i>"There is a high level of trust between us. We don't bog each other down with details. We value each other's judgement. One assumes that on a serious issue, serious judgement has been exercised." - Eric W. Springer</i></div>
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I keep a copy of the article in a frame, hung prominently in my home to remind me of of everything my family believes about how to be in a union. </div>
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My family of origin, while far from perfect, remain committed to participating in the on-going evolution of a person towards their highest self. We are concerned for each other's well being. There are rules. The rules are clearly communicated along with any consequences for breaking them. Live by the rules or don't, we still make sure the rule breaker knows we'll still be here when they figure it out. That comes with a certain amount of trust that they're smart enough to figure it out for themselves. <br />
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In addition, lifelong learning is a family value. Growing up, we engaged in lively and polite debate. We cited our sources often. More importantly, we actively listened to each other. (Actually, my parents actively listened to me as a teenager and young adult. I didn't learn to actively listen until I became a parent.) There was an element of fairness. If you could present an orderly and logical explanation of your reality, they would agree to honor it. Any cogent presentation of one's personal facts are at minimum entertained; and at the most, examined in a rigorous and collegiate manner. Sometimes, we agree to disagree. I had been taught that respect is reciprocal. It's that simple. </div>
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Every young adult struggles with the process of individuation. I have to admit, my process of individuation was loud, ugly and marred by a very bad case of White-Girl-Syndrome*. Regardless, my parents stood by me, never once becoming violent, abusive or threatening my physical wellbeing in the form of food and shelter. My father had so much patience and wisdom. He was like a storm chaser to my hurricane. I think it was because he integrated a Quaker boarding school in the 1940's. He knew what White girls looked and sounded like and he was unafraid. This is actually one of the favorite stories he tells. </div>
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<i>"It wasn't until I went away to boarding school that I ever heard someone say, 'I hate my parents.' I was shocked. Absolutely shocked. I couldn't imagine anyone ever thinking such a thing about their parents. . I thought, how could you hate your parents? What evil could a parent do to make one hate them? Surely parents are difficult. Certainly they can foil your plans. But, hate them? The idea never crossed my mind that a child could do such a thing." ~ Eric W. Springer</i></div>
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Regardless of how differently we interpreted the data, we both experienced family as a source of unconditional love. The 1940's were different than that 1980's which are not much different than 2019. But, our family has not changed much. My father talks fondly about the deep and profound discussions he had with his parents. </div>
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<i>"I remember one Easter, I wanted a <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-zoot-suit-180958507/">zoot suit.</a> More than anything I had to have a zoot suit. Now, when I was young, you got one suit and it had to last you the whole year. You wore it to church, if you went to church, and special occasions. My mother and father weren't to keen on this idea. We had a few discussions about how quickly fashion can change. We had a conversation about quality materials. But, the day we went to the store, I still wanted a zoot suit. And so they bought it for me. It wasn't long thereafter that zoot suits went out of fashion. Other boys my age snickered at me. Oh, I hated that suit. I tried everything in my power to destroy it. But, my father was the son a tailor, he'd patiently patch those holes as if they never existed. I wore that suit for every agonizing special occasion for a year. " ~ Eric W. Springer </i></div>
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I understand that many families can be violent and abusive. In my young adulthood, I learned more about the idea of family in my gay community at <a href="https://antiochcollege.edu/">Antioch College</a>. It was my turn to look in the world with shock and amazement. I had been kept separate from the reality of the truly dysfunctional and abusive families so many other people experienced. To learn that children were put out on the street because of their sexuality shocked me. To learn that people grew up watching their father abuse their mother - and that she stayed - shocked me. </div>
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It was when I was in college that I learned about chosen family. This idea was an extension of what my family of origin already practised in some form. Every holiday, we always gathered people around us. They could have been too far from home to travel, or had lost their family. In hindsight, I realize some of them were very likely gay and had no other healthy family. My mother collected quite a number of s<i>ort of sisters</i>. These were young Black women that she mentored. I used to refer to them as my <i>better sisters </i>behind their backs<i>. </i> But, I was quick to clarify that <i>because I have them, I'm free to be me - hard headed, rebellious, edgy, artistic and somewhat wild. </i>I was grateful to them for making sure my mother had something she needed. </div>
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Because of the necessity in the Queer community to create families (due to violence and abuse) and the restructuring of what it means to be family, I was one of the first lesbians to be part of the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/06/24/gayby/index.html" target="_blank">Gaybie boom</a> of the 80's and 90's. We asserted not only our right to choose who we love, but also, our right to redefine family. Most Gaybie Boomers were modelling heterosexuals and focused on marriage equality. But, at the time, I was more interested in in expansive families. I was particularly enlivened <a href="https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/pwh/glf-london.asp" target="_blank">The Gay Liberation Front's Manifesto</a> written in 1971 and updated in 1978. (Even though I didn't quite understand it fully the first time I read it.) If you've never read it, you should. Interestingly according to them, gay oppression begins with the family "consisting of the man in charge, a slave as his wife, and their children on whom they force themselves as the ideal models. The very form of the family works against homosexuality."</div>
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As a result, I no longer want to use the word family to describe those people who are committed to one's on-going self-discovery, growth and well-being. The word itself is too loaded. The only difference between, what I am now calling, Kinship Circles we formed in college and my parent's kinship circle was that we my queer friends spoke openly and frankly about why we had all come together in the same place to form a lifelong bond. </div>
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Over the years, I have come to realize what a special family we are. How fresh and new we have been for generations. And now I am beginning to understand why we, as a society, think it is normal for family gatherings to be something one endures. It also makes me even more disdainful towards the Religious Right and those who are calling for family values. I understand what they mean down to the very root of the word.<br />
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The very structure of family is a top down hierarchy in which respect is not reciprocal. Any belief that it is responsibility of the individual to return to situations which cause them harm or to maintain order for the sake of order under the subjugation of a dominant person (usually a man) is flawed. The way we have done things is not, nor will it ever be, a reason to justify wrong.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlSkzY2UOfxTSawMWdElgzNvGololtNIAlgDohn3kUdF085MEP4UjlReMTeGDDoqcL4OpK0Tu5uinOg41IcK0VU2vTO2_EAegur0Kw74QQ6W_meOTxNZao6B8QUeY4X7ud6fg/s1600/nina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlSkzY2UOfxTSawMWdElgzNvGololtNIAlgDohn3kUdF085MEP4UjlReMTeGDDoqcL4OpK0Tu5uinOg41IcK0VU2vTO2_EAegur0Kw74QQ6W_meOTxNZao6B8QUeY4X7ud6fg/s320/nina.jpg" width="320" /></a>Given that information, I can't imagine why anyone would want to be in a "family." There is no healthy way to respect someone who does not respect you. There is no way to honor someone who does not honor you. Love is a choice, not an obligation. Sometimes, the most healing thing you can do for people unworthy of the gift of you is to deny them the privilege of your company. </div>
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& in the spirit of God is love, and the inalienable fact that you deserve to be loved - if you are being caused harm, break away. </div>
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Find those people who are invested in you. Take the time to work through the process of growing along side of each other. Learn how to trust and teach it through example. Honor them. Commit to triple vision - see them for who they were, who they are right now and as the highest self they will become...all at the same time. Expect the same in return. Then, gather them to you. Make up your own holiday traditions. But, if they abuse you - even once - walk away and don't look back. (Easier said than done. These are ideals by an idealist.)</div>
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I'll be returning to this line of thinking over the next few months. There is so much to unpack. Next up, how do we find ways to create Kinship Circles rather than families.<br />
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* White-Girl-Syndrome was unheard of when I was a teenager. Probably because it didn't emerge until desegregation. It happens mostly to Black girls who have been assimilated into (typically) elite White environments. This syndrome is usually inflamed and made worse by the additional pressures of Respectability Politics. (Hood Feminism's <a href="https://hoodfeminism.com/2014/01/27/the-politics-of-respectability-is-not-revolutionary/">The Politics of Respectability is not Revolutionary.</a> is a good read on this subject.) In adolescence, children with White Girl Syndrome mimic the disrespectful attitudes White children exhibit towards elders and there is no system of measurement large enough to communicate their sense of entitlement. They also blame their parents for making their lives miserable based upon the failure to deliver material goods or services. They tantrum even though they, unlike White girls, will get their asses whooped at which point they will catalog and refer to it as child abuse.<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-58149876963940942262019-11-18T19:16:00.001-05:002019-11-18T19:18:16.131-05:00The Daily Read: Blak Rapp's new video, Take Action!, Alan Locke, Pop Psychology, Dung Beetles, Prison Gerrymandering<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This weekend I was deep in the studio painting or with my family. I didn't jump on social media except to communicate with friends and family. It means I missed a lot of interesting reads. That's okay, I have a few books I in at the moment. So, I'm being honest. This is The Daily Read. All of it, the good, the bad and the quirky. </div>
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What My Friends Are Doing</h3>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Blak-Rapp-Madusa-1409426912625704/" target="_blank">Blak Rapp Madusa</a> premiered a new video, <a href="https://vimeo.com/371903077" target="_blank">Speak No Evil.</a> You can also find <a href="https://www.1hood.org/artist/blak-rapp-m-a-d-u-s-a" target="_blank">her artist page at 1Hood</a> if you don't want to use Facebook. The beats were written by another friend, young, and very exciting artist <a href="https://linktr.ee/Etherisabove" target="_blank">Ether</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDURV0ZyfGz62lbl28yyqKlD3JpqVBVa6bZftkwbxs9S_bn_oyvf26bnkRHsuFTIwLkk0xSZ-eg7tho-t9LoXIv4HulyAeDFtjOcB0zT_HMjDmPXh79Fx3nKT7YI3j22fuxrD/s1600/PSUunpavedRoadsMap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1146" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDURV0ZyfGz62lbl28yyqKlD3JpqVBVa6bZftkwbxs9S_bn_oyvf26bnkRHsuFTIwLkk0xSZ-eg7tho-t9LoXIv4HulyAeDFtjOcB0zT_HMjDmPXh79Fx3nKT7YI3j22fuxrD/s320/PSUunpavedRoadsMap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red;">TAKE ACTION!</span> <a href="https://paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com/2019/11/you-are-looking-at-map-of-future.html?fbclid=IwAR3jo--zl4zpTI_o4c99zPL5Q_om4fABhIlYyN5Piec442FGRSbBnDHrSPA" target="_blank">Here is a map of potential dumping sites for conventional oil and gas drilling wastewater</a> in Pennsylvania. It's really not pretty.</h3>
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Other Things Around The Internet</h3>
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/22/books/review/the-new-negro-alain-locke-biography-jeffrey-c-stewart.html?fbclid=IwAR293J4eFpbbuJ_5TCDVq709rry_u7ziyx5qJHZ-wrlCEv8Dji2S0-9DVhk" target="_blank">The Philosopher Who Believed That Art Was Key to Black Liberation</a></h3>
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Always happy to see folks talking about Alan Locke. He was more important than folks know.</div>
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<a href="https://awarenessact.com/11-signs-your-personalty-is-so-intense-that-its-intimidating-to-other/?fbclid=IwAR3Qx3JcYCtvGS9ySO-6irbZl45Y8OUq1XSmV3MQRh7M7HVActT6NSZvjp8" target="_blank">11 Signs Your Personality Is So Intense That It’s Intimidating To Others</a></h3>
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If you rely on the internet for deeper understanding of yourself and your relationships, you're in trouble. But, I la pop psychology article from time to time. I'm the first to admit that I don't understand something. I've noticed more and more people talking about the social anxiety. It makes me wonder if it was a prevalent as before or has it increased now that more tools are available and folks don't have to socialize in real life. Regardless, I have always been confused when people tell me that I am intimidating. If these are the qualities, then... hrmmm... okay.</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2013/01/24/dung-beetles-navigate-via-the-milky-way-first-known-in-animal-kingdom/?fbclid=IwAR2XFLijNt5mUptoH1XylpiqD_7-S5IRzZe-J2QEoUKdlYj0Kd63RjApaC4" target="_blank">Dung Beetles Navigate Via the Milky Way, First Known in Animal Kingdom</a></h3>
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Just the science, please. I like that. But, the reason I read this article - which is not mentioned at all - is the place of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dung_beetle" target="_blank">dung beetle</a> in Egyptian mythology. One of the best known artifacts from ancient Egypt are scarabs who are associated with the God <a href="http://egyptian-gods.org/egyptian-gods-khepri/" target="_blank">Khepri</a>. I enjoy articles which reinforce the accuracy of science of our ancestors. </div>
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<a href="https://www.citylab.com/equity/2016/08/half-of-wisconsins-black-neighborhoods-are-jails/495152/?fbclid=IwAR230FE0U2a_livdfm8LiMo1HNAftgyA6uEAjZjuL-OPflOXO7GV5_tl3Pg" target="_blank">Half of Wisconsin's Black Neighborhoods Are Jails</a></h3>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-89035018868996293492019-11-15T18:44:00.001-05:002019-11-15T18:44:47.914-05:00The Daily Read: The Lady Hero's Journey, Racism, Police Brutality, Ruby Bridges, Black Fashion, Black Art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small; font-weight: 400;">Many people on facebook share links for the likes. Others share in hopes of having a rousing good conversation. Many people share because mainstream media is failing us. Regardless of why people post what they post, Facebook is failing Black people. But, we're still there. Racist or not racist, problematic or not, Facebook is not going anywhere anytime soon. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://www.theroot.com/black-facebook-workers-write-open-letter-to-company-we-1839776402?utm_source=theroot_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR0LyrGnzDCpQULVihCrN7JQlsjOkrcnReykZ2EYSn0g41g0wVSkFuGCPjM" target="_blank">Black Facebook Workers Write Open Letter to Company: We Are Treated Every Day 'As If We Do Not Belong Here'</a></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/15/black-americans-genocide-open-season" target="_blank">I believe black Americans face a genocide. Here's why I choose that word</a>.</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZkjqTgdyiUVvRNZr-g8hZc_PQVomA8WtW96B4_Ao7-o7p0NTkNvuW-7NDFDV8G0EUJw4_BAN_ciKQwdzIfxc7b3zixbSjIZJoLJFgZJqnSlWDLG2OjYqphrGOPEZwhyphenhyphen_pjdz/s1600/Open+Season.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZkjqTgdyiUVvRNZr-g8hZc_PQVomA8WtW96B4_Ao7-o7p0NTkNvuW-7NDFDV8G0EUJw4_BAN_ciKQwdzIfxc7b3zixbSjIZJoLJFgZJqnSlWDLG2OjYqphrGOPEZwhyphenhyphen_pjdz/s200/Open+Season.jpg" width="129" /></a>This opinion piece by the author makes a good case in support of his book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Open-Season-Legalized-Genocide-People/dp/0062375091" target="_blank">Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People</a>. A good enough case that the book actually seems interesting. When I was younger, my father used to talk about the way in which the elite viewed working class and poor people as disposable and that a more fair and equitable society could be created through litigation. Education was often featured as the fulcrum upon which a fair and equitable society was balanced. (Then again, he was a law clerk on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education" target="_blank">Brown Vs Board Of Education</a>) But, as he grew older, he became more pessimistic about the eradication of racism. With the advent of technology, his pessimism grew into a rather bleak vision of a determined and concentrated effort by the elite to restore slavery in this country. I used to rebel against this idea and offer all manner of platitudes about the inherent goodness of all people. As I grow older, I have begun to know, he is correct. But, this plan of a disposable underclass does not end with Black people. It will keep consuming groups of all races unless there is a pushback of proportions more epic than the French Revolution. Speaking of Brown VS Board of Education ...</div>
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<span style="color: #0000ee; text-decoration-line: underline;"><a href="https://pictorial.jezebel.com/today-is-the-anniversary-of-ruby-bridges-historic-first-1788949334?utm_campaign=socialflow_jezebel_facebook&utm_source=jezebel_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR1kVr38u_uejvyKwcvTpd5KJo3gfOB8t5vuUFffCozs-KyDgMk80Kz19_I" target="_blank">Today Is the Anniversary of Ruby Bridges' Historic First Day of School</a></span></h3>
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<a href="https://newsone.com/3893635/arizona-cop-attacks-black-teen-amputee/?fbclid=IwAR3XuO3syWvzs4f5dElbPxtMo-gwd4kVUsuAPJSxoNazV0i4aFgGEDxlj5o" target="_blank">Arizona Cop Violently Attacks A Black Teen With No Arms Or Legs</a></h3>
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so, <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/11/14/why-arent-people-us-rising-those-elsewhere-world?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2tw4lYh5FNk-G7Tnl-IvE3t9jxt2S6YcMeCfNNwfprGUgN4DPdD_JlMsI" target="_blank">Why Aren't People in the US Rising Up Like Those Elsewhere in the World?</a></h3>
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Lightly skimming the surface of what would actually take several books to explain fully and totally disregards the indestructible structures in place to actually combat the answer they give. </div>
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But, just because things are bad, doesn't mean we throw our hands up in the air and give up. The past few days were chock full of good news. The first Black woman to receive a Michelin star, the first Black composer in production at The Met, a Black supermarket receiving its funding to begin the process of opening.<br />
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<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/france-museums-art-looted-africa-colonial-heritage-law-macron-report-a8646611.html?fbclid=IwAR3cHTP28POPuYJacwrqg2NFreR5ToLkz-8fGWXC_dwEHcrzPYwOGDuH_kk" target="_blank">French museums should return looted art treasures to Africa, report commissioned by Macron says</a>.</h3>
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With the opening of the <a href="https://www.africa.com/worlds-largest-museum-dedicated-to-black-civilizations-opens-in-senegal/" target="_blank">World’s Largest Museum Dedicated To Black Civilizations In Senegal</a>, Europe has lost one of its many excuses about the proper storage and care of African art. According to the article "90 to 95 percent of Africa’s cultural heritage resides outside of the continent.<br />If France takes steps to return African artworks, there will be pressure on museums in other countries to do the same."</div>
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<a href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-fe-bma-female-artists-2020-20191115-33s5hjjnqfghzhmwkt7dqbargq-story.html?fbclid=IwAR00yujFJO37uRbWJlPrMkZV6CsakFEc-8JtrJfJICm0vjFFWzNlhQi8lj4" target="_blank">Baltimore Museum of Art will only acquire works from women next year: ‘You have to do something radical’</a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.artnews.com/2019/11/14/ashley-james-curator-guggenheim-museum/?fbclid=IwAR0xcdHNuTKlZL33i5mL0fp0gEdOnp5HwhZX9sVc2Z4lODwMDerwszpnnoc" target="_blank">Ashley James Makes History as First Black Curator Hired by Guggenheim Museum</a></h3>
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<a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90421886/black-fashion-of-the-1990s-was-groundbreaking-this-new-exhibit-celebrates-its-rise?partner=rss&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss&fbclid=IwAR3HkP4Ev4ZSdC4Ct_zRmh4g2lU3S6NYajKH3fm1KlJDyfkW8ontrra032E" target="_blank">Black fashion of the 1990s was groundbreaking. This new exhibit celebrates its rise</a>.</h3>
Nothing better for the middle age woman, than to see the clothes from your young adulthood on display in a museum. LOL! But, aside from that, this is wonderful article. <br />
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<a href="https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-lady-heros-journey?fbclid=IwAR1Rc_6mzs3q7birsiLUAwLBvBoIN9wQgFNA2wGTSif4CucKf2VFACSvqZE" target="_blank">The Lady Hero's Journey</a></h3>
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McSweeney's once again delivers a great read. For anyone who has studied, taught or used <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell" target="_blank">Joseph Campbell'</a>s The Hero's Journey, this will have you howling with laughter. (If you want to know more about the steps of <a href="https://blog.reedsy.com/heros-journey/" target="_blank">The Hero's Journey: an Author's Guide to Plotting</a>)</div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-47497725339184894212019-11-14T18:09:00.003-05:002019-11-14T18:09:45.197-05:00The Daily Read: Sideshow Babies, Fake News, Education in the MAGA Era, Tamir Rice, Black Supermarkets, Lovecraft Country, Nas-X, Palm Oil, Eye Candy & More<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/11/23/503146770/npr-finds-the-head-of-a-covert-fake-news-operation-in-the-suburbs?fbclid=IwAR13CeurGofP3mSoWUJxfw5mS94i4xuKtb4MZp28v8zBZOBoxXPX4dmC2hg" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;" target="_blank">We Tracked Down A Fake-News Creator In The Suburbs. Here's What We Learned</a></h3>
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Fasconating! Wow. It's just business. Writing deliberate lies and passing them off as journalism is what this guy does. He doesn't feel particularly bad about it. He justifies it by saying readers really should be better critical thinkers. </div>
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The most interesting part of this article is that he says he tried writing fake news for a liberal audience, but it failed because... guess what ... they're critical thinkers. It makes me think that conservative aren't really conservative, it's that they struggle with complexity. They don't want their minds to work. They just want life to go on as it has always done before, everything and everyone neatly categorized and in a box.</div>
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<a href="https://zora.medium.com/the-midwestern-black-professor-teaching-maga-babies-is-not-alright-80f067af3bed" target="_blank">The Midwestern Black Professor Teaching MAGA Babies Is Not Alright</a></h3>
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I remember when the first Reagan babies entered higher education. I can only imagine what it is like now. Now, I don't have to imagine. It's rough out there. Compelling story. </div>
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<br /><a href="https://siliconvalleydebug.org/stories/teacher-targeted-in-hate-crime-calls-for-changes-at-local-middle-school?fbclid=IwAR3PYbaM9i47Hkyp1JhDw2wkdzQHkWPnGSpgRggSb90JLlWd45jRMfmSExU" target="_blank">Middle School Teacher Targeted For Hate Crimes Calls For Changes</a></h3>
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<span style="color: red;">ACTION STATEMENTS:</span> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How you can help. Show them the world is watching.</td></tr>
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About her demands:<br />1. Formal letter of apology for the lack of action taken.<br />2. A detailed protocol for how to respond to hate crimes.<br />3. Training for staff and students.<br />4. Finalized action plan to show that new adequate camera systems with a storage life of 30 days or more will be purchased and installed.<br />5. Principal and Vice Principal attend all future meetings she has with the superintendent to understand how they can support her.<br />6. Her Black History Month proposal should be approved.<div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://www.cleveland.com/news/2019/11/our-racism-killed-tamir-rice-now-its-time-to-do-right-by-his-legacy.html?fbclid=IwAR2OVXUcPWGEd_momtF0VMkY03bBh85YucZVPVBQ1tLp16jc-et-xlu7M2w" target="_blank">Our racism killed Tamir Rice. Now it’s time to do right by his legacy.</a></h3>
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Links at the bottom of this passionate ask. I still remember the day I heard about Tamir Rice. He and my son are very close in age. I think his case was when I realized that Why Supremacy would never be dismantled using the justice system. It was a sad day for me, the child of two generations of attorneys who believed in the rule of law and the ability to litigate America into living up to its written promises. If you have any spare change for change, this seems worthy.</div>
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<a href="https://www.detech.xyz/2019/11/first-black-owned-supermarket-to-sell.html?fbclid=IwAR1vUQRysgM9WcYDktjw2mqJfp9D9vdumi_1Zcwg3NjJX-FTQ1nrURn9mq8" target="_blank">First Black-Owned Supermarket to Sell Products From Mostly Black Farmers Raises $430K To Purchase The Property</a></h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91_eff0ID3ogTpRPng3uraiWFYaCPbDI9hBiU4PO4SeKLneCKxWkrAFnaSFieWJUS3uKtOG1maUMY7H7fxPr2BREU4Bf7yFtjn3rFVG2EPrCj_NqXvXZ8jWSCE0eORZcC4w9y/s1600/black+cat+2+cents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="776" data-original-width="1056" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91_eff0ID3ogTpRPng3uraiWFYaCPbDI9hBiU4PO4SeKLneCKxWkrAFnaSFieWJUS3uKtOG1maUMY7H7fxPr2BREU4Bf7yFtjn3rFVG2EPrCj_NqXvXZ8jWSCE0eORZcC4w9y/s320/black+cat+2+cents.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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This is so wonderful. I want to connect this to the links above, and especially Tamir Rice. A few years back I read a fabulous book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Our-Black-Year-Americas-Racially/dp/1610392280" target="_blank">Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy</a>. It was an insightful look at how tremendously difficult it is to achieve that goal. Different sources have suggested that a dollar circulates in Asian communities for a month, in Jewish communities approximately 20 days and white communities 17 days. But, a dollar circulates in the black community about 6 hours. <a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1109099/2014-national-urban-league-report.pdf" target="_blank">According to a report by the National Urban League,</a> "that if the middle-class black consumers were to spend a little more — 7 percent more, just 10 percent of their spending — with black firms and the mainstream firms that engage them, we can create almost 1 million jobs.”<br />
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<a href="https://hotsaucedaily.com/crab-pie-recipe/?fbclid=IwAR3GkcruZc0FxSaJaklCjixZ4pxipMS_lDyg5vqp5f16P7XLnFu4_NNX0ok" target="_blank">Crab Pie Recipe</a></h3>
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<a href="https://shadowandact.com/lovecraft-country-first-look-hbos-supernatural-horror-series-produced-by-jordan-peele-is-coming?fbclid=IwAR0DwPsQ51E_SwnhAERvN-xtzBVL_fSqijg6sZbMjVCtw2RTVYxtuamhA4k" target="_blank">'Lovecraft Country' First Look: HBO's Supernatural Horror Series Produced By Jordan Peele Is Coming</a></h3>
What excellent news! I really enjoyed <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lovecraft-Country-Novel-Matt-Ruff/dp/0062292064" target="_blank">this book</a> which was inspired by <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Negro-Travelers-Green-Book-Facsimile/dp/1936404664/" target="_blank">The Negro Travelers Green Book</a>. This travel guide, made travel in the Jim Crow years a little easier for us. Racism made it hard to find hotels, restaurants, and service stations willing to serve us. In 1936, Victor Hugo Green published the first annual volume of The Negro Motorist Green Book which listed names, addresses, and phone numbers Black people could stay. You could say, Mr. Green made it easier for us to buy Black, then again, by necessity, we had to own our own businesses during segregation. I admit, I felt some kind of way when I found out the book emerged from the White Imagination. But, I can tell the author is either a very good researcher, has extraordinary amounts of empathy or many Black friends. Regardless, it's in the expert hand of Jordan Peele now. I'm ready.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOV78c_jYkvW-a1q6MfYCaXX8wB4-082ul0HHQF0hcetKmf_vH9hO0AqJ1_r-719nv8oVEJ3TKxjAUhynQihyw3oTGJb0aL1lzF7j0QlP8eu9OfoXTzN_0dBbW5jPO0dHLmVG/s1600/lilnasx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="750" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOV78c_jYkvW-a1q6MfYCaXX8wB4-082ul0HHQF0hcetKmf_vH9hO0AqJ1_r-719nv8oVEJ3TKxjAUhynQihyw3oTGJb0aL1lzF7j0QlP8eu9OfoXTzN_0dBbW5jPO0dHLmVG/s200/lilnasx.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://www.out.com/music/2019/11/14/lil-nas-x-first-out-gay-man-win-country-music-award?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=music&fbclid=IwAR0iwmjpQsZX5zJHy4f0QjBIKrYqFoSVWMlKGI_MpCASTs-DueYet78WUJ0" target="_blank">Lil Nas X Is First Out Gay Man to Win Country Music Award</a></h3>
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And that my friend, says it all. </div>
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<a href="https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/watch-iceland-christmas-ad-banned/?fbclid=IwAR38Wnk5bLhifxLggm_7AkWmopheiemFACvtQ7-JXKb-yjnzv__JJnvohUk" target="_blank">Watch The Iceland Christmas Ad Which Will Never Be Shown After Authorities Banned It</a></h3>
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This is a fabulous commercial highlighting the impact of palm oil. It's wonderful. I hope you share it on every platform everywhere.</div>
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<a href="https://mymodernmet.com/fungi-myxomycetes-photos-alison-pollack/?fbclid=IwAR3UdqQzPnrWHfD8sZ7MzSH_V9x0gnMlsthviQxTn82jzN36zY2rKiCpsN4" target="_blank">Extreme Macro Photos Unveil the Hidden World of Fungi in the Forest</a></h3>
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Mushrooms are amazing. But, artist <a href="https://www.instagram.com/marin_mushrooms/" target="_blank">Alison Pollack</a> takes it to a whole new level. Here is some stunning eye candy mixed together with some substance.<br />
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I'm always interested in the artistic process. So, hearing about how she stacks over 300 images to piece these images together.<br />
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<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/11/photos-of-venice-underwater-highest-tide-in-50-years/601930/?utm_term=2019-11-13T19%3A28%3A13&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR10khdm2Xv8AEispatn7w4xh6tg9NqBcX6HfIrdiD7EG_tTxaKYr9e6648&fbclid=IwAR0u8BMwgISMsjnJL2kf1zl0LxiEf0-tjRz4wGPheWjo3DADPI0wPyEXbd0" target="_blank">Venice Underwater: The Highest Tide in 50 Years</a></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdoPAhzRU7jhFa5QpJK5svO-qPJYtq2x3LqKYRMCXXM-8fBjNnk7GVL-3Fs7-xQVPxWzL2P986tHX3MW0J1NQs1RElCNBgzS8qqNSb2rgoN6YGPChwU9kf1a4qrcV-3ylJorA/s1600/Venice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1500" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXdoPAhzRU7jhFa5QpJK5svO-qPJYtq2x3LqKYRMCXXM-8fBjNnk7GVL-3Fs7-xQVPxWzL2P986tHX3MW0J1NQs1RElCNBgzS8qqNSb2rgoN6YGPChwU9kf1a4qrcV-3ylJorA/s320/Venice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Such a huge amount of eye candy. It's been a really long time since I've been to Venice. </div>
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Nobody is really adding any puzzle piece together. Such as, could this be due to climate change? <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50409021" target="_blank">The BBC gives more details than link above. </a></div>
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This really is the world we live in, huh? A world where people really just want the beautiful images. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/best-beginner-plants-growing-instagrams-plant-kween-66863555?fbclid=IwAR3ci5bF6ZmWBUeMWYE5zMlcqlP-ADVXynkjmFhngSeCbLJ3U1lRlssyC-U" target="_blank">Who knew about Instagram's Plant Kween? </a></h3>
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Okay, this was an embedded video in Facebook. But, he was so wonderful to watch, I tracked the video down to the Good Morning America site on which it originated.</div>
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<a href="https://matadornetwork.com/read/treetop-adventure-danish-forest/?utm_sq=g2vmog9lju&fbclid=IwAR3YhSEy7uf34U7d6zKzmRU8UdGOPqvSU7UmZQ04PB6LpPf_hV8OL1-W5eQ" target="_blank">Can White people ever just BE in nature? </a></h3>
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Denmark. Why? You remind me of those hideous hotel pods bolted to the cliffs of Pero overlooking Machu Picchu. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/skylodge-adventure-suites-peru-hotel/index.html" target="_blank">Yeah - I meant that - look.</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/gallery/2014/nov/06/simon-becks-snow-art-landscapes-mathematical-designs-drawings-alps?fbclid=IwAR3Gytiyqf126p0XaC5Z732Vc_eAmorpSNXnKWk4S9wVjggOYRuDL1CWJzQ" target="_blank">Simon Beck's snow art. Mathematics are beautiful.</a> This is cool though. All he uses are some snowshoes and a compass. </div>
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<a href="https://nypost.com/2018/07/23/how-fake-docs-carnival-sideshow-brought-baby-incubators-to-main-stage/?fbclid=IwAR3jnmCr23N57xYzIeio1rKDIO0DhLqCa3xyUMPyl4qVifDJRF8DwL5FgDg" target="_blank">The Strange Case Of Dr. Couney</a></h3>
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Just your average strange piece of history store about a guy who saved a lot of premature babies. It's a fascinating read, especially since not much has changed in medicine. (Regarding the attitudes of doctors and decisions about who does and does not deserve care.) In this instance, however, the use of the circus sideshow innovated modern medicine as we know it. </div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-59960504869282070312019-11-13T17:59:00.000-05:002019-11-13T17:59:31.250-05:00The Daily Read 11/13/2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My copy of Forking Good next to a bowl by Karen James.</td></tr>
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This is my journal. Thanks for peeking in it. The daily internet goes by so quickly, I like to remember what I saw and thought. You might find it interesting also.<br />
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<a href="https://laughingsquid.com/la-machine-la-compagnie-du-dragon/?fbclid=IwAR0yGKC8wkKpcNjfDO3Di4sE7nc_KwSt4ALlAbw6pD9OQmD-GS9rXVuJc2w" target="_blank">A Giant Mechanical Dragon Marched Through Calais</a></h3>
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Waking up this morning, I literally squealed when I encountered this link. There are so many levels on which this art piece works. Here's the basic low down. King Frances and Henry VIII were on a mission to portray themselves as fantastic renaissance kings ~ men of peace and culture. So, they arranged a meeting outside of Calais. At that time, Calais was still an English territory. (Yes, this is an ongoing theme in English history. Go find someplace far across the water. Claim it. Defend it as yours.) Frances and Henry agreed to meet outside of Calais. Neither monarch spared any expense trying to out bling each other. They had tournaments, music, cavorting, and a fountain of wine. Towards the end, Henry VIII agreed to wrestle Francis. Henry lost. As they exited the text, they looked up in the sky and saw a dragon flying over. (There were eyewitness accounts published in Paris.) Regardless, they took it as a emblem of Henry's superiority. The whole thing ended up going down in the history books as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_of_the_Cloth_of_Gold" target="_blank">The Field Of The Cloth Of Gold.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmOv2t93_lyBOEu3gfRqdsWBiR1hMDGK6aLtKM8DTQu95Wh2km77EGfrB0ah4gljOvSjUiZuVJUe9eXxAoXBnIT8y31E7T8SLmqHwYPxiV4y4T7TnrfLHYnu4yViANsSziYUP/s1600/dragon+drap+dor.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="1340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmOv2t93_lyBOEu3gfRqdsWBiR1hMDGK6aLtKM8DTQu95Wh2km77EGfrB0ah4gljOvSjUiZuVJUe9eXxAoXBnIT8y31E7T8SLmqHwYPxiV4y4T7TnrfLHYnu4yViANsSziYUP/s320/dragon+drap+dor.png" width="285" /></a></div>
For artists to make this project in this place, at this juncture in time, given Brexit, English politics and the current state of the E.U. is ... well ... rich and delicious.<br />
<br />I also have to say, I was delighted because I have a special place in my heart for The Field Of the Cloth Of Gold. The last project I did as an Outreach Artist for Historic Royal Palaces at Hampton Court Palace was a project about Henry VIII and The Field Of The Cloth Of Gold for the new build at the Clore Learning Centre. The poem the schoolchildren and I wrote together, which was then mounted on a banner, was called he Drap D'Or Dragon.<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
When Winston joined me. I shared this story with him. It became one of those sweet serendipitous internet unschooling moments I cherish so much. No, we had not intended to discuss Tudor history. Nor do I think he would seek out Tudor History as a personal intellectual pursuit. But, as one of my favorite master teachers, Kit Crawford said, "Learning begins where the learner is." And, as usual, she is right, because he immediately called to mind a myth about a French dragon he learned about from the ever reliable, <a href="https://www.overlysarcasticproductions.com/" target="_blank">Overly Sarcastic Productions</a>. He promptly pops up this video <a href="https://www.blogger.com/Miscellaneous%20Myths:%20The%20Tarasque" target="_blank">Miscellaneous Myths: The Tarasque</a>. History would have been completely different if this beast had shown up on June 24th, 1520.<br />
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<a href="http://www.coha.org/behind-the-racist-coup-in-bolivia/?fbclid=IwAR3aLJa7ApQ3iL0LtoO_Hr3el25Z6NgI1fIhBsKlTqb4mkabN01JqQaarko" target="_blank">Behind The Racist Coup In Bolivia</a></h3>
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It is so important to take in media critically. I don't want to really get into the current state of American politics, but, I can say definitively, it is always best to read a wide variety of source material before forming your own.<br />
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What is happening in Latin America has always affected the United States. My awareness began in the 1980's protesting against interventions in El Salvador. You can get a quick summary from Associated Press in this article <a href="https://apnews.com/2ded14659982426c9b2552827734be83" target="_blank">Before Venezuela, US had long involvement in Latin America</a><br />
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Oh, right. We really love and need our lithium. Batteries, that is. <a href="https://www.globalresearch.ca/heres-why-the-us-wants-to-break-bolivia-to-bits-with-hybrid-war/5542595?fbclid=IwAR0WX_JhDtrQGV2B4OH3QYw5xbAHIod3wa3ZmzBIh8VQezbMEDUq4PswIss" target="_blank">Lithium, a Strategic Resource: Here’s Why The US Wants To Break Bolivia To Bits With Hybrid War</a> It's a thought.<br />
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<a href="https://time.com/5457183/thanksgiving-native-american-holiday/?fbclid=IwAR3iEwdTlNiMyZiFDsKTwsR17Sn8aBztq0e9S_ybmkmhZxdv1SCfcVxu47o" target="_blank">The Thanksgiving Tale We Tell Is a Harmful Lie. As a Native American, I’ve Found a Better Way to Celebrate the Holiday</a></h3>
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<a href="https://sioux-chef.com/" target="_blank">Sean Sherman</a> tells his personal story of his family's relationship with Thanksgiving. At this time of year, I am always conflicted about the violent erasure of Indigenous history. On the other hand, it is a guaranteed time off (excepting exploited retail workers) where families can come together. As the oldest daughter of parents who are aging, I have become the keeper of the holidays. And respectfully, they haven't co-signed our vision of slacking in your pj's all day as a protest method. And we can't flee the country like we used to do, because they've gotten a bit too frail to travel.</div>
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Anyway, I digress. I really enjoyed this read. I'm also interested in cooking, gardening and living closer to the land. (A woman can dream, right?) So, I went and checked out <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sioux-Chefs-Indigenous-Kitchen/dp/0816699798/">The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen</a> which won the 2018 James Beard Award for best American cookbook. I'm adding that to my Wishlist.<br /><br /><div>
If you're looking for more ideas about the holiday. Try <a href="https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/8-ways-decolonize-and-honor-native-peoples-thanksgiving">8 Ways To Decolonize Thanksgiving & Honor Native Peoples On Thanksgiving</a>. I'm sure these pieces will become more frequent in the next few weeks. So, the link is here just in time to plan ahead just a wee bit.<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.creativeboom.com/features/a-netherlands-parade-celebrates-vincent-van-gogh-with-giant-floats-made-of-flowers/" target="_blank">A floral parade of Vincent Van Gogh </a>. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Is there anything more to say really? It's eye candy. Please comment is I am missing some delicious poignant historical connection.<br />
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<a href="https://www.queerty.com/drag-queen-arrives-style-first-day-trumps-impeachment-hearings-20191113" target="_blank">Drag queen arrives in style for first day of Trump’s impeachment hearings</a></h3>
Pissi Myles, a citizen of the United States Of America exercised her rights to be informed about the machinations of her government. She is a drag queen. Good on her for participating in <i>democracy.</i> Apparently, this is news. </div>
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<a href="https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/washington/washington-dc/article/people/chef-mariya-russell-kikko-chicago" target="_blank">Chef Mariya Russell's Journey from Scrambled Eggs to MICHELIN Star</a></h3>
The above article? Fabulous. I think you will really enjoy learning about Mariya Russell, the first Black woman to receive this honor. The above link is an excellent example of how incredible multiple sources can be. <br />
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But, If you want an excellent demonstration of how unconsciously racism attempts to sneak up on you, read the following article which links to to a restaurant podcast. But, here, let me highlight the subtle, creepy racism, and give you the whole post without you having to click through. <b>"In less than a year, her food has spoken so eloquently and commanding</b> that it’s garnered the restaurants, owned by renowned chef Noah Sandoval and beverage director Julia Momose, all sorts of accolades. From a highly regarded Japanese milk bread toast topped with fermented honey ice cream and truffle to the seven-course omakase experience, her cuisine has mesmerized the likes of Bon Appetit (“Top 50 of 2019”), Food & Wine (“Best New Restaurants”) and even Time (“100 Greatest Places of 2019”). In October, she received the most significant honor of them all: a Michelin star. In doing so, she became the first-ever black woman to achieve such a milestone." - <a href="https://rfsdelivers.com/restaurant-inc/food-beverage-spotlight/chicago-chef-makes-history-as-first-black-woman-awarded-michelin-star?fbclid=IwAR1JoZhXEmpT7Nr-jXRoyvKyAujEWHYEUgf79sCO_LwNybu3I_tNStXV8v4" target="_blank">Chicago Chef Makes History as First Black Woman Awarded Michelin Star</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.boredpanda.com/african-architecture-styles-igbo-excellence/?fbclid=IwAR2UXdfo8AW4ihEl1TyT4oWa7bKlgaw25OWw0V9KFpUgq_kJT9h_QX8RjRQ&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic" target="_blank">African Architecture Isn’t Showcased Compared To European And Asian, Posts 44 Of Its Gorgeous Examples</a></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my faves. Which was yours?</td></tr>
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More eye candy. This particular eye candy comes in the form of Anti-Blackness is real. But, have no fear, there are really cool people out there making sure our contributions to culture and history are documented. <a href="https://twitter.com/1ncognito___" target="_blank">1ncognito_ or Igbo Excellence</a> went out of his way to make a Twitter thread because African Architecture is stunning.<br />
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<br /><a href="http://nytimes.com/2019/09/19/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-black-composers-terence-blanchard.html?fbclid=IwAR3uFcEoRTv9TxMir6NXW_MVj0vdkm3KKsr_kpgExHdrMiSrRhazdId-IP8" target="_blank">The Met Will Stage Its First Opera by a Black Composer</a></h3>
How exciting! It is so easy to get lost in your daily dose of Black hopelessness. There is so much more to what is happening with us than murder, mayhem and making each other victims of our own slave mentalities. I <i>love </i>the title. What poet wouldn't love a title like, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Shut-Up-My-Bones/dp/0544570111" target="_blank">Fire Shut Up In My Bones</a>? </i>It is based on a memoir of the same name by Charles Blow, an Opinion columnist for The New York Times. Didn't read it? Me either. So, I went and looked. Here is <a href="https://twitter.com/jelani9?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Jelani Cobb</a>'s review <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/30/books/fire-shut-up-in-my-bones-by-charles-m-blow.html" target="_blank">The Child’s Village Leaves Lifetime Scars</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502753/chicago-library-needs-help-transcribing-17th-century-spellbooks?fbclid=IwAR3PVkOSEGjfXOQ5Sapen2ExLB0HAy8FiJXjdJVEziDHMzwd2FC4fXlSMXU" target="_blank">A Chicago Library Needs Help Transcribing 17th-Century Spellbooks</a></h3>
This is a glorious time suck. Because, naturally, you're going to <a href="http://publications.newberry.org/dig/rc-transcribe/charms" target="_blank">click through to the archive.</a> Because, everyone loves archives right? And isn't the modern world glorious because you don't have to put on clothes, leave your house, drive somewhere, go inside, ask ever so nicely, and put on the white gloves? You can just sit in your pajamas reading spells about how <a href="http://publications.newberry.org/dig/rc-transcribe/charms-samples" target="_blank">to take with Spirits.</a><br />
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<br /><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/13/two-people-diagnosed-with-pneumonic-plague-in-china" target="_blank">Two people diagnosed with pneumonic plague in China</a></h3>
Sheesh.</div>
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What my friends are doing.</h3>
My friends are really important to me. I celebrate every success their life brings to them. I'm hoping you'll find them as fascinating as I do. I put these links in this category for the purposes of full disclosure.<br /><br />My voodoo priestess friend <a href="https://lilithdorsey.com/">Lilith Dorsey</a> was talking about <a href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/voodoouniverse/2019/11/what-to-do-about-psychic-vampires-energy-terrorists/?fbclid=IwAR2C-PMC9OwQ6cI8IyCuUC_Qg9cHamj5rtgb7EUoGKrnj_rUBZ2ffB8KzxU">What To Do About Psychic Vampires & Energy Terrorists</a>.<br /><br />My mindful <a href="https://antiochcollege.edu/">Antioch College</a> buddy, Steven Thurston Oliver, was on the YouTube talking about <a href="https://youtu.be/UepRKoOKANA">Contemplative Pedagogy & the Journey of Becoming | TEDxSalemStateUniversity</a>. I find his perspective as a Black gay man gives mindfulness an added depth.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.hypable.com/millennials-killing-pop-culture-cookbooks/">Pop Culture Cookbooks Are One Thing Millennials Aren't Killing</a>. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Forking-Good-Unofficial-Cookbook-Place/dp/1683691555">Forking Good</a> is the an unofficial companion cookbook to <a href="https://www.nbc.com/the-good-place">The Good Place</a> that my friend My friends Stephen H. Segal and Valya Dudycz Lupescu wrote. On a personal note, I'm having a ball with Forking Good. But, I have to say their first book together has a special place in my heart. After all, you may or may not cook special new recipes everyday, but, if you are a geek parent, you are one every single day. And I do, from time to time go back and flip through <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Geek-Parenting-Joffrey-Maleficent-Raising/dp/1594748705">Geek Parenting: What Joffrey, Jor-El, Maleficent, and the McFlys Teach Us about Raising a Family</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you made it this far, thanks for reading with me. Post a comment here. If you're my friend on Facebook, you can comment here or there. The best part about reading all this stuff is talking about it. I'm going to try to put my Daily Read up by around 6PM. Anything I read in the evening horus will be posted tomorrow. </div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-78099157665477566912019-11-13T16:34:00.001-05:002019-11-14T12:40:37.783-05:00 Shifts, Susurrations, & Social Media<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Like, love, or hate Facebook, it is an alluring platform which isn’t likely to be going anywhere soon. It has no real shape or form ~ other than what the user molds out of the posts of their friends, family, associates and the occasional co-worker. Who you are and who you know, essentially, defines your experience with the platform. For people like me, who love information, it is a treasure trove.<br />
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The value of a curated news and information feed has never been more evident than in recent conversations with my father. Eric W. Springer, Esq. is an erudite attorney, amateur historian and artist who has given a lifetime of service to communities advancing progressive reform. Son of a labor activist, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-Maida-Springer-International-Relations/dp/0822942313/" target="_blank">Maida Springer</a> and mentored through life by a saint, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauli_Murray" target="_blank">Pauli Murray</a>, he is a stunning conversationalist. <br />
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Information moves so quickly now. Gone are the days one could derive comprehensive information from a handful of sources. And as a result, my relationship with my father is shifting. I have a phrase I use often. “Every parent is a home educator, whether they accept full responsibility for that or not.” As my relationship shifts with my father, I’m beginning to know I came to that understanding because my parents after-schooled me. They never let me wholly consume the inaccurate presentations of history in school. They never allowed me to parrot the racist, sexist or even homophobic antics of my contemporaries and teachers. Even as I grew into myself as a mother, an artist and an activist, I turned to my father. He was my definitive sounding board for all socio-political thought, movements and even culture. That has changed.<br />
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The evolution of social justice is not actually loud on social media. It only seems crash and crude. Each susurrate social justice post, each quietly shared revelation from an erudite person joins together with others to make a din.<br />
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A few years ago, my Dad questioned Winston about something. (I don’t remember what it was because I didn’t blog it.) My son glibly responded, “Oh, Grandad, we’re doing just what you and Grandmother taught us, being independent, free-thinking people. We’ve moved past respectability Politics.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD50BaUk25ke_HG43L25vImemjfx__jCeUE33-fpa5EMAxdbjoCI_pVWM29d0lRvwaCE2IzvTvEDlOQlJm-uNN6qNidQPBE5so5iShgQJupczvoA8XXYtaVqIS66Cla9SarYl/s1600/Social+Media+Dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXD50BaUk25ke_HG43L25vImemjfx__jCeUE33-fpa5EMAxdbjoCI_pVWM29d0lRvwaCE2IzvTvEDlOQlJm-uNN6qNidQPBE5so5iShgQJupczvoA8XXYtaVqIS66Cla9SarYl/s320/Social+Media+Dad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I’m glad my Dad’s neck is sturdy. It snapped so hard. His eyes got wide. He brought his hands together leaned forward and asked, “ R e s p e c t a b i l i t y Politics?” ( <a href="https://kinja.com/damonyoung13" target="_blank">Damon Young</a> <a href="https://www.theroot.com/the-definition-danger-and-disease-of-respectability-po-1790854699" target="_blank">The Definition, Danger and Disease of Respectability Politics, Explained</a> covers it eloquently here. In fact, I probably printed this article for him to read after our family discussion. )</div>
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As my son explained to him what Respectability Politics are, his eyes got wider. </div>
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My father looked over to me. Dad: This is a <i>thing?</i> </div>
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Me: Yes, Dad.</div>
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Dad: Re-spec-ta-bil-ity <i>Politics</i>? He enunciates every syllable.</div>
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Me: Yes, Dad. respectability Politics. It's like when I was little and you sent me to that private school. And Mom told me, "I was an ambassador for the Black Race." Dad! I was like 6 years old. But it was really important that ...</div>
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Win: She should be worried about the White Gaze.</div>
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Dad: (incredulous) T h e W h i t e Gaaaaaze? Where do you learn about this stuff?</div>
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Me: On the internet.</div>
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Dad: So, if typed <i>The White Gaze</i> in my Google, I would see an article about that.</div>
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Me: Many. Many, many, many articles.</div>
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Dad: But, where does it come from? What university? Who is publishing these papers?</div>
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Me: People. People like you and me Dad. Not just universities. Newspapers, magazines...</div>
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Dad: Why aren't I seeing it? Where do you find it?</div>
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Me: Facebook.</div>
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I knew in that moment, the conversation about Why Supremacy, Womanism, and Gay Rights has been occuring so rapidly, that he, as an avid participant and contributor to the social justice movement, had retired. It was kind of a sad moment to me. He had missed the equivalent of years of social justice evolution. But, it hadn't been that long in real time. It had really only been about six months since that phrase had moved into common parlance. Enough so, a child could utter those words with confidence and assurance. </div>
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If one is an artist, an activist or even simply want to keep up with one's affinity groups, one month of not being on social media is the equivalent of losing two years of research. Artist's are especially vulnerable to not being on social media. You lose the relationship you've built with your audience. </div>
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The shifts of social media are sneaky susurrations which only become evident with time - much the way old age sneaks up and turns you from teacher to student. </div>
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End Note: </div>
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Facebook was a lazy journal. Many a poem or essay began there. It was also the place I hung my rough drafts out in the wind to dry. It’s easier for me to search and find those on this platform. </div>
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It was also a place I could store the things I read or find them more easily. Especially all of those amusements which capriciously manifested right when they were needed. I’ll be putting those here where I can find them more easily in the future. If you subscribe, look forward to The Daily Read. <br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-b1e86199-7fff-f6a3-ac6e-5ea2fb1f9232"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1d2129; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10.5pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll be compiling them anyway to keep my Dad up to date.</span></span></div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-12458119762531623302019-11-12T14:43:00.001-05:002019-11-12T19:03:13.730-05:00Artmaking In The Digital World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It took me awhile to return to blogging. I’m back. To those of you who used to follow along, I hope we can have an extended reunion. To those of you who are new, welcome, I hope to see more of you. <br />
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I returned to this old digital home of mine because of artist, Summer Walker and her recent assertion of her boundaries as an artist. Recently, she declined to hug people at her artist meet and greet. <a href="https://madamenoire.com/1112789/summer-walker-hugs">This caused something of a backlash you can read about here.</a> She gave me some clarity about the importance of blogging to my arts practice. <br />
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Artmaking, in general, demands a certain level of intimacy. In writing workshops, it’s not uncommon to hear phrases like, <i>then, I opened my veins and bled onto the page. </i>Successful artists engage their audiences by:<br />
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<li>providing access to their deepest selves <b>or </b></li>
<li>bearing empathetic witness to the most vulnerable times in the lives of others <b>or </b></li>
<li>channelling those voices the muse offers to them in the deep night. </li>
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Artmaking, then, becomes a courageous act of exposure and revelation. A place where your humanity is not hidden, constructed or made presentable. </div>
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A few years ago, I decided to stop trying to define my art practice. It got pretty silly there for awhile.</div>
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Folks: “What do you do?”<br />
Me: I’m an artist.<br />
Folks: What is your discipline?<br />
Me: Yes.<br />
Folks:<br />
Folks:<br />
Me: I show up. I do what the Spirit say do. <br />
Folks:<br />
Folks:<br />
Me: Well, I <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MmmmByCSpringer">this</a> and I <a href="http://www.christinaspringer.com/">that</a> and I <a href="https://society6.com/christinaspringer">this other thing</a> over here.<br />
Folks:<br />
Me: I live artfully and then I share my discoveries with the world. <br />
Folks: Okay...</div>
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It’s hard to say that in a bio. It’s hard to describe. What I have come to discover in 30 years of artmaking is that my artform is simply doing me. That’s my art. Doing me takes the form of poems, paintings, videos, <a href="https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/christinaspringer">designing fabrics</a> and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/683636800/ibu-agana-pathways-pillow?ref=shop_home_active_14">throw pillows</a>, short essays, recipes, ruminations on spirituality, politics and parenting, sharing personal anecdotes.<br />
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For me artmaking is my journey through what it means to show up for life. <b><i>I live my life as artfully as I can possibly imagine and then communicate that to my audience. </i></b> Sometimes, it is meaningful to people. Sometimes, it is simply meaningful to me. Not every painting gets shown. Not every poem gets published. Not every film gets made. What is important about art is the artist’s willingness to document showing up and being present with life.</div>
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To be an artist during social media’s height is a peculiar and fascinating dilemma. I had abandoned blogging because Facebook filled the “living” part of my arts practice so well. That no longer serves my needs. For some, like Summer Walker, social media has exacerbated an audience’s constant, voracious demand for more and more and even more access. While, yet others have finally found the long lost audience members for whom they spent years searching. </div>
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Regardless, audiences must always remember, it is the artist who decides how much they share and when they share it. Artists are just people. They wake up every morning, they eat or don’t eat, shit in the pot and wipe their asses just like you. </div>
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Vulnerability is our day job. No one should make us work overtime.</div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-13801786996365318782016-11-01T20:37:00.003-05:002016-11-01T20:37:54.594-05:00Letting Go Of The Era Of The Obamas <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As much as I want the election season to end, today, I reflect upon what this presidency gave me.</div>
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I have a Black child who takes it for granted that the most powerful man in the world is Black.</div>
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I have a Black child who takes it for granted that being Black and comfortable in your skin is unremarkable and not necessarily worthy of comment.</div>
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I have a Black child who assumes Black children are cherished, glamorous, intelligent and doted upon by their parents.</div>
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I have Black child whose entire political life waffles between "Yes....yess...Mama, the Obamas are so cool, can I go play this video game now?" and "I just love the Obamas."</div>
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I have a Black child whose core internal constructs include both working within the system and working outside the system.</div>
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I have a Black child who can see the trading cards for what they are, rather than categories of acceptable versus unacceptable Negritude.</div>
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I have a Black child who is fluent in the many dialects of code switching.</div>
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I have a Black child who assumes Black Power. (And also knows the truth about how far we have to go.)</div>
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I have a Black child shaped by people who actually live Stronger Together and can see that slogan as cultural appropriation.</div>
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<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/teachlife?source=feed_text&story_id=10154668846751882" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="color: #4267b2; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm">TeachLife</span></span></a></div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-77762530560579440432016-08-14T17:29:00.000-05:002016-08-14T18:56:46.326-05:00A Missed Opportunity. Grown Folks Get Down! Children, As Usual, Unwelcome.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There are days when it can take us two hours to watch an hour long television program. We use it to talk about history, politics, science and so many other subjects. Some of our very best home education moments have come from programs like "Belle," "The Book Of Negros," and "Dancing On the Edge. " </div>
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<span class="s1">Even programs like "Leverage" warrant extensive conversations, for example, "that is such an implausible plot device because it is technically impossible!” We get into the physics and mechanics of how a diamond can actually cut glass. We often stop and look it up in the internet. We come away from the program even more enriched. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Recently, we watched "Hair." It was awesome to cover an aspect of modern history we don't usually discuss. Vietnam, The Cold War, McCarthyism. We went all over the late 20th Century historical map. Then we took “Hair” and we contrasted it with “Across The Universe.” We examined rugs and drug culture and Reaganism. And somehow, we spiraled back to the Black Panther Party, self-determination, addiction as the oppressor’s tool …and a whole lot more than I can type up here.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The same happened when we watched "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." We talked about the evolution of gay rights. We discussed how the historically lovable Frankenfurter was problematic in the modern era because, essentially, he is a villian. We discussed how dated the movie is in regards to evolving consciousness about bodily autonomy, sexual assault and societal norms which promote dishonesty in sexual communication and how that contributes to rape. We talked about a lot more...but...I can't even begin to type it up.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We enjoy watching television this way. We enjoy taking in media critically and consciously. We find ourselves in the most fascinating discussions about race, gender, class and sexuality stereotypes. We identify the tropes of oppression. We get deep. It entertains us, yes, but, it also a tool we use.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Watching "The Get Down" on Netflix, I became very sad. Why is it that every damn good movie with Black people is rated TV MA? Seriously, they would have had a much better product without the graphic violence. Shoot...if they switched out violence for sex, I'd have let The Win watch it. I don't have a problem with sex. I do have a problem with violence. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In this household, sex is an opportunity for honesty. It is communicated as spiritual, physical and emotional experience. In our world, sexual experiences are often compromised by Patriarchy, White Supremacy and Homophobia and Classism. A majority of consensual sexual mistakes can be corrected with medicine. But, a majority of violent actions have no remedies.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">This is why I am sad to not be able to include The Win in watching The Get Down. This could have been one of the most exciting and dynamic additions to recent conversations we've been having which examine the late 20th Century. Lately, so much of our history has been focused upon "Within my lifetime, son" or "You share breath with people who can still tell you more about that first hand.” </span>The elders used to sing, <a href="https://youtu.be/gvPYXHM94DQ" target="_blank">"the children are our future teach them well and let them lead the way.</a></div>
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<span class="s1">Yes, sometimes the grown folks need some time by themselves. But, never at the expense of of children. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Regardless, this is incredible television. Hide your sons, hide your daughters and get down with the grown folks.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">#EveryParentIsAHomeEducator #WeMustTeachOurOwn</span></div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-89767175316886441752016-06-08T18:37:00.000-05:002016-06-08T18:57:21.838-05:00The Foundation To Accepting The Word No Is Built On Emotional Honesty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://christinaspringer.blogspot.com/2015/02/no-is-as-much-of-loving-answer-as-yes-is.html" target="_blank">I want to talk about this idea of “No” being loving. (Discussed in a previous blog entry </a>) I can only enter it through this wonderful journey my son has given me. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">In our house, the word <i>No</i> is reserved for emergency situations. <i>No</i> is for the hand about to grab a block of dry ice; the hand holding a match with dangling hair above a stack very dry kindling; the careening bus coming towards the foot on the edge of a curb. These are <i>no’s.</i></span></div>
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<span class="s1">We think a lot about when to say <i>No.</i> <i>N</i>o is a word to be used when the other person can be expected to understand that you have sifted through every single variation of <i>why no</i>t and arrived at <i>no</i> being the only course of action. Accepting <i>no</i> is an act of trust. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">I want to come back to the idea of <i>no </i>being an act of trust. My son and I have recently begun talking about emotional honesty. Now that he is a teenager, both of us have to work harder on remembering the bond we have forged with each other. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">For example the other day, I was doing some minor consensual maintenance in his room. I have to admit, I had other things on my mind about: the value of women’s work; the hopelessness of dusting, laundry & dishes; and the invisible ways women revolutionize the world. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">As I was leaving, I knocked over a picture frame which was a gift from a dear friend. The glass broke. I brought it out and said, “This is why I’m always re-arranging your night stand. See what happened? My dress caught the edge of the frame!”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">He looked so sad. I could see him processing all the times we had talked about his aesthetics and my aesthetics. I saw him thinking about the broken picture frame. And in that moment, I realized I was not being emotionally honest with him.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So, I took a step back. And then I apologized. I said. “I promise to try to do better in the future. I have to be emotionally honest with you right now. I got angry. My anger wasn’t really about you. It was about a lot of other things. When I knocked over your picture frame, I was embarrassed. I felt badly because I know how much that picture means to you. Rather admit my embarrassment and sadness, I tried to use our past conversations to make me “not guilty” for damaging your property.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">He thought for a minute. Then he said, “I understand. I do that also sometimes.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">And we smiled and hugged. I realized how powerful it is be in a relationship built upon emotional honesty and trust. It is powerful to be with a person you acknowledge is always growing and changing. That this minute will be a very different from the minute yet to come. We are completely new people in every second of every day. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">For example, yesterday, we were watching a tv program together. It seemed a lot like the tv show we had watched the night before. I said so. He siad, “This is a different episode. “ So, I nodded and a few minutes later I said jokingly, “I get it, you really loved that episode and wanted to see it again. “ And then, he shouted at me.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“No. It. Is. Not. Yesterday's, episode was from the point of view of the female cast members, this episode is from the point of view from the male cast members.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Sorry!” I exclaimed humbly and sorrowfully. “I can trust you. Always. I am so very sorry I wasn’t paying attention. And I am even more sorry for not being in your truth.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“I’m sorry I yelled, Mom.” he said sheepishly. “In all emotional honesty, I think I’m having a testosterone burst. And, I’m really nervous about going away to camp next week.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Wow! Yeah. Hormones can really mess with you. And so can Mamas. And so can new things, like going away for three weeks.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">And we laughed. We went back to watching television.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">So, I guess, what I am trying to say is that, all of this ability to say No rides upon a history of emotional honesty. And emotional honesty is something you build with a person over time. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">I must always remember, I am THE woman who is EVERY women he will ever calibrate his Self against. So, I must set his eternal tone. I am in relationship, lovingly, honestly and with expectations about receiving the same. We treat each other as we wish to be treated. And we know, it is our right and our destiny to be treated thoughtfully, kindly, gently, and respectfully. This is the rule of our house. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">As I contemplate my son’s sexuality, I realize that his expectation is to be in relationship with someone who can say <i>this is why not. </i> He knows that to articulate <i>why nots </i>is a loving way to declare a need for acceptance of why not which could also be an invitation to discussion. I imagine his future like:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Hey, can I kiss you?” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Mmm, I think I’m catching something.” </span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Oh. Then, it’s up to you. I think my immune system is pretty strong,”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“No. I don’t feel well.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">“Yeah. That’s better for both of us. Let’s be healthy. I can wait.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1">I imagine his future like this because our present is like this. We teach our sons to be in relationship by being in honest relationships. Honest relationships are fragile - like bubbles they are resilent, strong and in need of constant attention. </span>This is Feminist parenting. </div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-6395018522876194582015-10-20T07:18:00.001-05:002015-10-20T11:14:46.114-05:00Politics That Matter - Lucille Prater-Holliday <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwCdGw46bo6ugwVMon-cz5CdmhgPWFw78B6gVbbWamNNu4Dxj8BwXSoC5HhGoccuoX4Qj5u55HymtuVW3Q40pRKuwM36gFYLrJs4YYtMdIgbFIBQvCrUfA8sqB05o4zvJOQO7/s1600/prater+holliday+union.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwCdGw46bo6ugwVMon-cz5CdmhgPWFw78B6gVbbWamNNu4Dxj8BwXSoC5HhGoccuoX4Qj5u55HymtuVW3Q40pRKuwM36gFYLrJs4YYtMdIgbFIBQvCrUfA8sqB05o4zvJOQO7/s320/prater+holliday+union.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucille Prater Holliday on left</td></tr>
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The seat for Magisterial District Judge is not flashy, sexy news. It is, however, a political position which has the most direct impact on the lives of Black women and children. </div>
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<span class="s1">A Magisterial District Justice serves for six years. The cases they primarily hear include: traffic violations, arraignments and preliminary hearings on greater misdemeanor and felony charges for higher courts, and minor civil suits not exceeding $12,000. The smaller more frequent cases which many deem insignificant, but, can actually change futures, are truancy and landlord-tenant disputes. This position is the first gate to the school to prison pipeline. And who stands at the gate has the power to change entire historical timelines. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">While everyone debates Bernie, Hilarious and the Repugnants, the real change agents are relegated to the back pages or quiet internet corners. The quiet corners of the internet alway yields the most comprehensive information. It’s where you find the actual research reports and studies that click byte journals use to sensationalize information in order for it to become important enough for our nation’s most complacent skimmers and hashtaggers. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">This excellent piece by Sue Kerr over at <a href="http://www.pghlesbian.com/blog/_archives/2011/2/10/4747429.html" target="_blank">Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents</a> is worth a read. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">However, the interview I</span> found of Lucille Prater-Holliday on Urban Media Today by Nancy Hart makes a compelling case for support in Ms. Prater-Holliday's own words. This interview brought home to me how very important it is that you care about this candidate. This is the change Pittsburgh needs. I reached out to Ms Hart and she allowed me to reprint the article in it’s entirety. </div>
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<span class="s1">If you aren’t from Pittsburgh, this is the kind of talk you need to be looking for in your local candidates. </span></div>
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<b>Lucille Prater-Holliday Interview with Nancy Hart, </b><a href="http://urbanmediatoday.com/urban-pittsburgh-and-region.html" target="_blank">Urban Media Today<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTTeMgsCOyqYM__MW2N_uSb2vDOtb9-xKVkOb2LAVcccN_Op76e1ZFWd4ggbMKDdvwAbMFc5aBUIDxFMXrww9_dkpfMLRUz9KCI3GuzuQ76gu63MNMBY7379g2tPo3FAYRdBC/s1600/prater+holliday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTTeMgsCOyqYM__MW2N_uSb2vDOtb9-xKVkOb2LAVcccN_Op76e1ZFWd4ggbMKDdvwAbMFc5aBUIDxFMXrww9_dkpfMLRUz9KCI3GuzuQ76gu63MNMBY7379g2tPo3FAYRdBC/s320/prater+holliday.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucille Prater-Holliday</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">Lucille Prater-Holliday is well-known to many in the 12th and 13th Wards where she has lived for most of her life. She also knows her community and most of its residents well, including her opponent in the race for Magisterial District Justice in those wards, Kevin E. Cooper, Jr.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In fact, when Kevin E. Cooper, Sr. who retired from the post in March, asked Holliday to sign an election petition, she did, thinking it was Senior who was running again. When she found differently she was surprised.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> That perceived deception, however, is only one of the reasons Prater-Holliday is running for the post herself on the Green Party ticket.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “We need change,” Prater-Holliday says. “There hasn’t been a woman in that seat for over thirty years. We need more women elected officials, particularly African-American women elected officials. And we need to remove nepotism and favoritism from local government.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “In the 12th and 13th Wards, the majority of the population is single female heads of household,” says the candidate. “They need someone to look up to, and to work to emulate. They need a woman who understands what they have been through, and has lived some of the same life experiences they have.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday spent 10 of the earliest years of her life in foster care. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “I lived in poverty after I came out of foster care to live with my mother and my nine siblings,” she says. “She was a single parent. We lived here in Homewood, in some of the worst poverty, because she didn’t even have a high-school diploma. It was hard for her to find work, but the income couldn’t sustain a family of 10 children.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday herself became a widowed single mother at the age of 34 upon the death of her husband, leaving her with nine- and ten-year-old sons. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “I’ve lived in public housing. I’ve received food stamps and welfare. I’ve received the benefits, but I didn’t live off of them, I used them to fill the gap,” she says. “After my husband died, I knew I had to take care of my children. I wanted to break that cycle of poverty, and I wanted them to have a better life.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday went to college to earn her Associate’s Degree in Social Work while working full-time and raising her children. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Geneva College.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “I knew I had to work hard to change that poverty that had gone on in my family for so long, and still exists in my extended family,” Prater-Holliday says. “I think that is what a lot of these young single mothers need to have: Someone they can relate to. When they come into the courtroom, everyone should feel comfortable, and know they are going to be heard and listened to, especially the children.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday cites her experience as a Truancy Prevention Counselor as essential in helping families deal with citations for truancy, a major component of hearing held in the 12th and 13th Ward courts.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “Once a truancy is reported by the school, they have to go to the magistrate,” Prater-Holliday says. “When they come into the office, it shouldn’t be an intimidating environment. And, wherever possible, they should be referred to appropriate programs and services that can help them improve the situation.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday also adds that, based on her own experience, a number of children who are accused of truancy are not actually truant, but rather, just not in the homeroom when roll is taken. Some older students are responsible for making sure younger siblings make it to their own schools, or have other responsibilities that make them tardy.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “In these communities, those are very valid reasons for being late or for missing school,” Prater-Holliday says. “They aren’t missing school for days, they just aren’t in the place where roll is taken.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Other parents, particularly single mothers, feel powerless to compel their older children to attend school. Using her own son as an example, Prater-Holliday says that, at 15, he was bigger than she. Theoretically speaking, “If he said he wasn’t going to school, what am I supposed to do?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1" style="font-size: large;"> </span><span class="s1"> “If a parent comes to the magistrate and is slapped with a $300 fine because that child is not going to school, you have exacerbated that situation and haven’t done anything to change it,” Prater-Holliday says. “If you are going to give them the fine, then refer that mother to the services she needs to help her child understand the importance of going to school, and help her understand the importance of getting an education.”</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucille Prater - Holliday, Athena Awards</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"> “We have to start pointing people in a different direction, and have to provide them with the resources they need to be successful,” Prater-Holliday says. “Poverty should not be a life-long or generational condition. It shouldn’t even exist, but where it does, we need to work to lift people up out of poverty.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday says “we have elections every year, and we elect people to office, and things don’t change. We have to prevent this. What can we do for our children early on to prevent them from going out there and hurting other people?”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “We have to stop this school-to-prison pipeline, because that pipe is filled with poor African-American children,” she says.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Landlord-tenant cases are also nothing new to the candidate.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “I am a nationally-certified Public Housing Manager, and I have experience managing properties and with landlord-tenant cases,” Prater-Holliday says. “We have to look at those cases on an individual basis, because we have some of the poorest-quality housing in the City. We have to hold landlords accountable, and we have to hold residents accountable.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday says that many residents in the wards don’t know what their rights are, and that educating them should be part of the responsibility of the office.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “They don’t know that they can go to the magistrate and file a complaint against their landlord,” she says. “A lot of residents believe that if they do file a complaint, they can be evicted. They need to know that that is not how it works, that there are laws against that and that they have rights. Knowledge is how you empower people.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> The term of office for a Magisterial District Justice is six years. In addition to summary offenses, traffic violations, landlord-tenant disputes and arraignments and preliminary hearings on greater misdemeanor and felony charges for higher courts, they also hear minor civil suits not exceeding $12,000.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday thinks a program which adjudicates youth to community service at local businesses would be an excellent way to create change.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “Send them to where they can learn something. Don’t just penalize them and send them back out there,” she says. “That doesn’t change anything, it just keeps things the same.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday went to Baxter Elementary, and graduated from Westinghouse High School. She has lived in Pittsburgh her entire life, most of it in Homewood. Her sons, now 34 and 33, still live in the area.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> “They followed in my footsteps. They both have social work backgrounds, and they both work with kids. I told them early on, ‘look, you are not going to make a lot of money, but you have the opportunity to change the world,” Prater-Holliday says. “I am very proud of them, because they have both turned out to be very fine gentlemen. And I have three grandsons. I am glad I have all men around.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday says that her “whole background has been in social services: I have worked with male juvenile offenders, truant children, senior citizens, I have worked in low-income housing, so I have worked with practically every population there is. I am familiar with the issues people have to deal with, and am very familiar with the criminal justice system.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> She has worked with ACORN-Pittsburgh, and ACORN-Pennsylvania, then helped to start Action United. In 1997, she founded the Black Women’s Empowerment Agency to empower women to be catalysts for change in their own lives as well as those of others.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday was the first African-American woman to be elected as the Chair of the Wilkinsburg Civil Service Commission, and “I provided a 95 percent success rate of cases upheld by the Common Pleas Court. I don’t make rash decisions, because these are people’s lives.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"> She is also one of five finalists for an Athena Award, to be given October 9, recognizing her work to empower other women while showing excellence in her personal and work life.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday started to work toward a law degree, but “had to watch out for my kids, so there are some things I put off. And then there are student loans…”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> Because she has not earned a law degree, Prater-Holliday would be required to take certification classes if elected. After one month of classroom instruction, students are given a test which they must pass, and for which they are allowed only one “re-take.” Failure on both opportunities means the class must be retaken, and is only offered twice yearly. Those who are not certified can still take the bench and make enforceable decisions, but would not earn the $88,290 salary.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> Prater-Holliday could have earned the certification prior to running for the post, but did not, because “I didn’t have the need to. I have heard the test is very difficult, but that was from people who have always had difficulty with academics.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> Her opponent, Kevin E. Cooper, has already been certified, but Prater-Holliday says she feels there was nepotism involved. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> “I don’t think that’s fair to the constituents. Those seats are not bequeathed to the next family member,” Prater-Holliday says. “The deck is already stacked against you if that is the case, and women really don’t have a chance.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> “The magistrate should know the population they are dealing with. You need to understand the people because you have lived their life,” Prater-Holliday says, noting that one who has not lived in the neighborhood is more likely to make decisions biased by a lack of knowledge or experience. “If you understand the population you are dealing with, have lived their lives, you are more likely to make a fair decision. You have to live ‘in’ the community, dealing with the people who are likely to show up at the office.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> “I am the ninth of ten children, and I am the first to graduate from college, and that is because other women, particularly African-American women, embraced me and empowered me, and connected me to resources that I needed to become successful,” Prater-Holliday says. “Had it not been for these other women in my life, I would never have been able to empower others.”</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"> “People came into my life and protected me, and I think that’s what we need to do for everybody, but especially women, because we are the nurturers and caregivers,” Prater-Holliday says. “We need to save our children.”</span></div>
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Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-72826231382982876972015-07-28T18:25:00.003-05:002015-07-28T18:31:44.112-05:00That Bitch, Acceptance (Dream Drafts)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="p1">
<b>SCENE 1 - Coffee Shop</b></div>
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<span class="s1"></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1">FRIEND: Acceptance is a bitch.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: Upon casual acquaintance, Acceptance seems like a real bitch. Let me tell you about the first time I met her. It all started like this. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span>[Flashback. Cross fade]</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>SCENE 2 - Bedroom</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1">[Close Up: Mens clothing in a heap on the floor. Pan up to ME’s face.]</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuOQfgdQYpHep7qIy3d7OXu7brUNqVG6B_AxhdlrJz5woGbvJrr5Id1GYQlhaf5obeB5TKlq6b50w21lY6y35O6reEHAFlXvGFXQo0duwQJU9AQSTQD9ar8mp7ljMh42lM2vB/s1600/she+thinks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuOQfgdQYpHep7qIy3d7OXu7brUNqVG6B_AxhdlrJz5woGbvJrr5Id1GYQlhaf5obeB5TKlq6b50w21lY6y35O6reEHAFlXvGFXQo0duwQJU9AQSTQD9ar8mp7ljMh42lM2vB/s200/she+thinks.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="s1">ME: Oh my God/dess, he makes me so angry! I just can’t with him. I just won’t with him.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ACCEPTANCE: Can’t change him. Can only change you. So, you change if you staying in this. Do what you need to do with you to change yourself. </span>Accept it. </div>
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<span class="s1">ME: But, is it so hard to get him to pick up his damn pants off the floor? Is it? No. It's a deeply symbolic act of aggression!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ACCEPTANCE: Or not. {gestures to floor.} <i>He </i>does not see pants on the floor. <i>You</i> see pants on the floor. <i>You</i> care about pants on the floor. So, <i>you</i> gotta pick up the pants if they bother you. You gotta accept it.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: No.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ACCEPTANCE: {postures} Whatever, I'm not even going to talk about all that with you. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: </span>You don't even care that his pants on the floor are a declaration of war he is waging against me. </div>
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{Acceptance shrugs and laughs.}</div>
<div class="p1">
ME: Oh, shoot, what?!? You're like a callous, unfeeling, cold thing aren't you? </div>
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<span class="s1">{Acceptance is all sly smiles and saucy shrugs. Turns her back.}</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ACCEPTANCE: I'm me. When you're ready, we can have a really good time together.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: Go the f*ck to hell! </span></div>
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<span class="s1">{Acceptance turns on her heel, shimmers away and doesn't even look back.}</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">[Cross fade]</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1"><b>SCENE 3 - Coffee Shop</b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">FRIEND: Right? What a bitch!</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: But, she's persistent. She always turning up when you’re in the thick of it. Way deep down in the pity party. Everyone is there.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">FRIEND: I know. Rage, Despair & Revenge are kicking back Whisky. Sadness is alone on the balcony sipping Pinot Grigio and smoking cigarettes. And Acceptance is hanging out with Serenity. And you know they talkin' 'bout you.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">ME: Naw. Serenity don’t have time to talk smack on people. She always smiles like that. Until you get to know her, you project all your insecurities on her and start making up stories in your head about what her real motivations are. But, Acceptance? The more you get to know her...</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">[Flashback. Cross fade]</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6t-X2B2m5sOymTZ-OEYS3LgreMEmTQqrz0diy99k6wf34KDXOeMmQaB9AM0m5_wGztVPPhvHVO7_oDc2j41xPwuqhXtPDoC7n0UDcpGCtcRA9oY-_Rn-4xVnx2VUVoMgQLMq/s1600/accentpance+color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6t-X2B2m5sOymTZ-OEYS3LgreMEmTQqrz0diy99k6wf34KDXOeMmQaB9AM0m5_wGztVPPhvHVO7_oDc2j41xPwuqhXtPDoC7n0UDcpGCtcRA9oY-_Rn-4xVnx2VUVoMgQLMq/s200/accentpance+color.jpg" width="149" /></a><span class="s1">SCENE 4 - River Bank</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: I just want...</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ACCEPTANCE: I'm not even going there with you. {gentle, coy smile}</span></div>
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<span class="s1">CUT TO: Animation sequence. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME VOICEOVER</span></div>
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<span class="s1">My whole heart just peels open. </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">ME stands on the river back as the center of her chest begins to part in the shape of a woman’s vulva. The lips of the vulva are adorned with pearls and sparkly gems as if the vaginal secretions have turned to precious stones. A stylized heart ~ something between an anatomically correct heart and a Victorian Valentine ~ emerges through the vaginal opening. It floats out of ME chest and pulses with a radiant pink glowing light. Me raises her hand. The heart settles in the palm of her hand. She raises it to her lips. Kisses it and places it back inside of her chest.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Cut To: Me and Acceptance on the river bank</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: Okay. Fine. I'm down with putting all the fighting down. What do you want to talk about?</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ACCEPTANCE: Cool. This one time? I was sitting on God's lap and he...." </span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<span class="s1">Acceptance and Me sit down on the river bank. Slow pull out, as </span>ambient, rhythmic music swells punctuated by snippets conversation and laughter.</div>
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ME: Your fingernail? Really? He what? </div>
<div class="p1">
ACCEPTANCE: on the back of a Palomino pony..</div>
<div class="p1">
Me: you mean inside of the rainbow?</div>
<div class="p1">
Acceptance: Yeah, girl, inside of the rainbow.</div>
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{Acceptance and Me lay on the river bank laughing and snuggling and laughing. }</div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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[Cross Fade]</div>
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<span class="s1">Scene 4:</span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: And because I want more and more of those heart birthing smiles, I have to embrace Acceptance. Because then, we are free to dish dirt on everything from Gods to molecules like teenage girls talking nonsense.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">FRIEND: Damn. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">ME: Give her a chance, you’ll see.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">FIN</span></div>
</div>
Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-34140093899410774692015-07-27T15:31:00.003-05:002015-07-27T15:35:10.806-05:00Gratitude Is The Soft, Deep, Rhythmic Breath Of A Child<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ptSWCamLyDfnfLW8AM9ScxBecN3nYAKg5O6sl4Qk39pjgomCBIhMpGqNhq65uhmtINLc5VfPnogFDitVDnHBe-T2emgUJIZMEm1YqPJnUxCqZPsSTIdSW3F0DK4KFnAy6ULa/s1600/rainbow+kitty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ptSWCamLyDfnfLW8AM9ScxBecN3nYAKg5O6sl4Qk39pjgomCBIhMpGqNhq65uhmtINLc5VfPnogFDitVDnHBe-T2emgUJIZMEm1YqPJnUxCqZPsSTIdSW3F0DK4KFnAy6ULa/s200/rainbow+kitty.jpg" width="200" /></a>The picture to the right is Zenobia. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">She visits with us at bed time, on big, heavy thought days, I lay down with my twelve year old son to narrate his journey to his special inner safety place. Every child navigating a body of shifting of hormones experiences some amount of anxiety and trepidation. This is a territory between two vastly different realms, no longer a child and not quite a teenager this person is balancing who they are becoming while knowing who they were and where they fit in the world. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">Add being Black & twelve & American & conscious to life as a Tween and there are times when a parent needs to expend extra effort to make sure your child stays conscious - literally and figuratively - and has the tools necessary not to accept, succumb and self censure. </span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>Imagine being a young boy about the same age as <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/05/04/as-investigation-enters-fifth-month-tamir-rices-mother-has-moved-into-a-homeless-shelter/" target="_blank">Tamir Rice.</a> You ask your mother what she is typing about so furiously on her keyboard. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Police in Cleveland," she says. </i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"The usual thing?" You say. </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<i><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">"Yes," she says.</span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"> </span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Oh. Where were they?" You say. </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Playing in the park." she says. </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Playing in the park?" You ask. Because you are confused. Why would the police kill someone playing in the park? and she tells you about a little boy about your age...</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">Not giving in to the perpetual state of terror our state sanctioned agents relentlessly practice against us everyday is revolutionary. It calls for efforts mythic proportions. To be a carefree, happy, Black boy is a daily action of bravery, creative resourcefulness and dedication. To be young, Black, self-loving, optimistic and centered takes a kind of heroic level of personal mind control. It takes a parent who is willing to take time.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<i><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">Imagine being a young boy about the same age as </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-herbst/nypd-assaults-11-year-old-in-the-bronx-on-video_b_7841970.html" style="font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;" target="_blank">Let's Call Her Angie</a>. It's time to go out, but, <span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">your mother is typing about so furiously on her keyboard. </span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Oh. Right. We gotta go!" She says.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"What were you doing?" You say.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Police in New York," she says.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"The usual thing?" You say. </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<i><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">"Stop & Frisk" she says.</span><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"> </span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Who was it? Did they live?" You say. </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Yes." she says. "An 11 year old girl."</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Oh. But, phew!" You say.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Okay, let's go," she says.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"I'm not feeling up to it today," you say.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"We can not let them turn us into prisoners in our home. Mama's got this," She says. </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Okay," you say. But, it's not okay. You don't want to go out. You spend the entire time in the car noticing and informing your mother of every police car. </i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"I've got this. I'm obeying all the laws," she says.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Sometimes, that doesn't matter," you say. "But...</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>"Not on my watch," you both say together and laugh.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i>You're not sure you believe her.</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKMri3l4g3kBhpqyIPc0BcctjfCcmlx7X_5BoZB6s8kRC9qjPYi1BEEU6dkqnm_zfY7362ysOB6lrI6hNltPFrdc-tqh4wJiqRhla7c4HSErNLCqiM5RsvWtoJhrahhyMW4HE/s1600/June+birthday+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKMri3l4g3kBhpqyIPc0BcctjfCcmlx7X_5BoZB6s8kRC9qjPYi1BEEU6dkqnm_zfY7362ysOB6lrI6hNltPFrdc-tqh4wJiqRhla7c4HSErNLCqiM5RsvWtoJhrahhyMW4HE/s320/June+birthday+sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a>When the extra heavy, hard reality of being young and Black days happen, I need to lay down with him at bed time. I need to train him to remember that he has the power to shift his reality to his own liking. That he can find within him<a href="http://christinaspringer.blogspot.com/2014/12/how-bee-taught-my-son-how-to-survive.html" target="_blank">The places he can use in his waking times to stay centered.</a> These places often have a magical forest, a beach, a dryad, or mermaids. I invite him to sit in these quiet places in his imagination. I invite him to relax. Listen to the waterfall splashing or the waves swooshing. See the colors of the sky. Bounce in the clouds as if they are a trampoline. </div>
self magical places which are safe and wonderful. <br />
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">One days, like the day <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/09/us/mckinney-texas-pool-party-video/" target="_blank">14 year old, Dajerria Becton</a> experienced "the usual things police officers do." On extra weighty thought days, the mermaids are usually busy elsewhere. You've got to be careful about mermaids when the world puts strange ideas in your head. & sleepy makes those ideas more creepy than they actually are.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Those days are when we need Zenobia. She comes and bats at his dreadlocks, romps & purrs when she se<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline !important;">ttles quietly in his lap as he sits in his quiet inner soul place.</span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiRxjzQa3PVmS7BMX-mObv3iu_EYN5zoeQzGcEWKW9XYxoJvhFqZq-bAjBqLhaS0Sq1K0gAyZmtEVMa1Y3no92_WaOZsdMfE7uGDjHi2_FET1AiMb-kujip_bWF2DH-wWA3AY/s1600/win+amulet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiRxjzQa3PVmS7BMX-mObv3iu_EYN5zoeQzGcEWKW9XYxoJvhFqZq-bAjBqLhaS0Sq1K0gAyZmtEVMa1Y3no92_WaOZsdMfE7uGDjHi2_FET1AiMb-kujip_bWF2DH-wWA3AY/s200/win+amulet.jpg" width="161" /></a><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline !important; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
As he relaxes, right before his breathing slows down, sometimes, I use my fingertips along his back as if Zenobia is mincing about seeking a good place to sleep also. He smiles. Maybe chuckles and then the weight of my hand slows his breath. The Coltrane Station on Pandora always seems to know what song to play to take him into good dreams.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
When I slip quietly out of his bed I am so grateful To have a son. To have a boy-becoming-man who still likes to hear his Mama's voice; feel his Mama's arms; and imagine invisible rainbow butterfly unicorn kittens keep watch over him in the night.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I leave the dark, warm room of steady rhythmic breath, the stark kitchen light startles me. It is late. I remember <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/tamirrice?source=feed_text&story_id=10153495600336882" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">#</span><span class="_58cm">TamirRice</span></a> wasn't put to bed for six months. Nobody lay him down to sleep because he was </div>
not a boy when racism turned him into evidence that something is very broken.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/blacklivesmatter?source=feed_text&story_id=10153495600336882" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">#</span><span class="_58cm">BlackLivesMatter</span></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-66297880039855008132015-07-27T14:19:00.004-05:002015-07-27T14:23:03.941-05:00If I Die In Police Custody<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="p1">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZKZ9o8p9fJJ8KHCX46t8jNFHQGZdVzMD_wlKTVpd9tWdYR0MP98JNFkLOkqrqjtToJEJ60nYlisstf8C3ybHWzowoS4Bby_iJ0cPwhmJvpw42cju1fH88TxOwRBDUOgQGIAo/s1600/cms+pray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZKZ9o8p9fJJ8KHCX46t8jNFHQGZdVzMD_wlKTVpd9tWdYR0MP98JNFkLOkqrqjtToJEJ60nYlisstf8C3ybHWzowoS4Bby_iJ0cPwhmJvpw42cju1fH88TxOwRBDUOgQGIAo/s320/cms+pray.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">let the activists speak my private sorrow.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">let the radicals burn the city to the ground.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">let the pundits unravel White Supremacy's mantle</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">even as my family calls for peace, know<br />
they are insuring the survival my genetic code.<br />
understand the louder you rage, the more they get paid.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">& blood money is not Brawny. it can not wipe up injustice.<br />
know my ancestor's teeth went into Ben Franklin's head<br />
& these same teeth will grind down systemic racism.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">know my Gods have a terrible just imagination<br />
& are qualified by my family's forgiveness <br />
to deliver immediate and swift retribution.</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">know God works in mysterious ways, <br />
the tragic accident, the lost marriage<br />
the stillborn children withering in the womb,</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">the tweet which fires a thousand racists,<br />
my God sees these murderers times <br />
seven generations. my God, seven generations</span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">my family be lifted up in public out cry<br />
be poeted, be sung, be painted and digitized,<br />
be quiet & let a nation of Black voices</span></div>
<div class="p4">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p3">
<span class="s1">tell all the truth.</span></div>
</div>
Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266371.post-18888658909971423672015-06-06T14:15:00.005-05:002015-06-06T14:15:51.804-05:00Pride is a living metaphysical political Being<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><a href="http://joykmt.com/" target="_blank">Joy Kmt</a>, an artist/activist frequently in collaboration with the <a href="http://www.christinaspringer.com/" target="_blank">Svaha Paradox Salon</a> has been gathering international attention by drawing attention to why the Delta Foundation’s booking of artist Iggy Azalea is problematic for an inclusive Pride which creates safe space for all members of the LGBTQ community. <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/2178718/iggy-azalea-pittsburgh-pride-controversy-homophobia" target="_blank">You can read about that here on MTv's website.</a> She is the co-founder of <a href="http://rootspridepgh.wix.com/rootspridepgh" target="_blank">#RootsPridePgh</a> which initiated a call to artists to make a video about what their pride looked like and tag it #MyPride. In addition, you can make financial contributions <a href="http://www.gofundme.com/FundRootsPridePgh" target="_blank">here</a>. I responded with “Pride is a living metaphysical political Being.” What does your Pride look like?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0HpAm7HCXyY/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0HpAm7HCXyY?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="p1">
Transcription:</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Pride is a living metaphysical political Being</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">{Sung}</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>when I look you in the eye</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I invite you inside.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I have so much roots to show ya.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span"></span><div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Spoken</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">my pride sweeps,</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">stitches, feathers </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">its technicolor nest. </span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">breathes water. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">dances amniotic.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">sings a trans-Atlantic song.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">swimming against the school.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">stings beautifully</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">in unnatural habitats. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span>{Sung}</div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>would you come be by my side</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I have so much love to show ya.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>would you love me show ya, huh?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I look you in the eye</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I invite you inside.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>my pride has so much light.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>walk a mile with me in harmony.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><br /></span></div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span"></span><div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Spoken</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">my pride is magic </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">palm fronds, goats teeth, </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">hip bones, wandering dread </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">woven with seashells,</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">microchips, weaves </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">& dodges, dances </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">feints, faints & ain’t</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">your pride mine?</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span>{Sung}</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">my pride keeps you alive.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>are you on my side?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>because I’d love to have you.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Spoken</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">my pride is arrow & archer,</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">knife, the frowning </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">watermelon & spoon. </span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">the bacon grease and beans,</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">a chipped heirloom plate,</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">the meal I serve myself</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">when no others will serve me.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">& that’s okay.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /><span class="s1"></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"></span>{Sung}</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">will you come be by my side?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">I have so much love to show ya.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>would you love me show ya?</span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I’m still alive. I’m still alive.</span></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s1"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
</div>
Christina Springerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06344959813985960573noreply@blogger.com1