to my future son

a tight poem from poet & good friend Kenji Liu on masculinity. Be sure to peep the rest of his insightful gems at parami10. He and some friends are doing a Poem A Day exercise for April, some really good stuff is comin up. Also look out for his chapbook "You Left Without Your Shoes" coming out on Finishing Line Press. Respect!


to my future son

inside concrete, men spin and flex
like WWF wrestlers, hollow and fearsome

and always performing. son, you do not have
to empty yourself like them, fists squeezed

so tightly your tenderness becomes
a sickness, constricted and hard

in your liver. this is the price
of manhood, to be a stone quivering

inside an egg. you will be told
to choose from a stir fried lineup

of kung fu gangsters, dumb-asses and
anti-sexy uncle tongs. these are men

made from the politics of other men
who only worship themselves.

if you choose manhood, many
will reward you, but really, who wants

to be a plastic action figure, muscular
yet with only one move: a head slam?



-Reposted by permission of the author Kenji Liu. This poem is protected under the “Attribution Non-Commercial No Derrivatives” license, view at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/

Michelle Obama Shines & Inspires Young Girls Of Color In England.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Great words to deliver to young, mostly brown girls. This is a moving clip. It becomes clear why Michelle Obama is enjoying higher approval ratings than Barack Obama in England right now.

"Cosmopolitan" Institute Completes Decades-Long Study On How To Please Your Man

Finally. I've been waiting for them to finish this up already.





'Cosmopolitan' Institute Completes Decades-Long Study On How To Please Your Man

Reprise: Haiku Tribute To Ancestral Queens Of Liberation

i posted this in September, but wanted to repost in honor of Women's History Month and ancestors.

Though of course the master plan is to keep bringin' it no matter what month it is... like these women did. Nuff respect.

Ashé

Nanny of Maroons
Jamaica’s warrior queen
spirit of the hills

Harriet Tubman
forged freedom in the crossroads
mystic eyes guide souls

Please Sponsor Me In The SFWAR Walk Against Rape.

Hey everyone!

Wassup, hope that spring is waking you up in good ways. On Saturday, April 25th, I am participating in the San Francisco Walk Against Rape, and would love your help in supporting San Francisco's only community based rape crisis center, SFWAR (San Francisco Women Against Rape).

As some of you know, i did this walk last year with the goal to raise $250 (i blogged the reportback here). Because of y'all, i raised $700!! So this year, i'm raising the bar accordingly- my new goal is $1000.

If 40 people on this list donate $25 each, or if you ask your workplace to collectively donate, i will definitely be able to reach my goal, and you would be helping women get crucial services. Of course, ANY donation is so appreciated. I have a fundraising website up, and it is really fast, easy and secure to donate through. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts. You can also track the progress of my fundraising there.

I am also putting a call out to men of color who will walk with me, and model that we are visible, actively caring men who care about women's lives. So many of us are profiled as being the perpetrators, not allies. I invite men of color to walk with me and defy this image together.

Please forward this to those who you think would want to help out. Thank you for your time and support! Bless up

~richard
(to donate, click here.)

ps for more details: http://www.sfwar.org/walk/theevent.html

Active Spirit: End Violence Towards Women! A Community Healing Circle, This Sunday.

Active Spirit: End Violence Towards Women! Community Healing Circle

The legacy of abuse and oppression against girls and women worldwide is staggering. Come join with us as we stand in circle sending collective healing, justice, light, love and positive change to those who have been victims and survivors of violence and abuse.

This is a call to be active not only in our day to day lives, but on the level of spirit.

Let us be and create the change we want to see in the world! Come together and send transformative healing energy to those in need.

All Are Welcome. Instruments Are Welcome And Encouraged.

Sunday, March 29th, 3:30pm
Lake Merritt Gazebo, Oakland
(Take the Bellevue park entrance off of Grand to the Garden Center,
also accessed lakeside after Fairyland, by lake fountain)

Facilitated by

Rashidah (Spirits Of Our Ancestors)

Richard Omo Esu (Active Spirit)

Black Women In Obama Administration Form Tight Sistahood

A good article from The Washington Post. Not only are Black women filling important positions in the Obama Administration, but these women are also coming together to form close personal and professional relationships. Sistahood on Capitol Hill! Krissah Thompson reports:

Like two old girlfriends catching up, they ignored onlookers, hugged and laughed.

Donna Brazile, the political strategist and Washington veteran, peppered Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson with questions.

"How are the kids?" "Have you contacted the church? I don't go every Sunday but they know me."

Before she left, Jackson had an open invitation to Brazile's place for home-cooked red beans and rice, served up every Monday night.

"The sisterhood in this town, there's deep history here," Jackson said.

The "Obama women" -- as African American women who've taken big jobs in his administration have been nicknamed -- mark another step in the long journey of black women from outsiders to gatekeepers in political Washington. They have quietly entered their jobs with little attention paid to the fact that they are the largest contingent of high-ranking black women to work for a president.

Many are firsts -- as in the first black woman to run the Domestic Policy Council, the first black EPA chief and the first black woman to be deputy chief of staff. Last week, Obama tapped Margaret (Peggy) Hamburg to lead the Food and Drug Administration. If confirmed, Hamburg -- who is biracial (her mother is African American, her father Jewish) -- will also be a first.

Seven of about three dozen senior positions on President Obama's team are filled by African American women. Veterans in town see them as part of the steady evolution of power for black women, not only in the White House but also across the country -- in the business world, in academia, in policy circles.

So this is what a post-Condi era starts to look like. So far, I think I like.

FLY GIRLS! B-Boys Beware: Revenge Of The Super Female Rappers

Soul Jazz Records must have collectively done something really right in a past lifetime. They ALWAYS come out with the most amazing compilations, whether its Studio One dub, rocksteady, dancehall, soul, electro, new wave, Nuyorican classics, dubstep, post-punk, Brazilian music, jazz, hip hop, Osunlade or something else... its always quality. And now, they drop the FLY GIRLS! comp. wow.

This compilation really takes it back to the beginning, anthologizing important names and songs that are usually understated in a male dominated field. It includes Nikki Giovanni's original "Ego Trippin'" as a prototype of female pre-rap/spoken word. Well deserved, insightful props. Props that Blackalicious had the vision to acknowledge when they brought this track back full circle on their album "Nia", where Nikki Giovanni recites "Ego Trippin'" over proper hip hop beats (peep the sweet YouTube tribute!). Also included are popular tracks from Queen Latifah ("Ladies First") and Missy Elliot ("The Rain"), as well as solid tracks from MC Lyte and Bahamadia. JJ Fad represents too, with a cool track that is NOT "Supersonic"! Sweet Tee is on the bill too, and i was and am definitely a fan. She was riding the James Brown and Funkadelic sampled beats like nobody's business. There is even a tip of the hat to the "Roxanne Wars" of the 80's, with a Roxanne Shanté track up in there too.

It is my hope that this is a beginning of a series... I suspect it has to be, since there are glaring omissions on this album (no Lauren Hill, Salt and Pepa or Ladybug Mecca). But in true Soul Jazz Records stylee, what is lacking is made up for with gems that maybe you never heard of, or some you forgot. I'm just recognizing Camille Yarbrough's "Take Yo' Praise" as the original sample from Fatboy Slim's "Praise You (Like I Should)". I'm also feeling Lady B's "To The Beat", which i don't remember, but it takes me straight back to the funky "Rapper's Delight" era... just listening to it transports me back to the 70's riding a banana seat bicycle in purple cordoroys. Sweet! Mad props to all the fly girls for sure. Peep the link for a listen, enjoy!

Iceland Breaks Global Barrier By Electing Openly Lesbian Prime Minister.

Ok Iceland, you got some fierce examples of womanhood reppin you on an international stage! First Bjork, now Johanna Sigurdardottir. This appointment apparently went down in February, i'm just catching up now. BBC reports:

Johanna Sigurdardottir, named as Iceland's prime minister on Sunday, is the first openly lesbian head of government in Europe, if not the world - at least in modern times.

The 66-year-old's appointment as an interim leader, until elections in May, is seen by many as a milestone for the gay and lesbian movement.

Up until now, if a gay man or woman has been prime minister, they have done their best to conceal the fact.

In Iceland itself, however, the new prime minister's sexual orientation appears to be causing less excitement than it is abroad.

I like the fact that its not really a big deal in Iceland itself. And i'm feelin this trend where world leaders are beginning to look like and represent those who are usually oppressed in those countries. Though I really have no idea how oppressed LGBTQ folks are in Iceland. Seems to be pretty chill there... no pun intended...

USA To Finally Sign UN Gay Rights Declaration

I can't wait to see the run down of Obama's first 100 days, and how it compares to other US Presidents. AP reports:

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration will endorse a U.N. declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality that then-President George W. Bush had refused to sign, The Associated Press has learned.

U.S. officials said Tuesday they had notified the declaration's French sponsors that the administration wants to be added as a supporter. The Bush administration was criticized in December when it was the only western government that refused to sign on.

The move was made after an interagency review of the Bush administration's position on the nonbinding document, which was signed by all 27 European Union members as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries, the officials said.

This is exactly the kind of strategy I was hoping Obama was going for. Handing meaningless symbols to the homophobe Christian fundamentalist right (Rick Warren speaking at the Inauguration) while planning to make REAL change for the people. Ever so slowly, this country is evolving out of a medieval state of being. From closing Guantanamo Bay, to affirming the human rights of LGTBTQ fam... Its been getting sunnier up in here. Giving Thanks. May the positive momentum continue.

Obama Establishes White House Council On Women And Girls. And a Word To The "Left".

Thank you, yet AGAIN Feministing! Obama has created a council to address issues of women and girls, and signed an act to deal with the economic disparities between men and women (i've never heard a president admit that women make 78 cents to every dollar men make). Peep the great speech above.

As with most of Obama's announcements and signed acts, I am jazzed to hear the news, and incredulous that a president of this country is saying and doing these things. Simultaneously I am remaining grounded, hopeful, and waiting to see what develops. I have to say, i know the man isn't perfect, isn't a savior, isn't very pro-Palestine, and definitely isn't an anti-capitalist revolutionary. But so far, considering the state of things that was left for Obama- i DO wish that some of us on the disgruntled left could take a moment to take in the good that is being attempted, and help rally behind it instead of grumbling and predicting doom and failure. At the same time we definitely should keep a critical lens intact, and keep working on the grassroots level, building from the people up. AND if dude is trying to break down one of the oldest manifestations of institutionalized sexism... lets get on board!!

Linda Burnham puts it even better, in what may become the quintessential article on the Obama era, and how it relates to the responsibility/orientation of the left. It also addressed my frustration around the nihilism of the (understandably) anti-capitalist left, in comparison with the starry-eyed Obama-as-infallible-savior heads, and other subgroups inbetween. It also puts out a solid game plan of what we gotta do. Please read.

Forward!!

5 Myths About Domestic Violence: Rihanna and Chris Brown

Thanks for the heads up Feministing. A couple weeks ago, R&B pop star Chris Brown choked, bit and beat his girlfriend, R&B pop star Rihanna to the point of filling her mouth with her own blood. Shocking photos of her battered face have circulated the world. (i figure you don't need to see it here).Well intentioned people are stepping up to rightfully denounce this behavior. And Newsweek just floored me with a really insightful article about the myths that a lot of us are perpetuating while trying to "use this case as something the educate kids with". Chris Brown carries/carried a lot of cool cred with kids, so it is definitely important to be clear to them that this is a toxic, unacceptable expression of masculinity. Also being clear about our inherent sexism while discussing this is also very important.

Here is an excerpt of myth number 1:

Myth No. 1: It was a domestic argument, and she provoked him
We need to remember that any discussion of domestic violence should not revolve around what the couple may have been arguing about, or as one CNN anchor put it: "the incident that sparked the fight." Nor should we be using the word "provoked" when describing this case, as in the Associated Press account that said the "argument" was "provoked" by Rihanna's "discovery of a text message from another woman." Domestic violence has to do with, well, physical violence, not arguments. There isn't a verbal argument that should "spark" or "provoke" an attack of the kind that leaves one person with wounds that require medical attention.

And an excerpt of myth number 3:

Myth No. 3: People make mistakes. Give the guy a break
When singer Kanye West talked about the Rihanna-Brown case with his VH1 audience recently, he asked: "Can't we give Chris a break? ... I know I make mistakes in life." Kanye's not the only one saying this kind of thing, so let's get something straight: People leave the oven on or fry turkeys in the garage and burn their house down. One may even accidentally step on the gas instead of the brake and run over the family cat. Mistakes resulting in tragic consequences happen all the time. But one cannot mistakenly beat someone up. You do not accidentally give someone black eyes, a broken nose and a split lip.

Kanye?!? C'mon now. I'm almost more disappointed in him than Chris Brown.

Newsweek however, stealthly extorts kudos from my unsuspecting person. Props.

Obama Creates New Foriegn Policy Position To Address International Women's Issues.

Unprecedented! I'm feelin this a lot. I don't know much about Melanne Verveer, the woman he picked for this new position, but if she is as wise a choice as Obama picking Van Jones for the White House Council On Green Jobs, then.... the possibilities for positive change just got a bit more awesome. Just gotta get this through the Senate now.

Nice unveiling for Women's History Month, Bams. Hope we can talk about the women in DRC soon. More details about the appointment here.

Happy Women's History Month y'all!

International Women's Day: End Violence Against Women. And Please Sign Petition To President Obama.

(picture courtesy of http://www.unicefusa.org/hidden/women-of-drc.html Roger LeMoyne. Photo of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo awaiting emergency medical treatment at the overwhelmed Panzi Hospital)

A week ago, a female friend shared an experience that left me unable to sleep that night. My friend (who I’ll refer to as K) was awoken in her hotel room by the weight of a man on top of her, and a hand covering her mouth. K survived this rape attempt by screaming and alerting people, and by kicking him off. This happened a couple months ago, and K is thankful that the assault did not progress into an even more invasive nightmare. Understandably, K is still actively recovering from this trauma, the trauma of being assaulted when safety was assumed and she was most vulnerable. She has only recently gotten to place where the wind blowing a curtain in her house does not send somatic alerts through her body. And she is clear that she kicked ass. When she shares this story with women, she is usually met with empathy and support. And everytime... K receives another story of survival.

I too am thankful that the assault was not worse. As a part of my spiritual practice, I always ask for protection of my loved ones, family and community, and also more specifically for protection of female bodied people who i am connected to. I will never know the fear that is a part of growing up female around possibly being raped. I know that boys and men can be raped too, and that many male bodied people are carrying scars of sexual abuse. I also know that the numbers of boys and men who are survivors are significantly smaller than survivors who are girls and women- and for the most part, we don’t go through life with the ever looming spectre of possibly being sexually assaulted.

Yesterday was International Women’s Day. The main theme for this year is “Women and and men united to end violence against women and girls.” What can men do? We can model for other boys and men what a mature, non-oppressive man is like. We can support institutions and support healthy, feminist masculinities, and not support institutions that support more oppressive masculinities. There are also organizations like Men Can Stop Rape and Men Against Sexual Violence that do good work. Supporting organizations like San Francisco Women Against Rape, and other support services for rape survivors is another thing that anyone can do.

Those are some ideas for the local level (please add more!). As for the global level, that is something we are all going to have to brainstorm and pool resources over.

My sleepless night replaying K’s experience over and over again sent me into a downwards spiral, agonizing over the larger picture of the global reality of violence against women. Recently another female friend of mine sent me the link for a New York Times article entitled The Invisible War. I thought it was an aptly named phrase for the violence against women here at home, where the battlefields are usually secluded away from the public eye, and court systems do not make things easy for survivors. But this article was referring to the shockingly underreported state of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (yet another elucidating article labels the relative media and activist silence a “Grotesque Indifference”). In the DRC, rape has become the main weapon of war. Rape of hundreds of thousands of girls and women. Hundreds of thousands. Hundreds daily. Control over the mining of tin, coltan, and other materials fuel this war, as the DRC is the largest producer of most of these materials. These ores are responsible for making our cellphones, laptops, and other electronic gadgets, which no one needs to be informed has an incredible global demand. Militias fight to gain control of the mines, and use rape as a way to psychologically, spiritually, culturally- violently traumatize and dysfunctionalize whole communities. It is staggering to the soul to read the accounts.

I am going to place a boundary for protocol here regarding discussion of this painful subject. Understandably, this is horrific and enraging. However, i must emphasize that any comment which uses the words “savage” “animal” or “barbarian” to describe the marauding soldiers will be deleted. This is not in defense of the soldiers. These words are steeped in a historically racist lens. Yes, the acts are monstrous, horrible, sick, unspeakable, effed up, wrong, hateful, a sin, crimes against humanity and tons of other descriptors. If we could stick to this type of languaging, I would appreciate it. Because the news does not report the Israel army as being savage barbaric animals for burning civilians with phosphorous, or even the soldiers who were in the Serbian rape camps as such. But most articles around the crisis in the DRC use the word “savage” in the first paragraph. Including NPR.

In Aaronette M. White’s book “Ain’t I A Feminist” (reviewed on my blog here), White refers to Sojourner Truth as a pioneer of Black Feminism (and a role model for Black Feminist men), because she was able to have an “intersectional outlook on race and gender” (pg. 13) and she refused to prioritize the advancement of Black men at the exclusion of Black women. I am hoping that the readers of this blog can also hold an intersectional perspective where we can speak of the rights of women without devolving into racist dialogue. I am hoping we can all move together, and not make one form of oppression more acceptable than the other.

So what can we do about women in the Congo? As we all know, President Barack Obama has a full plate, but a part of his platform is to Fight Gender Violence Abroad. Let us remind him of this pledge, and SIGN THIS PETITION. We can also do our part by not caving in to buy every single new permutation of the cell phone. We live in a time where new models of phones are showcased and given names like new models of cars. Me, i have a BlackBerry. I think that’s fancy enough. Adopting a green stance and a culture of re-use also helps. Some of us have a couple of cell phones lying around. Those can be recycled, and materials can go back into the industry without depending on “blood ores”. Click here for electronic recycle depots near you. And click the link for Green For All clips, focusing on green job initiatives that are creating new opportunities for fighting poverty, environmental racism, and by association, the very issues being discussed here. It becomes clearer to me that Green Jobs can be anti-oppression.

These are all strategies within the context of living under capitalism. Clearly, the horrible crisis in the DRC is one of the ugliest symptoms of capitalism. I contribute to capitalism and I am in it, but i am also aware that capitalism is rooted in causing harm to oppressed people. In the case of DRC, war, patriarchy and capitalism come together to create a living hell for women.

I pray for human evolution, humanity and healing. It is my hope that whoever you are, whatever faith you belong to, you can still send prayers, light and love to the DRC. And also send some to women and girls that you know, if only in the spirit of International Women’s Day. Much gratitude, respect and love to all the women and girls in my life who contributed to me being the man i am today.

Revolutionary Love,
Richard

random fem.men.isms

Lately, the hits on my blog have been going off the map again. Hits from all over the world. And when i track a good portion of them, its a lot of folks doing a google image search for the iconic picture above, which is featured in my post Nostalgia For The Gender Fluid 80's. It turns out that my blog comes up in the top 4 google image search options from simply typing "Grace Jones."

I must confess, Grace Jones is probably the only entertainer whose boots i would kiss if she asked me to. I believe that she is one of the most important women to come out of Jamaica, whilst being a fierce culture onto herself. The diva of divas.

And if you DON'T know, she has a new album out. Its called Hurricane, and it has collaborations with Sly and Robbie, Tony Allen (Fela's drummer), Brian Eno and Tricky. Miss Jones reports loving Massive Attack, and you can hear it. Rootsy Sly and Robbie riddims move through cryptic neo-dubby sounds, rock, soulful ballads, moody electronica and dancehall referencing tunes like "This Is" which kicks off the album with her declaration "This is my voice, my weapon of choice."

If you are looking for something new and interesting, i would highly recommend the latest works of the 60 year old (fabulous looking!) Jamaican preacher's daughter. I love the pics in the album too!

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While we are paying homage to and supporting strong Jamaican women- please support my amazing sister! She is making moves to cause much needed change in Florida (and you KNOW we need more progressives in office in FL!), and also stands to be the only non-white person to ever be on the Sunrise Commission. Elections are March 10th, its the home stretch. Please forward info about her to anyone you know in Florida, and contribute if you can! Thank you! More about her: http://www.votewrightmuir.com/

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Prop 8 reaches the Supreme Court AGAIN. The verdict will be given March 5th, this Thursday. Luckily, Gov. Shwarzenegger can't vote to disenfranchize folks this time cuz of some legal loophole (Its a "resolution". Why its being voted on at all tho..) The National Center Of Lesbian Rights has an ongoing online rally that everyone can join. Support the overturning of Prop 8!

Also of note in this struggle for equality is that the NAACP has issued statements in support of overturning Prop 8. Yay! Maybe its just me, but i get really happy when big black organizations endorse gay rights. Lets smash stereotypes together, shall we?? Ain't nobody free till we are all free, and NAACP is talking the talk. If you are so inclined, you can thank the NAACP on their Facebook fan page. Looks like they have been getting a lot of love :)

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Following that, i thought i'd close out this posting potpourri with the acceptance speech from Sean Penn for Best Actor in "Milk". To date, this is the only bit of the Grammy's i've seen, which i am pretty fine with :) I hope all the Grace Jones fans stumbling onto this blog appreciate these other fem.men.isms!

Oscar Grant's 23rd Birthday is Today. A Tribute And Reportback Of When The Mesherle Verdict Dropped.

Today, Oscar Grant III would have been 23 years old if his life had not been needlessly stripped away by another man who is but a small cog in a large machine of institutional oppression. Today, I will light a candle for the evolution of justice and humanity, and healing.

As promised, I will share another perspective of living in Downtown Oakland which has become the heart of the outcry against these issues. This is an account of January 30th, 2009, the day when Mesherle was released on bail for murder.


January 30th, Oakland.

I’m on the phone with my mom in Florida, having a conversation about her not so successful trip to see Obama’s inauguration. I get a text from a friend who went to the Mesherle trial, it simply says: “Cop released on bail. Protest on court house steps now.”

My heart sinks, i am distracted, my attention leaving the conversation and going to the sound of helicopters and sirens. I can also sense the outrage in the air. I start to feel nauseous. I don’t have words yet. But before i can say what’s up, my mom cheerfully says loving nice-talking-to-yous, i-love-yous and good-byes. I say them back and hang up.

The nausea starts to burn me up. i feel dizzy. i text back Jen Mei to say i am leaving my apartment for the protest. She sends back updates of where the protest is moving to. I leave, feeling the rage bubbling up. I call the Breakroom, the cafe where i spin sometimes, tell them the news. I advise them to shut down, lock up and go home. They do. I hate to be alarmist, but i feel that there are people who are probably going to act out their rage on a more physically destructive level than i will. On one level, i envy those who may find some catharsis with the sound of smashing glass. I peep my head into Red Door Cafe and tell Ahmed to lock up too. He is just now hearing the news from me. I see his heart sink too, and him shake his head.

Owners of small businesses are hastily nailing up wood board over their store windows. Those who had not boarded up their stores posted paper flyers, calling for justice for Oscar Grant and featuring images of him. These flyers were usually placed right smack in the center of the store window. They were signs of support, but also hopeful talismans of protection. I was immediately transported back to living in New York City when the planes crashed into the World Trade Center buildings, and how Muslim and Sikh business were targeted and smashed up. The U.S. flag became the symbol that meant “don’t hurt me, i’m American too.” I remember getting into a Sikh’s taxi and counting 5 U.S. flags within the interior of the car alone. More flag stickers were on both bumpers and windows.

I continue down 14th street towards City Hall, where i see a group of protestors in the intersection of 14th and Broadway. On my way, I walk up to the Joyce Gordon Gallery. Joyce is outside with her chic artsy elder self, stylish black glasses framing her dark brown face, her signature short curly white fro shining. We both greet each other, shaking our heads. We comment that this verdict may as well mean “I hate Oakland. We vote to destroy it.” Concerned youth have given her an Oscar Grant III poster to hang in her large picture glass gallery window. She has positioned herself outside, at once checking the scene and protecting her gallery. Staff from Awaken Cafe walk over to talk to Joyce, asking for her thoughts around staying or locking up and going. I bid my farewells, and continue towards the crowd.

There are maybe 50, 75 people. Traffic has been stopped, and a brotha in his 30’s maybe is on top of a AC Transit Bus with a bullhorn, saying that it doesn’t matter if the person who was murdered was Black, Asian, Latino, whoever... the killing has to stop. The chant of No Justice, No Peace rises, signs depicting Oscar Grant and other black men who have lost their lives to police bullets in the back, and other senseless police brutalities. I see Navina and her sis. We are happy to see each other but sad look is exchanged. We hug. A brotha hands me a sign, and we all start walking down Broadway chanting “Whose Streets? OUR Streets!” It did feel powerful to be walking in the middle of the street in broad daylight with impassioned people. The streets were ours.

We reach the Oakland Police Station at Broadway and 7th Street, and converge on it. Several riot cops are standing there in line, blocking the front door. We swell around them, and the chants change to No Justice, No Peace, Fuck The Police! One dreadlocked brotha with dark glasses steps up to the line of cops, and with a bullhorn in their faces, charges them as being complicit, mindless tools of oppression that are lacking humanity. The flow of eloquent rage smoothly blends back into chants of No Justice, No Peace! Fuck The Police!



Our crowd begins to spread out, re-taking over the street intersection in front of OPD. Signs calling for the imprisonment of racist killer cops are raised in the air, pumping up and down in rhythm with chants. Traffic comes to a stop, and the crowd walks between cars, chanting. An SUV in traffic turns out to be an undercover cop car, and someone close by notices- and smashes the car window. My gut tightened, as i felt calm also instinctively wash over me. Its about to go down. In real time, i don’t have time to process all of this, because as soon as the sound of glass reached me, 2 seconds later, several cops poured out of the vehicle like angry and scared clowns. They each had arm loads of something. In a frantic dance, they all swung their hands out, and little black round objects flew in all directions. Everything goes slow motion, and i eye the location of where each little black object landed, and slowly back away, breathing deep, the calm overpowering the frenzy in my head and gut. Very loud explosions like staccato gunshots fill the air, and i see smoke. The protesting crowd seems to evaporate, clearing the intersection. The smoke clears (it wasn’t tear gas), and i see protestors on each of the four corners, and we seem thinner now. Someone is shouting for us not to disperse, to stay together. My adrenaline is somehow feeding my calm, making me buzz with an even, hyper-alertness. I see an abandoned bicycle in still in the street, and i pull it to the corner and rest it on a lightpost. I also see one of the concussion/smoke grenades in the street, unexploded. I use the zoom on my camera to take a picture without getting too close.


I point it out to people so they can stay clear. “Is it live?” One man asks. I decide that it is, and say yes. Another man walks over to pick it up to take it out from under the path of the now cautiously moving traffic. I lower my sign to shield my eyes in case it explodes and tell him to be careful. The idea of throwing it back into the cops occurs to me, but I am glad that he just disposes of it (in a gutter i think). I see a young white woman with short, curly dirty blonde hair and glasses move closer to the lightpost where I am. I ask her if the bike is hers, she says yes and slowly picks it up. She seems to be in some kind of adrenaline high as well. We stand on the corner and watch the protestors start to regroup a block further uptown.

“Can I walk with you?” She asks. “I feel safer just walking with someone.”
I tell her she most definitely can.
We start walking uptown on the Broadway sidewalk, me holding my sign, she walking her bike. An older black woman with braids up in a bun stops us, looking concerned.
“Did anyone get hurt? I heard something that sounded like gunshots.”
We let her know that they were just loud smoke grenades, and about the police vehicle with the smashed window. I flip through my digital camera pics and show her the grenade. She tsk tsks and shakes her head. She looks at us through dark shades and tells us that she has seen a lot, been through the sixties. She spoke of channeling this energy into the power of the pen, making sure that local representatives, the police stations and newspapers were contacted. She was glad that the Chief Of Police resigned. She also spoke about how the Oakland Police Department imports cops from Russia because no one wants to work here. The result being having cops who are not acquainted with, and unexperienced with connecting with diverse Oakland populations. The woman was a big advocate for police reform through recruiting people from the neighborhoods they will police. Cops who know kids by name cause they see them at church. We nodded, and conversed in agreement.

After a brief moment we exchanged smiles, thank yous, be carefuls and good byes. The young woman and I continued walking uptown. I know i have to head home soon. I see a chicken wire fence near a bus stop, and i take time to slide the post of my sign through the links so that it is high up, defiantly calling for justice against killer cops. When I am finished, a brother with a wool skully hat steps towards me from the bus stop, and says to me real close in my ear:
“People are excited about Obama. And that’s a good thing. But we need to be writing Feinstein about this stuff. She’ll fix things.”
I smell cigarettes and scented oils. He pulls back and looks me in the eye.
“Feinstein” He reiterates, giving me two thumbs up. I nod and smile, thank him and keep moving.

My bicycle friend is bending over helping a homeless man whose shopping cart of possessions has fallen over. Full plastic bags, clothes and other items are all over the sidewalk. Green eyes look up at me, and my bicycle friend says:
“I’m going to help this man for a minute. Could you walk with my bike and i’ll catch up with you in a minute?”
I say yes, and take the bike calmly, as if (white) people I just met ask me to walk away with their bike all the time. I walk slowly with the bike, and realize that i am unconsciously walking slow to make clear that i am not going to quickly jump on the bike and speed away. I break into a more normal stride, clear that all that isn’t necessary. I also feel touched by this genuine exchange that is happening.

I reach the corner of 14th and Broadway, and police are shooing people away. Wtf? I pretend not to see them, and lean the bike against the lightpost, pretending to be tying my shoelace or something. My ruse seems to invisibilize me, and practically everyone else is shooed away. My bicycle friend walks up and thanks me, looking around at the cops. I tell her that the cops are dispersing people, but i’m just like whatever. Still, i gotta head home. She thanks me again, and takes her bike. I ask her what her name is, she says Tonya. I formally introduce myself. She asks if i want a ride home on the seat while she pedals standing up. I laugh graciously, and say i’m ok, touching her shoulder in thanks. She smiles and rides off.

The cops are now doing the cop parade thing in the middle of the street, walking a dozen cops across. It looks so fascist. I see a friend, a sista i am going to refer to as B, who is shaking her head at the cops.
“They got all the twist ties hanging from their belts, they are just ready to start mass arrests. Look at em.”
Indeed, the cops look like they have a mission. We are behind them, watching them process up 14th street towards Lake Merritt.
B looks exasperated.

“What’s it gonna take? Do I have to join the police force and start killing white people? Or other cops?”

Another sista walking by hears B, and reacts by covering her mouth and saying a long “OOOOOOOOOOO!” The sound evokes approval of daring schoolyard antics, or hitting someone’s weakness right on the money when doing the dozens. Essentially... B said it.
Said the “unspeakable”, the idea of white communities being subjected to the same loss, the same needless suffering, the same injustice, the "same" oppression. The question resounded in my head. What would it really take for police reform?

I think of B’s words as I turn the key to my front door. Once inside, I can see from my window that cops were amassing on Harrison. I get a text from Kenji, it says that the cops are doing mass arrests on Harrison and 14th. B was right.


I am left with questions.

The last protest, protestors smashed up corporate stores instead of mom and pops places. Wells Fargo was the first to go down. What is the next step?

Politics of riots aside, another question burns uncomfortably in me. Where are the riots for Annette Garcia? Are there lower levels of outrage when women of color get shot in the back and killed by cops?

In a time of financial crisis, the OPD has tons of positions available. What can be done about deadly combinations of recession, capitalism, oppression, and the exaltation of legalized, primarily male violence?

The last question is around justice and healing.

In 2006, Charles Carl Roberts IV put an Amish schoolhouse under seige, and shot and killed 5 schoolgirls (ages 6 through 13) before killing himself . The response of the Amish community to this harrowing tragedy made the news, because it was unlike many responses usually seen. The outpouring of compassion directed to the Amish families, such as a fund for the affected families was refused... unless the family of the shooter was also given funds to help them recover from their loss as well. Family members of the murdered girls went to the wife and children of the shooter and comforted them. About 30 members of the Amish community attended Roberts' funeral, and Marie Roberts, the widow of the killer, was one of the few outsiders invited to the funeral of one of the victims. Marie Roberts wrote an open letter to her Amish neighbors thanking them for their forgiveness, grace, and mercy. She wrote, "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you've given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you."

Will justice be served by putting anyone through the twisted, unjust, capitalist monster that is the prison industrial system? Will healing and reform occur that way? I do want justice, but i don’t think we have a very real and functioning justice system. Of course, a part of me wants Mesherle with all his white privilege and guilt to experience what men who look like me are forced through all the time. I want an example to be made, a sign to humanity impaired, racist white cops that its no longer open season on black men. An example that signals the crumbling of the racist foundations of an institution. And at the very least, a mechanism that protects our communities from trigger-happy cops.

But perhaps, there are other ways towards healing and justice. Ways that we have yet to create. Ways that leave the family destroying eye-for-an-eye ways behind. Ways that truly rehabilitate and cause real change. Ways that others may have pointed a compassionate finger towards.

I’m open to suggestions.

BLACK LOVE in PUBLIC! 12 Noon, This Saturday in SF

see. think. dance. has been committed to a concept called The Intimacy Project. And now see. think. dance. is bringing the beginning of a Love Movement y'all. I can't think of a more perfect and beautiful way to conclude Black History Month. On a personal tip I'm also feelin the synchronicity of this event,not only because this Saturday would have been my dad's 77th birthday (Lloyd I. Wright, rest his soul) but also because i just blogged about there needing to be more body positive spaces in public. In short... imma be there for sure. Please fwd this out to the bay area brothas and sistas who you know would want to be a part of such an event, or even just wanna witness it... Lets get our BLIP on!! :)

Location to be announced. Facebook link: BLACK LOVE in PUBLIC

see. think. dance.

The Intimacy Project presents
BLACK LOVE in PUBLIC
a mass demonstration of affection
Saturday :: Feb. 28 :: 12pm - 1pm ::
Location TBA

PHOTO: Bethanie Hines, PHOTO DESIGN: Keira Chang

BLACK LOVE in PUBLIC a mass demonstration of affection Saturday - February 28 - 2009 12pm - 1pm San Francisco, CA (exact location TBA) For ONE hour on ONE day, The Intimacy Project calls upon Black folks in the Bay Area to SHOW their love for one another. This is an OPPORTUNITY to CLAIM SPACE... In a city that is slowly rendering Blackness invisible. In a time that fails to support us as emotional beings. This is an EXAMPLE to OURSELVES + to OTHERS... That Black folks are capable of deep + sustained affection towards each other. That we are able to heal wounds, old + new, starting with the simple act of TOUCH. To RSVP/ participate/ engage/ question ::: via email intimacy@seethinkdance.com via Facebook BLACK LOVE in PUBLIC

The Intimacy Project is... an ongoing collaboration between artists/educators who draw creative inspiration from their connection to the African continent and are deeply invested in social change through the re-integration of the mind and the body. By examining the barriers to intimacy amongst those who were once property, The Intimacy Project invokes the historical legacy of slavery on Black minds and bodies as a departure point to uncover solutions for greater honesty and communication across age, gender, class and race.

Sex Positivity: Carnivals of Culture, Puritanism, Oppression and Body Positive Spaces.

Hello? Anybody there? Sorry, its been a couple weeks since i last posted! But the truth can now be told... i was back in Jamaica with my honey, having a sweet time being very offline. Very sweet time. I still have tactile memories of our sunbaked, suntan-oil slicked bodies holding each other in the ocean, kissing while waves pushed us together. mmmmm!!! (to the family and friends i didn't get to see this time around, beg yu give me a bly, soon come back! this was a strickly honeytime flex...)

while in Jamaica, my partner commented on something that i wasn't really able to see as someone who grew up in the culture. The fact that most adults we talked to (age 30's through young 40's middle class Jamaicans, decent percentage of Catholic upbringing, living at least outwardly heteroexual lives) seem very comfortable talking about sex/sexuality. And with people they have just met. I'm not talking about come-ons, just casual matter-of-fact convo that involves sex in ways that people in the States may involve an anecdote from work, or relating a story of some old friend they just ran into. My sweetie pointed out several examples: A female friend of mine casually shares about her masturbation habits in the first 30 minutes of meeting said sweetie. A male friend recalls performance anxiety in first sexual encounters during a conversation on high school. At dinner in a fancy-ish restaurant, a pregnant female friend reports how her husband woefully strokes her breast with longing, because he knows from experience that her breast will no longer be "his" when the baby is born. Still another woman my honey just met shares how she feels that her sex life has gotten better and better with marriage.

Its only when this is pointed out to me, that i see the pattern. The gf then says with a "i shoulda had a V8" kinda lightbulb realization, "Of course. Its not about Jamaicans. Its about US. The U.S. is a puritanical culture!" It was a great conversation.

And it left me thinking. Thinking about how dominating culture-centric the U.S. is, establishing a standard by which people are determined to be "hypersexual" or... whatever the antonym of "hypersexual" is. Usually, people of color and LGBTQ folks are stigmatized as "hypersexual", while this sexuality is coveted, obsessed about, and fetishized.

Of course, there is a spectrum of appropriateness in every culture, and right now in Jamaica the Broadacasting Commission is banning the radio airplay of sexually explicit songs, a move inspired by the relatively new dancehall phenomenon of "daggering". Daggering is a style of dance typified by simulations of hard banging, rough sex. One of the signature songs, "Hundred Stab" challenges men to pound into a woman 100 hundred times in under 60 seconds. There is an added "extreme sport" factor where a man may jump from a chair or speaker box onto a woman being (consensually!!) held like a net, aiming his groin at hers. Or a woman may run full tilt across a room to jump onto a man. People definitely leave dances with smiles and bruises! This video and this video will elucidate. Whew!!

But again, levels of "appropriateness" are relative. Displays of homosexual activity is definitely staunchly oppressed, and amorousness between same sex couples could be life threatening. Also many members of the dancehall community are not happy about the stigma being placed on the good time they are having, especially since this is near Jamaican carnival time, where the soca/calypso community parades half-naked in the street, emanating rhythmic rapture and beaming with sexuality (see pic above). The dancehall community asks, why is this ok, and our dancing is not? Class and color raises tensions, as dancehall has roots in dark skinned, working class people, and the carnival community has roots in "brown" middle class people. Issues of what is ok to model for children also raise heated debates, with class structured values bouncing back and forth.

Jamaican culture clashes aside, if we look at the picture above, an ironic fact may come to mind. I cannot think of a national cultural event in the United States that echoes this level of costumery, body/sexuality celebration and dance (besides other isolated Brazilian and Caribbean Carnival celebrations here). The closest that would seem to come to this, is Gay Pride. I believe this is ironic for many reasons, but also because here, it is puritanical and heterosexist oppression that has created the need for a space that asserts humanity, and celebrates the body, love and sexuality. Sure, us straight folks have the privilege to walk down the street holding hands, and be amorous in public without fear of harm (perhaps race might complicate that, but mostly, its a pretty assured straight privilege), and the media floods us all with normalizing images of heterosex and affirms its naturality.... But there is not really a national event where heteros- or better yet- EVERYONE regardless of genders and sexualities, can just walk down the street, sun on our skin, revelling in our beautiful bodies, dancing and getting hot and happy with other hot and happy people. One woman i know who does the Jamaican carnival in "full" costume reported having a rapturous experience... dancing down the street, being transported by calypso and soca polyrhythms, feeling free in her body and soul, and looking around and seeing her closest friends also enraptured. A powerful moment of being sublimely and utterly present opened up... and with it came the realization, the message to mark this moment as the happiest moment in her life. Tears streamed down her face, and the ecstacy raised her even higher.

So what do we need here? A Pan-Gendered, Pan-Sexual, Sex Positive Parade? I'll DJ!! When not dancing my half nekkid butt off. The event would need to have a catchier name though, methinks. The Carnival of Body Liberation!! Hee. I'm open to suggestions.

In conclusion, to me the phrase "Sex Positivity" has a new emphasis. It is a phrase that symbolizes the conscious maintenance of natural and healthy body/sexuality self-image in a dominating culture that is oppressive to bodies and sexuality in specific, historically and culturally defined ways.

Hmmm. Maybe the Carnival Of Everyone-Is-A-Juicy-Hottie? Still needs a little fine tuning... ;)

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Men's Story Project Screening @ SF Independent Film Festival

If you missed the Men's Story Project last year (which I almost performed in, and also glowingly reviewed in this blog... this is some serious ish people!), you now have a chance to watch it, either in San Francisco (Roxie) or Berkeley (Shattuck Cinema). Screen dates are February 8th, 10th and 22nd. Click here for schedule and venue details.

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Filmed at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley with a standing-room-only audience, this film shows the powerful debut presentation of the Men's Story Project - a new performance/dialogue project examining social ideas about masculinity for the purpose of social change.

Described by audience members as "groundbreaking," "transformative," and "something that needs to keep on happening," this performance highlights 16 Bay Area artists, activists, and first-time presenters, ages 22-60, sharing stories about their lives through slam poetry, monologues, music and dance.

The stories address subjects including platonic love between men; images of African American masculinity; religion, homophobia and HIV/AIDS; disability and sexuality; testicular cancer and wholeness; men's public restroom rituals; an Oakland activist's refusal to continue intergenerational patterns of violence; spirituality inside San Quentin; transgender identity and gender fluidity; relationships with fathers and other family members; and gratitude to lifelong mentors.

Presenters include Robert Haaland, the first transgender candidate elected to SF public office; Leroy Moore of Sins Invalid; Galen Peterson of Oakland's Art in Action; and members of the Berkeley and SF slam poetry championship teams.

www.mensstoryproject.org