Accountability, Artivism and Action: Where Are You On The Continuum?
The world was watching, and waiting, anxious, holding our collective breath, in hopes we could breathe again, if even for the one evening of Tuesday, April 20, 2021, the day the Derek Chauvin verdict came in.
Three counts of Guilty!
Relief, tears, breaths given for the ones George Floyd could no longer take--his life viciously taken by Chauvin last May. And we all watched it happen, only because brave 17 year-old, Darnella Frazier, recorded it, herself still pained that that's all she could do. Yet, through her unwavering courage in bearing witness, the world saw what happened, and thankfully, the jury did it's job to make Chauvin pay for his murder. Now we hold our breaths again to see what the judge's sentencing will be.
Many have said this is not justice, it is accountability, and I agree. It's not like this conviction means racism is ended. It doesn't mean police brutality, use of excessive force, killings of unarmed and innocent Black people will end. It does not mean the system of policing, with its slave patrol origins, can be reformed without tearing the whole house down, and creating a new way of ensuring public safety in all of our communities.
As a white person who desperately wants a world where we all are free, I know this moment, most of all for me, doesn't mean I can stop thinking about, or stop doing anything about ending racism in this country. And, I know it means that all of us white people have to stay doing something about it. I know I can't just care about racism when I hear about yet another police shooting in the news, or someone I work with says something racist, even though those are times I must take action. As I always say here, I have to be thinking about, and acting every single day to break apart racism--whether it's personal attacks, inequities in our communities in housing, schools, businesses, workplaces--or whether it's policies and laws that uphold racism and privilege to people who look like me. I pray that we white people who were glued to our televisions on Tuesday evening, don't go back to thinking it's all good. It is hard for me to grasp the thought, conscious or not, of "if it doesn't effect me, I don't think about it, or do anything about it." I remember the calls from Black friends and those speaking out against racism:"You must love Black children like they are your own" I remember what Darnella Frazier said when she was recording. She said when she saw George Floyd on the ground, helpless, she saw "my dad, my brothers, my cousins, my uncles, because they are all Black."
And so why can't we all say, especially when a person is on the receiving end of racism, whether a micro-aggression, a racial profiling incident, and most of all, when under threat of physical violence, why can't we feel, and say to ourselves, I need to protect this person, because they are part of my family? And, every day, why can't we self-examine, and be aware, and say why should I have access to this school, and the majority of people who don't look like me are sitting in under-resourced schools, or, why do I get to have my voice heard, my ideas and perspectives centered in decision-making in this meeting, and why does almost everyone in upper administration look like me--where is the real inclusion?
I am not working across all these areas that I noted all of the time. One person cannot do it all. But we can find an area where we can do the work. Together we can all make a difference. We are part of the continuum of fighting for everyone to be free, and we have to keep on fighting.
If part of my way of doing the work is through my writing and my poetry, I know that I am just one of a vast number of artists who throughout history have used their art, and continue to use their work to reflect what is going on in the world, and who call to us to reflect, and take action. Call it art + activism, or artivism, it is definitely something that stirs my soul, and is an avenue that keeps me passionate about being part of the change to create a racially just world.
One of many local artists who inspire me to be a part of the fight against racism is Providence poet laureate, and playwright, Christopher Johnson. Christopher is in the process of workshopping his most current multi-discipline performance piece, which answers the asked and not so obvious unasked questions about race and racism. I was honored to be able to write about the workshop performance, Invoice For Emotional Labor, for Motif RI, which you can read about here. I invite you to think about the artists--visual artists, poets, dancers, actors, storytellers, musicians, writers, and the arts organizations, who inspire you, and who spur you to take action, and keep engaging in, and supporting their work. It will keep them creating, and keep us keeping on with the fight to make things right.
It can also help us build community, and not feel alone, or stuck in the thought of "but what can I do?..I am just one person.." We are all connected, and it is that realization, and acting like we are all connected, and all family, that will keep all of us alive, and well taken care of. I know that probably sounds naive, and Pollyanna, but is there any other way to get there?
I write daily poems on Facebook made up from my friends' status updates. These poems, especially in times of chaos, horrific tragedy, and hate, help me make sense of what is happening, gives some order to my thoughts and feelings, and provides solace for my anxious, grieving heart. The poems, I always hope, in their documentation of the moment, honor all of the people who are grieving, and struggling with the same questions racing inside my brain.
This is the poem I created from my friends' status updates on Tuesday, the day the verdict came in. Let us each day we wake up, ask ourselves who we are going to be today as we move through the world, and let us ask ourselves at the end of each day if we would want ourselves as a member of our own family? And remember each day who is a part of our family. (Hint: every one)
4/20/21
on pins and needles
it's going to be
a long
30 minutes
it's about to be
all the way on or
all the way off
george floyd is
21st century symbol
for 400 years of
lynchings and murders
come to a nexus
he represents
the thousands of
nameless, faceless,
unknown bodies that
lie decaying in
countless bogs, fields
and marshes
forgotten with
no headstones to
even mark
they ever existed
the verdict is in
guilty on all charges
I'm crying
the relief
god
guilty
all three charges
good!
but just a start
the people
have spoken
this is not justice
this is accountability
the whole system
is guilty
anybody else
emotionally exhausted
I wonder what the
verdict would've been
had the world not
been watching and
there was
no video
redesigning rooms in
a burning house
isn't progress
I am thinking of
darnella frazier, a
17 year old girl
who had the courage
to film something that
was wrong
thank you to all
the bystanders who
bore witness to
this horrific tragedy
this didn't happen
without you
blessed are those
who are
keepers of justice
this is justice for
my sons and yours
1 down and
countless others
to go
but his conviction is
no substitute for the
deep and deliberate
changes we need to
prevent further
police killings
and misconduct
makiyah bryant
I'm not black, but
I see the injustice
that you face daily
I'm not black, but
I will stand, kneel
& fight with you
justice would be
george floyd unharmed
please know
the difference
black men deserve
to grow old
"daddy changed
the world"
yes your dad
has definitely left a
historical mark
on this world
Thankful for Poem Contributors: Wendy, Christianne Warlick, Ronald Petty Jr., Warren Leach, Heather Parsons, Ntombi A. Peters, Jason Thompson, Kortez Artise, Sharlene Ebirim Downs, Ally Henny, Denitra Letrice, Michael Eaglin, Ulysses Prince, Angie Bannerman Ankoma, Orange Live, Innocence Project, Melissa Potter Laundry, Michael J. DiQuinzio Paintings, Patrice Jean-Philippe, Billy Porter, Johnny Washington Jr
Sources:
AMERICA RECKONS WITH RACIAL INJUSTICE
Darnella Frazier, Teen Who Filmed Floyd's Murder, Praised For Making Verdict Possible
April l 21, 202111:15 AM ET by RACHEL TREISMANTwitter
Photo credit: Vanity Fair