activism

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This song is included on my latest release, a free sampler mix pulling together some of the songs I’ve written that are most important to me. Big Cats produced the original version (here), and Graham O’Brien produced this one, which mashes up two verses from that song, a third verse from another song, and a hook from yet another song. I like the overall effect, and love this beat (especially the outro– listen to the whole song!)

My “political” writing tends to be pretty specific– a song about sexual politics, a song about whiteness in indie hip hop, a song about language & bullying, etc. At first glance, this song might seem like a departure from that, more of an all-purpose “conscious MC ‘political’ song.” And there are elements of that in here, but I wrote this song to make another fairly specific point: that change comes from organized struggle, from everyday people working together to build the world that they want. It isn’t just about electing the right people, or hoping things will inevitably work out; it’s about actively shaping history through intentional activism and solidarity.

“Marching around with signs doesn’t really change anything” is such a shallow analysis of what “marching around with signs” represents. Of course, on a literal level, a single protest doesn’t change the system. But protest organizers know this. A march is never about magically fixing everything; it’s about a range of tactical considerations: plug-in points for new activists, media coverage and narrative-shaping, a public show of force to foreshadow future electoral (or extra-electoral) power, a space for solidarity and emotional release, a jumping off point for even more intentional organizing inside & outside systems, etc.

The same could be said for social media– a hashtag along doesn’t change the world. But it can be an incredibly useful tool for raising awareness, coordinating multi-city efforts, shifting the larger narrative, and building a movement. Movements are, after all, complex machines, with gears of many different sizes turning simultaneously to accomplish different functions. It’s personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and the real world has reflected this idea quite a bit lately. A few good links:


“The #BlackLivesMatter movement is already making a difference. We’re clearly nowhere near where we need to be, but these recent cases played out differently than they would have a year ago, or five years ago, or ten years ago because of all the work and all the noise that young people have been making while we keep saying that they don’t have a plan.”

Jay Smooth is the best. I think a lot of people know that already. But this video in particular is super important, in that it recognizes how much still needs to done while affirming that the work being done right now is already starting to bear fruit, that “that mountain is moving.” More proof:

Lynette Holloway at The Root:
40 New State Laws Sparked by Michael Brown’s Death in Ferguson

“Who said protesting is ineffective? Since Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen in Ferguson, Mo., was shot and killed Aug. 9, 2014, by white then-Officer Darren Wilson, lawmakers in nearly every state have proposed changes to the way police deal with the public, according to the Associated Press.”

Shaun King at DailyKos:
Just because you don’t know what changes protests have produced doesn’t mean changes aren’t real

“Yet, the refrain I hear far too frequently is, ‘Protests don’t produce change.’ Technically and practically, this just isn’t true. First and foremost, offline protests are a way for people of like minds to join together to express their shared pain and frustration. This solidarity is wildly significant but is too often dismissed, mainly by people who don’t protest, because they don’t haven’t experienced it to understand its value. Online, tens of millions of people are now better connected with one another and with the issues around police brutality in ways that are markedly different than anything we saw in 2013 or earlier. While it’s despicable that every person killed by police ends up as a hashtag and trending topic, the reality that people killed by police are often the No. 1 trending topic in the world signifies a sea shift in solidarity and awareness of the issue.”

Andy Cush at Gawker:
Here’s Proof That Black Lives Matter Protests are Working

“Those who argue that forceful demonstrations only serve to entrench people in the positions they’ve already taken are wrong. People are changing their minds. Just like it did for the suffrage movement 100 years ago or civil rights in the ‘60s, public protest is working in 2015. Now all we need is some meaningful policy change.”

Julia Craven, Ryan J. Reilly, Mariah Stewart at Huffington Post:
The Ferguson Protests Worked

“What’s sad is it often takes a tragedy,” Oates said. “What happened in Ferguson wasn’t unusual — which is awful, but true. The response was unusual, and the depth and breadth of the protests was unusual. And you could kind of see it coming from Trayvon Martin … This rising awareness [about] race and unfairness, and this real question about what was really going on.”

…and if you’re looking for a super concrete example, check out this story by Scott Heins at Okayplayer. A lot of people shared this because of the Kendrick Lamar angle, but I think there’s a bigger story in this quote:

“Today after the ending of the convening as everyone was walking down the street CPD arrested a 14 yr old,” wrote uploader Blake Piffin. “While everyone was demanding his release an officer pepper sprayed the crowd and further escalated the situation. In unity and solidarity everyone was demanding that he be released, and we stayed and protested until they released him!”

 Again, no one is arguing that the struggle is over, or that “marches and rallies” alone are all we need. None of the new laws being passed will end police violence. But this is what movement-building looks like. Here in the Twin Cities, the Black Liberation Project just organized a successful #SayHerName solidarity action, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (one of the most active, effective orgs in the community) are raising money to literally rise from the ashes, and there’s more coming from #BlackLivesMatter Minneapolis, Voices for Racial Justice, Communities United Against Police Brutality, TruArtSpeaks, and countless other organizations and individuals are doing good work. As always, it starts with knowing what’s going on, then plugging in and getting involved.

Related: 

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“The Left is eating itself!”

 “We need to focus on our real enemies instead of criticizing each other!”

 “Ultra radical social justice warriors are a joke, and their PC-policing will be the end of the progressive movement!”

There was a time when I was a lot more sympathetic to attitudes like this (well, at least the first two). If you’re around activists, online and offline, you do start to notice a particular breed of organizer who seems to care more about scoring more-radical-than-thou points than about actually building a movement. They might roll their eyes because you haven’t read a particular book, or talk all in academic jargon and then be super condescending when you don’t get what they’re saying, or swoop in to point out what you did wrong while never actually pitching in.

And yeah, those people are annoying. But they’re also relatively rare. The problem is, however, that there seems to be a growing number of progressives who take that basic jackass archetype and apply it to ANYONE who has a critique, or a call for greater inclusiveness, or a challenge to the progressive status quo. So even when people have super legitimate, necessary critiques, they get lumped in with the fringe, characterized as “just as bad” as their radical conservative counterparts.

The reason that I’m no longer sympathetic to those attitudes is that my real-life experience with movement-building has shown me that very rarely is the problem that progressives are too critical; much more often, we are not critical enough.

When Bernie Sanders flubs an opportunity to stand with the #BlackLivesMatter movement, we can acknowledge that as a flub and push him (and his relentlessly white campaign) to do better, or we can shout down the critiques, on some “he’s really great and the best chance we have for real change so everyone shut up!” (further conversation about this on my FB page).

When a panel discussion on a feminist issue features five white women, and then gets called out for being too white, that’s not “nitpicking.” That’s acknowledging the long tradition of the erasure of indigenous women and women of color from mainstream feminist discourse, and pushing for something better. Maybe it’s easier to see it as “not a big deal” when you happen to not be affected by it.

When “well-meaning” talk-show hosts and journalists continue to ask ridiculous, offensive, invasive questions to trans people, we shouldn’t all just shut up because they’re “trying to raise awareness.” There are ways to raise awareness without throwing people’s dignity under the bus. Again, they can do better.

The whole “we have to stop making good the enemy of perfect” attitude assumes that those adjectives are objective and universal, ignoring the fact that what so many of us see as “good” can actually be harmful and counterproductive to movement-building efforts. Historically, who has been able to frame this debate and decide what “good” is anyway? Even in progressive circles, it’s been people who already have some access to power.

So now when the internet gives a platform to counter-narratives and other definitions of “good,” old-school mainstream liberals find themselves being challenged. That’s why so much of this discourse is couched in condescending, tech-oriented language (“hashtag activist,” “tumblr feminist,” etc.), and framed as personal attacks when they’re actually critiques of power.

The idea that feminism, for example, has been “taken over” by the man-hating trigger warning reverse racist thought police is as ridiculous as it is weirdly common, and a lot of the people making that argument either benefit from the status quo, or have no dog in the fight anyway. My job lets me meet feminists/activists/leftists from all over, and I can tell you: the problem isn’t that “we’re too self-critical.” A lot more damage is done by those with some access to power refusing to be challenged/critiqued than by the critics themselves. 

The thing that I just cannot wrap my head around is this bizarre belief that it’s so HARD, that there’s an expectation that everyone has to be PERFECT and we just can’t– as individuals or as a movement– ever get there. Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect. But there is an enormous difference between those of us who actively try to do better and those of us who whine and want the rest of the movement to accept us unconditionally. I’m certainly not perfect, but somehow, even as a very vocal, very privileged, public personality talking about a lot of serious issues, my life is not an endless series of call-outs.

If your life does seem like an endless series of call-outs, maybe that’s on you. If you’re a liberal professor and you’re scared of your liberal students because they embody “call-out culture,” maybe you deserve to get called out because you’re saying or doing things that hurt people.

If you’re a guy who doesn’t feel welcome in feminist circles, maybe you should think about why you want to be in feminist circles as opposed to introducing feminist ideals into the circles you’re already part of.

If you’re working on a campaign and you know that your candidate’s platform will have a positive effect on communities of color, but those communities aren’t supporting you, maybe you need to do more to bridge that gap rather than huff and puff that “they” just don’t get it.

Of course, passionate people go too far sometimes. But it’s really important to think critically about who gets to define “too far.” Because for every bogeyman story about someone caught up in a wave of critique for an honest mistake or misunderstanding, there are many, many more stories about erasure, invisibility, and liberal racism/sexism/homophobia/etc. that have been silenced for decades. Slowly, this is changing. This shift is happening right now, and as progressives, we should have the strategic and moral sense to embrace it.

To me, being a progressive/radical//leftist means challenging established systems of power. Doing that within our own movement doesn’t make us weaker when it comes to doing that in our society; everything I’ve ever learned or experienced as an activist tells me that it makes us immeasurably stronger, and that it’s the only way we can actually win.

Further Reading:

Joan Walsh at Salon: Bernie Sanders’ big test: Can he learn from his Netroots Nation conflict with Black Lives Matter activists?

Kat Stoeffel at the Cut: Why I Stopped Rolling My Eyes at Trigger Warnings

Amanda Taub at Vox: The truth about “political correctness” is that it doesn’t actually exist

Lindy West at the Guardian: Trigger warnings don’t hinder freedom of expression: they expand it

Roxane Gay at New Republic: Student Activism is Serious Business

Me: “A Visit from the PC Police”

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I’ve written about this kind of thing before, and I’d like to be clear that this framework is what I try to remind MYSELF of, not how I think all people everywhere need to operate. If other people can relate to this or use it, great, but I’m not trying to dictate anything to anyone. Especially when I think about my own identities and positionality, these points only really make sense in that context. For example, telling a Black person “you should do more to educate people” would be a super messed-up thing to say. But telling myself that would not be. So please read this spectrum with that in mind.

Also, I’m not particularly interested in being “deep” here. This isn’t some profound philosophical discussion about how human beings relate to change-making processes, or a poetic exploration of the roots of racial violence; it’s a concrete look at how social media practice can relate to movement-building.

With regards to the #BaltimoreUprising and #FreddieGray protests, a few examples:

1. Silence: So some people are silent because they’re ignorant, or because they don’t care, but there’s also a case to be made, especially for white people, that silence could mean listening, not trying to take up space: two good impulses. But as the rest of this list shows, there are ways to speak up without without speaking over others, especially when we’re talking about social media practice. And there’s just too much at stake to be completely silent.

2. Platitudes: “We all just need to LOVE each other!” Some platitudes are innocent, but a good amount of them implicitly amount to “why are you talking about this? I’d prefer to not think about it.” And then, of course, there’s the “All Lives Matter” crowd.

3. “Thoughts and prayers:” The last thing I want to do is disrespect people who are authentically trying to process tragedy and injustice. But I struggle with this one. If saying “my thoughts and prayers are with Baltimore” helps you survive, then I support that; this spectrum, after all, applies to me and yours might look different. But for me, I don’t give my own thoughts or prayers much weight. Sometimes a phrase like this can be an excuse to disengage, to say something when you feel powerless to do anything. But I don’t believe in powerlessness, as the following points illustrate.

4. Outrage: Sometimes, this is just raw emotion, and that’s fine. “This country is messed up and we need to DO something” is a great sentiment, and one I agree with. But this point is in the middle of the spectrum for a reason.

5. Outrage + links to more information: Social media can be really powerful, but not just for the vague push-and-pull of culture battles. It can be used to legitimately transmit information that can be used for the building of movements. So saying “this country is messed up and we need to DO something” AND linking to something like one of the following is more valuable to me than the previous point. A few examples:

6. Outrage + links to concrete actions or organizations: When the question “but what can I do?” is on so many people’s minds, I return to the idea that systemic problems require solutions that are bigger than just “striving to be a better person.” That means organizing: joining and/or supporting activist organizations that are doing the work. Of course, no organization is perfect, and no single event can magically “fix” things. But these are vital first steps. A few examples:

7. Signal-boosting the activists on the ground: I don’t always do this, since it can be tempting to center my social media practice on my own thoughts and opinions. But I think the “tweet less, retweet more” impulse is important. If you’re one of the many people who feels like “I want to say something, but I’m not an expert; I don’t have anything to contribute,” then finding ways to signal-boost others’ voices can be a good option. It might take a little research, but those voices are out there.

8. ADDENDUM SPECIFICALLY FOR ARTISTS:
I don’t think it’s unfair to say that there’s extra pressure on anyone who has a significant social media audience (whether you define that as 5k, 25k, 100k or beyond). ESPECIALLY because, as artists, it is very easy for us to veer into performative allyship, posting the hottest hot-take, being super vague, abstract, and faux-poetic. But we can do better. Artists (especially hip hop artists, my community) reach audiences that organizers don’t. When you’re tweeting/posting, please keep that in mind. Like this whole continuum illustrates– you can do some good by tweeting about the movement, but you can also actively help BUILD the movement with a little bit of intentionality.

The key word here, I think, is “specificity.” Even though so many of us are conditioned to strive for “timeless” rather than “timely,” sometimes being timely is simply more important. This is about how even though we’re all planting seeds, there’s a difference between randomly scattering wildflower seeds and planting crops.

Also feel free to add other links or resources in the comments. Thanks.

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(A haunting, powerful poem from Tamera Larkins during prelims)

A lot of my time and energy these days is going toward TruArtSpeaks, the organization here in Minnesota that organizes the annual youth poetry slams, as well as a bunch of other programs based around critical literacy, youth leadership, and social justice through spoken-word and hip hop. We’ve got some big news, but I wanted to add to that big news with a more personal note.

I really believe in this work.

I was a late bloomer in many ways, and credit spoken-word and poetry slam culture with helping me develop as a critical thinker, an educator, an activist, as well as a public speaker/performance artist. None of that came naturally to me. But as I grew up in this culture, surrounded by other artists and activists– mentors, peers, and the next generation– a lot of stuff kind of clicked into place for me. I get to see those “click” moments all the time now, doing this work in schools and other spaces. I get to witness the power of this practice and culture to literally change people’s lives, to frame ideas in more powerful and immediate ways, and to push back against all of the intertwined oppressions that face so many of us, not just youth.

I could ramble on about all that (and probably will at some point), but for now, I just want to encourage everyone to SEE what is happening, to listen to these brilliant young people, and to stay engaged. A few thoughts on doing that:

YOUTH: Be Heard prelims are over, but will start again next January. If you want to slam, mark your calendars. In the meantime, there are a few other ways to get down:

  • The Re-Verb all-ages open mic happens every Thursday at Golden Thyme Cafe in St. Paul at 6pm. Come and share your work, or just watch. It’s a beautiful space with a very supportive community.
  • The Flip the Script conference is coming up on 2/22; it’s free and will put you in touch with tons of other people interested in all this.
  • Apply to the TruArtSpeaks Youth Advisory Board and help plan the future of the organization.
  • Connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

ADULTS: A few ways to get involved:

  • DONATE. I actually give money monthly to this organization, because I have first-hand knowledge of how that money gets spent, and how worthwhile it is. Donate here.
  • VOLUNTEER. Email info@truartspeaks.org for volunteer opportunities at our events.
  • NETWORK. If you are a teacher, youth worker, parent, conference organizer, nonprofit worker, or anyone who comes into contact with youth, please spread the word. Bring us into your spaces. Get in touch about potential programs or organizational collaborations: info@truartspeaks.org
  • SHOW UP. For real. The five prelims so far have been absolutely unbelievable, and semifinals and finals are this March. Show up, be loud, support these youth, and have an experience.
And to everyone: COME TO SEMIFINALS AND FINALS.

Feel free to get in touch with any questions. Hope to see you at the events.

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So that was something I’ve never done before. This past week, Iceland and Suriname co-sponsored (along with other partners) a two-day event at the United Nations called the Barbershop Conference, aimed at “changing the discourse among men on gender equality.” I was invited to perform and say a few words.

The concept was that it was a space to engage men (particularly men at the UN) around men’s roles in the struggle; unfortunately, that’s a pretty easy thing to misinterpret, and some of the early coverage presented that as “all the men are going to get together to solve gender inequity.” I’m happy to say that from what I saw, this definitely wasn’t the case. It was more about the importance of meaningful solidarity, and about bringing the conversation into spaces to which men have disproportionate access (while also challenging why that is in the first place).

As for a report-back, it’s really making me think about the different spaces in which the struggle for gender equity manifests. As some of my social justice-minded friends probably expect, the conference (from what I saw of it) was not perfect– it was pretty binary-centric, and while this was the UN, an even more intersectional lens would have been nice; all in all, it was fairly surface-level stuff, and like so many things, I find myself torn between critiquing that for being surface-y and applauding that for being a continuation and validation of the work that so many are doing in their communities on such a public, far-reaching stage.

There was some really good stuff, too. Phumzile Mlambo, Executive Director of UN Women, gave a powerful closing speech on how “achieving gender equality is about disrupting the status quo, not negotiating it,” and it was cool to see that kind of framework reflected at such a high policy-making level. The conference also made me reflect on how much impact more radical voices are having, and how the conversations being had on Twitter and in feminist spaces are definitely bleeding into this larger movement and shaping the larger narrative… sometimes slowly, but surely.

The key will be what happens next, obviously, in terms of concrete change, but it does really seem like the conversation– and the culture(s)– are shifting. I heard lots of mention of the importance of both dismantling/challenging our thinking about masculinity on an individual level, and the importance of challenging systems, structures, and institutional practices that silence, exclude, and harm women and gender-nonconforming people. I think that both/and framework is key. The host/moderator, Al Jazeera’s Femi Oke, also did a great job making sure that people spoke in concrete terms rather than platitudes. Again, we’ll see what happens next. I’m grateful to the Permanent Mission of Iceland to the UN for allowing me to take part.

You can watch the second day’s program here.

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I made a collage of some of responses to the “but shouldn’t it be ALL LIVES MATTER?” crowd.

Because pointing out and organizing around the fact that black people are disproportionately targeted, harassed and killed by police does not take away from the fact that other people are also affected, that the recent murders of police are also tragic, or that other lives are not also valued.

If you’re more offended by the phrase #blacklivesmatter than the reality that prompted it, I would challenge you to reflect on that.

MORE:

Collier Meyerson at Fusion: A guide to debunking the need for “All Lives Matter” and its rhetorical cousins

Kevin Roose at Fusion: The next time someone says ‘all lives matter,’ show them these 5 paragraphs

And then there’s always this:

Related:

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That’s a good question. Let’s plan. Whether the end-goal is overthrowing capitalism and abolishing the police, or just getting more progressive people elected to office, the medium-term goal is the same: building a mass movement.

Like I say in one of those tweets, building a mass movement is everyone’s job, and everyone has to figure out how best to leverage their strengths, passions, resources, access, etc. to contribute to the larger struggle. I think of teachers calling audibles in their lesson plans in order to talk about current events. I think of religious leaders doing the same thing during their sermons. I think of workers organizing anti-oppression committees or even just book clubs in their workplaces. I think of athletes wearing #blacklivesmatter shirts. I think of online communities. I think of students. I think of young people. Everyone has some kind of power or access to space that can help this movement grow.

And for artists, I see a lot of potential. I’m not really interested in the “you have a platform so you HAVE to speak out” argument. For me, it’s more a matter of “you have a platform, so why not speak out?” Whether or not it is our responsibility, it is definitely an opportunity. Especially for touring artists– poets, MCs, bands, etc.– that have the privilege of regularly being up in front of thousands of people all over the country; that’s a platform with enormous potential.

We tour through blue and red states. We tour through cities of all sizes. We tour through colleges, big and small, public and private. We tour through communities that may not have the same kind of access to the programs, conversations, and movement plug-in points that other communities have.

Even beyond the geography, artists have the power to reach individuals who may have zero interest in activism or social justice. When I see five hundred (mostly young, mostly white) kids at a rap show, chanting along to anti-authoritarian lyrics, I see potential. The simple act of standing on a stage and challenging an audience to think critically is a good thing. It is the planting of a seed.

But I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the difference between planting wildflowers and planting crops.

As artists, it’s easy to plant seeds. If I play a hundred shows, and I know that my material is social justice-oriented,  or even just critical thinking-oriented, I know that I’m doing something good. I know that listeners will take these ideas and engage with them in whatever way makes sense to them.

But I think the question isn’t “is what I’m doing good?” The question is “is what I’m doing as good/powerful/transformative as it could be?” I obviously don’t have all the answers, but I am challenging myself to do better. Here are a few practical ideas for transforming artistic space into activist space; this is just where my head has been at lately– please add other ideas or thoughts in the comments:

1. Connecting the Audience to Concrete Actions and Organizations
One of the first steps, for me, is demystifying the idea of activism. You don’t have to a brilliant anarchist mastermind with a black bandana over your face to get involved. You do have to show up, though, and I think one obstacle to building a mass movement is that a lot of people just don’t know where or how to show up. Rage is valuable. Critique is valuable. Raising awareness is valuable. But we can do more. A few ideas:

  • Invite a local activist to have thirty seconds of stage time to talk about an upcoming event, or even just have a table by the merch table where they can hand out flyers and collect emails. It’s about specificity too; I don’t think we always invite every activist group to every show. I think it’s about making connections to what’s happening in the world right now.
  • If that can’t happen, one strategy I’ve been using lately is just taking a few minutes out of the performance to ask the audience for resources: what are links, organizations, events, etc. that everyone else needs to know about? Use the knowledge in the room.
  • Key word: specificity. Again, it’s cool to encourage people to “go out and do something,” but if there are opportunities to connect individuals to specific, existing movements, even better. And even if we don’t love a particular organization, knowing that they exist helps people envision what could be and build something better.
2. Breaking Out of the “Shut Up and Play” Mentality
You can do a lot with an hour of stage time. Most of us (including myself, for 90% of my career) just perform for an hour, maybe with some awkward banter between songs/poems. But what else can we do?
This may be easier for spoken-word poets, who more often perform in spaces that lend themselves to facilitated discussions or interactive stuff, but I think this is a good thing for all artists to at least think about. Some of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had on stage have been when I’ve decided to not just do my ten best songs or whatever and really try to connect to the audience, to have a conversation, to do something together beyond “look at me for an hour because I’m great.”

At one show, we took a big chalkboard and I asked audience members to write down actions they could take regarding police brutality and the prison-industrial complex. This was during those twenty minutes at every show between the listed start-time and the actual start-time. By the time we did start the show, the board was full of ideas:

I’m not saying that that’s the most transformative thing you can do on stage, but I think it is an example of how breaking the fourth wall and being more interactive can really add to the power of an event. Have a discussion. Play a short video. Stage theatrical disruptions. Be creative. We frown upon teachers who just lecture for an hour straight; I think we can hold performing artists to a similar standard.

3. Taking Signal-Boosting to the Next Level
Retweeting people who know what they’re talking about is good. Posting links to articles we think people should read is good. But I think a lot of this is done haphazardly– we happen to see something, and then happen to RT it.

I think there’s room for more intentionality here. And it doesn’t have to be any revolutionary reframing of how we do social media, just a little extra thought. A few tactics:

  • Make more of an effort to signal-boost on-the-ground activists and not just media talking-heads. The latter group can have some great analysis, but getting the voices of the people really in the trenches out there is important. This also relates to making sure that we’re signal-boosting the people who are directly affected by the issue.
  • Whenever an artist with a lot of followers speaks out about an issue, that’s good. But I also think that there is a continuum of value at play. Posting a statement or a rant is good. Posting a rant with a link to an article with more information is maybe better. Posting a rant with a link to an article and info on an upcoming action is better still. It’s all about making connections.
There are weeks when I don’t post anything self-promotional. Just links and resources. And yeah, I lose some followers who aren’t trying to hear that stuff, but I gain more. This isn’t just altruism. Especially with how Facebook’s algorithm works today (explicitly self-promotional posts are more likely to stay invisible to fans); posting about current events and struggles just makes sense.

A Million Other Ideas
Admittedly, these are pretty surface-level actions. There is even more room for arts spaces to be fully integrated into activist movements, and for artists to plug in in ways that are even more intentional and focused. But I think it starts here, thinking about space. Reclaiming space. Transforming space. Leveraging access to space.

I also think it’s hard to have a general conversation, since there are so many different approaches to practicing art. What works for some people won’t work for others. What is effective for an artist who holds one identity may not make sense for an artist who doesn’t hold that same identity, or live in that same community, or have access to that same fanbase. But there is always something that works. Beginning to think more strategically is a first step.

Finally, note that there’s nothing here about the art itself. I love explicitly political art, and I encourage artists to talk about stuff that matters in their work, but I also know that you do not have to make explicitly political art to engage with these practices. You do not have to have all the answers or know everything about every issue to engage with these practices. You do not have to make less money. You also do not have to radically change how you do business– a lot of the stuff here is really practical and easy to do.

We all plant seeds, and that’s good work. But while wildflowers are beautiful, crops are revolutionary. Art, by itself, cannot change the world. But art, as one element of a mass movement, absolutely can. Feel free to add more thoughts or ideas in the comments.

A few links:

This Saturday: Million March MN: Million Artist Movement: “Artists and Allies with Black Leadership who are committed to channeling and connecting people and organizations who are doing the work of social justice.”

Black Lives Matter Minneapolis: great central hub of local activity around police brutality actions.

This Is Not a Think Piece: Turning Outrage into Action from Ferguson to the Twin Cities: my piece collecting links, resources, and organizational info for people who want to plug in to the work being done here. Updated!

Jeff Chang & Bryan Komar: Culture Before Politics

Demetria Irwin at The Grio: Questlove is right, hip-hop is too silent on Ferguson and Garner

My poem “Quicksand” and some further thoughts on the “continuum of action”

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(NOTE: check out a more recent version of this poem at the beginning of my TEDx Talk)

First of all, thanks once again to Button Poetry for the massive signal boost. The work that they’ve done over the past two years has been really important, in ways that I don’t think a lot of us are recognizing in the present.

As for this poem, I wrote it after #Ferguson, but it’s more broadly about how we respond to injustice, especially when we’re not directly affected by that injustice. How do white people respond to racial violence? How do men respond to sexual assault statistics? How to wealthy people respond to hunger and homelessness,? Etc.

To be clear, I think there is a continuum of responses– some of the stuff highlighted in this poem is negative, some of it is fine, some of it is positive, a lot of it is connected– but it’s all about highlighting what I think of as “the urgency gap,” how we’re so quick to treat other people’s life-and-death struggles as an intellectual or emotional exercise.

I’m guilty of this too. Part of the reason I wrote this poem is that it’s a reminder to myself that signal-boosting is good and necessary, talking about privilege is good and necessary, writing poems is good and necessary– but we can’t lose sight of the central importance of organizing, working collaboratively to act on these problems. All of those other responses and actions are necessary to support that organizing work, but the issue, as I see it, is that they’re not enough by themselves.

And far too often, they’re all we give.

Related: my post from last week “This is Not a Think  Piece: Turning Outrage into Action from Ferguson to the Twin Cities,” a collection of resources, interviews, links to organizations and more for anyone who wants to get involved in organizing against police brutality.

Related: my post from right after the Zimmerman verdict, about a lot of the same issues.

FULL TEXT:
QUICKSAND

Upon stumbling, by chance, upon a man, waist-deep in quicksand, I need a second to process. After all, this is fiction made flesh; it’s like a cartoon, like going to the zoo and seeing a mermaid. So my first response, naturally, is to tell him:

Hey, um, I’m pretty sure that I read somewhere that quicksand isn’t actually dangerous, that this idea of a patch of sandy water sucking a person down into oblivion is just a tall tale, a trope to build tension in early 1960s westerns. In real life, yeah, I mean, you can get caught in some mud, but it’s not really that hard to get out. So are you sure you’re sinking in quicksand?

He sinks. My words don’t seem to have any effect. So being an open-minded, progressive individual, I reevaluate. Maybe quicksand is real. So what now?

My second response upon stumbling, by chance, upon a man, chest deep in quicksand is, before I actually do anything, to make sure that I have the whole picture. I mean, what was this guy doing out here in the jungle all alone? Did he step into that quicksand on purpose? Was he asking for it? Does he have a criminal record? Maybe I should wait until all the facts come in.

He sinks. And again, being an open-minded, progressive individual, I decide to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for now. I want to help.

So my third response upon stumbling, by chance, upon a man, neck deep in quicksand is, obviously, to recite a poem. To throw some positive energy his way. To describe, out loud, just how heavy my heart is. I take a piece of paper out of my backpack, and with a pen, I write “quicksand is bad and I am an ALLY to those who fall in it.” I pin that piece of paper to my chest. I take out my phone and I tweet “when are we going to wake up? #quicksand.”

He sinks. And being an open-minded, progressive individual, I decide that this isn’t enough, that we, as a society, need to address the root causes of people sinking in quicksand. So my fourth response upon stumbling, by chance, upon a man, forehead-deep in quicksand, is to take a moment to acknowledge my privilege as someone who is not sinking in quicksand. I vow to take a class, to be more mindful of how I navigate the world.

He sinks. And being an open-minded, progressive individual, I decide that the time for words has passed; now is the time for action. So my fifth response upon stumbling, by chance, upon a man, disappeared into quicksand, is… is…

We can’t allow ourselves to forget what happened here. I know that we need to do something, to put up a sign, to educate people, to build a bridge over this patch of quicksand. I just don’t have any wood. I just have this backpack full of paper and pens and rope; what can one person do?

I imagine my lungs filling with mud. Black earth. Brown water. The hike back to my hotel will be full of reflection. I offer my thoughts, and my prayers. It is the least I can do.

on

12/6/14 UPDATE: This was originally posted on 8/27/14, but I want to continue to be able to use it as a resource to share with anyone who wants to get involved with activism around police brutality here in the Twin Cities. Scroll down for a list of links, resources, and organizations (like Black Lives Matter Minneapolis) and feel free to add more!

After officer Darren Wilson killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO on August 9, my twitter feed exploded with links, articles, calls to action, commentary and analysis. Right here in the Twin Cities, organizations that had been working on issues of police brutality sprang into action alongside new organizations and concerned individuals; events were planned and executed, and activists of all experience levels got to work answering the question “what now?”

While rallies, marches, social media campaigns and protests can be powerful, their power can only be fully realized when tied to long term organizing campaigns. How can we focus the heightened awareness around police brutality into concrete policy change (like, for example, police body cameras)? How can we plug people who have been radicalized (or at least further politicized) by #Ferguson in to the work that is being done? How can we turn this moment into a movement?

What follows is a collection of interviews, links and resources for anyone in our community who believes that change is needed. Racially-motivated police brutality is a national issue, but from Fong Lee to Terrance Franklin to Al Flowers and beyond, it is also very much a local one. The good news is that we can do something about it.

Upcoming Events:
As mentioned, events alone don’t magically create change. But rallies, marches, protests, benefits, vigils, etc. are rallying points, places for like-minded people to come together. On a more abstract level, they’re about drawing inspiration from collective strength, as well as spreading awareness and getting media attention; on a more concrete level, they’re about getting people connected—they’re entry points into organizing. Regardless of how you feel about the power of protests, these events are where you’re going to meet the people doing the work.

Thursday, August 28, 2014: Solidarity Rally for Mike Brown and All Victims of Police Brutality; organized by the Young People’s Freedom and Justice Party. 6pm at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis (300 6th St. S.). There’s also a solidarity event in Duluth at the same time.

Thursday, August 28, 2014: “The Future’s Back” open mic and solidarity gathering; organized by Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), MPIRG and the Common Table, and featuring artists Keno Evol, Sol Rebel, Laurine Chang, The Lioness and Malick Ceesay. 8pm at the Common Table (2001 Riverside Ave.) in Minneapolis.

Thursday, September 4, 2014: Follow-up meeting to the National Moment of Silence #NMOS14 Twin Cities; this event will be a space to discuss “next steps for action, both locally and nationally,” while also making the connections between police brutality and the larger reality of the prison industrial complex, mass imprisonment, the school-to-prison pipeline and more. 5:30pm at the Minneapolis Urban League (2100 Plymouth Ave. N.).

Thursday, September 4, 2014: Unchain Our Children; a Community Affair; a workshop and community dialogue on the school-to-prison pipeline and St. Paul public schools organized by the NAACP St. Paul youth and collegiate branch. 6:30pm at the NAACP St. Paul youth headquarters (781 Selby Ave., St. Paul). Facebook event page link.

Saturday, September 6, 2014: Global Call to Action called by Feminista Jones, who organized the National Moment of Silence. Follow the hashtag on Twitter at #Sept6CTA. (UPDATE: at the rally tonight, they mentioned that the Young People’s Freedom and Justice party would be having a planning meeting to keep things moving on this date at the MPLS Urban League; “Community Forum: Reporting Back from Ferguson”).

While I always encourage people to attend events, I also want to encourage organizations to make sure they have concrete pathways to getting more people involved. The energy at a protest can be incredibly powerful; it’s the organizers’ responsibility to find a way to bottle it, to turn that outrage into action.

Some Context: An Interview with Michelle Gross, President, Communities United Against Police Brutality
One of the most effective ways an individual can create change is by joining an existing organization and bringing their strengths, passions and resources to the table. CUAPB is a local organization explicitly devoted to confronting and dismantling police brutality.

For those who may not know, what is CUAPB’s mission, and what kind of work are you doing right now?
Communities United Against Police Brutality was created in December 2000 to deal with police brutality on an ongoing basis. We work on the day-to-day abuses as well as taking on the more extreme cases. Our overriding goal is to create a climate of resistance to abuse of authority by police organizations and to empower local people with a structure that can take on police brutality and actually bring it to an end. We provide support and advocacy for survivors of police brutality and families of victims so they can reclaim their dignity and join the struggle to end police brutality. We engage in political actions and litigation to change the underlying conditions that lead to police brutality, misconduct and abuse of authority. We educate the community on their rights and on policing issues.

Our hotline continues to receive far more calls than Internal Affairs and the police complaint agency combined. We organize copwatch to document police conduct in the street and courtwatch to document judicial conduct and ensure people receive fair trials. Most recently, we’ve been working on a ballot measure that would require Minneapolis police to carry their own professional liability insurance. The city would pay the base rate for the coverage but officers would pay any additional premiums based on their complaint and claims history. Just as bad drivers pay higher premiums for their insurance, bad cops would pay more and some would eventually become uninsurable. Besides providing individual consequences for misconduct, this measure would save the taxpayers millions in judgments and settlements we now pay for bad policing.

There has been a lot of anger, a lot of grief, and a lot of pain over police brutality recently. What are some ways people might focus their outrage into action? Are there ways someone reading this could plug in to the work CUAPB is doing?
Anger, sadness and frustration are appropriate reactions to the horrific injustices that are happening—not just in Ferguson, but in every community. It’s important, though, that we harness those righteous feelings into effective actions that can actually bring change.

There are many things to be done and many ways to plug into the work. We hold “train the trainer” classes so people can learn how to teach their neighbors and friends about their rights and how to interact safely with police. People can organize copwatch groups in their neighborhoods. They can help provide advocacy for people dealing with the effects of police brutality. They can plan protests and other political actions to put pressure on the politicians. They can help us get our measure on the ballot to increase police accountability.

There are many things people can do, but the most important thing is to pick something and do it. Police brutality is about the most disempowering experience a person can have because when an agent of the state deprives you of your rights and injures your body, you can feel there is no way to fight back. Working collectively with others helps us to regain our dignity and strength.

A lot of people are talking about police brutality in other communities right now; but are there any specific issues we are facing here in the Twin Cities?
Perhaps the most significant issue is the ending of civilian oversight of police. Three years ago, the city abolished the Civilian Review Authority. While that agency never really had the power to properly address complaints, it was at least somewhat independent and board members were quite vocal about the chief’s lack of discipline on their sustained complaints. Now, the only option you have is to go to the police to complain about the police. This has resulted in hundreds of complaints being virtually ignored and Minneapolis cops having free reign to brutalize people with impunity. At the same time, the legislature passed a law criminalizing so-called false reporting of police brutality, making it extremely dangerous to complain about police. We will never be able to stop police brutality unless the community is able to hold cops accountable for their actions.

Is there anything else people should know about your work, or about how we can plug in to that work?
Communities United Against Police Brutality is an all-volunteer group. Despite having no staff and little funding, we are highly effective and have achieved many successes for the community—a class action lawsuit that forced Minneapolis to put cameras in their squad cars, a lawsuit that went to the US appeals court and codified the right to videotape police all over this country, multiple lawsuits forcing police to release complaints against officers and other public data, the founding of several neighborhood copwatch groups, and many other successful actions. We can do even more if more people join the effort. We meet every Saturday at 1:30pm at 4200 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis. Get involved!

Next Steps: An Interview with Saida Mahamud, Organizer with the Young People’s Freedom and Justice Party
Though many organizations are helping to spread the word about Thursday’s solidarity rally, the primary organizer is the Young People’s Freedom and Justice Party, “an alternative party of young people of color in the Twin Cities whose aim is to create a just and democratic society by mobilizing young people and providing them with a platform from which to articulate these ideals.”

Can you talk at all about the Young People’s Freedom & Justice Party?

The Young People’s Freedom and Justice Party first began as a group that would meet once a week to discuss current issues going on at home and abroad, and look at them with a historical perspective. About a month ago, we proposed the idea of becoming a party—but not like all the other parties that have come before us. Our main goal is eliminating this structural system that is forcing people to stay in the current situations that they are in. We believe that capitalism does more damage than good, that it enforces rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. There are cases where people have made it out of the personal strife that they were in, but the general population is still affected by this. So our party demands equity.
Is there anything people should know about Thursday’s action?
We want people to bring signs that say “No Justice, No Peace, Prosecute the Police.” We don’t want any posters that say “Don’t Shoot,” because we don’t want people to think that we’re victims; we may be victimized, but we’re not victims. We also want people to stop expecting teargas and rubber bullets; if they went to the Trayvon Martin rally or Terrence Franklin rally, they’d know that they were quite peaceful, a lot of people came, and I thought they were well done.

After Thursday, how can people plug in to your work, or at least stay informed?
For now, just be sure to keep checking the event page for Thursday’s event.

Continuing the Work: An Interview with Dua Saleh, Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC) Organizer
While NOC works on a variety of issues, they’ve been one of the most dependable, inspiring organizations in the Twin Cities over the last few years.

What is NOC doing around issues of police brutality, and how can people plug in to that work?
NOC has always been a member led organization, from its inception. Members reach out to us with issues that affect their community and we provide them with the platform and the resources needed to take action. The best way to get looped in to the work that NOC is doing is by becoming a member, so that you yourself can take on an initiative and give back to the community.

A dozen or so NOC members have been working on a multitude of different events and rallies in support of Ferguson, “Hands Up Don’t Shoot” solidarity gatherings, petitioning military proliferation in local police departments, petitioning under practiced disciplinary action for police officers, and more. There are various movements and campaigns led by NOC members coming to fruition inspired by Ferguson. To get involved with our organizing committee, contact us at info@mnnoc.org.

Resources for Organizers and Potential Organizers
Whether you’re part of an established group, or trying to start something yourself, here are links to some organizations and organizing resources:

Black Lives Matter Minneapolis: this has emerged as the go-to spot for information on local actions.

Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC): (see interview with Dua Saleh above)

Coalition for Critical Change: an organization that grew out of the first round of #Ferguson protests and one place to get updated on what happens now.

Communities United Against Police Brutality: (see interview with Michelle Gross above)

The Committee for Professional Policing: Another local organization (also an arm of CUAPB), their website has contact information and some ideas for getting involved.

Twin Cities Save the Kids: Save the Kids (STK) is a grass-roots fully-volunteer organization that is grounded in the values of Hip Hop activism and transformative justice, which advocates for alternatives to, and the end of, incarceration of all youth.

Voices for Racial Justice: Since 1993, we have built a stronger movement for racial justice organizing in Minnesota and beyond. Our mission is to advance racial, cultural, social, and economic justice in Minnesota through organizer and leadership training, strategic convenings and campaigns, and research and policy tools.

Hope Community Center’s SPEAC Program: This is a community organizing training program that isn’t explicitly about police violence, but I’m including it here because a lot of the best organizers I know have been through this. Another resource to have on your radar.

Socialist Alternative: While SA works on a wide range of issues, they have been consistently vocal about police violence. Link goes to their national org site, but they have an active local branch; contact through the website.

Justice for Fong Lee: On July 22, 2006, Hmong teenager Fong Lee was shot and killed by Minneapolis police officer Jason Andersen. The community continues to demand justice for what many see as a police cover-up.

Justice for Terrance Franklin: A group dedicated to seeking “justice for the wrongful death of Terrance Franklin at the hands of the Minneapolis police.”

TakeAction MN: This organization works on a range of issues; this link goes to information on their work around criminal justice reform, including contact info for anyone who wants to get involved.

The Dream Defenders with some practical event organizing tips: The Dream Defenders aren’t local, but are “an organization directed by Black & Brown Youth, who confront systemic inequality by building our collective power.” This practical list of questions to ask and things to be intentional about is a must-read.

The Dream Defenders with “what do to after your vigil; tips for planning a non-violent civil disobedience:” The follow-up to the last point, this series of tweets is about direct action.

Black and Blue: History and Current Manifestations of Policing, Violence and Resistance: Project NIA’s collection of tools, curriculum and resources.

Showing Up for Racial Justice’s Police Brutality Action Kit: This toolkit is set up for white people who want to do more, but features ideas for actions, informational resources, videos and more that may be useful to any organizer.

A recent article on the limitations of “awareness-raising” and the importance of direct action: Written through the lens of Palestinian solidarity activism, this piece explores how and why some marches and protests don’t go far enough, and what can be done instead.

Finally, a note on staying informed: my Twitter feed is overflowing with Ferguson updates and people talking about all this stuff, but yours might not be. While it’s easy to joke about Twitter, it’s been an invaluable resource this month, and I’d definitely encourage checking out the ongoing commentary from people like Elon James White, Dream Defenders, Feminista Jones, PrisonCulture, Syreeta McFadden and Ta-Nehisi Coates, plus locals like Nekima Levy-Pounds, Justin Terrell, and all of the organizations mentioned above.

Over on my Facebook page, Jacqui Germain also had this to say, regarding on-the-ground commentary: “If people are looking for reliable St. Louis-based twitters: @OBS_STL is a local org, @tefpoe is a local organizer & and artist, @Awkward_Duck is a NY organizer in town right now providing pretty regular twitter updates, and @AntonioFrench is the alderman of the ward Ferguson is in & has been updating his twitter pretty regularly too.”

Conclusion: This Is Not the End
There are a lot of resources and ways to get involved illustrated here, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. Other organizations and individuals are doing this work, and there are always new and creative ways to make an impact. If there are good links and resources that I missed, feel free to leave a comment here.

In some sense, our biggest challenge is also our biggest opportunity; with the rise of social media, it’s easier than ever to raise awareness and cultivate outrage around the issues that we care about. Both of these things are good. The challenge/opportunity is to go further, to focus all of that emotional and intellectual energy into concrete, sustainable change.

The way to do that is the same as it’s always been: dive in, get involved, and build with one another.