Waking Life

There is so much going on right now it's hard to keep up -- though  in any case, you have the news for that. I can tell you in the Cities that too many stores and banks are gone, there were people who came in here to loot and burn that have no connection to our state, and that still, most incredibly, $2 million dollars has been raised to rebuild.

Such is the spirit of the city and of that I am very proud.

I can also tell you George Floyd's memorial was attended by throngs of mourners this week; the governor says we won't get another chance to fix things if we don't take this one and the city is buzzing with people talking about what happened and what needs to happen to create real change.

I am thinking, I can't stop thinking, of Philando Castile and the post I wrote about him some years ago. At the time I believed we were all starting to wake up and that the police would stop using military tactics against American civilians. I was, of course, completely wrong.

"There was a cabaret and there was a master of ceremonies and there was a city called Berlin in a country called Germany. It was the end of the world…and I was dancing with Sally Bowles and we were both fast asleep." --Joe Masteroff, Fred Ebb and John Kander, Cabaret; based on Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood

I have been fast asleep for a while now and don't think I am alone in this. I have so wanted to believe things would turn out better than they have. I have been dancing in the dark and suddenly, morning crashed in and woke me up. It's a late morning, very late and I don't know whether I'll make it to where I'm going in time.

“Race doesn't really exist for you because it has never been a barrier. Black folks don't have that choice.”― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah

“I wish I could say that racism and prejudice were only distant memories. We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred and the mistrust…We must dissent because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better.”― Thurgood Marshall

“Those of us who stand outside the circle of this society's definition of acceptable women; those of us who have been forged in the crucibles of difference - those of us who are poor, who are lesbians, who are black, who are older - know that survival is not an academic skill...For the master's tools will not dismantle the master's house. They will never allow us to bring about genuine change.”― Audre Lorde 

Yes, yes, yes and yes I say to all of this. Which leads me to my final point that waking up is only a start here. It's waking up to dismantle the carefully constructed web of traps and divisions that have been set up for us. It's about voting in EVERY election and figuring out how to repair the bail/prison system and fund the school system and working harder to make sure everyone who needs it is getting health care.

The first and best thing I can think of right now involves voting. I don't think I have heard anyone saying anything about that lately (been listening very hard, too). I just want to mention that because I think it's crucial. 

Have a good weak. Have a kind week. Have a strong week. I'm still thinking about you.

Dancing in the dark photo: Natalia Medd

Listen Time

In times of terrible crises, it's hard to know what to do or when to do it. When that happens, I try to tell myself to listen. I think all of us tend to want solutions RIGHT NOW and that's not always available. So I am starting by listening to people and really trying to hear what they are saying.

It doesn't fix anything, but it does make me feel better. Maybe it just makes me feel I'm not alone.

Facts on the ground: this past week, yet another African American named George Floyd was senselessly murdered by four police officers, who suffocated him while holding him down, despite his cries for help. It was a heinous, horrific act that is yet another in a long string of acts against the African American community.

Protests are erupting across the country and I promise they have been peaceful in Minneapolis. Unfortunately, there has been violence and destruction too and we don't even know where it is coming from. 

Where do we go from here?

What I am hearing and seeing:

A local actor and activist named Andy says he and his family are safe but while one of the perpetrating policemen was arrested, George Floyd is still dead. He says he wishes he could speak more profoundly but at the moment he is exhausted and his mouth tastes like ashes.

 A friend of another friend named Ali says he is hearing that nationalists are destroying our communities to make it look like black people are doing it. He says every single protest he attended was peaceful and constructive. He also says most people aren't out there burning small business and setting building and cars on fire and asks us all to protect our streets.

My friend Ann notes that the gas station she uses three blocks from her house has been burned down. Two other gas stations in the neighborhood were boarded up and closed. She only found one two miles away after her low gas light had gone off.

A local reporter complains about how the governor and mayors talk, talk, talk about getting things under control and yet crowds continue to gather after curfew and nothing is being done.

I then see my friend Becky's post about how to support the Twin Cities right now: http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/general-interest/how-to-support-the-twin-cities/?fbclid=IwAR1AdYNIZr4GdYzqVnmgLhncaNQEYYWWfT2OifPEs-qjmleVfBnKXQrJir4#.XtKLlRY3MNA.facebook

I see a Native American ceremony on the news that pulls thousands of people together, dancing, singing and talking to each other.

I continue to see  people cleaning up their neighborhoods all over the city.

This morning the governor, who used to be a public school teacher, talks about the state he is proud of--with pristine lakes and an excellent school system, the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies and a high concentration of homeowners. 

He then talks about the state that is doing poorly on equality for people of color, who are not benefiting from any of the positive things he mentioned. He talks about how we cannot wait any more to solve these problems. Of George Floyd's death, he says, "Justice must be served."

I want to believe there is reason for hope because I know so many wonderful people in this city and state. At the same time my heart is breaking because of the destruction we've all seen this week.

I do not want to give up on hope because in the end, that's all we really have.

That is why I'm leaving you with a Hebrew prayer for healing, with a melody composed by the incomparable Debbie Friedman. I hope you can play it and sing it with her:


http://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/general-interest/how-to-support-the-twin-cities/?fbclid=IwAR1AdYNIZr4GdYzqVnmgLhncaNQEYYWWfT2OifPEs-qjmleVfBnKXQrJir4#.XtKLlRY3MNA.facebook

Stay safe and healthy, please. I am thinking about you.