Good/ Mourning, Thanksgiving
I still want to torch 2020 on a big ol’ bonfire, but I’m a little shocked to realize The Worst has not happened (yet). I know many people are in mourning for various reasons, which has me conflicted about the few bright spots.
“Janus: Value” in the collector’s home. Photo courtesy Korey McLeod.
On the one hand, I’m thrilled that “Janus: Value” now lives in Washington, DC, at the home of Korey McLeod. Actually, that collage wasn’t even in my solo show at Morton Fine Art. But after visiting the gallery, Korey found it on my website and asked if it was available. I’m deeply grateful for the support, especially during the pandemic.
Credit: All My Relations podcast/ Instagram
Speaking of COVID-19, the virus has claimed more Indigenous (and Black) lives than in any other group. So family gatherings with people outside your household are not a good idea; neither are public events critical of Thanksgiving. This year Un-Thanksgiving at the University of Oregon, the annual Sunrise Gathering at Alcatraz Island and the National Day of Mourning all went online.
Credit: Gregg Deal/ Amplifier.org
Understatement of the year: What a bittersweet holiday. For those who can access it, a Zoom gathering might help to ease the separation. But I think old-school phone calls, to share the good and the bad, might be better for me in this exhausting year.
Happy James Baldwin Day
Make this happen: Let’s turn Independence Day into James Baldwin Day, and spend that time calling America on its unfulfilled promises.
An altered American flag in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone, June 12, 2020
Much of the United States finally seems interested in learning how to be anti-racist, or at least interested in books about it. Why not keep the momentum going? Let’s have a federally-recognized holiday when Americans evaluate their anti-racist growth and make concrete plans and policy changes that would help us do even better. Think of it as love in action.
We’d also be honoring author James Baldwin’s lifelong dedication to holding this country accountable for its racism. It seems right that we follow up on the nationwide protests against police brutality by using Baldwin’s searing criticism as an action guide.
Don’t worry — we’ll still party for Freedom-with-a-capital-F with flags and hot dogs and raisin-free potato salad. We’ll just do it on Juneteenth — a celebration of actual enslaved people leaving bondage.
Connecting with your humanity, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
I don’t know who needs to see this, but it’s still true — more than fifty years after Martin Luther King, Jr. said it:
This MLK holiday weekend, how about we make a conscious effort to do things that make us more human?
Volunteer projects are great — and so is learning more about systemic inequalities that make volunteering so necessary. So is supporting art about fighting for freedom. Art is one of the most human ways to process these big issues — making it, seeing it in person, and even collecting art that moves you. If you’re specifically looking for my art, you’ll find it in Portland until the end of the month. Go: do something that helps you connect with people instead of things.