damali ayo Returns to the Stage to Talk About Racism
Friday 24th October 2008 | 10:27 am
Where: at your school!
Feeling: awake
I’m Back!
damali returns to the stage to stir things up about racism once again.
I am writing today to announce that after a few months off the racism-lecture circuit, I am returning to the stage to continue this much needed dialogue.
This year, I hit a wall of intense burn-out. There were many factors involved in my decision in April to take my leave from the battle to fight racism, but over the last six months, I’ve watched where our country is going in the new-found “age of Obama.” What I’ve seen and experienced has been profound. This conversation is needed now more than ever. This is an incredible opportunity to examine the way racism works in our country.
Earlier this month as I was photographing some of the Panhandling for Reparations performers a nearby woman, who could not stop laughing, kept saying “things are changing...one of them is about to be president.” This summed up the situation so clearly. Yes one of “them” is about to be president, so soon, none of “them” will need to be listened to any longer.
But then, what made the the timber of this time so clear to me was a simple gesture that occurred while I was walking my dog in my neighborhood one afternoon.
A man yelled “nigger” at me.
And it was here that I realized the dual level of what we will be dealing with in this new “changed” time.
I need to be with you in this conversation continuing the work I do to help people find the tools to advance their understanding of race, and to connect and learn from each other.
Let’s do this together by bringing me to your community or school to present the tools of the I Can Fix It conversation, to talk about my experience as an artist and racism educator, and to help generate dialogue in your world. In appreciation for your welcoming me back, I would like to connect personally with anyone who brings me to talk. If you help to organize my visit to your community, I would include in that visit a personal chat over coffee with you and a group of your friends.
You might be asking, “what happened to CROW Clothing?” Well, the economy happened to CROW. Sadly we launched just as things started going downhill and we were not able to get the backing we needed to continue past our proof-of-concept phase. We were not alone, two other eco-clothing companies in Portland alone closed this summer as well. It was a wonderful effort, and brilliant experiment and all of us who were involved can leave saying that we created a “first” in the world- the first sliding-scale clothing company. For this we are proud.
If you would like to bring me to your school or community, drop a line to damali@damaliayo.com. I look forward to seeing you all once again.
Yours always,
damali
Please also JOIN THE NEW BLOG at http://damaliayo.blogspot.com
damali returns to the stage to stir things up about racism once again.
I am writing today to announce that after a few months off the racism-lecture circuit, I am returning to the stage to continue this much needed dialogue.
This year, I hit a wall of intense burn-out. There were many factors involved in my decision in April to take my leave from the battle to fight racism, but over the last six months, I’ve watched where our country is going in the new-found “age of Obama.” What I’ve seen and experienced has been profound. This conversation is needed now more than ever. This is an incredible opportunity to examine the way racism works in our country.
Earlier this month as I was photographing some of the Panhandling for Reparations performers a nearby woman, who could not stop laughing, kept saying “things are changing...one of them is about to be president.” This summed up the situation so clearly. Yes one of “them” is about to be president, so soon, none of “them” will need to be listened to any longer.
But then, what made the the timber of this time so clear to me was a simple gesture that occurred while I was walking my dog in my neighborhood one afternoon.
A man yelled “nigger” at me.
And it was here that I realized the dual level of what we will be dealing with in this new “changed” time.
I need to be with you in this conversation continuing the work I do to help people find the tools to advance their understanding of race, and to connect and learn from each other.
Let’s do this together by bringing me to your community or school to present the tools of the I Can Fix It conversation, to talk about my experience as an artist and racism educator, and to help generate dialogue in your world. In appreciation for your welcoming me back, I would like to connect personally with anyone who brings me to talk. If you help to organize my visit to your community, I would include in that visit a personal chat over coffee with you and a group of your friends.
You might be asking, “what happened to CROW Clothing?” Well, the economy happened to CROW. Sadly we launched just as things started going downhill and we were not able to get the backing we needed to continue past our proof-of-concept phase. We were not alone, two other eco-clothing companies in Portland alone closed this summer as well. It was a wonderful effort, and brilliant experiment and all of us who were involved can leave saying that we created a “first” in the world- the first sliding-scale clothing company. For this we are proud.
If you would like to bring me to your school or community, drop a line to damali@damaliayo.com. I look forward to seeing you all once again.
Yours always,
damali
Please also JOIN THE NEW BLOG at http://damaliayo.blogspot.com