Joy and justice in the Twin Cities

“If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.”– Albert Einstein

 

“What defines you? What gives you identity? Again, I ask… What defines you? What gives you purpose?”– Sharon Giles

 

“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”– Dr. M. L. King, Jr.

 

Happy Beautiful Summer Time! Indeed this is a summer that Mother Earth is revealing Herself in our face through the different forms of the negative impact of climate change, as well as sharing Her awesome positive possibilities of green-solutions for a climate change revolution and healing. And, our beautiful planet is providing us with an opportunity to revisit, reclaim, and re-commit to our highest aspirational values of We the People, By the People, For the People (Democracy for 100%); or, we can claim outdated and fearful values of witch-hunting and controlling other people’s minds and bodies (superiority for the top 10%). The courageous value/vote choice is Love (we are all related) or Fear (you are with me or against me).                                                                                   

 

This year, I repeated my Joy and Justice Journey in June traveling to 25 cities in 15 states. And, like last year, I saved the best for last with my stop in the Twin Cities June 16-20. Thanks so very much to all my kindred spirits in St. Paul and Minneapolis for blessing me once again with five, fabulous, fantastic, and festive days in the Twin Cities.

I give a special shout out to my beloved friends, Melvin Giles and Sophie Javna, who assembled and guided a wonderful planning team that arranged for me to speak and participate at grand events all around the Twin Cities. These memorable experiences and highlights included:

The Community Peace Celebration highlighted by the 15-foot-tall solar-powered peace pole; and the seed symposium at Oak Park organized by Zoe Holloman and Midwest Farmers of Color. Britt Howell worked her magic to provide singing, poetry and delicious food for health and seed justice at Bridal Veil Gardens; and the Frogtown Farm Juneteenth Dinner had great drumming and delicious pizza with lots of people arranged by Chef Lachelle Cunningham and Seitu Jones. Our conversation and dinner with Sean Sherman at Owamni restaurant was inspiring, indigenously delicious and produced tears of joy. Kieran Morris led our baptismal-like canoe trip with historic and significant landmarks, the sightings of three bald eagles, and rituals to honor the rivers. The young folks at South High led by Michelle Shaw had us making seed bombs as we toured their beautiful school garden. Michael Chaney prepared a fantastic Juneteenth Celebration on Broadway; Britt and Lupe sequestered me for dinner and future-planning conversation at the Malcolm Yards Market; we had a final breakfast meal and conversation at Breaking Bread Café hosted by Michelle Horovitz. Fantastic times together! If you will have me back, let’s do this again in 2024.

 Indeed, we want grand elder Jim, back! Thank you, Brother Jim! 

 

By Dr. Parvathy Binoy: “The recent dismantling of affirmative action admission policies for college admissions is like a dagger to the deep, festering wound that is anti-Blackness and racism in the U.S. Already, a watered-down policy from the radical ideas of the civil rights movement for access to education, affirmative action is a bare minimum policy that ensures some form of access to the opportunities and possibilities of a college education for all people of color, especially for Black, Latinx, and indigenous youth – who have been, across centuries of racism, kept out of and systematically pushed out of these educational spaces and opportunities. 

“As an Asian migrant to the U.S., I have benefited from and have been bequeathed access to education, employment, and equality that was gained from centuries of struggles, political movements, and sacrifices made by African American, Latinx and Indigenous communities and families in this country. Then how are some Asian American advocacy groups working in collaboration with White supremacist initiatives and efforts to end affirmative action?  

“Have we forgotten the histories of solidarity, histories of shared experiences of racism and bigotry that continues to live across the landscape of this country? 

“How can we make education, whether it be in elite institutions like Harvard or state universities like UNC, accessible to all, but also ensure an education that deeply recognizes the need for a reparative, accessible and anti-racist space of education? “

May Peace Be In the Rondo, Frogtown, Hamline/Midway, Como, and Surrounding Communities... May Peace Be In Our Homes & Communities… May Peace Prevail On Earth (MPPOE)!