Friday, March 23, 2007

Progressive Artists Movement - Be The Change

Today I was proud to stand with elders, peers, artists, youth and activists of all ages, races, and backgrounds at the protest that was held outside of Epicurus restaurant on Warren & Cass here in Detroit. A one hour demonstration was staged to protest the unwarranted mistreatment and mishandling of a respected elder, artist and activist Baba Ibn Pori-Pitts. On February 28th Brother Ibn went into the establishment, Epicurus, to use their restroom. As the brother was about to relieve himself the owner's son proceeded to call Baba Ibn obscene names, assaulting him, and slung him out of the establishment causing Baba Ibn to hit his head. This is a repugnant act of unsolicited violence. This is the greatest disrespect of an Elder in our community who is respected at home, nationally and internationally.

It is Baba Ibn that has been of the great sources of love and support to me in my career as an artist and activist. I met Baba Ibn at Pitch Black Poetry, where a group of dedicated writers, artists and activists would meet weekly on Wednesday evenings to share our words and thoughts. Not only does Pitch Black support the arts, but activism in our communities as well. As part of the Pitch Black Poetry Collective, which included brother Ibn, we engaged in bringing arts to the community, supporting political campaigns of worthy candidates, took poetry to youth in juvenile detention facilities, sponsored arts festivals honoring greats like Clifford Fears, and much more. I have had the honor of spending many evenings and sharing stages with Brother Ibn, receiving wisdom, being empowered and uplifted. Brother Ibn also taught art to children on the weekends at the Pitch Black home in Highland Park. This man does so much for his people and the youth. I have immense love and respect for him as we all should. That is why there was no hesitation in me when the notice went out for a call to protest today.

Greater than to show support to Baba Ibn, this movement is about not allowing ANYONE to disrespect any person of color in our own communities, our own city - not our elders, not our children, not our women or men. It is about not spending our money at places that don't want to serve our black faces or appreciate our black dollars. It's about us having pride and uniting as a people to defend, protect, and uplift one another. It's about us collectively taking a stand against racism and injustice. I was so moved staring into the intense young faces of elementary and middle school children, and high schoolers as they marched alongside the rest of us shouting "No justice, no peace" "Respect Now" and "We're fed up, we've had enough". It gave me hope that even after my generation the mission will go on. To see the seeds of revolution taking root and blossoming right before my eyes. My feet hurt standing in my work pumps, but I marched, and chanted and shouted right along with the rest of my people. Honorable Minister Dawoud Muhammad of The Nation of Islam, Mosque #1 gave not only rousing, but purposeful address to the crowd to do more than march, but to take action, to control our economics, to open businesses, to respect one another and to make others respect us. It was beautiful.

Now in writing all this I know many artists that speak of activism --- and I was surprised to only see a handful of us out there which included Raku and Nic Wells - even though I am sure more than us got the notice. I do understand that some people might not have gotten the notice, or had to work, but for those who knew and had no excuse not to be there, should have been there. If we don't support and defend our own, who else will? If we don't take a stand for change, who else will? We can't look outside ourselves for the answers to our problems and situations if we don't first look to ourselves to provide the solutions. Revolution starts with each individual deciding to make a change and spreads like a chain effect. To quote my poetic brother Karega Ani:

We speak of revolution, but what do the children see?

I pose that same question to you today. We write it in poems and songs. We spit it on stages. We complain of the problems, but what are we doing? Better yet ask yourself: what are you doing? If these children, these youth I saw today can take action and take a stand what can YOU do? Don't get me wrong, we all contribute to positive change in our own ways from starting with our family, to teaching, and so forth - but it has got to be more than just one person, we have to learn to work together to make an even greater impact. Today I challenge you to take action even beyond what you are already doing. I challenge you to be more than words. I challenge you, if you are right here in Detroit, to join the movement of using your art as a vehicle of activism:

PAM - Progressive Artists Movement also known as PAMMM - Progressive Artists for the Millions More Movement. PAM/PAMMM began in 2005 with Minister Louis Farrakhan's NATIONAL call to action for family, friends, artists and all to take steps to target and solve the problems plaguing our communities through campaigns focusing on:

Homicide
Rape
Child Abuse/Molestation
HIV/AIDS
Teen Age Pregnancy
Illiteracy
Clean Water in Africa
Poor Health: Obesity, Hypertension and other diseases
Racism
Domestic Violence
Economic Instability
Illegal Drug Use and Dealing
Immorality

We the Detroit artists and activists of PAM/PAMMM responded to the call. PAM/PAMMM is composed of concerned artists, activists, community leaders, industry professionals of all genres and interest - visual, musician, poetry/literary and more. We all came to the roundtable preceeding Saviour's Day with Minister Dawoud Muhammad to renew our commitment to helping to eradicate the negative factors in our communities, but to also network with and support one another, and to come up with a viable means of making our art work for us so we can support ourselves. But first and foremost is the mission to help the campaign against these issues become successful. We need the contributions of as many people as possible to help make this movement a success. So I invite you to join us at our next meeting:

Thursday, March 29th @ 7:00 pm @ Artist's Village, 17340 Grand River, Detroit, MI @ Lahser

We meet every Thursday to discuss and implement ideas for events and projects that will help to support and accomplish the goals of the campaigns. Our current campaign addresses: Homicide.

Our first event will be on Sunday, April 15th to hold a memorial benefit for poet-activist brother Yale Miller who was recently and unjustly slain. The proceeds from this benefit will go the family of Yale Miller.

Even if you cannot make it out the weekly meetings or to this event please join our Yahoo group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PAMMM/ so that you may be kept abreast of our upcoming meetings, projects and events. There is something that everyone can be involved in.

We have an exciting opportunity to work with Urban Farming headed by musical artist Taja Sevelle , where community gardens are planted in inner city areas. There are locations in Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Montego Bay, and Jamaica . Taja reported at our Thursday meeting that 3 TONS of food were produced from the Detroit gardens alone. This food is available to the community for no cost, and without asking for all to partake and eat. Their mission is to eradicate hunger and put a wonderful use to the abandoned and wasted land right here in the city. The Urban Farming project breaks ground for a new Detroit garden on April 21st at Farwell Park on 8 Mile & Fenelon. For more information please visit their site at http://www.urbanfarming.org or call their headquarters at 248-388-4749.

These are just a few of the exciting events and projects we are joining forces on to help accomplish the mission of increasing the health, wholeness and well being of our people and communities at large.

I know that this has been a lengthy blog but I would be remiss as a responsible artist who takes activism seriously NOT to inform you of all these things.
We must take a stand and offer a helping hand in saving and serving our communities, cities, states, Nation and the world. No man is an island, we do not exist alone or without the assistance of one another. Put your actions where your mouth is and join in the movement for progress TODAY!

Peace & Blessings To All,
Legacy Leonard
Lover of Arts, Lover of People, Lover of LIFE

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Shrinking Cities - Daughters of the Dust

For the last month I have heard much ado about the "Shrinking Cities" project that is currently being hosted at Cranbrook Institute and The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. The Shrinking Cities exhibit is so huge it took up for stadiums in Berlin they say. What is the Shrinking Cities project? you may ask. It is a collaborative effort involving architects, academics and artists who are examining the relationship to urban areas and the shrinking population under the direction of Phillip Oswalt of the Federal Cultural Foundation (Berlin). This documentary examines several cities: Detroit, MI, Ivanova, Manchester, Liverpool, Halle and Leipzig in order to study the phenomena of "shrinking cities".

It was in 2004 that I was invited to participate in the Shrinking Cities project by local poet/academic/curator Aurora Harris. I read and was filmed along with several other poets. The piece I chose for the film is entitled: "Daughters of the Dust" which talks about the relationship of African American males to urban areas and its impact on their families and communities. It was 3 years before I finally heard anything else about this project until to my surprise I received a phone call saying the project was on exhibit here in the States. Writers from all over the Metro Detroit area had been invited to discuss and share work regarding this project but I was one of the last to know, and had been featured in the film!

Needless to say I was not happy about this and sent someone in search of answers---but those details are too mundane to blog. I will be going this Saturday to check out the exhibit and finally see the finished product and get a copy of the film so I can finally have my long awaited footage!
Let me share the piece I read for the film with you:

Daughters of the Dust

By Chantay “Legacy” Leonard

I

I know the cries of Queens without Kings

They cast down their crowns at the feet of their Creator

Rent their royal robes and cover their beauty with ashes

Weeping for their lost sons, brothers, and husbands

Queens wail and turn their faces to the wall

Dying of their grief and heartbreak

They can no longer conceive the seeds of warriors

Queens weeping for lost kingdoms

Aborted destinies

They give birth to multiplied sorrows

Their hope has gone with the spirit of their lost warriors

Wombs weeping for the lost legacies of great nations

Don’t want to birth no more sons without their kings

Don’t want to hear the cries of a newborn asking, “Why?”

She bows her head and cries

She cannot remember the face of her king

To tell her sons and daughters of a Black father

Who stood tall in battles

A warrior of God who loved his land and people

The blessed love of her life that cherished her

She birthed his tribes

He was her strength

She was his glory

She now no longer remembers the stories of great men

Cause she has no King

She has watched her princes raised from the cradle of her arms

To the awaiting limbs of weeping willows

Floating in the wind

Her heart stopped with their last breathe

She falls to her knees

Driving a dagger through her own breast

But God won’t let her die

She dries the tears from her eyes and accepts the burden of living without love

She bleeds rivers of sorrow inside

Even as she stands tall

Her pride is her shield

Against the world that has stolen her joy

She renounces the title of queen

Transforming into a daughter of the dust

Cause she only lives for that one day

When she returns to the Earth from which she came

To join the lost warriors of her womb

II

Dust to dust

Ashes to ashes

In 2001 I watch the lost sons of Queens

Dash her dreams against street curbs

How does the son of Kings and Queens

Reduce himself to a Super Nigga?

Swinging through the concrete jungle

Creating a breed of royal bastards

By every Jane hanging out on the corner

Project Africa burning down to rubble

With overseers on 24 hour patrol

Daughters of the Dust watching as pales demons beat the brains out their firstborn

Redrum soaking the glass encrusted concrete

Even as the sirens wail ominously in the wind

Daughter watching lost seeds marching to the beat of Hip hop-pocracy

Spouting derisive philosophies on open mics

Sending their souls straight to an open grave

Cause the ancestors hear

The lost children cursing their own mothers and sisters

Steady swinging from a platinum noose

Shining deceptively in the lights of a stage

The Afro-Nigga AmeriKKKan Minstrel show

Men reduced to dogs

Who lick up their own vomit

Now justice has become just ice

These lost sons have deceived themselves into believing

That being a man

Is measured by the shine, karats, or grams

Stuck in the rut of STATUS

Still To Arrogant To Understand Success

That why they ain’t truly blessed

And find no rest

Always under the strain

To retain earthly riches

Gaining nothing but a flock of fake bitches and computer glitches

That in one moment could cause you to lose all wealth

Including your mental health

But how can you survive a bankrupt spirit?

Oh my lost sons of the Daughters of the Dust

I know you are not trying to hear it

But the Earth cries for the return of your kingly spirit

See I cannot arise from these ashes without you

Push back the clinch

That Willie Lynch’s your psyche

And remember who you are!

I know your scars run deep

Cause only God hears your weeping in the darkness

Only He has a rag big enough to wipe the tears of a Black man

I will help you stand

When you hurt I cry

I will give you my strength to restore your pride

The world is not right

When you and I are divided

So let us join together and fight!

Because you are my love, my warrior, my lord, my hero

My love, my warrior, my lord, my hero

My love, my warrior, my lord, my hero

Let me be the curve in your smile

The sparkle in your eyes

The warmth in your heart

Return to me my King

So that we may once again exist as one

Grown Azz Woman Talk


I have been thinking about many things over the months, weeks and days and come to the conclusion IT AIN'T EASY BEING A WOMAN!


And the collective of sistahs worldwide nod their heads, smack their lips, raise there eyebrows and reply: "And it took you how long to come to that realization?"

Seriously I think about my life and the stories and situations of the women in my family, circle of friends, community and abroad and it is a bittersweet-sour-rich-spicy stew of experiences, wisdom, regrets, neglect, joys and sorrows. I wonder how many of us contemplate what it is to be women outside of being defined by our "sex". In my eyes having a vagina and breasts doesn't qualify womanhood. So what does qualify womanhood?

Knowledge and love of self, strength of spirit and character, principles, power, wisdom, compassion, accountability and responsibility.... Ahh accountability and responsibility, let's talk about these words right here. Accountability: the principle that individuals, organisations and the community are responsible for their actions and may be required to explain them to others.

Responsibility:

  • duty: the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force; "we must instill a sense of duty in our children"; "every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty"- John D.Rockefeller Jr
  • province: the proper sphere or extent of your activities; "it was his province to take care of himself"
  • a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something or being responsible for one's conduct; "he holds a position of great responsibility"
As women there are a number of things that we learn in the course of our lives and if our mothers instilled these lessons of wisdom, principles and virtue of nature and character we know that: We must learn to rely on ourselves. That all actions have repercussions. That the decisions we make pave the path for our future. That without struggle and sacrifice there is no success. That we must be strong. That we must use sense and intelligence. That we should value ourselves and know our inner power. That it is alright to make mistakes as long as we learn the lesson to avoid it the next time. To be compassionate to others. To not let ourselves be taken advantage of. There are so many lessons----numerous invaluable ones.....but just how well have we internalized this?

At what point do we stop looking outside of ourselves for the answers to the needs and desires in our lives? At what point do we stop letting our negative experiences and woes of our past be a burden, be a crutch, stop owning us? When do we own responsibility for ourselves and take accountability for our current actions that affect our lives?
Whether it's negative relationships or other circumstances we find ourselves in - we can make excuses for abuses we either internalize or enable other people to inflict upon us. Yes, in life we have some hard times, but sisters sometimes we make it harder than we need to. Somehow we fall into the Super Sistah Myth---as if we must fill the huge role of being saviour to any and everyone and not complain about it. Where does this leave us the time to save ourselves?

Oh no doubt we are divine and strong, but somedays we are weak, we are broken, we are bitter. We need release, venting and healing because we are just as human as we are spirit. We have to give ourselves room for our flaws as well as our growth and development. In order for us to truly grow we have to acknowledge the good and the bad, not treat ourselves as if the negative and sad parts of ourselves don't exist. Denial is damaging. Disdain for your own humanity is just as damaging too. We must learn that loving ourselves means embracing the beautiful and ugly, and going you know what this is me, all of me, but damnit I am wonderful and I am loved. Sometimes we don't always love ourselves and its because we don't know ourselves or don't want to know ourselves. Or we become the things everyone else expects us to be---but what do we expect from ourselves? What do we want for ourselves?


It is not selfish to think about you and only you. Like Erykah said: "I work at pleasin me cuz I can't please you..." We are not here to first and foremost please others, we are here to first know, discover and groom ourselves so we can be useful in our circle of friends, family and communities. But before we serve anyone we have to serve ourselves. The well can't keep giving out water without being replenished.

Ask yourself today: What am I worth? What is my value? Do I love myself?
Am I accountable and responsible to MYSELF?

And be honest, because I know I have not always been accountable or responsible. I've made mistakes and costly decisions because I suffered from a skewered vision of myself. Somedays I don't love myself. Sometimes I do things that are just plain senseless---and its because I don't always keep my worth in mind. I am so much more valuable than I realize most of the time. Yet the irony is I spend a great deal of my time administering this wisdom and care to my family, friends , complete strangers and using my poetry to "minister" to people (on a completely non-religious level. I keep it all elevation, revolution and spiritual). Yet I diminish myself and don't feed myself and care for myself like I should.
We have to see the problem in ourselves before we can not only treat it, but cure it. So ladies today I am going to charge you as I charge myself to be more accountable and more responsible to ourselves.

There is only one you in the universe, and your existence can change the balance of life. Let it be a good change and a good life. The choice is mine, and the choice is yours.


Peace & Healing, Legacy

Shows and Movies

What a generic title, don't you think? It's another drab, snowy cold morning here in Downtown Detroit. I would rather be anywhere than in this office. I have not even had a moment to wolf down my cherry yogurt and banana. Anyhow let me get into the meat of this entry. Friday evening Marygrove College held a special coffeehouse "Contemporary Literary Voices & Urban Leadership" in honor of their inarguating a new President, David Fike and to celebrate their theme for the festivities, urban leadership. The coffeehouse featured a stellar line up including myself,Versiz, Karega Ani, and Queen Sheba. Asha Bandele was supposed to be joining us but unfortunately she got stalled in New York.

I will confess it was a little unnerving performing with my family there and the beginning was just slightly rocky for me, but I think I came out with a good show. I'm taking notes on what to do better next time. But one of the high points of the evening was seeing Queen Sheba perform live for the first time. I had heard of her before and heard some audio clips, but hearing her and seeing her live is entirely two different experiences. Sista was phenomenal. She OWNED that stage and had the audience spellbound. She has the type of raw power and confidence that permeates. In a word she is DOPE. I would definitely share another stage with her.

It was great seeing my family and friends that came out to support - Righteous, Lottie, Alia, Talitha, Morgan, Linda and Zawadi. I am thankful for having such a wonderful circle of family and friends around me. It make me grateful to know that I am loved and encouraged even though I definitely have my rough days.

Over the weekend I had the chance to check out two flicks, one of which was 300 and let me tell you it was OFF THE CHAIN! The battle scenes were amazing and the Leonitus character was gangsta. MAN what a movie! This movie is killing Troy and I LOVE that movie. You must check for this.

The other movie is Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls which I went with my family to see as part of the celebration of my Grandmother's 67th birthday. As with all Tyler Perry productions Daddy's Little Girls had a moral, down home, in the hood feel good theme. Starring one of my favorite actresses, Gabrielle Union, in another anal, man gnawing role who learns love does not come in a particular tax bracket. The unlikely leading man, Idris Elba, plays a hardworking brother from the "hood" that is left to care for his 3 little girls after their grandmother dies. Not wanting to see them with their uncaring and reckless mother he struggles through various oppositions to keep his family together. It's a nice family movie and anyone who wants to see a decent Black movie and likes Tyler Perry films should go check it out.

Anyhow that concludes my blog for now. No, there was no life altering or deep contemplations to feast upon, but some days life simply is what it is. I can't ponder the fate of the Universe everyday now can I?