From the forthcoming book Noakhali, 1946: By Sandip Mukherjee, Translated and recreated by Rinita Mazumdar PhD. Subscribe below for access to pre-sale discounts and signed copies!
From Bengali Daily, Anandabazar Patrika July 5, 1947:
(This is still the largest circulated daily in Bengali and also supports an independent Television news channel which airs news in 5 Indian languages)
Allahabad (a city in Northern India) July 3, 1947:
Mr. Amiyo Mukherjee, appealed in the Kotwali police station in Allahabad that one Hindu girl from his family, named Anima Mukherjee, was abducted three months ago during the attack in Noakhali and was brought here under a Muslim name, Zohra. The Mukherjee household was burnt down during the attack on Hindus in Noakhali. The girl herself testified that she was abducted by a Muslim man named Siddiqui and was confined in his home. This girl would be produced in Court to testify. She wrote letters to a relative and appealed to rescue her. After killing her parents, the gang brought her to Howrah Station in West Bengal and then to Marrek Springs; there she was forced to put on a hijab and brought to Allahabad. She further testified that 8 people gang raped her. She was given a Muslim name after the man abducted her. The Magistrate gave further directions to the inquiry.
During the trial the girl was residing with a Hindu family under the directions of the Court, and was called by her given name, Anima Mukherjee. The man who abducted her was arrested in Uttar Pradesh (Anandabazar Patrika, July 5, 1947).
Cultural Hegemony & Untold Genocides V4 Story by Rinita Mazumdar PhD
1946: Noakhali a district in Bengal province in Undivided India, which is now in Bangladesh. There was widespread attack on minority Hindus, instigated by the Muslim League by Muslim gangs. This was specially true of the abduction, rape, conversion and forced marriage of Hindu women. Gandhi was there to pacify the situation and asked Hindus to practice non violence.
Here is an instance of some of the things that happened to Hindu women. Noakhali, October 1946, East Bengal, now Bangladesh:Mr. Satischandra Dasgupta’s, who was with Gandhi writes,
“…… Dr. Amiyo Chakravarty and I came via Jagatpur to Tamta. We were taken to the house of the Mr. Bhowmick, a Hindu resident of the village. That house was burnt down completely during the mayhem. One of the male members of the house, a nephew living there, was murdered. He just passed his Bachelor’s degree in science. Everything in the house was looted and the house was set on fire. Hindu women were dragged out and raped. I could not imagine how such a thing could happen. One woman was left outside to die. She passed away a few days ago. The local Muslim men buried her, although she was supposed to be cremated, but they did not know how to do so. Other women were returned after 15 days. All of them were raped. One by one they were taken into the house. Even after one week the woman could not get out of bed. The fate of 40-50 women in Jagatpur were like this. “
Note Gandhi told women to bear it all silently. Gandhi told the Hindu women to keep poison with them, in case they were violated and during the torture should bite they tongue so as to make no noise, but never inflict pain on the other.
Find previous articles of Dr. Mazumdar's series on Global Conflict by clicking here.
Shiva’s Dance in Albuquerque
Rinita Mazumdar, Ph.D. is one of the leading feminist scholars in the Southwest. Originally from India, Dr. Mazumdar earned her Masters from India and Canada in Philosophy and MSc in Psychology from the University of Phoenix. She received her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Find her poetry collection, “Shiva’s Dance in Albuquerque” by clicking here.
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Growing up in the Catholic Church, the word “forgiveness” always fascinated me. Every so often, we would be coerced to attend the Sacrament of Confession, where we would start the visit by admitting to the Priest, “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was decades ago, and since then I have committed so many “sins.” It baffled my mind that as a teenager I was committing a sin for doing things that teenagers naturally do like desiring to be with girls my age or sneaking a beer after a Saturday night basketball game with my friends. I often wondered why I needed to beg for forgiveness from someone else, when I felt that it was me at the end of the day who needed to forgive myself when I wasn’t at my best.
As I have come into my own as an adult, I have come to peace with the fact that I am not perfect and never will be. Like many others, I have done things to hurt the people closest to me and for that am very remorseful. This is not to knock on the Catholic Church as I am grateful to have met some very inspirational human beings who live to serve others. But one thing that has come apparent to me over the years is that you really don’t need anyone outside of yourself to learn how to forgive or to have the power to be forgiven.
Hurt
I am so grateful for my family and friends, but just as I have hurt others, some of the people closest to me have hurt me the most deeply. People who I have loved deeply have taken advantage of me, wished bad for me behind my back, and betrayed me at the times when I needed them most. Others have seemingly lost their way due to the weight of the world, that especially in these times, sometimes seems unbearable and overwhelming. Even further, I believe that there exist people and forces in life who desire to cause havoc, pain, and death to oppress or suppress those who are dissimilar from them.
My journey towards forgiveness probably started a few years ago, when I passed through some of the most painful times of my adult life and had to learn the hard way to trust my instinct and intuition more than ever before. During that period, I also began to realize that I needed to begin the process by forgiving myself for my own shortcomings and mistakes that I have made as a human being. I deeply regret some of the mistakes I made from as far back as 7 years old, and often find myself feeling guilty for not always doing the right thing.
Reflection
However, as I have spent more time alone during the pandemic and reflected more upon who I am as a person, I have started to feel significantly less guilty. I now realize that none of us is perfect, and that the things we do that hurt others are often just part of a larger cycle that can be difficult to escape. While I am not 100% at peace with everything that I have done to others or they have done to me, I have begun the journey towards forgiveness. Most of us will never forget why someone did something to hurt us, but the best we can to is to try to understand. And through that understanding, we can begin to have dialogue with ourselves and others as to what we can do better the next time. As the Buddha said, “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who get burned.”
As we enter the New Year, I encourage each of us to try our best to forgive ourselves and others for the harm they have done to us. It is without a doubt one of the most difficult challenges for us to overcome as a species, yet one of the most important. If we can’t forgive ourselves first, then getting to others will be much more difficult, so at least we know where to start.
Chris is also a singer-songwriter as the Lead Vocalists for the band Reviva and has embarked on a solo career as Irie Kristoff as well. Find out more about Chris and to read previous articles of In the Footsteps of Peace, click here.
Northern New Mexico is one of the most beautiful parts of the Land of Enchantment. From the Mora Valley, to Taos and Tres Piedras, to Pecos and Chama, it offers some of the most stunning vistas the Southwest has to offer. Yet like most things that have such innate beauty, there is often a Catch 22 that comes along with this quality. For me, the allure of the wilderness and its splendor has a tendency to disarm me and make me forget just how dangerous it can be. Since I was young, I have loved to backpack, camp, and hike in the mountains like many New Mexicans. Over the years we have definitely had close encounters with bears, wolves, snakes, and all kinds of animals that may put a fright up your back. But nothing compares to the feeling of being utterly and hopelessly lost.
View from the Top
That was the story this past weekend as a trio of us navigated the vast Santa Fe National Forest tucked behind Manuelita Canyon. While I felt comforted knowing that we were with a longtime resident of the area and expert hiker, I grew concerned as she repeatedly let us know that she had previously gotten lost on this specific route. As that part of the forest badly needs to be serviced and cleaned, all of the fallen trees make it very difficult to orient one self. After hearing her say for the fourth time to just stay on the ridge if anything happens, I exclaimed, “Please stop! We’re not going anywhere without you.” As she is nearing her 78th birthday, the reality that she could slip and fall and leave us in a precarious position settled into the back of my mind. Luckily that didn’t happen. We found the top of the route with a beautiful view of the surrounding valleys and canyons. I started thinking about what I was going to make for breakfast upon our return and all the other tasks I would need to do before driving home.
Sights Unseen
Ten minutes upon our descent, the first signs of something wrong began to creep up. Our pack of 5 dogs had lost the scent of the trail. The rocks we had put up along the way to help guide us back were nowhere in sight. Having gone through similar episodes before in my life, my emergency response went into full effect: Do we have enough water? What about cell phone battery? Who would know where we might be to help us? What are our options moving forward? After going through the checklist and remembering to breathe and stay calm, more philosophical questions start to arise. Why are we on this path right now when we knew it would be dangerous? What would I do differently if we do manage to find our way home? Who and what are the things that I am most grateful for and looking forward to doing again if I get the chance? Have I done enough to leave the world a better place if this is it for me?
After 4.5 hours of backtracking and using our intuition, we were finally able to find the trail that led back to the car. A wave of pure elation and gratitude overwhelmed us. I was no longer worried what I would eat that day, but rather really excited to hear my parents’ voice over the phone. Getting home late and not being able to complete all my tasks no longer mattered at all. For just a brief time, I was fully present in the moment and experienced a state of true bliss to be alive.
Cutting off Frivolous Chores
This story is not as harrowing as that of Aron Ralston, who managed to cut off his own arm in order to save himself from a boulder that had crushed him while canyoneering. Nor is it as inspiring as Las Vegas Raiders’ Tight End Darren Waller, who overcame being lost in substance abuse to get sober and become one of the best players in the league. Yet all stories of EED lost seem to end in a similar way. There are only two potential endings when you are lost: You somehow make it out and survive, or you perish. What happens frequently is that by getting lost, we often tend to find ourselves. By going through a difficult time, we reflect on whom and what is important to us and what time has been wasted on frivolous chores or relationships. When you are lost with other people, you learn that you have to trust and depend on another; to use the skills that each has to collectively survive and get back on track. We think about what we would do differently if given a second chance, and how we can use our time more wisely.
You would think that after going through this situation multiple times in my life, that I would have learned my lesson by now. I am always sure to have enough water. I have flashlights and knives and jackets to stay warm. I watch enough Bear Grylls to know which mushrooms are poisonous and which are edible. But the truth is that in getting lost, there is always an opportunity to reset. Getting lost gives you the chance to start anew, to enjoy the basic comforts of life.
Lost and Found
I share this story today because I look back and see a country in the United States that seems a bit lost right now. We are just beginning to see a second wave of a virus that has already been relentlessly detrimental to our physical and economic health as a nation. Once seen as the leader in global environmental action, we are the only developed nation to drop out of the Paris Agreement. We can’t seem to figure out how to support our law enforcement while also holding them accountable to protect all of our citizens equally. We no longer are the country that takes in refugees and supports them on their way to the American Dream. The upcoming election has many Americans both fearful and mistrustful of the voting process as well as the results and potential consequences. According to my group of friends living in Tokyo, Copenhagen, Florence, Melbourne, and Nicaragua, we have become the laughingstock of the international dinner table. We seem to have the lost our identity and pride as a nation. Some might say that we never had a positive identity and that the ugliness of our history and oppression is finally just coming to light. Others say that waving the flag simply means the right to free speech and unlimited arms. I believe, however, that this nation was once a symbol of progress for the human race. We have repeatedly stepped in throughout our history to assist other nations going through difficult times. We have also witnessed many Americans create, invent, write, and will into existence institutions and ideas that have without a doubt contributed to making this world a better place. There’s a reason that John Lennon moved to New York City and Elon Musk and Tesla have their headquarters here in the US.
Hope in the Face of Uncertainty
Hardships often prepare people for an extra-ordinary destiny.
I don’t believe that one political candidate or party will save us and help us to find ourselves as a country. I also don’t need scientists or politicians to shape my view that the climate and environment are rapidly deteriorating, putting us in a dire situation as a human race. And I cannot pretend that I think we will resolve all of the social, racial, health, and economic challenges facing us as a country within the next ten years. As an optimist, however, I do have hope. Although we are lost right now in the woods of division, fear, and illness, we are starting to question: Where are we and who can help us? Where have we wasted precious time and resources? What would we do differently if we are given a second chance? It is only by losing one self that we can forge a new way ahead. The path will not be easy or straight ahead, but full of frightening and existential challenges. The good news is that we have some great people from all walks of life making changes in our communities. We have a new generation growing up fully knowing the perils of climate change and inequality that have tools at their disposal that no other generation in America had. Most importantly, we have each other. So now that we know we’re lost, we had better start learning to depend on each other to get through this. There are only two options when you’re lost, to survive or to perish. I hope we find a way to the former.
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l’art pour l’art, was coined in the early 19th century by the French philosopher Victor Cousin. The phrase expresses the belief held by many writers and artists, especially those associated with Aestheticism, that art needs no justification, that it need serve no political, didactic, or other end. Encyclopedia Britannica
Right, there should be no justification to create art for simply purpose of creative expression. But what if the medium and media provided to create art are facilitated by a cause? Taken one step further, what if the moment was created on the periphery of movement? Specifically, the Black Lives Matter movement.
Making a Left at Albuquerque
In Albuquerque, New Mexico we had such an occasion arise due to the BLM protests organized to shine a light on Police Brutality and injustices by those in power, over people of color and specifically African Americans.
Let me back up a little because, this is, From the Left Field Bleachers, and we always juxtapose something from the sports world with our society at-large and use it as a starting point for conversation. I’ll start with LeBron James, the greatest basketball player of all time – GOAT. He is the greatest because much like speaking out on social issues, he began making his teammates better from the jump – the start of his career. Michael Jordan, on the other hand took longer to realize that he needed to make his teammates better in order for him to get to the next level and that didn’t happen until later in his career.
Back in Albuquerque, Downtown, to be more specific, business owners along Route 66 put up plywood boards to “protect” their businesses from, among others, folks pretending to be protestors but actually trying to incite violence thereby working against the cause. Eventually artists were invited to paint on the plywood boards that covered the windows and doors of businesses, with the general effort being titled Paint for Peace. There were some amazing works of art to be sure. Colorful, creative, adventurous. and many on the theme of peace. But are peace and justice synonymous?
The photos of the art featured in this gallery were taken by Community Publishing in a public setting. The artwork remains the creative property of the artists, please be mindful and respectful of their intellectual/creative property.
Lasting Peace
Trinity Nuclear Bomb Test Site, NM
Semantics mean the world sometime and lets deconstruct the word peace for a second: Freedom from disturbance, tranquility. A state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended. If we unpack these first two definitions in our mind we can imagine a place of, well tranquility. I love peace. I think its should be the goal that all humans should be moving towards. But… Is peace like this dependent on justice. It doesn’t seem like it’s dependent upon any enlightenment on the part of the inhabitants of this planet. A ghost town or a nuclear bomb site provide that type of peace, haunting, fragile and temporary. If we move to the archaic definition, peace is defined as: Used as an order to remain silent. Ponder that as you continue to explore what peace means to you and what it looks like when you visualize it. Should ‘Lasting’ and ‘fundamental’ be part of the definition for peace? I believe so and I think most people do as well. These days and certainly during Black Lives Matter issues/events/protests its more effective to be explicit rather than implicit.
"You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his (their) freedom.' Malcolm X
Fundamental/Foundational Peace is a multi-stepped approach which involves justice, equity and repatriation(s). Peace is a wonderful concept, an ideal that we can reach together, be we need to use our collective voices/platforms to explicitly verbalize the injustices in our society with the aim to rectify them immediately. Whether you are LeBron James on a global platform or one of the talented visual artists on 5th and Central, the time is now to be deliberate when standing for peace and obvious in our plan to get there. What are your thoughts?
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A few months ago, I was busy planning Reviva’s longest tour yet heading out west on a 5 state journey. I was reading the news about an outbreak going on in Wuhan China, and quickly texted the guys that I didn’t think the tour was going to happen. As March is typically one of our busiest months, I was working a lot and felt burnt out between my day job and organizing all the details of a 2 weeks stint away. While I was disappointed that we would never get to play venues that we had dreamt of playing for years, I realized that as things slowed down, it may provide some opportunities for me to press the “reset” button and spend some time with my inner voice. Like many people, I struggle with anxiety and issues related to PTSD, and have found time during the pandemic to explore ways to manage it the best that I can. While it took some time to find a disciplined routine, I want to share some things that have been quite useful as we continue to live in the new world of Covid-19.
Equanimity
The first thing that I do every morning is a 10 minute meditation. This is not a religious meditation of any sort, but rather a way to slow my mind down and allow thoughts to flow in and out of my mind without being attached or affected by them. This naturally takes away some of the stress that comes with pressures from work, responsibilities at home, and fears about the future or regrets from the past. My favorite meditation is called Equanimity, and it goes like this: “May you be safe, light, and secure. Free from aversion, attachment, and anxiety. Full of love, joy, compassion, and equanimity.”
You are supposed to say the meditation for 4 people every day: Yourself, Someone you love, Someone who is neutral or whom you don’t know, and Someone who you consider to be an enemy. It is hard to send good vibes to someone you really dislike or who has hurt you, but this part of is probably the most important.
Virtual Yoga
I also have finally found an online Yoga training that has really helped me to be in the moment. It is a series of YouTube videos from the channel “Breathe and Flow”. There is a series of Men’s Yoga Flow that has become my go to as I am finally seeing the mental and physical benefits of doing yoga daily. I now alternate my exercise routine between weights, yoga, and running. Whenever I take more than one day off, I really start to feel more anxiety and thus have learned that physical exercise is key to maintaining mental health.
Other than those two practices, there are a few other things that are important to do as it looks that the pandemic is not slowing down anytime soon. First, I find time every day to connect with family and friends. Whether through a phone call or virtual visit, we all have a few minutes to tell our loved ones we are thinking about them. Second, I spend time every day outside, especially in my garden. We recently took a band trip up to northern NM, and just breathing the fresh air and getting away from the pavement was super healing.
Legislating Peace
Finally, I make sure to find time to laugh about something every day. I really like to keep up on the news and know what’s going on. But now is a time for deeper reflection as to how things will look when we get out of this. As I was sitting with my friend in the park during a Juneteenth event this weekend, I couldn’t help but think that we are somehow going to figure out a society that is more equitable for everyone. But even if we pass legislation and vote in the right people, it is up to each of us to continue on our inner journey to peace. No justice no peace is so true. But as Geshe Gyatso said, “Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible.” Read more about and articles from Chris Brennan
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It has without a doubt been a heavy two weeks in our country. One thing that I have learned along the way in my journey to peace is that real change rarely comes when things are going smoothly. Whether in our own personal struggles, or on a societal level, sometimes deep pain and shock are the catalysts for awakening us to new goals and ways of thinking.
Home Away From Home
A big part of my personal journey to peace was living in Pearl Lagoon, Nicaragua. It is a mostly Black community along with some indigenous Miskito people, and they took me into their homes more openly and lovingly than any other group of people I had ever been around. As I grew accustomed to my friends’ homes and their families, I felt comfortable to just walk and sit with the families as they baked and cooked and laughed. They often joked that I had a “Black Heart”, referring to the way in which I walked in unannounced and told the mother of the household I was hungry, or shared with them whatever food or drink I had come up upon earlier in the day.
Whether it was Mama Rachael, Mama Vilma, or Mama Lily, they always were sure to take care of me with some beans and rice or fried cassava, and treated me as if I was their own son. They showed me how to help thy neighbor in need and build a community the right way, and that is a lesson that I think we can learn as a country right now.
International Discrimination
I spoke with Jimmy Anderson, one of my best friends from Pearl Lagoon over the weekend. He told me, “Chris. Those racist people. Dem don’t know how nice we black people is. Treat you good and always keep you safe and healthy. You have to tell dem.” A part of me felt sad to hear him say that as I know how Black people in Nicaragua are discriminated against just like they are here in the U.S., as the federal government there continues to appropriate their land and sell it to Pacific Nicaraguans encroaching upon their land and language among other things.
Hope In Slivers
But another part of me felt a sliver of hope. The Black Community is showing the world just how kind and loving they are. Watching these recent events unfold in response to police brutality towards the Black community, I have a feeling that as the world shines it spotlight on racial injustice right now, we are going to see a people who are full of beauty, determination, love, intelligence, and compassion show their true colors. A people who will give the shirt off their back to help you, no matter what your skin color or religion you are. A people who have been through endless collective suffering are now coming to the forefront to lead efforts to make real change in our society alongside their brothers and sisters of all colors. It’s about damn time we come together.
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In times of so much trouble, when it seems like evil is so prevalent- winning even- it is important for us to remember that so many people are praying for peace. prayer, meditation, manifestation, have sometimes been seen as moot efforts towards mammoth issues facing our planet today, but this, most personal, plea to the collective consciousness serves as the spark that could ignite the world.
The painting depicts an old native man that goes out every day by himself to pray for peace… before dawn he rises and without a word he gathers himself and goes out to the desert to burn sage and commune with ancestors. no one sees him. he gets no media attention. but none could dissuade him the influence he casts upon reality.
I am reminded of a small group of Tibetan monks that used to venture down in to the rough and tumble of Albuquerque streets every few weeks from their refuge at the Jemez hot springs. the quietest group you ever saw donning neon orange from head to toe. and, what are they doing? praying for the city. some may chide, as i witnessed, but quickly sobered to the idea that these people ‘came to pray for us.’
We must take action, with confidence, knowing that so many are praying for peace.
Take heart! good will prevail!
*****
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Illustrator Audrey McNamara
Illustrator Audrey McNamara was born in Denver, Colorado in 1982. At a young age Audrey spent many hours at her drawing table expressing an interest and having a great talent for art. During her teenage years she won many school awards and continuously surprised her teachers. Audrey had her very first solo art exhibition in 2003 at Mutiny Now Gallery in Denver. Many more shows followed, as well as the chance to show her work in bookstores and coffee shops.
Education
When Audrey became established as a freelance artist she enrolled into Denver’s Emily Griffith Institution of Vocation and Design. Her Education in fashion design helped mold the signature style Audrey’s art carries today. Audrey moved to Los Angeles, California in the beginning of 2009 to expand her networking and search for further opportunities. Audrey currently holds a curating position in Venice, California. On her spare time she travels around the United States with her art doing mostly illustration, street vending and murals.
Nationally recognized author, performer and Poet Laureate of Albuquerque (2012-2014), Bellamy will perform at 7:30. An on- air host for the New Mexico PBS show ¡COLORES!, Bellamy’s multimedia performance will address the intersection of young Black male bodies and institutional racism/violence. He responds in poetic verse to video of a talking circle with young Black men less than two days after the Charleston Massacre. His performance will also include Acapella Hip-Hop poetry/theater pieces.
Black Mantra: A Meditation on Healing is a multimedia hip hop performance piece born from talking circles with young men around issues of identity and masculinity. Originally organized to take place on June 19th, 2015, the first talking circle with young Black men was preempted by the massacre of nine parishioners of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Based on content sourced from real conversations about issues impacting contemporary notions of masculinity, Black Mantra wrestles with the notion of “art as mirror” and “art as window” to conversations young Black men often only have in the confidence of one another, if the event they are fortunate enough to have them at all. This performance copes with the human impact of lived (historical) and perceived (media) trauma on our fathers, spouses, brothers, sons and loved ones. Black Mantra is the performance of being seen. #DialogueDrivenTheater
The performance on Friday, November 3rd at 7pm (@ the African American Performing Arts Center NM Expo) will also feature the live appearance of young men who participated in the talking circles two years ago. Audience members will have the opportunity to hear from them in a moderated discussion panel and Q & A.
Featured Guests (co-creators): Fernando Barrios, Deshaun Summers, Siddiq Muhammad & Zavier Thompson
This event coincides with “The Music and The Muse: Art by Reginald Gammon” Opening Reception at the African American Performing Arts Center Gallery (across the hall from the auditorium)
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When people can’t feel their own skin
When they want to see the bones of the perceived sinners..
When fat cats are jiving you into 300% loans
When it feels like 1492
And people don’t agree with you
And they see themselves as gods
At odds
With the scientific methods
And the message in the media is madness
and bucket loads of sadness
How do we mediate
How do I negotiate this for my kid…
And all the people in the streets where you live..
Mortality is on your radar and explosives are like playdoh
And you are on your way home
With a quick meal and some relief that the tragic paradigm of disbelief
Will not fall on your head and
Everything you lived for will come up dead
And the dreams we all had are buried like the bombs did in Baghdad
And the last memory we had
Was saying goodbye to your friends
For how long?
Until the end ..
..the end of humanity in this new reality of constant
Tragedy
*****
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Curated by Mary Ann Gilbreth, Ed.D., Department of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership and Policy, at the University of New Mexico. This collections includes the work of her students from several of her Reading Methods Classes, promoting cultural diversity in the classroom.
Alex Paramo
From the Left Field Bleachers: Art for Art’s Sake
Right, there should be no justification to create art for simply purpose of creative expression. But what if the medium and media provided to create art are facilitated by a cause? Taken one step further, what if the moment was created on the periphery of movement? Specifically, the Black Lives Matter movement.
Making a Left at Albuquerque
In Albuquerque, New Mexico we had such an occasion arise due to the BLM protests organized to shine a light on Police Brutality and injustices by those in power, over people of color and specifically African Americans.
Let me back up a little because, this is, From the Left Field Bleachers, and we always juxtapose something from the sports world with our society at-large and use it as a starting point for conversation. I’ll start with LeBron James, the greatest basketball player of all time – GOAT. He is the greatest because much like speaking out on social issues, he began making his teammates better from the jump – the start of his career. Michael Jordan, on the other hand took longer to realize that he needed to make his teammates better in order for him to get to the next level and that didn’t happen until later in his career.
There have been some notable athletes to stand up for social causes and against injustices from Muhammad Ali, to Tommie Smith, John Carlos and Peter Norman of the 1968 Olympic Games, athletes have taken a stand at their own peril or that of their careers. For example Peter Norman was ostracized and had his life ruined by the Australian Olympic Team for standing in support with Smith and Carlos.
No Justice, No Piece of Art
Back in Albuquerque, Downtown, to be more specific, business owners along Route 66 put up plywood boards to “protect” their businesses from, among others, folks pretending to be protestors but actually trying to incite violence thereby working against the cause. Eventually artists were invited to paint on the plywood boards that covered the windows and doors of businesses, with the general effort being titled Paint for Peace. There were some amazing works of art to be sure. Colorful, creative, adventurous. and many on the theme of peace. But are peace and justice synonymous?
Lasting Peace
Semantics mean the world sometime and lets deconstruct the word peace for a second: Freedom from disturbance, tranquility. A state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended. If we unpack these first two definitions in our mind we can imagine a place of, well tranquility. I love peace. I think its should be the goal that all humans should be moving towards. But… Is peace like this dependent on justice. It doesn’t seem like it’s dependent upon any enlightenment on the part of the inhabitants of this planet. A ghost town or a nuclear bomb site provide that type of peace, haunting, fragile and temporary. If we move to the archaic definition, peace is defined as: Used as an order to remain silent. Ponder that as you continue to explore what peace means to you and what it looks like when you visualize it. Should ‘Lasting’ and ‘fundamental’ be part of the definition for peace? I believe so and I think most people do as well. These days and certainly during Black Lives Matter issues/events/protests its more effective to be explicit rather than implicit.
Fundamental/Foundational Peace is a multi-stepped approach which involves justice, equity and repatriation(s). Peace is a wonderful concept, an ideal that we can reach together, be we need to use our collective voices/platforms to explicitly verbalize the injustices in our society with the aim to rectify them immediately. Whether you are LeBron James on a global platform or one of the talented visual artists on 5th and Central, the time is now to be deliberate when standing for peace and obvious in our plan to get there. What are your thoughts?
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