This Week as an Artivist 3/12/16: Chicago vs. Trump, Brown U, Mujeres de Maíz

TRANSCRIPT:

0:00:00.000,0:00:05.220
Hey Artivists! How are you all doing? I had a great week. I hope you did too.

0:00:05.810,0:00:09.599
What’s going on with you? How was your
week? What did you do towards your

0:00:09.599,0:00:16.230
Art? Did you see any plays? Oh my goodness, I didn’t go see a play this week. That’s a first! I

0:00:16.230,0:00:23.039
was traveling. Did you go anywhere? Did
you stay home? Did you write? Did you

0:00:23.039,0:00:26.460
protect your work? I’m gonna do an
episode about how to protect your work. I

0:00:26.460,0:00:31.480
think that’s really important. But what’s
going on? How’s life going for you? Leave

0:00:31.480,0:00:36.480
a comment. Also if you like these videos,
please do give it a thumbs up,

0:00:37.110,0:00:42.320
subscribe to the channel. I really
appreciate it. Alright. Oh wow – this is a

0:00:42.320,0:00:47.710
great week. So last Sunday I participated
in the 19th anniversary of Mujeres de Maíz,

0:00:47.710,0:00:52.660
which is a an organization that is really dedicated to

0:00:52.660,0:00:57.250
bringing together women -diverse women and girls to do

0:00:57.899,0:01:07.189
programming, arts, culture, protest,
movements together, politics and I was so

0:01:07.189,0:01:11.180
honored to be there. I met a lot of
really cool people. Shout out to that

0:01:11.180,0:01:14.439
organization. Of course there are links
below – check them out if you’re here in LA,

0:01:14.439,0:01:18.140
support them. Go and be a part of what they do!

0:01:18.140,0:01:23.680
OK I went to Brown University and
performed One Drop there. This was their

0:01:23.680,0:01:31.850
Multiracial Heritage series. They gave me
this lovely lovely t-shirt, and I love this

0:01:31.850,0:01:38.750
on the back: Black Heritage Series and it was so wonderful I’ll show you some photos

0:01:38.750,0:01:44.659
of our trip. So when we arrived for Tech,
they were putting up black

0:01:44.659,0:01:48.869
curtains because there was this exhibit
behind them. And I was like, “Oh let me see

0:01:48.869,0:01:53.590
what it is,” and it was a Black Lives Matter
exhibit at the school. And I was like, “You

0:01:53.590,0:02:00.680
must keep this up!” So I was thrilled
to be incorporated into this exhibit for

0:02:00.680,0:02:01.930
Black Lives Matter and it was

0:02:01.930,0:02:08.210
beautiful. And there were some photos,
a painting behind me and it was so

0:02:08.210,0:02:13.680
interesting just as I was moving on the
stage in tech and in the show, it was like

0:02:13.680,0:02:21.930
I felt the ancestors. I felt this sacred
space behind me, just kinda like

0:02:21.930,0:02:28.560
encouraging me to keep going – and that
this is part of the struggle – and also

0:02:28.560,0:02:30.440
hopefully part of a solution –

0:02:30.440,0:02:33.860
doing One Drop and having these
conversations we’re having with audiences,

0:02:33.860,0:02:39.120
so that was just really beautiful. I want to say thank you to the organizers. Nimisha: you

0:02:39.120,0:02:42.780
were incredible. I know what it’s like to
have to organize something and you are

0:02:42.780,0:02:46.560
also a full-time student and you just
did such a great job, so thank you so

0:02:46.560,0:02:51.780
much for organizing the entire thing.
Also to Sam and Anselmo who I know were

0:02:51.780,0:02:56.290
really integral to making things
happen. Also to Elmo, the professor

0:02:56.290,0:03:00.110
who hosted our Folk Thought after the
show.

0:03:00.110,0:03:03.670
Thank you for doing that with us. I
feel like the students are so lucky to

0:03:03.670,0:03:10.850
have you. To Kathy and Alonzo for your
incredible tech work. They learned the show

0:03:10.850,0:03:11.890
right away.

0:03:11.890,0:03:18.900
Also Alexandrina Agloro – thank you because I know
you’re the reason that the show happened

0:03:18.900,0:03:23.290
at Brown at all; that you connected with
them after you saw it and let them know

0:03:23.290,0:03:29.080
to add me to their list of folks to
bring. So I appreciate that you did that.

0:03:29.080,0:03:34.440
Oh and then who came to the show? Jessi Rizzi (who I knew as Jessi Rizzi

0:03:34.440,0:03:40.220
growing up), she’s now Jessi Driskell,
fifth-grade y’all! Fourth or fifth it might have been

0:03:40.220,0:03:45.320
fourth grade I’ve known he. Including our
fourth grade or fourth and fifth grade

0:03:45.320,0:03:49.769
teacher Barbara Fox, and my high school
teacher Donald who did our Q&A with Junot Diaz in

0:03:51.220,0:03:56.390
Cambridge were ALL there. It was just so
beautiful to have you – what a magical

0:03:56.390,0:04:02.600
evening. Shout out to Black, Latino and
Muslim students at the University of

0:04:02.600,0:04:11.769
Chicago, Illinois for shutting Trump DOWN. I’m
so impressed I’m sooo and, and I’d say

0:04:11.769,0:04:14.730
this all the time and it’s still true:
I’m so hopeful

0:04:14.730,0:04:20.290
about the future because young folks are
not playing anymore. Hopefully we’ve

0:04:20.290,0:04:24.979
learned from past mistakes, particularly
about getting complacent. I keep

0:04:24.979,0:04:28.610
thinking, “What happened?” like, the civil
rights movement there was so much

0:04:29.160,0:04:34.250
unification and activity and pushing
back and then at some point it just

0:04:34.250,0:04:41.250
feels like maybe we all got complacent,
or scared – very likely – when you’re

0:04:41.250,0:04:46.850
reminded that your powerless, but, but
these young folks are not having that! They’re like,

0:04:46.850,0:04:52.440
“Okay maybe we don’t have the financial resources you have.

0:04:52.440,0:04:56.970
We don’t have the political
resources you have, but we have twitter!” –

0:04:56.970,0:05:02.050
by the way I keep telling everybody I’ve
been telling you – I mean it’s getting late at

0:05:02.050,0:05:06.479
this point, but like, you need to be on
social media. This is how folks are

0:05:06.479,0:05:11.580
organizing. This is how we are finding
like-minded people and letting one

0:05:11.580,0:05:16.389
another know we’re here and we are
supporting you. So I’m so proud of what

0:05:16.389,0:05:21.349
you all did. Congratulations. I’m
gonna put a link to a fund for those

0:05:21.349,0:05:26.870
protesters who have been arrested. That
information is there.

0:05:26.870,0:05:31.210
OK I don’t know if you remember that a
few weeks ago I told you that submitted

0:05:31.210,0:05:37.820
to the United Solo Festival. It’s a solo
theater festival that takes place on 42nd

0:05:37.820,0:05:44.570
Street in New York for three months
total – and we got IN! HA!!! WE GOT IN! So One Drop

0:05:44.570,0:05:51.789
will be playing on 42nd Street Theater in New York City in October. This really is one

0:05:51.789,0:05:56.470
of those cases where we’re going to be
producing the show, so I’ve gotta find

0:05:56.470,0:06:01.310
out about the Tech there, make sure
they’ve got space for a projector and a

0:06:01.310,0:06:05.770
screen and I gotta figure out marketing
so I’m going to put together a budget this

0:06:05.770,0:06:09.789
coming weekend, then really already
start doing social media pushes about

0:06:09.789,0:06:15.139
it because if you sell out your show (and
we just have about 55 seats so I’m confident

0:06:15.139,0:06:18.770
we can get folks in there) if you sell
out your show, they will extend your

0:06:18.770,0:06:22.470
performances. So I’m SO excited,

0:06:22.470,0:06:29.330
so glad and will keep you posted on that. Wow about you? What’s up? What’s going on?

0:06:29.330,0:06:33.510
How was your week? What are your goals
for this week? Are you writing? Are you

0:06:33.510,0:06:38.080
producing? Are you directing? What are you up to? Give us links to come and support

0:06:38.080,0:06:41.740
your work! Alright you all have a
wonderful, wonderful week. Mwwaa!

0:06:42.280,0:06:46.900
Go. Hit it. DO it. Get going

0:06:46.900,0:06:50.600
Artivists. Get some good stuff done and
I’ll talk to you next week. Bye!