The Light We Have....
After reading the stories below, please visit www.economichumanrights.org and its links. This is far more important than anything I have to say this week, and it's sadly being eclipsed by the warmongering that passes for news right now as well.
This isn't something to simply read about. This is real, and it's Ours!
Danny
WE HEAR OUR TRAIN A COMIN'…
It was New Orleans hot. Blazing. Sticky.
But it was on the west side of Cleveland on July 16 where five hundred people were gathered under a tent in sprawling Lincoln Park. From the middle of the crowd, Carvell Holloway, head of music for Compton's middle schools, began to walk toward the stage playing his trumpet. The tune was only vaguely familiar. He came at the melody with angles and curves. It was unspeakably beautiful.
At the mic, Ernie Perez, front man for the Boxing Gandhis, began to sing.
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh when the trumpet sounds the call
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
The words were familiar, but still not the tune. Perez deliberately sang it out of time, with no resolution, to put all the focus on the lyrics. The words, he explained, were the "unknown" verses written by Louis Armstrong and brought to light by Bruce Springsteen at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in April.
When the rich go out and work
When the rich go out and work
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
When the air is pure and clean
When the air is pure and clean
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
When we all have food to eat
When we all have food to eat
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
When our leaders learn to cry
When our leaders learn to cry
Oh Lord I want to be in that number
When the Saints go marching in
All the pent-up pain and energy under the tent flowed toward the mic and Ernie had to take a step back while Carvell continued to prod things along on trumpet. Once Ernie regained his composure, he asked the crowd to clap and sing along. Now the tune became the familiar one and the response was immediate. Ernie dug deep into his gospel roots and his Apache past, tearing the song apart and putting it back together as five hundred people helped to push it to an end. The tent erupted in wild applause. If you listened closely, you could even hear the echoes of handclaps by the Gulf Coast artists who had wanted to be there but couldn't make it because they had gigs they had to play in the South--The Soul Rebels Brass Band; trombonist Craig Klein of Bonerama and also of the Arabi Wrecking Krewe, which helps local musicians rehab their flooded homes; and Mississippi rapper David Banner, whose Heal the Hood organization has delivered aid to thousands of Katrina victims.
This was the conclusion to the "Artists and Katrina" panel at the National Truth Commission, which brought together victims of poverty from across the country to give testimony on what is really happening to millions of Americans in the richest nation on earth. The "Artists and Katrina" panel began with Tenel Curtis and Kennieth Williams describing their film Reality TV: Live From New Orleans, the first time the post-Katrina situation has been summed up by those who actually lived through it. Their film is so raw and real that they haven't been able to show it in New Orleans. The next speaker was Antoinette K-Doe, widow of New Orleans musical pillar Ernie K-Doe and owner of the legendary Mother-In-Law Lounge in New Orleans, which was destroyed by Katrina. It has been rebuilt with considerable help from the R&B star Usher and will soon re-open. "You will have a place to show your film in New Orleans," she said. "You can show it at the Mother-In-Law Lounge."
The National Truth Commission brought together Kansas farmers, Ohio leaders of the blind and deaf, Philadelphia homeless, Detroit women fighting that city's water shutoff of 40,000 families, and mothers who've had their children taken away simply because they're poor. It brought together people from housing projects and rural byways. All races and ages. Lots of languages were in the air--English, Spanish, Chinese, French, and American Sign Language. Besides the poor, there were those being pushed toward poverty in the near future--hardhat workers savaged by health care costs and formerly middle class professionals who've lost their jobs. The testimony of several dozen people was heard by a group of Truth Commissioners from around the world, including the U.S., India, Italy, Ecuador, Colombia, and Argentina (the U.S. government would not allow South Africa's Winnie Mandela into the country to join us in Cleveland). The commissioners will quickly fashion the testimony, along with their recommendations for solutions, into a document for worldwide distribution.
The energy in the tent spun people out across the park where they gathered in groups big and small. New friends and new alliances were made. The leader of a three month occupation of the office of the Tennessee governor's office traded ideas with the head of the Labor Heritage Foundation. There was a meeting of hip-hop activists, ministers, and union leaders spearheading a drive for universal health care. There was a hook-up between artists from Chicago housing projects and New Orleans housing projects with plans for a delegation to visit New Orleans soon. After an evening showing of Reality TV: Live From New Orleans, Truth Commissioner Alexis Ponce of Ecuador jumped to his feet and cried out: "If you give me a copy of that DVD, I will make sure it gets seen throughout Latin America!"
One of the most remarkable things about the National Truth Commission was its heavy emphasis on culture. As Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign director Cheri Honkala put it: "Art and culture are the most important part of our struggle. They carry us past our pain, they unite us, they spread information, and they inspire us with visions of a world without poverty."
To that end, there was a constant parade of performances in between the testimonies on July 15. And July 16 was designated Arts and Culture Day. There was spoken word from Mike the Poet, Sarah Cruse, Tamika of Yale Divinity School, award-winning New York playwright Tim Dowlin, Hip-Hop Congress president Shamako Noble, Pawnee/Seminole rapper Quese IMC of Oklahoma, and dozens of others. There were the gospel stylings of Togo and Donnie, there was the World Peace Drum Ensemble, and there was Joe Uehlein, union leader and professional musician. A group of Los Angeles artists assembled on stage while photographer/poet Charles "Bomani" Watson read the following statement, signed by 47 L.A. artists:
"Most people have an image that artists in Los Angeles all live like rock stars. They party it up in their mansions and travel around town in limos. It's one glittering opening, party, or shopping spree after another.
"Those of us who actually are creating in Los Angeles and trying to survive know a very different reality. We have trouble getting health care or paying for health insurance. It's a constant struggle to pay the rent, buy food, and keep a car running. We have to spend time we should use for creative pursuits hustling gigs or grants or, even worse, working one or more dead end day jobs.
"As artists, we are the conscience of the world. Through our creations we spread joy and make people think. We should not be struggling to make ends meet in the richest nation on earth."
There was an art and photography show nestled among the trees next to the tent. There was live graffiti painting. There was a mini film festival and an open mic that went on late into the night. World-renowned hip-hop journalist Davey D was there to speak, to make connections, and to do a number of interviews for international distribution. To top things off, there was a Shakespeare festival going on in the park in the evenings.
The bottom line of the National Truth Commission is this: The combination of the poor, their allies, those being pushed toward poverty, and culture isn't just a winning combination, it's the winning combination. If we embrace it on a vast scale, everything is possible. Rock A Mole Productions (www.rockamole.com)
For more information on the National Truth Commission, including transcripts of the testimony and biographies of the commissioners, go to www.economichumanrights.org.For more information on Reality TV: Live From New Orleans, go to www.d-americanzdream.com.
***************************On July 15 and 16, 2006, the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign (PPEHRC) made history in Cleveland, Ohio by holding the first National Truth Commission on Poverty in the United States of America. The National Truth Commission was held in Lincoln Park, in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. Years in the planning and modeled after similar commissions in Africa and Latin America, the National Truth Commission brought people from all across the U.S. and the world to bring to light the actual suffering and economic human rights violations that many Americans endure on a daily basis.
Nearly 500 people came to listen and be heard over the course of the weekend.Social movement leaders from all over the nation and world converged on Cleveland to hear testimony and serve as Truth Commissioners. These included Dr. Arjun Sengupta, Independent Expert on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights for the High Commission on Human Rights of the United Nations and a member of Indian Parliament; Nora Morales de Cortinas, one of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo from Argentina; and Peter Weiss from the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York. They and the other commissioners will convene before the end of the week to strategize appropriate responses to all the gripping testimony they heard.
In their closing comments, all of the commissioners stated how touched they were by the testimonies and committed to documenting all that they had heard and learned. People from communities across the U.S. presented testimony detailing economic human rights violations that they have experienced.
Testimony was presented in six broad categories, or panels, including:•Right to Health Care Panel•Living Wage Struggles Panel•Right to Housing Panel•Right to Water and Basic Utilities Panel•Right to Education Panel•Unjust Child Removal Panel
Each panel featured individuals who were adversely affected by the policies of this administration.
Union representatives from UNITE-HERE spoke alongside the unemployed about the right to a living wage.
Donn Teske from the Kansas Farmers Union talked about the experiences of small farming families struggling against big corporate agriculture.
Lori Smith from Nashville, Tennessee spoke about being dropped from her health insurance plan after being diagnosed with Lupus and Multiple Sclerosis.
Mailon Ellison from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania testified about his struggles trying to make a home for himself and his family while continuing to battle to remain sober.
DawnMarie Fucile from Cleveland, Ohio told us about how her child was taken away from her simply because she is deaf and poor.
Maureen Taylor from Detroit,Michigan testified about massive water shut offs in Detroit.
Two youngmen from New Orleans spoke eloquently about the realities they face in what was once their hometown.
J.R. from Chicago’s Cabrini Green Housing Projects described the position held by Chicago housing officials that the best way to deal with Chicago’s poor residents is to forcibly evict them.
The individuals who testified at the National Truth Commission spoke the truth about what is really happening to people in communities all across the United States. And each of the individuals offering testimony played an important role in helping the Truth Commissioners understand the difficulties of their plight and all of the obstacles they face. Later this year the PPEHRC plans to release a publication featuring the testimonies, as well as the findings from the National Truth Commission.The National Truth Commission was also unique in that it provided an important forum for artists and musicians to discuss their work trying to shine a light on economic human rights violations and tell the world about poverty in America.
Hurricane Katrina survivors, performers from the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, and other cultural workers discussed strategies to use arts and culture in the movement to end poverty. These deep and powerful messages, incorporated into art,music, theatre and dance, remind us that we are not alone. The soulful songs and amazing performances at the Truth Commission inspired and united us. The poetry of Ernie Perez and other artists from Rock-a-Mole remind us all of the importance of creativity when addressing the difficult issues surrounding poverty.
The Truth Commission was an enormous success. The testimonies of the brave individuals exposed the numerous human rights violations that many in America face. We cried together and got angry together as we created a space to tell the truth and inspire one another from our struggles. Given this huge success, it is important for each individual who attended or read about the National Truth Commission to spread the word in their own communities. Take the time to speak to your neighbors andfriends about what you know to be the reality of poverty in America. Prepare yourself to read the findings of the Truth Commissioners and totake action in your community. We can not do this alone and are hopeful that individuals like you will continue to support us and join us as we fight for all of our economic human rights.
More information about the PPEHRC and the National Truth Commission,including photos, videos, and transcripts, can be found atwww.economichumanrights.org.---CONTACT INFO:Kensington Welfare Rights UnionNUHHCE, ASFCME, AFL-CIOPO Box 50678Philadelphia, PA 19132-9720Phone: 215/203-1945Fax: 215/203-1950email: kwru@kwru.orgweb: http://www.kwru.org
