"Even The Comfort of a Stone Would Be A Gain", Atlantic Coast, Brooklyn
"Through her photography, artist Nona Faustine investigates such convoluted spaces, with pasts and presents that don't quite line up. Her photo series, titled "White Shoes," revisits many of the New York locations once plagued by slavery -- from City Hall to the Supreme Court -- capturing the traces that may or may not have been left behind."
This is also a historic week in that the Confederate flag flown at the S.C. state capital was removed due to an overwhelming majority opinion that it is a symbol of hate. The fight for equality is an ongoing part of human evolution. For us to consider the majority and well being of the greater good is a foundation of a democratic society, however most of our culture is governed by elite special interests and as such constitutes anything but an egalitarian democracy.
This week also saw a sad commentary on one of the top "Ethical bodies" in my field that the American psychology association colluded with the Pentagon, CIA, and the Bush administration to devise "ethical" guidelines to support post-9/11 interrogation techniques that have since been labeled as torture.
The fight for equality extends into interpersonal relationships also, the dynamics of abuse in relationships is constituted by power and control over another vs. equality and shared power with another. Parents, teachers, preachers, politicians, etc often exert a sense of entitled control over their flock. They use fear, intimidation, mind control and media manipulation to exact conformity and compliance. The leaders and innovators in our evolutionary progression are the ones that question, rebel, fight, and resist oppression at every turn. This doesn't lend itself to being well thought of by the establishment!
Equality also extends in the intrapersonal realm, that is the domain of one's own psyche. For within each of us are a multitude of thoughts, voices, and parts that can and do war and enslave each other. Think of a time when you were gripped by a mood or obsessive thoughts that literally hijacked your consciousness resulting in impulsivity, lost sleep, depression, or words spoken in the heat of passion that inflict permanent damage, this is clearly a case of inequality and self-oppression. The world inside a person's head, heart, and soul is the place to launch an activism of equality, having self acceptance, celebration, and a working dialogue and relationship with the different parts of oneself is a foundation of equality. If you don't have this, you will project all your insecurities, self-hate, fear, and prejudice onto others, this is the basis of all racism.
Nona Faustine is able to reclaim her own dignity, body, and soul through her art and so by doing she is a leading revolutionary in the fight for her race and all of us who feel enslaved in so many ways. Think of her courage and unrestrained self-acceptance and use this as a springboard for your own expressions of freedom and equality.
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