Lately

A few blocks from my house, last Sunday morning.

I was running errands with Stefin's car.
Got stuck in my neighborhood behind a second-line, watching fabulous feathered Indians march in the 80 degree April heat. (Have you all been watching Treme?)


Trying to finish my project for YAYA- a three-dimensional map of New Orleans made mostly out of found objects.


Here's the mural at school:

Day 4, with touch-ups. And the man of my dreams.


It is still awaiting a quote, but we're in limbo right now. The jury is out. The administration doesn't want my Mandela quote, "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." Because it has the word "weapon" in it. Like a metaphor (and a deliberate- non-violent one nonetheless) is going to cause all of the kids to suddenly shoot up the school. They also vetoed, "Education is our passport to tomorrow. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today." Because Malcom X said it. And he is too controversial.

I just want a solid quote from someone from my students' demographic. I mean, Eleanor Roosevelt has some great things to say, and she was wonderful at all- but at a school where 95% of the kids are black, in a culture that shows them such few positive images of people of their culture, I think it's imperative we work to empower them. To me, controversy > apathy. At least if there was a controversy engaged discussion would follow! Wouldn't that be better than bored drones dragging through the halls? They already feel like the school isn't theirs. The administration and most of the staff is of a demographic that is not theirs. We dress different, talk different: why should they care what we think?

Apathy is one of the biggest hindrances of our nation's youth. Especially low-income and minority youth. So rarely seeing a black figure's name in print next to his/her ideas doesn't help as we try to convince them this world is theirs too. We consistently show them it's already full, that they have no place in it. The old white people have already done it all, said it all, and they know to steer clear of dangerous words like "weapon."

It's such *bologna.*

Anyway. I'll step off my soapbox for a minute. I didn't even mean to get up there. Just wanted to show you the pictures, really.

In other news, I am having an amazing time with mon cheri. He brought me a bouquet of wild flowers the other day... which included some rosemary he picked from the sidewalk-blooming plant down the street. We're going camping in the Ozarks starting tomorrow.

I am a lucky, lucky girl.