Time out to acknowledge the world around me

After my flurry of productivity, I've realized that I need to speak to my supervisor before proceeding. Aaaand she's in a meeting. So I'm back (isn't it wonderful?) and thought I'd comment on my President's address to Congress on health care reform.

The Good:

• Gotta be one of his best speeches yet. It just felt good to listen to, and had I not been analyzing him (thanks to Mom's skepticism mostly) I would have been totally swept away.
• He finally laid out what he considers to be essential to the plan, and dispelled a lot of myths. Although, some were so ludicrous I still can't believe anyone bought it. Death panels?! Really guys, come on now.
• I agree with the plan (the broad strokes of it at least), and think that it would do what I feel should be the main goal- make sure everyone has access to coverage.
• We're further along on this issue than ever before, and congress agrees on 80% of the content.
• Senator Kennedy's wife seemed so touched.
• Lady O looked lovely, per usual.
  

The Bad:

• That other 20% is killer.
  
• Things are still a bit fuzzy for me. I think it's partly because Congress is doing the law writing, but I wish we'd gotten more details.
• I have a hard time believing this won't cost us a lot. Saying that the deficit won't increase seems deceptive, because I suspect premiums will still rise. On the other hand, I think it may be worth the initial cost for greater rewards later. But I hope we're being honest about it.
  
• The public option (option, not takeover folks) seems really important to me, and we might be losing it.
•  I have mixed feelings about invoking Senator Kennedy's legacy. I think it was effective and tasteful, but I always hesitate when we use those who have passed on to get anything done, even if they would support the legislation.
  

The Ugly:

• Representative Joe Wilson. Enough said.
• Actually this image says it better:

The Beautiful:

• My President will Call.You.Out. Loved it.
  

Just a sidenote: between Joe Jackson and Joe Wilson, it's like all the Joe's in the world got together mid-summer and said "Hey, let's just make *sses out of ourselves in public. Ready? GO!" Clearly they both need more people.

What exactly have I been doing around here?

I have the day off today. We've managed to complete our projects, and the ever-so-kind ladies at Tipitina's decided to reward us with a very light week. Thanks much!

Pause.

I just realized I've never really explained my job to the blog-reading public.
I have been working at the Tipitina's Foundation, who's purpose is to preserve Louisiana's musical cultures through various means- we donate instruments to school kids, have music business co-ops that help local musician's get their music out there (making CD's, copyright assistance, simply checking email, etc.), sponsor workshops for school age musician's with professionals, and have internships for local college and high school students. During Katrina, the French Quarter club served as a shelter for a few residents of the city, and after the uptown club served as a center for musicians, and Tip's subsidized gigs and other much needed assistance.
Basically, as a group they rock at life in multiple ways. They also let me wear jeans to work. And the famous Tipitina's Club itself is a very good time too. Goodness all around.



My main attempt to contribute has been to flesh out on of the co-founders ideas- a summer camp for ages 4-6. We put together the lesson plans, and found instruments for them to make and books to read and dances to do and watched children's videos online and listened to really cute music. Tipitina's Tykes will hopefully go off without a hitch next week (impossible since it involves 4 year olds, I know) and Sushma and I can feel good about it having something to show for ourselves. I also did some research on grants for musicians and learned a lot about professional musicianship that will potentially be useful in the future.
Yay for my internship! And my day off to appreciate it!

Unpause.

I had started this post with the idea of making a list of things I've learned in NO. But, perhaps that would be a bit much. So, I'll leave it here, and do the nostalgic update later... After all, there are still a few days to learn something. This city is full of surprises.

Oh, and here's a fun clip of some of great acts at Tipitina's Uptown. I heart Big Sam.

It is Sunday evening yet again, and I am trying to be deep and insightful, or at least funny. But, I've been a bit tapped out since my treatise on race, or as Ryan put it "why Tim's a dirty racist". These were not my words, but I find Ryan so ridiculous sometimes, I wanted to immortalize him (if being put in my blog counts as being immortalized. Ha! Doubtful.) Anyway, nothing is coming. I don't want to write about the melancholy that's coming about leaving, or the madness that was this weekend, which pretty much leaves out everything on my mind.

Well, for memories sake, and to make my readers think I lead a fabulous life, here's a summary of the weekend: 2 jazz clubs in one night, a video involving me, a fork, and my esteemed DukeEngage colleagues, a reggae club and a trip to "Nigeria" and a day of shopping (of the window variety) and fine dining (of the within the budget variety). Oh, and beignets, breakfast for dinner and a wee bit of drama were thrown in there too. I don't want to dissect any of these experiences in detail. At least not right here, right now.

Alas, since I've started this post I suppose I should give you something worth checking out. So, here's a video of the song that's been stuck in my head for the past week or so. It's not very upbeat, (actually it's a bit needy), but I like it anyhow.


I like her voice, and her style, and think she has real talent. Go Jazmine.

So... yea. That's all for now folks, because I'm tired. Next episode will be some variation of "what I learned in New Orleans." That is, if I have any follow through with my intentions...

Re: Don't Be Sad There's Chocolate in the Room

To understand the impetus for this post, read my friend Tim's blog. Furthermore, please remember that Tim is actually a favorite of mine on the trip, and has excellent manners (see "Home Training" for the relevance of that). Take all of this as an attempt to explicate my opinions, not an attack on Timmy Neutron.

Feel free to skip to the end for the summary.

This DukeEngage experience is the first time I've spent concentrated personal time with a group of people who have the Caucasian persuasion... Contrary to the beliefs of my grade school peers, I've spent most of my life around black people (at least my personal time... school and work are a very different story). After I left private school in second grade, I never had a close white friend until college, and even still, my "favorite white girl" and I don't spend the majority of our time together. I have had romantic feelings for a white guy, but race was actually a pretty big sticking point with us, and the source of much frustration for me.
I say all this to bring me to why I feel Tim and I disagree on this subject. I think Tim can view "black culture" as an environmental product because he, as he has said, never had to deal with race until college, and even now, does not really have to ponder it on a daily basis. Furthermore, from my studies and observations, few white people even believe there is such a thing as white culture. Secretly, it's called mainstream America.

So, on the day that spawned the quote and conversation Tim reference's

"I just want to be a girl today, not a black girl, just a girl..."

we had spent a lot of group time together. I had watched Shantel (a bi-racial girl on our program who identifies as black) be photographed while stepping, listened to a rant about how Bojangles chicken was racist, and gone on a haunted and vampire tour.
(Hey, here's the post I promised about that! Small victory!) We had a very Southern sounding white middle aged tour guide pointing out what I swear was every former slave quarters in the French quarter. Apparently they have slate counter tops and floors now, with thick walls so that no one hears your music, or when you beat your slaves... Whichever. She also told us about balls held where white slave holders could meet and buy pretty quadroons to take as mistresses, and the tour ended with a more graphic and sensational telling of the story of the LaLaurie house. Although it may be a case of yellow journalism and completely overhyped, capping off the tour with a tale of horrific cruelty to slaves, and the inability of the spirits of my possible ancestors to settle after a century was really just too much for me.
So, yes, I was tired of being a black girl. I needed a breather, and wanted to dance, and from my experience, (Tim and the aforementioned favorite white girl being exceptions), most white people don't dance when they go out. I don't feel at all misquoted.


But, Tim and I differ very starkly in our views of race, and I think his blog itself actually proves my point. Tim says:

Culture as I think of it is like a collective past; memories, traditions and beliefs that influence and shape the next generation.

Although I understand the efforts to invoke our shared American past, I think we can all see that Black Americans have experienced this history differently. Significantly affecting the black experience has been slavery, and though most white people were not slaveholders, the necessity of dehumanizing those of African descent in order to continue barbaric practices for financial gain has left a legacy that I don't believe can be denied. Centuries of oppression created differing memories, traditions and beliefs. Furthermore, because of the differing ancestries and continued separation of the race, some of the more concrete hallmarks of culture- food, storytelling traditions, dance styles, hair and clothing styles, the list goes on- are also incredibly different.
Now, in our conversations, Tim has seemed very concerned about over generalizations, which I totally agree with. Not all black people are the same anymore than all white people are, and I appreciate his ability to differentiate and aversion to stereotypes. But, we both agreed that Sushma, a girl in our program who's parents were both born in India and moved here before she was born, has a different culture... or at least her parents do. I honestly see no issue in acknowledging that though life in an Indian village and Bombay are different, there is still a cohesive Indian culture, just as though Black Americans have differences in urban, suburban and rural environments, and vary socioeconomically, and simply as individuals, there is still a culture.
Tim is arguing for a larger American culture, and while there is definitely some truth to that, it's illogical to think we really all are one. If we were "one" the statistics in health, education and poverty would not be so disparate between racial groups. Furthermore, again, from Tim's own points, if there's no such thing as black culture, why would Shantel know about Yaki weave??? She is of a very mixed racial heritage, resulting in great hair that grows quite well without synthetics. And what about other things we've discussed, like "CP time" and "gov'ment names"- stereotypical yes, but brought about because there is the perception of different races (I do believe race is mostly a social construct) and therefore there are differing expected behaviors. These classification have resulted in different cultures. And you can't ignore the existence of things like "Ebonics"- a shockingly national dialect even before the advent of mass media.

I could go on for quite a while, thanks to many experiences both being "the black girl" and "not black enough", reading too much Michael Eric Dyson, and being a AAAS minor. But a dissertation here would be silly and I don't want to accidentally talk myself out of my depth.

Summary: While I appreciate Tim's viewpoint, I think he's wrong. But, I don't think it's his fault. He's not been confronted with these issues for a lifetime and therefore wouldn't realize that he provided a lot of evidence for my point. Color-blindness, which is what I would say Tim is arguing for, is a beautiful idea, but simply not realistic in the near future.




Heart TimTim though!


As proof, I've included a picture of a moment of merriment. (see right)

"I'm votin' for Obama 'cause homie is malleable"

For the past two days, I've come home from work covered in soot. I get stares walking down Canal and on the street car. One young man was undeterred by the "Whatever you're selling I'm not buying" expression on my face, and tried politely but persistently to get my phone number, but I think most people were a bit deterred by the Cinderalla-esque smudges on my face (and I mean pre-fairy godmother). But despite the dirt and dirty looks, I've been quite pleased with myself.
This week I've been on fire clean up. There was some sort of electrical explosion at the office for Tipitina's French Quarter (seemingly a computer monitor) and although the fire damage was minimal, the ash blew all through the office, and there was a some water damage too. All the knick knacks, pictures and documents that accumulate in an office over a decade or say had to be taken out, assessed for damages and cleaned up if salvageable.
It was pure chance that I ended up helping out. Someone was needed to wipe down the pictures on Tuesday, and my computer wasn't working, so I was the chosen one. Inwardly, I'll admit I grumbled a bit, once I was sitting downstairs with washrags and soap and water, I remembered how peaceful cleaning can be. So, when asked if I minded helping out again the next day, I was actually happy to volunteer. The rest was dusty, sweaty history.

Besides the break from being a desk jockey (I need to avoid a 9-5 at all costs when I grow up because by 2 pm I'm always itching to go move), I had lots of time to get to know Joseph, who works downstairs, and has been something of an enigma for the past few weeks. We bonded over hard labor, and I let him bond a little extra by lifting the heavy things. Meanwhile, he told me about his childhood in Miami, and his opinions on everything from not-so-legal substances and underage drinking to politics (the quote in the title is courtesy of him). He thinks I should come back and run for mayor of New Orleans one day. Or teach. I told him we'll see.

Meanwhile, hard labor? Not so hard. Or at least it's easier to stay awake.

Good Intentions

I keep meaning to write this blog before Sunday. I have big plans to become an honest to goodness blogger, and analyze the world deeply and share my profundity, while being intensely witty. I am filled with the best of intentions, but execution is shaky at best.

Somehow though, I feel like this pattern puts me in line with the rest of the city. There's so much here that was begun with the best of intentions and ended up awry. Obviously, I could talk about Hurricane Katrina: toxic FEMA trailers, Mayor Nagin's unfortunate "chocolate city" comment, sensational media coverage and the list goes on. There are even the less publicized failures in post-K New Orleans, or at least ones that somehow didn't make it onto my radar, like the tent city under the overpass near Carrolton where people work daily and live in squalor. Or the recovery school district that has no budget for music programs (as far as I've learned on my job) or anything else (from what some of my colleagues have learned on their jobs), while down the road charter schools are taking trips to France. I really do believe (partly out necessity) that there were good intentions behind all of the things that led to the current issues. But clearly there are issues with execution.

But when I say my own patterns meet the goal of immersion for DukeEngage NOLA, I'm not just talking about Crescent City as a whole. I think it makes me a definite member of our group of 18 as well. We all came down here with big hopes and dreams I'm sure: to impact New Orleans, learn as much as possible about this amazing city, and to learn something about a few of our fellow Dukies. Once again though, that execution is rough. The first goal remains to be seen, and I feel like the second one will be a given, since we're mostly subscribers to Duke's unofficial "work
hard play hard" motto. But I'm not convinced about that last one. To me, it seems like there are already some obvious divides, and it's a bit worrisome.

Of course, this is only the second week, so perhaps I'm a bit premature. Still, it feels a little like RealWorld Duke style with everyone playing into some prescribed role, and divisions along fairly predictable lines that were brought with us from school. Some of it is just what happens when "18 strangers are picked to live in a house..." We're bound to find favorites and get on each other's nerves. We talk too much and too little, go to bed too early or party too loudly, are too free or close-minded. We view everything racially or completely ignore overtones, and leave each other out and are too concerned with what other people think. We blog about things we should walk down the hall to say.

But, on the off chance that my fellow DukeEngagers are reading this, I hope they take this as my attempt to do better. I think there's still plenty of time to "lean into discomfort"- 7 weeks to be exact. And yes, they say the road to some very unpleasant places is paved with good intentions, but I prefer to be more optimistic. I'm an Obama supporter, so I say "Yes we can!"