Category Archives: Politics

How I See It: Want To Help?

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Canvassing, talking with everyone you know and a lot of people you don’t yet know about the candidates, the elections, and what is important to both of you is the most effective means of winning elections and actually getting to the issues. Even the little things like wearing a Lisa Brown T-shirt to the grocery or to a concert in the park (Want one? Call Eileen 509-939-9108) and smiling at everyone whose eye you catch has a ripple effect. Tack on some extra buttons and offer one to anyone who engages you.

Humanists, liberals, scientists, educators, mainstream Christians, Muslims, Jews, and ivory town intellectuals have been quiet long enough. We’ve sat in our armchairs with our books, read the polls, and shaken our heads in despair. It is time to buzz. It’s time for us to throw off that old dictum that one should not talk politics in “polite company.” Damn it. We ARE polite company and it is well past time to talk!

From “The Importance of Smiling” an email sent Thursday July 18, 2018 by Jerry LeClaire, Eastern Washington Indivisible Group. He sends out an email “most weekdays” with a short topical post, upcoming activist event opportunities and links to resources and information. Contact Jerry if you wish to receive his emails: jerry@jxindivisible.com

How I See It: Folks are Hurting This Song

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Somebody’s Hurting My Folks *1,2,3,4,5,6

I am asking all of our Black ministers to ask their choirs to learn and sing this song. White folks in Spokane are lacking your soul when they sing this song. Please come to our next social justice event prepared to teach white folks how to sing and swing this song.

Click here for more about the Poor People’s Campaign and the song.

If you looked through the archives you will notice an absence of the African American Community at the marches, at the rallies, at the demonstrations, at the social justice community organizing meetings but at the Spokane Black Agenda Summit July 30, 2011  over 100 African Americans built a plan to action. What do you think happened after that? Click the above link to see what they planned.

  1. My folks – those that are showing up for social justice.
  2. Somebody’s  hurting my Black sisters and brothers.
  3. Somebody’s hurting poor people.
  4. Somebody’s hurting my church.
  5. Somebody’s hurting my community.
  6. Somebody’s hurting my global community.

 

Speak Up For The Least Of Us

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They rally, they’re marching, they’re resisting. Join them NOW! Trump may come for you tomorrow. Come have coffee with us and discuss future programs of action to build a community we want to live in. 10 am the First Thursday of each month at the East Central Community Center  500 S. Stone Street.

Why I Vote Democratic

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HOW I SEE IT

By Bob Lloyd

I was asked by the Washington State Democratic Party to participate in a 30 second spot announcement. Being a visual artist I worry about the production process. When your ideas get turned into sound bites you never know what you are going to look or sound like. So here is the original full text of my testimonial about why I vote Democratic.

My Name is Bob Lloyd. I Am A Democrat.

I vote Democratic because I fought for self determination. I fought for desegregation of schools. I fought for public accommodations. I fought for the right to vote. I fought for open housing. I fought for economic development. I fought for affirmative action. I fought for equal and fair employment. I fought against the War in Vietnam.

All my life I have been fighting for the elimination of exclusion. The only place short of civil war is the democratic process. In all of my struggles for civil rights and social justice the Republican Party has been absent on all of the things that I hold dear. So I choose to vote Democratic and struggle within the party for inclusion, civil rights and social justice.

ROBERT LLOYD Exhibition East Central Community Ctr.

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In This exhibit was first seen at the Spokane downtown library from January through March. Now we will be moving two E. Central Community Center we were able find it’s permanent home. But it will be made available to other institutions and galleries if you’re interested contact Robert Lloyd at rdlloyd@comcast.net.

Coming soon to East Central Community Ctr. 500 S. Stone.

If You Really Knew Me you’d know that I’m the Black guy photographing your events and meetings.  If You Really Knew Me you’d know I am a supporter of community building (4comculture.com).  If You Really Knew Me you’d know I taught my photography students that good photographs have four components.

This exhibition has

  • Impact – size 4 x 5 feet
  • Technique – cutting edge technology: CherryPIX video
  • Design/Composition – bold colors, striking brush strokes and textures, interaction
  • Content – in depth storytelling, stereotype blowing, media mixing, community building

If you would like to take part and meet new friends, you’ll visit East Central Community Ctr. 500 S. Stone Spokane WA for First Thur each month at10 AM coffee discussion.

IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME Stories of Survivors and Warriors.

EXHIBITION

This exhibit we’ll be House & display at the E. Central Community Ctr.  May.

 

This will be a traveling exhibit and can be made available for exhibitions at your gallery or institution. contact Robert Lloyd at rdlloyd@comcast.net

Photographs by Robert Lloyd

Video by Doug Dalton and DaShawn Bedford

Wendy Levy for The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture

A collaborative, interactive photography exhibition in honor of Human Trafficking Awareness month in Spokane, these photographs were created with local women survivors and warriors. We hope these images and stories raise awareness, engagement and political will, so all those still in risk may find safety and freedom.

A project of The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture, The Spokane Human Rights Commission, Community-Minded Television,The Jonah Project and Spokane Arts Supply

We Are In This Together: Join Poor People’s Campaign

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Can We Get Consensus On The This

We believe in justice for all
We believe in lifting up the disadvantaged
We believe in dismantaling unjust criminalization systems
We believe in equal protection under the law
We believe in ending poverty
We believe in ending systemic racism
We believe in a moral narrative that is concerned with
  how society treats the marginalized
We believe in transforming the political, economic, and
  moral structures of our society
We believe in working toward non-partisan goals
We believe in sustained moral direct action
We believe in nonviolence

Turbulent times are upon us. Already blockades, demonstrations, riots and clashes are occurring regularly. It’s time to be organizing.

But getting organized doesn’t mean joining a pre-existing institution and taking orders. It shouldn’t mean for feiting your agency and intelligence to become a cog in a machine. Organizational structure should maximize both freedom and voluntary coordination at every level of scale, from the smallest group up to society as a whole.

You and your friends already constitute an affinity group, the essential building block of this model. An affinity group is a circle of friends who understand themselves as an autonomous political force. The ideal is that people who already know and trust each other should work together to respond immediately, intelligently and flexibly to emerging situations.

This leaderless format has proven effective for political and civic activities of all kinds, as well as other tactics in which many unpredictable autonomous groups overwhelm a centralized adversary. You should go to every demonstration in an affinity group, with a shared sense of your goals and capabilities. If you are in an affinity group that has experience taking action together, you will be much better prepared to deal with emergencies and make the most of unexpected opportunities.

What White Women Can Do!

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Who Does Safety Pin Box Support?

Safety Pin Box benefits all people involved, but is specifically geared at supporting Black women & femmes who are contributing to the movement for Black lives.

Every month, Safety Pin Box will give one-time financial gifts to individual Black women who have demonstrated a commitment to serving Black people. Financial gift recipients will be featured in that month’s box at their discretion, and will be invited to contribute to that month’s task writing. Any and all Black women contributing to Black liberation in any way are encouraged to apply and recipients will be chosen at random each month from Black women applicants in our pool. The more subscribers we have, the more Black women we can support. Subscription fees, as a form of reparations, go directly to supporting Black women freedom fighters every month.

Learn More Click  https://www.safetypinbox.com/black-women-being/

 

 

First Thursday Coffee Visitor

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SPOKANE OPEN POETRY PROGRAM

HOST: Stephen Pitters

Thin Air Community Radio

88.1/92.3

Steve joined us for Thursday’s Coffee discussion. This week we discussed developing grassroots community building on the precinct level. He said we may want to put in a proposal at Spokane’s KYRS radio for airtime. He left us a copy of the June schedule so that we might see the programs the station is presently airing.

We are looking it over for future programing.

We could discuss the need for GRASSROOTS community organizers INSIDE OR OUTSIDE of the two party system. We at the first Thursday coffee discussion group have discussed how to build the community we would like to live in and now it’s time to take the next step.

I’d suggest:

  1. Have a house party meeting. Open your house. Invite your neighbors to have a discussion about participating in a democratic process built from the grassroots of your community.
  2. Meet regularly and report back to a First Thursday coffee discussion group. If you are not currently participating in a First Thursday group, form one with other citizen activists with whom you would like to meet and discuss political, social justice and cultural concerns.
  3. Define a job description for what a community organizer might do.
  4. If you’ve been marching, protesting, rallying and complaining about your government you need to go to My Vote. After logging in with your name and birth date, click on Voter Registration Details to find your precinct number.

When was the last time you heard from your Precinct Committee Officer?

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: STeve is looking for VISUAL, PERFORMING AND LITERARY artists to interview on his program “Spokane Open Poetry”.  He DOesn’t JUDGE, JUST allows you TO SHARE WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT!

The Spokane Open Poetry Program is for of all ages.  He is waiting to hear from you. Spokaneopenpoetry@kyrs.org

 

 

Individual World Poetry Slam African American Open Mic

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4comculture.com

Here is a heads up for you to hear Mojdeh, an African American performance artist from Chicago.

Mojdeh will be performing at the 2017 Individual World Poetry Slam Thursday and Friday in competition bouts and will MC the African American Open Mic on Saturday. Mojdeh is the Director of the 2018 National Poetry Slam in Chicago; the Education Director of Poets With Class at the Poetry Center of Chicago; and a board member of Surviving The Mic.

website: mojdehstoakley.com

performance video: “An Open Letter To The Fair Jesus From A Dusk Toned Girl”

Competition Bout
Thursday Oct 12 6:30 pm
The Bartlett 228 W Sprague

Competition Bout
Friday Oct 13 6:30 pm
Boots Bakery 35 W Main Spokane

Individual World Poetry Slam African American Open Mic
Saturday Oct 14 10am – 12pm
Auntie’s Bookstore  402 W Main Spokane

Spokane poetry community hosts Individual World Poetry Slam for second time
“Between Spokane Poetry Slam, BootSlam, Three Minute Mic and Broken Mic, Spokane has made a name for itself in recent years as home to a thriving performance poetry community. After a successful event in 2013, Spokane is once again hosting the Individual World Poetry Slam, which will be in downtown Spokane from Wednesday through Oct. 14. . . . .
At the 2017 competition, 96 poets will perform during two nights of preliminary bouts at four venues – The Bartlett, Boots Bakery and Lounge, Rocket Bakery in the Holley Mason Building and the downtown branch of Spokane Public Library. ………
Host city coordinator Isaac Grambo, who also acts as commissioner of Spokane Poetry Slam, has spent the past two years preparing for this year’s event, which was created by Poetry Slam Inc.”    Spokesman Review Oct 06, 2017

 

How I See It: Hate starts and ends in your home

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This weekend we will  be at your family reunion. They will be asked to sign this statement on family unity. What if you asked your families and Online friends to join the Stoakley’s we can change the world.