I recently participated in a live, global, online event called What Matters Now:
5-minute talks and performances about “what matters now” — by and for everyone who is creating, making, thinking, caring for each other, and innovating during the uncertainty of COVID-19 and the ongoing protests against police violence and racism around the world.
Every single presentation in the program—I think there were 18 five-minute presentations in all—was compelling and inspirational.
Topics ranged from innovative programs to keep library patrons engaged during COVID to native, perennial food production in the Sahel region of Niger; from Wikipedia's response to COVID to decolonizing museums; from fighting against disinformation in advance of the U.S.'s upcoming presidential election to uniting the divided island of Cyprus through music; and so much more. You can watch the entire program here.
Some of the talks were somewhat related to research I did when writing Seeking the Center. For example, Susan Hazan spoke about decolonizing museums, and Arne Garvi spoke about the importance of native (as in, food that is native to the region in which it is grown) food production.
My contribution had to do with resistance to police brutality, and if you have read Seeking the Center, you know that it is set against a backdrop of police abuse of First Nations people. This piece, though, entitled “The Dead: A Stream of Consciousness,” was inspired by the recent global protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
You can watch me perform the poem here.