Join Me & The Gathering for Justice to Celebrate the 94th Birthday of the Iconic Harry Belafonte

Hosted by Tiffany Haddish& Charlamagne the God, and Benefiting The Gathering for Justice,
the Night Features Performances & Words by Common, Aloe Blacc, Tamika Mallory, Bernie Sanders, Chuck D., Danny Glover and Many More

I first met Harry Belafonte in the Spring of 2016, through our mutual friend and general A+ connector, freedom-fighter, and Broadway aficionado Ira Gilbert. Knowing I had produced and directed a string of events and commercials benefiting mostly non-profits, Ira wanted to get my thoughts on what Harry was starting to put together: a festival to get out the vote, encouraging people to stand up for justice, somehow seeing what was on the horizon unlike many of us truly did in the months leading up to the 2016 Presidential Election (does that require a trigger warning?) .

Harry had a great idea, and the gravitas to pull it off. Some people today are only familiar with Mr. B, as Harry is known to many, as the guy who sang Day-O. Here’s a short list of what some people don’t know, but really will benefit from knowing:

• Harry is one of a few people to have the coveted EGOT, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony

• He was one of the major funders of the civli rights movement

• He was one of the first Black American performers to touch a white woman performer, which caused quite a stir in the early 1960’s

• He was responsible for brokering the relationship between Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy

• And in fact, he was one of the people responsible for much of the progress the civil rights movement saw in the 1960’s

• He’s worked to heal conflicts globally ever since, from poverty to AIDS

• He’s a REALLY. COOL. GUY.

Ira brought me to my first meeting with Harry and his wife Pam, a smart, striking photographer, at one of the trios’ favorite restaurants in the Upper West Side. I had prepared a deck that encapsulated what was then called “STIR IT UP”. I was treated to stories, laughs, and an education, all over the course of a two-and-a-half-hour dinner. Harry, Pam & Ira liked what I had to offer, and we got started on producing the festival that eventually became Many Rivers to Cross. My role ultimately scaled down when other teams came on board, but I still got a chance to play a part in what was in many ways an incredible experience, and what could have been, in other ways, even better.

One of my favorite memories of this time was sitting in Pam & Harry’s living room, along with Susanne Rostock, a dear friend who is the editor-extraordinaire of Harry’s biopic “Sing Your Song”, and Brian Satz, Harry’s friend and music-coordinator/star-connector, going over music that was going to be in the show. At one point, either Brian or I introduced Harry to Spotify; Harry was treated to an AI-induced trip down memory lane, and we were treated to a solo concert from one of the greatest voices of all time.

So when Ira hit me up to let me know about the plans that Carmen Perez-Jordan had for this year’s birthday celebration, I jumped into the mix. I gotta say, it’s going to be incredible. The lineup is great, but the cause - the night benefits the Gathering for Justice, the org that Harry started in the early 2000’s and that Carmen has been leading since it’s inception - is so truly Harry Belafonte, in my humble opinion.

The team at the Gathering, The Justice League (the rapid response offshoot of the org), and the parties involved are all super professional and super CHILL. It’s evident this group is creating magic, and being witness to it, along with the conversations with icons of the movement like Danny Glover, Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Nane Alejandrez, Gus Newport and more are nothing short of awe-inspiring.

The Gathering for Justice started as The Gathering for the Elders in Epps Alabama in 2005. The first Gathering took place in Epps Alabama, when Harry gathered together the elders, met some resistance from the youth, and ultimately culminated in the birth of The Gathering for Justice, the incubator for movements like The Women's March, Free Meek Mill, The March for Our Lives Tour Across America, and many many of the movements that have helped catapult our country back to the front of the fight for Civil Rights for ALL. That first event and those since included those named above and many more. One of the most iconic moments from that first gathering is when Ruby Dee got up, demanding into the microphone

"Over the years I've come to places like this so, many, times. And I leave without an assignment! We need an assignment!"

long-since part of the battle cry to continually take action.

The next Gathering, the one happening this Sunday, February 28th, 2021, will be unlike those previous; a world entrenched in an epidemic where, once again, communities of color are disproportionately left to bear the brunt of brutality; a world that continues to uprise against oppression because there are still too many injustices to fight; a world that is on the tipping point of great and radical change, or, scarily, the polar opposite. This will also include many of the new change-makers in front-line-activism, entertainment and sports.

So join me in celebrating Harry Belafonte, a man who is credited with being one of the major reasons the civil rights movement of the 1960’s had the impact it did, and the organization he founded to create and fulfill the agenda of sustaining justice for all.

THIS LINEUPPPPPP….

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LEARN ABOUT THE GATHERING FOR JUSTICE

A Brief Overview of What This Section of My Site Entails

I grew up within a family of outspoken and justice-fighting love, from picketing in front of our church, to working with Habitat for Humanity,  to learning about the horrors of domestic violence from my mother, who was an activist in that world. The value of fighting for others was instilled in me from birth. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure my mom was picketing with the teachers union when I was in utero. 

My work over the past twenty years has been no different. It’s included creating staged arts projects to combat homelessness, meth-addiction, and racism, to working with Civil Rights Icons to create large-scale music festivals.

It has been global, working to free villages in India from slavery and to provide an education for the kids in those villages, as well as close-to-home, fostering, and soon adopting my own children from the foster-care system.

As I continue to work in wellness, I’m more focused than ever on creating change in the world. While I’ll continue to share #getrealgood Meditations, Parenting, News & Food, I’m excited to add to my work by amplifying Black and ally-voices in the movement, celebrate activists who are creating change and expand this website and my work into leaning-in to learning, growing, and continuing a journey of activism and anti-racism.

In 2010, I Thought It HIV/AIDS Was Over, But That’s When the

Were Just Beginning

NOTE: This Tuesday, December 1st, 2020, is both World AIDS Day AND Giving Tuesday. So please take a look at the evolution of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, below, and if you feel so inclined, please donate to support our work in your GivingTuesday Pledges by visiting My Donation Page.

In the summer of 2010, I was at the beginning of what, in hindsight, can best be described as an awakening. Just over 30 years old, I had recently begun my journey of meditation, which led me to discover a plethora of great things about myself, and about the world around me. This discovery wasn’t one of those ones you see in TV or read about in books, filled with bright lights and exciting changes, or at least, it didn’t seem so at the time. Instead, it resulted in the ending of a 6-year relationship, moving into a furniture-less apartment, was accompanied by an abrupt loss of income, and one of the most important realizations of my life:

I knew nothing.

via GIPHY

But from not knowing, and accepting it, comes the beginning of learning.

One example of this awakening of my unknowing came in the form of a casual date, one of many, which was actually a fun byproduct of this period of my life. One such casual date began at the Crunch Gym on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood, CA, a place that could best be described as a nightclub with beautiful people and some gym equipment. It had an equal number of mirrored reflective surfaces as it had machines, a small ramp that served the dual-purpose of handicap access and catwalk, and was complete with opaque glass-walled showers butting up to the entrance to the gym. So while you could definitely get a great workout in, and meet some really cool people, it was also a great place to meet guys.

One of those guys I met was this tall, handsome dark-haired Latino man a few years my junior. We did the stereotypical glance-across-the-gym, a slight smile, then I went up and started a conversation. I flirted, we made a date. It was all pretty routine.

We met at my apartment and what I lacked in furniture I made up for in charm, or at least that’s the way I remember it. We started talking, and there was a clear, palpable connection there. It was fireworks and excitement and that part was a lot like what you see in the movies. As it was clear we were quickly progressing this from a casual date to sex, I candidly threw off a statement that used to be common for me:

“You’re negative right?”

His response was confident and quick.

“No.”

It took me a second to register that response, and I kept moving forward. It was 2010, a full decade after “AIDS ended”, or at least that’s what I thought at the time.

“Wait, what?”

“No, I’m HIV Positive.”

We continued making out, but then I stopped, not out of fear, rather because I had a bunch of questions for him. We took a break, and this angel sat with me and answered a ton of questions about his status, ones that I am embarrassed that I asked now, instead of knowing them at the time. Questions like:

“How long have you been positive?”
”What does that mean for sex with people who are negative?”
”How long have you known?”
”Can you contract HIV through (fill in specific sexual position?”

Look, this was 2010, and here’s the thing about that period: there wasn’t a plethora of overt information or commonplace conversation about HIV/AIDS anymore and/or yet. There wasn’t a lot of talk about PREP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) because it didn’t exist yet. in retrospect, this period of time was a great limbo in the global conversation of HIV/AIDS. For me, and for many of the people I knew, especially many of the young gay men I knew, HIV/AIDS was a thing of the past. Something we “beat”, and because everyone used condoms, it had kind of gone away.

Naive, party of one, your table is now available.

The lack of seemingly-readily available information at the time doesn’t prevent the wave of shame that washes over my body in vividly remembering both that way of thinking and the ignorant barrage of questions I asked my date that night. I liken my questioning of him to the type of questioning “well-meaning White people” ask their Black friends and co-workers, a level of ignorance so grotesque that in addition to showing their severe lack of education, it shows a lack of compassion in that they, or in my case, he, should be the one to educate me.

But my date was gracious, answered all my questions, and was really sexy, too. We ended up having a really fun, intimate, safe evening. When he left, I meditated, tapping into my then-newfound passion, and one of the things that came clear to me was this: I had a lot of work to do, and I was making a commitment to doing it.

Getting to Work

The thing about meditation and setting intentions is that when it comes from a clear place, the Universe starts to respond. Within days of my date, I sat down beside my friend Craig at the same Crunch gym on Sunset where I met that handsome teacher. Craig is tall (I swear I’m not a height-ist), handsome, and at the time in his early 50’s. He and his husband, Tony, have been together for 30-some years and are this really cool, smart, kind couple.

Craig and I were stretching before a spin class, and I casually asked what he was working on. As I remember it, he mentioned the idea of working with another friend to enhance the AIDS Memorial Walk, the plaques on Santa Monica Blvd, part of the original memorial to AIDS victims in West Hollywood.

These plaques were produced and maintained by the Alliance for Housing and Healing as part of their AIDS Memorial Walk, and often accompanied a palm tree and are a beautiful tribute to the people who died from AIDS and lived in - or had an impact on -this city that lost nearly 1/3 of its entire population in the 10-year span beginning in 1984, when the city was founded.

Craig and many others described that period of time, walking through the streets of WeHo, as walking through a war-zone. Recently-healthy, vibrant, and often young bodies and faces were rapidly replaced with the gaunt, thinning, and hollowed-eyed stares of people who were succumbing to the brutal impacts of AIDS.

Alliance for Housing and Healing (AHH), Sponsors the AIDS Memorial Walk in West Hollywood

As Craig shared more of what he hoped a new, reimagined memorial could be, I added the story of my recent-encounter/educational experience. I shared that while I considered myself to be somewhat educated, I had a lot to learn, and I ventured a hypothesis I was not alone in that need. We made a plan to meet to talk more about the opportunity to create something together, and we did. An AIDS Memorial would be great, but one of the things I was adamant about, and Craig concurred, is that it had to talk to youth, it had to be a resource of educational experience and the need for HIV/AIDS to be part of a conversation, to both educated AND to remove stigma around HIV/AIDS.

I started informal research, asking my mother, a high school English teacher, and my brother, then a junior in high-school, what their schools taught about HIV/AIDS. It was grim - there wasn’t much. It was in fact a history lesson, and part of a safe-sex curriculum during a week of Health Class. I reflected on my own experience in school “learning” about HIV/AIDS. What I remember, and what some friends corroborated, was a brief discussion that AIDS killed, it mostly affected drug users and gay men, so if you were to avoid both of those things you would be fine.

Uh… yea that explains a lot of internalized homophobia, fear of coming out, and lack of a complete understanding and/or willingness to talk about it.

It was important for me to make sure no other gay kids endured that self-torture, and to make sure there wasn’t a “death sentence” or other fear-based stigma associated with people who were now living healthy, full lives as HIV+ Men and Women thanks to advances in health-care, prescription drugs, and a better understanding of what it meant to be HIV+ Non-Detectable.

We began inviting others into the fold, like our friends Hank Stratton, an acclaimed film, television and stage actor, Conor Gaughan, a political consultant and digital strategist, and Ruth Tittle, who moved to WeHo to take over the pharmacy her brother owned when he began losing his battle with AIDS, and who became a compassionate force in AIDS Activism as a result. We had great advisers like pioneering Lesbian and AIDS Activist Ivy Bottini, and our friend David Mixner, both of whom helped remind us - subtly and not-so-subtly - the importance of celebrating the activists of the movement. Did you ever hear about how ACT UP put the giant condom on Senator Jesse Helms House? Talk about Good Trouble.

We formalized our vision in 2012 into a board of directors, a registered non-profit, and added prominent voices to the board like:

• Mark Lehman, a West Hollywood attorney and activist;

• Peggy Callahan, a journalist/producer, and global anti-slavery activist who has been instrumental in content development, including the award-winning short film “The UNIT: Lessons in Living and Dying”;

• Rogerio Carvalheiro, an architect and Todd Williamson, an artist, both of whom worked closely to secure our design and our relationship with the cities Arts & Cultural Affairs Commission;

• Irwin Rappaport, an entertainment lawyer who has managed many-a-contract;

• Bobby Heller, a LA-based photographer agent who was instrumental in developing our PHOTO__ Fundraisers

• Michael Nutt, a wealth-management executive passionate about making a difference in our world.

• Stephen Simon, LA AIDS Task Force and City Government Official

• Mark Itkin, philanthropist and recently-retired WME Executive

• Jorge Mellado, real estate agent and development executive

• J. Hobart, an incredible NY-based trial-attorney instrumental in our governance

• Bruce Brown, retired Microsoft executive and tech expert who has steered us in many great digital, along with former board-member Dimple Thakkar, social media guru

• Irene Kim, world-reknowned surgeon at Cedars-Sinai

• Sherri Lewis, AIDS-Activist, performing artist

• Phi Wilson, founder of Black AIDS Institute/AIDS Activist

• Etienne Maurice, Activist and Actor, and founder of WALKGOOD LA

• Paris Chong, Art Curator and Consultant instrumental in PHOTO__ Events

• Dr. Christine Tangalakis, Higher-education specialist who will be a huge asset in our programming moving forward

• Abdi Nazemian, author and screenwriter

• Lane Janger, Therapist and Former Entertainment Executive

We’ve been supported by generous donors, many of whom have been brought in by development-expert and AIDS Activist John Gile.

And we crystallized our vision:

STORIES: The AIDS Monument seeks to remember the lives lost, celebrate the advances, and educate this and future generations about the current and future states of HIV/AIDS

We’ve filmed incredible interviews, celebrated with amazing fundraisers filled with people passionate about our vision, and have led awesome discussions in our STORIESTelling Series, like the impact of HIV/AIDS on Music at Grammy Museum, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on Hollywood at Neuehouse.

HERE’s THE GOOD NEWS

I’m so inspired by the work of this board and the community involved in making this vision a reality. My ignorance didn’t lead to this, but my willingness to overcome that ignorance certainly played a part in creating this lasting monument to remember, celebrate and educate. The lesson here is this: keep seeking to understand, and great things will come.

See a fly-through of STORIES: The AIDS Monument, opening in West Hollywood Park in late 2021:

If the system built the cops that killed Breonna, isn’t it time to kill the system that built the cops?

“The system did not fail today. It did exactly what it was built to do. We don’t need another system… we need humane policies and people who work in the interest of justice and for the health, safety and welfare of humanity WITHOUT DEVALUING BLACK LIVES”

- Bernice A King, 9/23/2020
Activist/Daughter of Rev Martin Luther King, Jr.

image courtesy standwithbre.com

Much of our country is left confused and angry by the complete ignorance of justice in the murder of Breonna Taylor. The range of emotions for Black Americans is rightfully broader: distrust; met low-expectations of our criminal “justice” system; rage; love; sadness.. all words we’ve seen and heard from friends, online, and in the news with the latest story of mostly-white, mostly-male cops getting away with murder. AGAIN.

So if the system won’t arrest the cops, then

LET’S ARREST THE DAMN SYSTEM.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ARREST?

I typed arrest into Google definition to give some substance to this argument. Here’s a breakdown of the term.

first as a verb

1. seize (someone) by legal authority and take into custody.

   USE: ""the police arrested him for possession of marijuana"
   HERE’S A GOOD POINT: marijuana possession is an interesting “use” here, as a 2020 analysis by the American Civil Liberties Union, concluded, “Black people are 3.64 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession”… a number that has INCREASED since 2010 even though marijuana possession is becoming increasingly legal…

2. stop or check (progress or a process).

   USE: ""the spread of the disease can be arrested"
   HERE’S A GOOD IDEA: Let’s say the disease in this instance is a system of racist institutions, laws and the people that created and worked towards racism. OK. Let’s arrest it.

then as a noun

1. the action of seizing someone to take into custody.

   USE: "I have a warrant for your arrest"
   CONSIDER THIS: The officers who killed Breonna Taylor DID have a warrant. They did not, however, wait to tell Breonna and Kenny that they had a warrant for their arrest, and instead, rammed down their door. What if the cops did their research to find that the person they were looking for didn’t live in that apartment?

2. a stoppage or sudden cessation of motion.

   USE: “a respiratory arrest”
   HERE’S A GOOD THOUGHT: What would have happened if the officers involved arrested their behavior, changed course and served the warrant during the day, and not the early morning hours? Wouldn’t that have been a really simple process that would have likely prevented Breonna’s murder?

---

SO, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ARREST THE SYSTEM?

Says Tanisha Long of BLM, Pittsburgh:

“While we continue to stress the importance of fighting for Black Lives, we must focus on changing the laws and systems that allow these officers to continuously walk free.”

SO LET’S CHANGE THE LAWS AND ARREST AND CONVICT THE SYSTEMS.

NOTE: The Grand Jury in Breonna’s case as presented by Daniel Cameron had to petition the courts to release the full info presented to them, calling in to question whether they received all of the information.

BUT… If all of the facts in the Grand Jury presentation and subsequent statement by Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron are accurate, then the “law” was and “procedures” were followed. But let’s break that apart for a second: the current law and procedures are OKAY WITH the following:

• not effectively performing due diligence to obtain a warrant for the home invasion

• issuing a no-knock warrant in the first place

• not waiting for the home’s inhabitants to answer the door if you do knock

• ramming down a door in the middle of the night

• returning 16 SHOTS from three officers in rapid succession in exchange for one shot inflicted in the thigh by the home’s resident who had a license to carry a gun in their own home

• randomly firing shots through a patio door into the victims home

• shooting through the victims home and into the neighbors home

• KILLING AN INNOCENT UNARMED WOMAN IN HER OWN HOME.

  protect and serve? hmmm.

Discover & share this Stupid GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.

This.
Should.
Never.
Be.
Okay.

---

SO, ARRESTING THE SYSTEM SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD, RIGHT?

If you’re with me, or at least willing to learn some more, below are three concrete measures you can take to help create what Bernice A. King refers to as “humane policies and people who work in the interest of justice and for the health, safety and welfare of humanity without devaluing Black lives.”:

1. LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO DEFUND THE POLICE

   What does that mean? Check out this podcast from the NY Times the Daily to get a better understanding. And here’s how I look at this: taking money away from the more harmful aspects of policing like mass weaponization and move it towards:

   • doubling the amount of training police officers get before getting on the force and extending the training of existing officers.

   • Mental Health 1st Aid training and annual recertification for every officer

   • every officer has a body-cam and it’s always on

   • officers live in the communities they parole

   • a team of first responders which includes officers, social workers, and mental health professionals

   • investing in communities, ESPECIALLY Black and Brown communities, with community-building activities, recreation, mental health, job-training & assistance, and EDUCATION

   • elimination of no-knock warrants

   • visiting arrest and conviction records for people convicted of minor charges deemed inherently racist/classist

   This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a great start.

2. CALL YOUR SENATOR AND TELL THEM TO WORK TO GET CONGRESS TO PASS THE GEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT (HR 7120)

   The Justice in Policing Act is sitting on the desk of Mitch McConnell, more or less. *insert mind-blown, eye-roll, angry emoji trifecta* BUT calls to your senators WILL still help. We can’t sit this one out.

3. WORK TO GET ELECTED OFFICIALS TO PASS “THE BREATHE ACT”.

• This act is simple, straight-forward, and holds officers and elected officials responsible for making sure the world doesn’t have to lose another Breonna, Elijah, Philando, Sandra, George, etc.

• Take a look at the video below, which beautifully explains The Breathe Act

• And then take actions to learn even more about, and support, the Breathe Act, here.

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And finally, TAKE A STAND

When the current Commander-in-Chief tells a group or radical white supremacists to “stand by”, it’s more imperative than ever to STAND UP: Stand Up to Hate, to Racism, to White Supremacy, to Lies.

One way you can do that every day is to join the effort we launched, Take a Knee | Take a Stand, filled with daily reminders to provide accountability-in-actions in ending racism. This includes important and innovative ways to vote, learn, act, support and also do the above in focused areas like LGBQT+, Theatre, and Women's Issues.

And now, we're endorsed by EGOT winner and Civil-Rights Icon Harry Belafonte and his wife Pamela, vote.org, and The Gathering for Justice. So join our endorsers and our community of action-takers in supporting the voices in the movement through any or all of these ways:

• If you haven't yet, please subscribe to our text reminders at this link or by texting TAKEASTAND to 474747

• If you are getting our text messages, consider recruiting friends to join you in getting the reminders at this link

• Thanks to our strategist, Aria Davis, and our community manager, Carlos Brandt, our IG is growing rapidly and is filled with great information. Follow the Take a Knee | Take a Stand IG page here and share this post on your IG stories to get your friends involved

• Share the site on your email signatures or with your own list serves by including this URL: www.takeakneetakeastand.today

So, as John Lewis said, “Find a way to get in the way, and get in trouble, good trouble, necessary trouble.” Keep fighting the Good Fight.

And as the kids say, “Thank you for Coming to My Ted Talk.”

JOHN LEWIS: Resilience Personified

On Thursday, July 30th, 2020, the world watched as US. Representative and Civil Right Icon John R. Lewis was laid to rest in Atlanta, Georgia, a city in the district he represented for over 30 years. In the speeches and eulogy for Mr. Lewis, we learned more about the civil rights icon who worked with and marched alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and countless other change-makers.

The memories shared during his funeral surpassed that common-place knowledge of the beatings he endured by police, sanctioned by the then-governor of Alabama, as he and others attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus bridge. They expanded on his 45 arrests, 5 of which happened while he was a US Congressman. Among many memories, the one that struck me the most were those shared about a man passionate, angry, fiery, and fed-up at only 20, who was so driven that repeated beatings and threats didn’t hold him back. A man who worked hard for justice for ALL during his incredible career in government. And they really drove home one aspect - John Lewis is the epitome of resilience.

I’m fascinated by and grateful to John Lewis for many reasons, of course. While listening to the eulogies, it was this aspect of never giving up, even when beaten down, that struck me the most. I reflect on times where I’ve given up: on careers, on tasks simple and great, and on myself. And, while I’ve had my share of heartache and setbacks, I never had to work as hard, fight as often, and be threatened with as much as Mr. Lewis. I want - and I want for us all to have - the resilience that he personified.

So what creates resilience, and where do I buy it?
In a 2015 Global Study Called “The World Happiness Report”, writers Dr. Richard Davidson and Brianna Schulyer contributed their findings on the neuroscience (brain-science) of happiness to the study. According to Mindful Magazine, who provided a short synopsis of the study, the study “defined well-being in terms of four qualities or characteristics:

1. Sustained positive emotion

2. Resilience

3. Empathy, altruism and pro-social behavior (also known as generosity)

4. Mindful attention”

Building resilience is necessary to not only achieving goals, it’s a vital step to achieving happiness, along with mindfulness, service and affirmative emotions. John Lewis’ happiness seems inextricably aligned with the four findings above, as evidenced in his interview with New York Magazine in June of 2020:

"We must never ever give up, or give in or throw in the towel. We must continue to press on! And be prepared to do what we can to help educate people, to motivate people, to inspire people to stay engaged, to stay involved and to not lose their sense of hope. We must continue to say we’re one people. We’re one family. We all live in the same house. Not just an American house but the world house. As Dr. King said over and over again, 'We must learn to live together as brothers and sisters. If not, we will perish as fools.'”

-John Lewis, Interviewed by Zak Cheney-Rice
New York Magazine

Mr. Lewis statement in this article so eloquently summarizes the four pillars described in the 2015 World Happiness Study:

1. Sustained positive emotion - “to stay involved and to not lose their sense of hope.”

2. Resilience - '"We must never ever give up, or give in or throw in the towel. We must continue to press on!”

3. Empathy, altruism and pro-social behavior (also known as generosity) - “help educate people, to motivate people, to inspire people to stay engaged,”

4. Mindful attention - “And be prepared to do what we can” and “We must continue to say we’re one people. We’re one family. We all live in the same house.”

So, it seems, resilience is not as much an attitude as it is an action, just as is the practice of mindful attention, the action of generosity, and the repetition and practice of positive affirmations. What’s more, these things are all interdependent. In fact, that same Mindful.org article mentions another study on the connections between mindfulness and resilience, published in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences found that “Mindful people … can better cope with difficult thoughts and emotions without becoming overwhelmed or shutting down (emotionally).

The good news is that I can choose to act in resiliency. The positive affirmative side of me doesn’t only need to say I AM resilient, positive, action-based, accomplished, and resilient, it also helps me to realize I have been, which means I can draw on my sense of accomplishment from the past to propel me in the darkest moments of the present and through the fears of the future. Mindfulness, also an action, means I can practice meditation and mindful moments throughout the day to be more responsive and less reactive, which in many cases means to shut down in reaction to internal and external challenges that arise. And finally, when all else fails, the act of being of service, standing up for the disenfranchised, standing up for what’s right, will lead to a greater sense of self-worth, which fuels our resiliency, which is maintained with mindfulness.

Presumption aside, I want to live a John Lewis life. Kind, thoughtful, fiery and smart, effective, and resilient. I believe we can all do that in one-way shape or form, and perhaps, that’s the epitome of what Lewis meant by Good Trouble. As one speaker at his funeral, fellow activist Xernona Clayton shared, good trouble to John Lewis meant to “find a way to right the wrongs of our society”. It’s become more and more clear about all the wrongs of our society, and I continue my commitment, and implore you to continue or re-commit to yours, to right those wrongs, live in resilience, and cause some “good trouble”.

MEDITATION ON RESILIENCE

On the day of his funeral, I led a resilience meditation for the team at USH, the recording of which can be found here and on the meditation page of Jason Daley Kennedy.com.

BE RESILIENT IN CAUSING GOOD TROUBLE

Don’t forget to sign up for text message reminders of accountability with Take a Knee | Take a Stand. You can visit the site, learn more about it in my blog post from last month, and get easy access to Text Message Reminders by texting TAKEASTAND to 474747.

Watch Frederick Douglass' descendants recite and reflect on “What is Independence to a Slave”

Today, Let’s Celebrate Our Countries’ “Ongoing Struggles for Freedom…”

“On this 4th of July, the rest of us - and our wealthy white male allies - should be celebrating our ongoing struggles for freedom and not celebrating as if we are free.” - Ibram X Kendi in The Atlantic, July 4th, 2019.

Today, celebrate freedom. Wave the sparklers in your mask, pop the pop-rockets from 6’ away, and safely set-off the fireworks. But do so celebrating the “ongoing struggles for freedom” instead of celebrating as if we are free”.

How do we do that?

Eat red, white, and blue desserts. But do it while writing a letter to Captain Vanessa Wilson of the Aurora, CO Police Department - 13347 E Montview Blvd, Aurora, CO 80045 - to demand justice by firing the remaining police officers and arresting all three cops & the two EMT’s who killed Elijah McClain.

On the way to your socially-distanced BBQ, call and leave a message for Attorney General Daniel Cameron at 502-696-5300 to pressure him to bring charges against the cops who murdered Breonna Taylor.

While you’re watching the burgers on the grill, pull out your phone and sign a petition demanding justice for Tony McDade.

Instead of singing or listening to the problematic-at-best Star-Spangled Banner, with racist 3rd -verse lyrics, of which Francis Scott Key biographer Marc Leepson says …

“To me, that’s Key reacting as a slave owner…At the very least, these are not the sentiments of a man who has warm feelings about slaves or enslaved people and those who flew to the side of the British.

…consider watching or reading the Frederick Douglass writing above, or listening to a Juneteenth Playlist on Spotify, like the one found here.

Here’s the net: REIMAGINE INDEPENDENCE DAY BY TAKING ACTION TO REIMAGINE AMERICA.

Even if it’s reflecting on how it could be different, that’s the beginning. Take a moment to learn, to listen, to be present. Take time to be an advocate for change, to create that world we can all be free.

Don’t forget to sign up for text-message reminders on TAKE A KNEE | TAKE A STAND, where we can help you with things to learn, actions to take, and organizations to support to end racism.

Oh, and also, don’t forget to wear a mask.

An act of Solidarity | The actions to Support It

Take a Knee | Take a Stand Homepage

BLACK LIVES MATTER.

If you disagree with that statement, please let me know, and I will make it take time to have a conversation with you as to why that statement is true, now, always.

YOU CAN TEXT ME AT (310) 359-0438

I’d love to take a few moments to help you understand how I, as a white man of privilege, have learned to understand the vital importance of ending racism, ending police brutality, getting justice for the - and preventing yet another - murder of Black Americans and LatinX Americans and immigrants living in this country. And I’d be grateful to help you start on your journey of growing into anti-racism.

In an effort to help White and Non-Black POC better understand the oppression felt by and the fight led by Black, Indigenous Persons of Color (BIPOC), and in light of recent amplification of 401 years of systemic racism, white supremacy, and murder, a group of us have created the portal/platform TAKE A KNEE | TAKE A STAND.

Endorsed by The Gathering for Justice, and built with guidance from Black voices both in and out of the movement, the site encourages people to #TakeAKnee - reflecting in solidarity to honor Black voices and to remember the lives of those lost to racism and police brutality, and #TakeAStand, getting into action to make daily efforts to end racism, police brutality, and violence & bias.

#TakeAStand is how we provide visitors to the platform the opportunity to get into action, categorizing the plethora of actions, organizations, literature, podcasts, articles and opportunities to create change from the leaders in large-scale and grassroots Black-led and Ally-led organizations. From The Gathering for Justice, Black Lives Matter and Until Freedom, Tamika Mallory’s organization, to The Okra Project for the Black Trans Community to books by Ibram X. Kendi and Jennifer L. Eberhardt, we believe this portal is a great start to a resource for people who want to take action, and perhaps don’t know where to turn.

Our social media campaign encourages people to reflect for 8:46 while taking a knee, in honor of George Floyd. Then take a picture of your action, posting it on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, and comment or include the specific actions you’re taking to end racism, tagging @takeakneetakeastand, and including #TakeaKneeTakeaStand as a hashtag.

And because this is about the movement, not just the moment, and we’re in it for the marathon, not just the mile, we provide accountability in the form of text-message reminders, with daily or weekly reminders to take action to grow into anti-racism and demand change in your world and in the world. You can even challenge your friends to take part in your journey.

So please take a moment and take a look, then #TakeAKnee and #TakeAStand

Many Rivers to Cross was a social justice music and arts festival ideated by the iconic Harry Belafonte and Sankofa.org, the organization designed to carry on his legacy. I was brought on by Belafonte and Sankofa.org to activate the social justice aspects of the festival, work with the PR and marketing teams, help oversee sponsor activations and solicit opportunities, and work with the on-the-ground production teams. I also created and produced the Many Rivers Town Hall in conjunction with and launching the festival, which was a panel that included performing artist TIP, and where Mr. Belafonte received a “key to the city” by then-mayor Kasim Reed

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Beginning in November of 2014, my company launched and produced the "Story of _______ Life" campaign spots for FosterMore.org, - an organization effectively removing the stigma of foster care and foster kids while inspiring and providing access to future foster parents, mentors, and friends. I came up with the campaign concept, did all aspects of production, and even worked to secure music licensing from the incredible generous band - OneDirection - and their equally generous labels and publishers. 

In August and September of 2015, we produced 4 new spots, for which we won the 2016 Cynopsis Social Good Award for Best Commercial over :30.

To complement the LIFT:Taste Event in May of 2016, I created a spot where we interviewed the kids of LIFT New York Members to find out what they wanted to be when they grew up, then dove into how LIFT Is helping member parents help their children achieve those dreams.

We worked with United for Equality in Sports & Entertainment (UESE) to throw their launch press and following fundraising event celebrating the days historic meeting at the United Nations on Global Equality in Sports.  Attendees included human rights activists from around the world, sports starts Martina Navratilova, Jason Collins, and New York socialites passionate about making a difference in the world.