Check It Out: A Love Like Damien's

2006-09-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll,
Check out the latest dramatic offering by Andrea Davis and directed by Andre Lancanster(one of the fircest dramatists out there) A Love Like Damien's.

"A Love Like Damien's, a timely new play and a response to the national trend of prominent black leaders using the pulpit to promote spiritual violence, will will open at the WOW Cafe Theatre in the East Village (59 East 4th St., Between 2nd Av & Bowery) . Written by Andrea E. Davis and under the direction of Andre Lancaster, this performance with a vibrant cast is set to go up on Sept 14th and run until Oct 1st, 2006."Damien’s story is one that occurs again and again in almost every Black, Christian community, in some form. My hope is that placing the problem before the eyes of the community will make it even less ignorable, and will encourage the continuation of a conversation that has already become so crucial to the survival of a sense of unity within Black Christianity,” says the show's writer Andrea Davis." check out more here

My David Yassky Problem and Ours

2006-09-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

Sometime during David Yassky’s campaign swing through the Wyckoff Gardens housing development, a chocolate donut was hurled at his contingent. Ironically, an officer serving security detail caught the fructose glazed missile. While no one was hurt (including Mayor Bloomberg who accompanied Yassky to tout new security measures at the projects) that sugary shell said mountains about the racial tensions surrounding Yassky’s run for Congressional in the 11th district.

For those who don’t know, David Yassky was no ordinary candidate; he’s white and Jewish, two signifiers that carry meaning in Crown Heights, a community still bearing the scars of the riots in 1991. The 11th is no ordinary Congressional district. Created as a result of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, it elected Shirley Chisholm as the first African American woman to Congress. So Yassky’s decision to run in this heartland of Black power is a kin to Ariel Sharon visiting the Al-Haram Al Sharif Mosque in 2000. (And considering Yassky’s support of Israel’s bombing of Beirut, this analogy is not too far off).

Still, the Yassky question is bigger than a white interloper looking after a Congressional seat. Brooklyn Democrat Party politics is all about turf. And since there’s a lot of it in Brooklyn, there’s always been a quiet peace along race lines. In particular, Black Brooklyn politics is a scene straight out of the Godfather, with various families representing neighborhoods for decades: The Boylands out of East new York, the Clarkes out of Central Brooklyn and now the Owens somewhere out of Park Slope.

This all changed when Brooklyn Democratic head Clarence Norman one of the most powerful men in the New York State assembly was convicted on embezzlement charges. No longer could he, or any one us be a king maker, heading out judgeships and no show jobs.Norman’s downfall represented the overall weakening of the Black political center in New York City. Galvanized by the oratory and fire of Adam Clayton Powell(at one time the head of the House Ways and Means Committee, making him the third most powerful man in the country), now we see petty squabbles abound. Term limits for city councilpersons has led to a feeding frenzy where traditionally said politicians are chomping at the bit to gain a position of some stability. Added with the impending retirement of the old guard (Major Owens and possibility Charlie Rangel if the Democrats don’t win the House) signal a tremendous power shift among local polls.

Yassky’s run also reflects the changing demographics of the district. As young urban professionals ran out of Manhattan and discover the joys of Brooklyn they are forming a cultural and political block. The new cafes that open on Flatbush and Cortelyou, along with the availability of hummus at the bodega, represents a not so subtle sign of anti-Native resentment.
In this context, one would hope that the Black Democrats would achieve some unity and mobilize the masses for a greater good. A Central Brooklyn Black Political Convention was called. You would think that a meeting of Black progressives would yield an economic program, education initiatives and impetus to launch an anti war in the Black community. No, sir, instead the fine citizens of Brooklyn got commandments from Rev. Al Sharpton for one of the candidates to drop out.

After this, I realized that my Yassky problem, and ours, isn’t so much Yassky himself, but the triumph of cynicism. Yes, Yassky is an opportunist who saw his chance and sought to seize the time, but the black politicians failed to so. Rather than rock the boat and use this election as of convergence for Black activists from various stripes to joy together and move to a higher level, they decided to take the low road. Black rather than being a sign of collective solidarity and empowerment, became, a sign of mediocrity and low expectations.

Because we all know who ever wins (and the smart money is on Yvette Clarke) the power structure of the neighborhood is not going to change, the rents will still be too high, the services bad, and health care at a premium. Still, elections are useful, only to the extent that people become involved in the process and decide that politics goes beyond voting but actually having the power to make decisions in your community. Talking to one of staff of a prominent candidate in the district I had hoped she change my mind. I asked her why should I vote for her candidate and she said “Because the 11th is ours” And neither a ripple went down Ocean Avenue.

test one two

2006-09-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

Everybody's Protest Blog

Check It Out: A Love Like Damien's

My David Yassky Problem and Ours

test one two