Category: local

Rosalie “Daystar” Jones – Using art to carry tradition forward

The beautiful Rosalie M. Jones who choreographed and performed for The Injured Body: A Film about Racism in America <3

Rebecca Rafferty: Jones has had an active and impressive career as a pioneer of what she called Native Modern Dance, which draws inspiration from Indigenous inter-tribal dance as well as the modern dance she studied in her postgraduate days at Juilliard (where she hung out with the legendary Martha Graham).

She was born on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. Her mother was Chippewa and her father was a Welsh-Canadian railroad worker who crossed the border at 18 and met her mother on the reservation.

“I think because the both of them had hard childhoods and really no opportunities for formal education, they wanted to give that to me,” Jones said. “So consequently, I was encouraged from the very beginning to get college degrees, university degrees, and pursue my own talents and ideas for my lifetime work.” More here.

An evening to remember

This evening a fabulous friend organized a dessert extravaganza at her home, baked exquisite cakes, made flan and even kulfi (for real?) and invited some of the beautiful women I am blessed to call my friends. They are poets, writers, artists, photographers, dancers, choreographers, curators, lawyers, journalists, feminists, activists, professors, philosophers, counselors, storytellers, community leaders, my sisters. I wrote about each of them because I wanted them to know what they mean to me. It was emotional. I had to focus hard in order to keep my voice steady. The beauty around me was overwhelming. Thank u Sabina for joining us, and thank u Amanda, Annette, Debora, Erica, Kristin, Lauren, Liz, Lu, Mariko, Pamela, Reilly, Sady, Sejal, Smriti, and Yvonne for being who u are. Love u all <3

an open letter of solidarity by jewish and muslim activists

after the hanukkah attack in nyc (late last year) and the surge in islamophobia accompanying american aggression and a possible war with iran, young jewish and muslim activists based in rochester wanted to raise their collective voice and recommit to solidarity. theirs is a solidarity rooted in a desire for justice and a political understanding of their respective struggles. in their view, solidarity is safety.

thank u Smriti Jacob and the Rochester Beacon for publishing our open letter. thank u Nate Baldo, Arseniy Justice, Tori Madway, Halima Aweis, Ian Layton, Hatun Guler, Fatimah Arshad, and Mawia Elawad for ur profound understanding of our world.

“In the wake of the December 2019 Hanukkah attack in New York City, Gov. Cuomo announced an increase in security including a $45 million grant administered by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services for communications equipment upgrades. This is meant to assuage Jewish communities and make them feel safer.

But actual safety comes from solidarity, not greater state scrutiny and criminalization, which disproportionately impact people of color and vulnerable communities. Employing state forces as barriers between our fractured communities only furthers our fragmentation and contributes to future distrust and misunderstandings.

We, Muslim and Jewish activists based in Rochester, understand this and are committed to a decolonial understanding of our histories and struggles. We aim to stay invested in and show up for one another, and we urge all our diverse communities to do the same. Let’s band together against the rising tides of violence, in our country and across the globe. Solidarity is safety.” More here.

Anti-War Protest Highlights Link Between US Militarism and Climate Chaos

wonderful report by darien lamen in which he gives protestors the opportunity to voice their concerns and their reasons for being there, rather than framing the rally himself. thank u for ur important work darien.

Rochester-area youth organized a rally Thursday to oppose war with Iran. Many protesters highlighted the link between imperialism and climate change. Reporter Darien Lamen spoke with Hridesh Singh, Scott Wagner, Crescenzo Scipione, Mara Ahmed, and Emily Good. Listen here.

opera for my film

today we recorded sections from arias by handel, vivaldi and strauss (in italian and german) at RCTV, Rochester’s Community Media Center with our brilliant soprano imani sewell and musician/sound design genius Darien Lamen. the music was composed by tom davis. can’t wait to hear the final mix. recording for #TheInjuredBody – a #film about #racism in #america