it’s unexpectedly cold on long island, so much so that it feels like rochester. il fait un froid de canard comme on dit on français. but it was sunny yesterday so i bundled up and went for a walk at frank melville park right here in setauket. cold cold cold but so beautiful. nature has a way of cleansing our minds and healing our bodies. this is why the remarkable people of gaza return to the sea whenever they can. in the midst of human violence and ugliness, nature stays constant and spiritually nourishing.
I have a dream: For Liberation from the Congo to Palestine – at an MLK rally in Mineola (which marked 100 days of the ongoing genocide in Gaza) where I was honored to speak about the “triple evils” of racism, poverty, and militarism, and reference the work of both Dr. King and Cedric Robinson who taught us the meaning and deadly implications of racial capitalism:
“Racial capitalism explains why the US and UK are bombing Yemen to protect shipping lanes, but refuse to protect the lives of Brown children in Gaza.
Racial capitalism explains why the House passed a $14.5 billion package in additional aid to Israel. The understanding is that Israel will spend that money on US bombs, and redirect taxpayers’ money (which is publicly owned) into private pockets.
Racial capitalism is why the impulse to ‘empty’ Gaza went hand in hand with bids for gas exploration along its coastline.
In the same way, the intersection between racism, the creation of ethnic divisions by colonial powers, and non-stop capitalist extraction, has led to horrors in the Congo.
In Sudan too, the atrocities that we are seeing emerge from a divide and rule policy that created conflict and facilitated colonial theft.
Whether it’s the domestic policing of Blacks, immigrants, and Muslims, increased incarceration and border security, or racist wars such as the war on terror or the war on drugs, we always return to the unholy alliance between racism, economic exploitation, and military violence.”
Thank you dear Farhana Islam for inviting me and thank you dear Nia Adams for introducing me to Farhana <3
last friday we went to the opening of the master’s showcase, an invitational exhibit organized by the huntington arts council which showcased the work of award winning artists during the 2023 exhibition season. honored to be invited to share my work – three digital collages constructed with south asian fabrics depicting lucknow, bhubaneswar, and dhaka and connected to ‘return to sender: women of color in colonial postcards & the politics of representation,’ a nysca-funded project. so lucky that my parents could attend the opening with me.
thank u for all the lovely birthday wishes, friends, and thank u for the powerful prayers for palestinian liberation. my one birthday wish this year.
i spent some time with my daughter in nyc yesterday and saw a play based on a book by j. m. coetzee, ‘life and times of michael k,’ in brooklyn. his work is grim and heartbreaking but also full of humanity. my eyes welled up many times over the course of the play because it depicts the horrors of war — something we are witnessing daily on our phones and sceeens.
this afternoon i met my son in midtown before taking the LIRR back home to long island. didn’t do anything else today to respect the global strike for gaza. may the mayhem end. may people have a chance to mourn what they have lost and begin to rebuild their lives. ameen.
Spoke with Gianna Volpe this morning about decolonizing knowledge and media representations of those who are stereotyped and marginalized – POCs, people from the Global South, women, and other oppressed communities.
This was for her show Friday Morning Tea on Long Island’s NPR radio station WLIW. Hope to share a recording soon. Pls listenhere.
Our conversation was about the screening and discussion coming up at Southampton Arts Center of ‘Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation.’
After the film, I will be honored to be in conversation with Jeremy Dennis (Fine art photographer, Lead Artist & President of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio), Minerva Perez (Executive Director of Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island), and Brenda Simmons (Executive Director and Founder of Southampton African American Museum).
This is a free event! Pls register SouthamptonArtsCenter.org
What the horrors of the world reiterate over and over again is that solidarity is safety, unity is strength, and that we the people can demonstrate more courage and compassion than those who rule over us.
Proud to collaborate with Jeremy Dennis (indigenous artist and photographer and Lead Artist & President of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio), Minerva Perez (Executive Director of Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island), and Brenda Simmons (Executive Director and Founder of Southampton African American Museum).
We will be discussing the power of representation and the mechanics of othering, among many other things. Pls join us for a screening and discussion.
‘Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation’ is coming to Southampton Arts Center on Sun Nov 19 at 2pm. This event is free but pls register at SouthamptonArtsCenter.org
Please join us for a screening of my new film, Return to Sender: Women of Color in Colonial Postcards & the Politics of Representation:
Southampton Arts Center (25 Jobs Lane, Southampton, NY 11968)
Sunday November 19th, 2:00-4:00 pm.
The film delves into colonial representations of people of color (especially women) and discusses Eurocentric beauty standards and imperial narratives, stereotypes and the process of othering, and the complexities of identity and belonging.
The screening will be followed by a community discussion led by Jeremy Dennis (Fine art photographer, Lead Artist & President of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio), Minerva Perez (Executive Director of Organizacion Latino-Americana of Eastern Long Island), and Brenda Simmons (Executive Director and Founder of Southampton African American Museum).
This event is free and open to the public, but registration is needed. Please register at SouthamptonArtsCenter.org.
hundreds, possibly thousands, at the long island rally for palestine in mineola today, organized by the muslim community of nassau county. as one of the imams said, the US, with its own problems of settler colonialism and systemic racism, should recuse itself from any form of arbitration/ participation and withdraw all its arms, military personnel, and money. end the bombing. end genocide now.
a wonderful screening of ‘a thin wall,’ a film about the partition of india, at Westbury Arts yesterday. so happy that my parents could attend with me and that i got to meet lovely friends <3
thank u westbury arts for the beautiful community u are able to create through art, film, music and spoken word. it’s v healing.
pls join us for a screening of ‘a thin wall,’ a film about stories from the partition of india under british colonial rule.
on friday oct 13 at 7pm at Westbury Arts. i will be there to take questions at the end of the film.
the violence we are seeing in the middle east and elsewhere should be located within the context of european colonialism and the mutilation of land. on indigenous peoples’ day, it’s more important than ever to pledge our solidarity with all those under occupation and fight for land back.
more wonderful friends and fam at the film premiere of ‘return to sender: women of color in colonial postcards & the politics of representation’ at @cinema_arts on oct 1st.
before the film premiere last sunday, there was the opening of an art exhibition at Huntington Historical Society’s history & decorative arts museum (the exhibition ‘return to sender’ will be on display until oct 15).
i gave an artist talk there in which i quoted palestinian american poet suheir hammad.
return to sender: women of color in colonial postcards & the politics of representation – film premiere at Cinema Arts Centre:
what a day yesterday! sharing a film with the world for the first time after months (sometimes years) of work, collaborations, and non-stop revisions, is something remarkable, a high that’s hard to describe. and then being surrounded by family, friends and community, to feel that love and engagement, is beyond thrilling. there are many many thanks, as always, but i want to start with the young people who attended the film screening and added so much color and depth to the conversation that went on for 1 1/2 hours. i am constantly impressed by the knowledge, thoughtfulness, and bold imagination of our young people. it’s something electric to be in their company and think together. here are some of the beautiful young folx in the audience yesterday. thank u!
tomorrow is the big day my friends! come to the premiere of a brand new film about colonial postcards and representation at cinema arts centre in huntington, 2-4pm. the screening will be followed by a discussion with nia adams, farhana huda islam and madeline del toro cherney. earlier, 12-1pm, join us for the opening of an art exhibition at huntington’s history & decorative arts museum. i will give an artist talk there. the huntington art walk will be on tomorrow and it will be a sunny day. get out of the house and join us!
tested the film at Cinema Arts Centre today with the wonderful allie zalewski.
it’s always an overwhelming experience for me to see my films on the big screen. the footage for ‘return to sender’ was shot in 2019. i’ve been working on editing and post production almost all of 2023. to then see the product of that labor, in all its glory, on a huge screen with gorgeously clear sound, is incredibly emotional to say the least. how i love what i do.
thank u Urvashi, Sumayia and Fatimah for being the voices of south asian women in this film. thank u dylan and boris for shooting such stunning footage. thank u Rajesh for the beautiful rich colors and Darien for the amazingly well fine-tuned sound.
filmmaking is teamwork and one is only as good as one’s team. proud of what we’ve created together!
come and watch the world premiere in huntington on oct 1 at 2pm. there will be a post screening discussion led by farhana islam, nia adams, and madeline del toro cherney. don’t miss it!
