Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:13 Welcome to, to be continued, a stone crop symposium podcast. In today's episode, Keegan Crampa discusses the protest action that took place in response to the 2017 Ottawa Capitol pride parade. Joining them for this conversation is Luca rotary, Rosie Shaw, and Mar Muhammad.
Speaker 1 00:00:41 Hi everyone. My name is Keegan preface. My pronouns are, these are or day them, and I'm coming to you today. It's the first of this conversation. So a bit about me. I'm currently living on unceded Algonquin territory, which is land that's been taken care of by the initial NABA for time and Memorial. And I believe everybody else on this call is also in this territory, but I was actually born on the Pawnee territory, otherwise known as Philadelphia in the United States. And I'm a first generation immigrant. My parents were born and raised in Ghana in West Africa, but I've lived here in turtle Island for most of my life and to be here today and to be facilitating this conversation, I was asked by one of the curators of the exhibit Cartier need to participate because three years ago, at this point I was pigging part of leading or kind of facilitating a direct action that happened during Ottawa pride.
Speaker 1 00:01:30 And this was because there had been some community consultations run by Capitol pride where committee members weren't interested in having uniformed police officers present and participating in the parade. And so the police chief at the time, or the little, I remember he released this email, like this statement being like, we're still coming in uniform and we don't care that you folks have asked for this. And I just remember being really angry, like really super activated when I was on the bus. Like just like reading the statement. And that's when I decided like, okay, like we need to do something about this. And then that's when I kind of create a Facebook group talk with people that I knew who had similar interests in, you know, like preserving the political aspects of pride and, you know, kind of trying to push back against, you know, like state suppression and police violence.
Speaker 1 00:02:15 And so that action happened about three years ago and there have been some changes, I think, to Ottawa pride since then we had a list of demands that were created by the community. Um, not all of them were met, but quite a few of them were actually in, there's been like quite a bit of restructuring in terms of like the Capitol pride or members and kind of like the way they structure things. And so all that to say is that, you know, I've been really interested in community organizing. I'm really interested in working with other racialized people, other trans and queer people to create spaces and to work together in ways that actually, um, given that we live in a world that doesn't often do that. So that's what this conversation is about today is like thinking about how we relate to one another, what it means to celebrate pride into, you know, being trans black and
Speaker 2 00:03:00 Be a person living in this world that can sometimes be really stressful. Um, and like how to do that in a way that supports our wellness and growth. So now I'll ask you some of the other panelists on this call to introduce themselves, ask you to introduce yourself.
Speaker 3 00:03:15 All right, thanks so much Keegan for your introduction. I definitely resonated with a lot of the things that you were saying also for the land acknowledgement. I was reflecting a little bit before this in terms of an introduction and realizing that a lot of times when I'm asked to give introductions, I actually really hate doing it and try to reflect on why that was. And I think it kind of reminds me of when people ask like, Oh, what, what do you do? And, you know, it kind of comes back to a lot of times trying to build this resume for yourself, if you have the, the right background or the right, you know, skills to be relevant on whatever is being done. And so I realized that I might, you know what, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna say whatever comes up for me today.
Speaker 3 00:04:07 And the only things that are really important for this discussion are that, that I'm black and STEM an artist though, you know, kind of in, in my mindset, being an artist, I think that can mean a lot of different things. And I think that, you know, everyone can be an artist it's, it's more, I think everyone needs to be an artist coming up in terms of the ways that things need to change. Uh, but obviously, you know, that's up to everyone else along with my own choices. And then I think the last thing in terms of my own queerness is that I'm a spirit worker and my queerness has really tied up in that for me, both in terms of my sexuality and my gender. Those both are an extension of my own beliefs around my spiritual connection, to all of my ancestral lineages, which often for other people can be along more gendered lines. But in my case or not, I think that'll be a really important coming up in terms of the other things I have to say. But I think for now, that's it.
Speaker 2 00:05:19 All right. And now it's your turn. Thank you so much Keegan for giving me this opportunity to come on and speak. And Luca, I want to say, I actually really enjoyed your introduction and I'm kind of going to be doing something similar. I am a person who struggles with a lot of anxiety, so we'll see what comes out. So my name is Maher. My pronouns. Are they, she something that I've come to terms with recently, that is really important for understanding who I am is that I am a non-binary lesbian and I'm black as well. That is incredibly important to who I, and
Speaker 4 00:05:58 I've also recently been becoming a lot more invested in my spiritual journey and ancestor worship. So funny enough, I guess, a word that I would use or a phrase is art. Whoa, that's just kind of something that flies around in my head a lot is just, I love art. I make art, I work with intuitive energy. I'm thankful for the ancestors and you know, my queerness and my blackness are integral parts of my identity.
Speaker 1 00:06:27 Awesome. All right. Now, Rosie, it's your turn?
Speaker 4 00:06:30 Yes. Okay, perfect. So thank you for all these a great introduction. I do feel both of you in the sense that introductions can be nerve wracking. Um, my name is Rosie. I use pronouns. She, and I really enjoy when people mix them and use them interchangeably because it is central to who I am and deductions don't. Um, for me, I don't really cost them a lot of importance because it tells people what someone does, but it doesn't tell people who basically who they are. So that to me can be, can feel very, um, kind of time to prove that you are where the, um, speaking or where your horse is going to be heard, especially like during pride month that there's a lot of introductions that people ask me to do camp, which I'm really grateful for. I was born in Montreal, which is a territory. Um, and I lived in Brooklyn for a little bit, and now I'm in Algonquin territory, which is, uh, Ottawa. And I also lived on, um, Haiti, which is coming up well. Yeah, I am what I would like to call a as my two other topics. I am, I call it a spiritual activist. I think spirituality is at the foundations of everything I do and just is at the foundation of everything I do, including being on these podcasts and I'm intended to be here and yes, and I'm also black. Right.
Speaker 4 00:08:10 And yeah, and I'm just excited to get the conversation going today.
Speaker 1 00:08:15 Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, everyone for sharing all that. Um, and I hope we're very excited. Um, and you know, as I was kind of thinking about things I wanted to kind of bring up, I was immediately reminded of the text emergent strategy by Adrian Marie Brown, which Luca actually introduced me to go for sharing that book with me. Um, and so I'll read the description of it. Here's how it goes. It says inspired by Octavia Butler's explorations of our human relationship to change. Emergent strategy is a radical self-help society, help and planet help designed to shape the future. As we want to live, change is constant. The world is in a continual state of flux. It is a stream of ever mutating, emergent patents, rather than steal ourselves against such change. This book invites us to feel map, assess, and learn from the swirling patterns around us in order to better understand and influence them as they happen.
Speaker 1 00:09:10 This is a resolutely materialist spirituality based equally on science and science fiction, a visionary incantation to transform that, which ultimately transforms us. So in a nutshell, emergent strategy is like a framework that's inspired by science fiction. That kind of, it's an approach that says that, you know, we're all interconnected and the kind of processes through which we relate to each other and engage with one another, where are representative of patterns that kind of come out and really small and big ways. And so those of us who are interested in transformative justice or interested in making change can use emergent strategy as a way to kind of assess, you know, who we are, where we've been and where we want to go. Um, and so the questions that I have for each of the panels today are inspired by passages or excerpts from origin margin strategy.
Speaker 1 00:09:58 And so Rosie will be responding to the first question or the first kind of quote, which talks about Adrian Marie Brown says that we need to organize is if we're going to be here for a long time, not as if we're only going to be here until tomorrow. Um, and I thought in the context of, you know, like direct actions and, you know, like kind of, you know, especially given all the kind of, kind of social movements that's been happening recently the summer, I thought it was a really poignant thing to ask. And so I'll ask Rosie now, like kind of, what does that entail for you? This idea of organizing is if we're going to be here for a long time and not just tomorrow, and then what's worked for you in terms of actualizing this in your own kind of organizing or movement building work.
Speaker 4 00:10:38 Yes, for me, it's really interesting because every time I come to a group that I'm organizing with and the people that I'm organizing with, I always say, I, I talk like a pessimist, but I act like an optimist. And what I mean by that is I am jaded. I have no hope for a lot of things, but I don't organize that way. I organize in the sense that like, I'm thinking far ahead, what will happen tomorrow, which would include rest, which will include restoration for black people, which would include us taking care of ourselves very, very seriously, depending on what that means for each of us and being on a journey with that and taking care of our spirit. But when I speak, you would think that like, Oh my God, like this person does not believe in anything. Um, but that's not the case.
Speaker 4 00:11:34 Right. And it also, uh, pushes me to think of how in ways that we can, um, organize that will actually get to the root of the problem. Because if we keep them putting band-aids on everything, nothing will actually practically heal. We actually have to approve things, uh, for them have like good long-term effects. An example that I can give of that is when people talk about defunding the police and I'm like, yeah, you know, that's, that's good at all, but let's not lose sight of actually abolishing the whole carceral system, because what happens a lot is that these corruptions happen very what's the word I'm looking for in English is very, um, like insidious. And it's very, uh, like undercover, I would say, so people will start with, Oh, let's just defend the police. And then you will see like a few police departments getting defunded here and there across borders, but really the whole cultural system stays.
Speaker 4 00:12:38 So basically because we know that white supremacy is flexible and adapts and it changes and it waxes and wanes. So what would that mean for our organizing? If you're looking at long-term is that we also have to be flexible and see how we need to change our strategies and our mindsets and our actions and our thoughts and our way of life to counter what white supremacy is doing. Because in a lot of ways, I think activists are the world's immune system or the plant's immune system. So how do we make sure that we position ourselves and that we protect them all about orients because white supremacy will always adapt. And so how do we basically treat this chronic illness, but even going further than that and how do we cure this chronic illness? So we have to be able to think long-term what would it mean for the people who will come after us?
Speaker 4 00:13:31 And also we have to look at youth because they are the tomorrow. So how do we build relationships with them? And in the same token deal with the, in the child of us that, and get what we needed. So it's a lot, a lot of work, but we also always have to think longterm. And if I were to leave it, like I said before, I think in speak like a pessimist, but I act like an optimist. I act like whatever I want, even how ridiculous it may sound. Because I mean, when slavery was, I'm sure that people were like, what you think this is going to be over. You think, you think, you think this is not, this is not going to be forever. It's not going to be a business as usual, but there were people who were like, no, there's going to be a tomorrow. I might not see it. My kids might not see it, but somebody will. And because of that, I'm going to plant the seed that will make sure that we, we see it. So that was my answer. And I hope it answers the question.
Speaker 1 00:14:34 It definitely does 100%. And I think, yeah, you've touched on a lot of other aspects of emergent strategy, which is this idea that our lives are constantly changing and in order to survive and ideally to thrive, it means that we'll need to adapt. We'll need to be flexible in our approach and the way that we come to things. And yeah, we need to be mindful of like the way that, uh, yeah, like the need to be flexible and the need to be creative and, you know, really yeah. Have big imaginations in terms of like the kind of visions that we're wanting to build for the future. All right. And so now move on to our second question, which is from Mar. And so the quote from emergent strategy says, we do know how to care for each other and ourselves, when we are given a little room ritual song, circle, conflict, resolution, healing, staggering rest, et cetera, will emerge in a community given the right space. And so for you, Mar I'm curious to hear about what spaces you've found that have allowed you to relate and create, and you know, how did they come about? And like, what do you think are like the kind of facets of creating those spaces, where those things can come out?
Speaker 2 00:15:43 Yeah. Thank you so much for the question for me, honestly, it always goes back to the concept of community itself. For me, like just the nature of where my family comes from. We're Somali, a tradition that is very, very common is that if somebody in the neighborhood is really struggling with meals or having their bills paid, everybody comes together and helps about this is mutual aid. It's, it's not just common to like Somali culture, but this concept of mutual aid and having people around you who are responsible for you, that you too are responsible for, I find is what allows us to create. And in the same breath, I find what community allows us to do is also directly kind of combat these oppressive themes that we find in our lives like white, white supremacy, for example, that asks us to kind of go through life in isolation.
Speaker 2 00:16:42 Um, but like for me, it was literally growing up, having my aunts to talk to and having my aunts encouraged me to create art when I was feeling really, really sad, or to go ahead and get some energy moving when I was really, really upset. And just having people around you to look up to who can, once again, like hold you accountable, I find is how people are given the space to create. And I also find that having communities support it literally nourishes the soul, right? Like it's not just you and your ideas that you're bringing to fruitition it's you and the person besides you and your ancestors and their ancestors. And that makes the art all the more powerful. Right. Um, and the second component that I'm actually recently kind of coming into is nature or, well, something that's kind of always been there, but I'm recently discovering how powerful it's been.
Speaker 2 00:17:43 Like people can step outside and look at the night sky and write poetry about it, and they can write poetry about the leaves changing colors. And it's like finding your way back to nature and connecting to it and allowing yourself to be kind of rooted within nature. Like, I, I don't think you're going to ever have any issues with healing and creating because you know, like in nature, the environment gives back to you through nourishment through that connection, and it allows you to go ahead and create whatever you need to speak into existence. And you're then giving back to your environments, right. The nature. So for me, it's, it's really been those two things and really working on bringing community to wherever I go, if that is simply, you know, like smiling at a stranger, holding the door open for someone like you just never know what, what those kinds of actions will ever inspire in someone
Speaker 1 00:18:42 That's so beautiful. Um, yeah, like I'd get once again, like emergent strategy talks so much about how we as people I'm like or how our existence as people is so closely tied to the existence of nature and not like the patterns that we see amongst human beings are repeated amongst nature and are inspired by nature. Um, and being able to connect with the natural world and to the energy of like plants and like water and earth air, like all these things is so it's integral and understanding who we are and being able to come back to like our centers, essentially come back to the foundation of who we are and what we are. And another huge part of a registrar. He also talks about the need for interdependence. Just like you're mentioning more like the idea that we do not exist in isolation, or like we can try, it's not going to work or at least not very well, or, you know, there'll be a lot of suffering involved if you try, but that, you know, human beings are, we're a social species, like, and we need one another and it's white supremacy, it's capitalism, it's, you know, like homophobia and transphobia that trying to keep us individually as individuals, as like single people who are, you know, going about their single lives.
Speaker 1 00:19:51 But in reality, um, that's just not how people have worked historically in life. And, you know, I think we can all the kind of, you know, pain and suffering we see in this world. I think a lot of it can be contributed to this disconnect from one to this disconnect from connectedness and the disconnectedness from nature. Um, so that makes a lot of sense to be what you were sharing, where thank you so much. And so now, um, we'll go to our, uh, next question, which is for Luca. And so the quote starts with periods of social unrest, provide an immense opportunity to pivot into the kind of community you want to be in and articulated. And so the question I have for Luca is what's a piece of art that comes to mind. That's reflected your understanding of community before I go and answer the question, I'll be brief, but I just wanted to mention that I feel really, um, I feel really blessed by the structure of things got set up and
Speaker 3 00:20:48 That I got to be the little sandwich, bread pieces, and like kind of start the introductions, even though it's was very frazzled from technical difficulties. Um, but also to be able to hear everyone's introductions and, um, everyone's responses before my own, both just to be able to hear them, but hopefully to be able to build off of them as well. But I feel very spirited by, by everyone else's responses. Um, and very grateful. Uh, yeah, but I, I don't want to go on all day, so I'll, I'll start my response, which I'm not entirely certain is the response that's expected, but you know, creativity. So, um, in terms of art yeah. Um, in, in terms of like how I would define it, art, and that would be like the, the manifestation of creativity or like, um, sometimes the tangible creation of creativity. And for me, uh, the thing that always reflects community or goes back to community or is so foundational to community is ritual.
Speaker 3 00:22:11 And that, you know, in, in my perspective is the original art or the original expression of creativity, uh, to give a little bit of context. I, I very much define creativity in like, I, I don't like, I don't like the, the effects of white supremacy on notions of art and creativity essentially. Uh, I, I'm not going to, you know, necessarily bash other people's perspectives on art. Uh, but there's definitely, I don't know if this is white supremacy or capitalism, but there's this sense of ownership over art or like that art is, you know, made to, to profit off of, or to like, do something with, and that's what defines its value, uh, or like even sometimes when that's not how its value is defined, there's still a sense of ownership about it. Like, Oh, I am this creative person. Uh, very much for me, creativity is like the direct manifestation and the direct channeling of the spirit of our ancestors and like the specific gifts that we were given as individuals that are completely different than everyone else's in the, but regardless of that, they're still not ours to own where we just happened to be the channel that they work through.
Speaker 3 00:23:54 And I think that there's like a really foundational piece in terms of, you know, when, when the whole world was being colonized essentially, and white people were going everywhere and observing ritual, and that became such a core foundational piece of how they de-humanized other people, because they were afraid of what they saw. They were afraid of that. Just raw expression of, of spirit, of joy, of ecstasy. Um, they would put things onto that in terms of, you know, things being overly sexual or demonic because they didn't understand what was going on, but like that is so needed in my opinion, like that is what's needed for community to actually, um, thrive in the sense of there needs to be that sense of celebration. There needs to be that channeling. And thanks given to our ancestors for creativity to really thrive, but also to celebrate like the fact that no one else on this planet is who we are.
Speaker 3 00:25:14 We were given a specific purpose on this planet and we are assisted by the gifts of our ancestors. And, um, yeah, I just, I don't understand how, how to disconnect those things. And I think reclaiming ritual is foundationally at the core of, what's a very important piece of undoing the harm that's been done by white supremacy of like specifically trying to take away these specific, you know, cultural rituals, trying to take away our joy, our ecstasy, our spirit, like the things that are so essential to us and so essential to our survival. Um, and so essential to supporting community because community, and, you know, in, in a Western sort of context often ends up being about, Hey, here's a group of people who have something in common. I'm like, that's not community, community support each other. And also if you have a bunch of people where the whole idea is being the same, that's, it's like, it's like monoculture, it works for a little bit, but in the, that's kind of completely destroyed everything you need, you need that individuality. You need everyone to own those gifts that only they can own because the community needs them. I think that's my answer.
Speaker 1 00:26:57 Thank you so much for that. And I, yeah, definitely. Yeah, it rings so true for me. Um, and yeah, I guess I, you know, I grew up Catholic, um, I'm a confirmed Catholic at this moment. Um, and definitely it's been quite the, over the years, it's been quite the adjustment, um, going from this like very like colonial framework of like, what is, and isn't good, or what is, what is evil or what is, you know, demonic or whatever. Um, and having to kind of shift my perspective, like, hold on, wait a minute. Like, you know, my ancestors, you know, I I'm from, yeah, like I mentioned, I'm African and West African from Ghana. Like my ancestors, you know, ritual for them was such an integral part of life. You know, like there was, um, it wasn't something that was shameful or that was evil, but was just, it just was, and being able to participate in ritual as I've gotten older. And I mean, I mean, I mean, it's interesting because Catholics will talk a lot about, you know, all these, like, you know, divination is so wicked and stuff, but I'm like Catholics are kind of witches, like
Speaker 3 00:28:07 The blood of Christ.
Speaker 1 00:28:08 Or if I were drinking, the blood of Christ were eating his bread. I'm like, this is like, this is like, we're witches right now.
Speaker 3 00:28:14 Okay. Can I make a brief comment on that? I also, I just, I get so angry about that. Cause I'm like, of course you want to, um, you know, in terms of divination, that's, that's the ideal thing. Like if you cut off communication between people and their ancestors or people and the spirits, um, you know, the, the church in terms of like politically has done a really good job of being like, no, not just, you know, you could talk to God, but most people aren't communicating, you know, there's very specific people who, who do this and then that just leads to outrageous abuses of power. Right. Cause you have to talk to the person who talks to God and like everyone should be able to talk to spirits and just like, just talk to spirits. It's great. Uh, anyone who is against that, it seems very, I'm like, who, what, what is your agenda and who you try to control? Like, what are you afraid that they're going to say to us?
Speaker 1 00:29:15 That's a great point. That's a great point. And yeah, it's really, yeah. Religion is often used as a tool of control and definitely, you know, we like white supremacy and the Catholic church are best friends. Like, you know, like they are very well linked up together. Um, and so much harm has been done in the name of Jesus then in the name of love. And I'm like, this doesn't make any sense. I'm like looking at the beatitudes, I'm looking at the 12th of the 10 commandments and I'm like murder Dennis is not included in this framework. So what the fuck happened to you? Um, but yes, thank you so much. Look that's um, yeah, that's a really, yeah, I really appreciate you saying that. Um, and I think it really leads well into the next question that I have for myself. Um, and that, um, and it goes, and basically the quote from the book says, people creating togetherness in this moment is a form of creating a form of art.
Speaker 1 00:30:07 Um, and so I want you to talk a little bit about how I, how I'd like to create togetherness in my life. Um, and for me, it's been such, such a huge blessing to be able to work with other queer and trans black people. Um, even like, you know, in the context of like organizing, like for pride, like we did a few years ago, um, although that wasn't exclusively with black queer trans black people, but there were quite a few of us who were doing like, kind of like that initial work. Um, but even just like, you know, coming together with other queer trans black people to like watch a movie or to go eat some ice cream or to go skating, like just like having those opportunities for me is, has been so, so special because for a long time, I felt as though I couldn't belong in those spaces or that I was, you know, like there was something really wrong with me that I was broken know, but I was evil or that, you know, I was going to burn in hell because I liked girls or whatever the fuck.
Speaker 1 00:30:59 Um, but it's been, you know, like, and I remember being on Tumblr when I was like maybe 14, 15, and like following this page, I was like fem, queer black people. And it like blew my mind. I was like, all these black people posting their pictures being like, I'm a lesbian, I'm bisexual, I'm a trans man. And I'm a trans, I was like, I didn't know it was possible. I was like, what the hell? I was shocked. I was actually shocked. Um, and it's because I just hadn't had that opportunity growing up to be amongst those spaces and to be in a community that really affirmed, uh, differences in gender and sexuality outside of like heterosexism. Um, and so in my life, you know, in the work that I've done, I've been in quite a few kind of different professional and kind of community roles.
Speaker 1 00:31:44 Like I'm a social worker by trade. Um, although I could also, we could do a whole podcast on how much I hate social work as an institution, but we'll, we'll, we'll leave that tangent for another day. Um, but for me, you know, like being in roles where I'm doing peer support, where I'm like planning events, um, where I'm, uh, you know, like just like talking with people, learning about their needs, um, helping them figure out where they can go to get their needs met, you know, what they can do with, you know, if they try to get their needs met and it doesn't work, or, you know, people are actively blocking their ability to do that. Um, and so, you know, like having a conversation like this, I think is one beautiful way of creating togetherness, like, you know, being able to, you know, I was thinking about who I wanted to invite and I was like, you know, I want this to be black.
Speaker 1 00:32:29 Well, and I want it to be radical as hell. Um, and I, you know, all in all three of you folks here on this call with me today, or this podcast were rather, um, I knew shared similar values, um, and, you know, have all done great work in your lives, um, to build togetherness. And I don't mean that in like a professional sense, like, you know, you showed up to work and then you filled out the invoice forms and then, you know, you were able to, you know, come here and do all these things. Like I just mean just existing as yourselves with all the gifts that you have, um, with all the talents that you have and all the love that you each are shown to me, um, in various ways. And yeah, just like it fills my heart was with so much, so much joy.
Speaker 1 00:33:09 And so for me, being able to create spaces such as this, um, and to have conversations and to do social things together is like really, really special. And I'm hoping that, you know, as you know, like in Ottawa or this week in Ottawa, it's a pride week. Um, and so, I mean, there's a lot of like a virtual events going on, like kind of remote things that, you know, I'll be Frank, I'm like, Oh, I just want to go to the club and party with my friends. And like, but that's not going to happen this, this pride around, but that's okay. Um, because I still think, you know, despite all of that, there still, there is still opportunity and chance to reflect on, you know, who I am as an individual who my community is, what we need, what we want to see in the world.
Speaker 1 00:33:55 And, you know, maybe this year, you know, we're not able to, you know, maybe go to parades or hang out with the club or go to, you know, do whatever that we usually do during pride. But, um, being able to have this conversation and being able to share it with other people to be like, we hear, you know, these are like the perspectives of, you know, like the four of us, like queer and trans black people living in living, um, in this city at this time, um, talking about the future that we want to build for ourselves, um, in the future that we want to the future that we want to see, um, because, you know, we've all, you know, we're all living under the Strait of white supremacy of capitalism, of all these systems of oppression that go out of their way to make life unbearable for us, essentially.
Speaker 1 00:34:38 Um, and it's because of the connections that I've been able to make with people and like the moments of joy I've been able to have this that's allowed me to be here. That's allowed me to still be breathing, you know, like without the support and love and care of my friends of my community. I definitely, you know, I would not be facilitating this conversation right now. And so if I can, you know, continue to exist in a way where I can build these relationships where I can create spaces where people can share their towns can share their arts can participate in ritual can be connected to spirit. Um, like it's just, you know, to me, I think that's, you know, so very closely aligned with like my purpose in life and what I want to do. Um, and so I'm very, very grateful, um, that you all have the time to come together with this, come together, to have this conversation and to share your perspective.
Speaker 1 00:35:23 I really, really, really appreciate it. Um, and so, um, that's the end of kind of like our questions series. And so there is a poem from emergent strategy that I'd like to read, um, before we close off, um, just to give people another chance to, yeah, just to share more art created by black people who are coolest help you, who are creating futures that I want to be a part of. And so this poem is called authenticity chant. It's actually, I take it back. It's not a poem. It's a spell, it's a spell for practicing emergent strategies. That's what it's called. It's not a poem. So it goes like this. Let me not posture. Let me not front. That may not say yes to Eliza. I don't want that. May not use words. That don't mean a thing. Let me be fly as I am. No trying that be good for my heart, not my rep. That may be still when I can't take a step, don't let me get too caught, creating my face. Let me just love me all over the place. And so that's the end of our podcast. Thank you so much for tuning in and for listening. Um, I really appreciate that. And I appreciate all of our speakers who come in today to kind of share their perspectives. And I hope you
Speaker 0 00:36:42 Great. We continued a stone prof symposium podcast is produced by thin sun Ana Shah Hawk, and Carra tyranny music provided by Ben sound.com special. Thanks to today's speakers, Keegan Pampa, Luca rotary, Mara Mohamad, and Rosie Duguay Shaw. The podcast is part of Carleton university art galleries and virtual stone Crofts symposium. The symposium is organized in conjunction with the exhibition to be continued troubling. The queer archive, curated by Ana Shaw Hawk and Carra Tierney and presented at the gallery in fall 2020, the exhibition and podcast expand conversations around local queer histories and futures. We are grateful for the support of Carleton university, the Canada council for the arts, the Ontario arts council and the stone craft foundation for the arts, the stone Croft foundation promotes education in the visual arts and fosters the public's appreciation of the visual arts. Find out more about the stone profit symposium by visiting clagg.ca <inaudible>.
