It’s pretty hard compressing a whole evening of footage, but I tried. I know less is more, but I tried to create one video giving everyone a bit of time.
Let me know if you’d like to help or be a part of the next one!
If you weren’t there, here’s a taste of what you missed. enjoy!
Above is my del.icio.us tag cloud. del.icio.us is an online bookmarking tool that I’ve been steadily using over the years that’s been phenomenally helpful. The above image was generated by wordle, another really neat web app for displaying information.
I find the above image really helps capture what I’ve been about, whether I like it or not.
So besides this blog, and subscribing to the feed, I’ve recently jumped on the can-you-get-anymore-narcissistic twitter bandwagon. I also just found a way to automatically send my del.icio.us links that are share worthy to my twitter profile as well.
So far, I’ve actually found it a healthy non-time-consuming form of social networking. If any of the tagged topics displayed above interest you… maybe I’ll see you in twitterville.
Collaborative art project responding to “What must love be” by Claudia Hung
What can I say? I think it was another phenomenal night! Of the many projects I’m on, the Solar Crash events are definitely one of my favorites. I’ve written a few thoughts on creating these spaces before here and here.
Some additional reflections…
I intentionally halved the number of performers and artists from the last event and it created a tighter more focused evening that was just as enjoyable
I loved when random people came up to me wondering how on earth something like this comes together
There’s nothing like people from all sorts of backgrounds, cultures, and faiths coming together to creating something beautiful, even if momentary
People keep asking me if I’m an artist, I love writing, but I’d say my craft is more in helping unleash the creative potential of others
I did a once-in-a-lifetime spoken word piece for my wife that night (totally out of my comfort zone)
It was awesome being able to meet in person many people that I had been networked through facebook
“…It was the worst of times it was the best of times”
Jay-Z (Diamond Is Forever)
Charles Dickens (A Tale of two cities)
As I jump on the subway up to the post-strike York University, I’m preceded with several train of thoughts that keep me thinking of how far I’m going just to get the word out about a conference (Evolving Church – http://epconference.net) a few friends are putting together.
(They released a comedic commercial about it –see below)
But regardless how entertaining the skit is, the weather is cold, the destination is far and I’m tried doing an early deliver on an early week-day morning.
I have to ask myself the daunting question: why am I doing this again?
I remember going to the same event a few years back, permeate with the horrendous feeling of being the token black guy (If I’m mistaken, sorry that means I really didn’t see you and trust me I tried); receiving awkward looks, eating my lunch, yes alone (it even happens in our beloved, Canada).As the violin plays a melancholy melody, I reminisce of my own minority report becoming more substantive every time I attend such events; resounding with great speakers and mind-boggling ideas floating around and most of all the people who become more than just Facebook friends, but fellow sojourners in faith and justice.
As the years went on, the issue still lingered as I wrestled with being the lone black guy always asking the questions about diversity, and opening the conversation to justice and not just the themes that stroke the white backs of empathy, but those that are relatable and are the every-day reality of folks making up the city of Toronto coming from all parts of the world.I have to note that though my feelings have matured, and caste aside into a sea overtaken by “reality”; the truth of the matter is that not many people in my neighbourhood would spend that much money on a conference anyway or even wants to move the conversations of faith and politics beyond the pew or the barbershop seat respectively.
But one thing I’ve leaned as a politico during this past election year that there’s a force called:
Hope.
(…Even for the Tory government)
Along with hope, I’ve also had a particular tune resonate in my mind all week, which I’ve discovered had subtly been convicting me to be intent on promoting with more passion but also to engage myself even more on the theme of the conference (amidst the powers). Satirically hopeful anthem that emancipated me in my younger years between Celine Dion and Roch Voisine (Quebecers know who I’m referring to); became part of my soundtrack for life.
It was the summer of 1996, and I stumbled upon a song from 1988, with the even more audacious music video released in 1989;I had heard it on one of our exclusive hip-hop radio stations in Montreal, K103 FM (now, CKRK-FM) streamed by way from Kahnawake, a First nation reserve south of the metropolitan.
It wasn’t a coincidence that such station was featuring the song, “Fight The Power” by legendary hip-hop group, Public Enemy (See video below)
Thought my friend’s commercial was hilarious, with a touch of SNL, but my eyes were seeing high tops, big clock necklaces, pants now worn by hipsters, and fists lifted in the air; while my ears were attuned to disc scratching and brassy chants. Fellow friends who are punk-rock aficionados can partially relate to such portrait with the 90s grunge scene.
Lead group member, Chuck D was in his state of lyrical aggression at his best, and Flavor Flav was…well he was Flavor Flav but well before the sorrowful reality shows.
On that trip from Kipling Station to Downsview Station, I was figuring out how I could best convince the guys to adopt the music video as another commercial for their March 21 event at The MeetingHouse (another pathetic plug).
Maybe they would think it’s the video too subversive?
Especially, the manner in which Hip-Hop has undergone scrutiny, will they choose the more moderate road?
Maybe a more lyrically delicate hip-hop song would fit best?
Will a suburban white Christian audience even understand?
During our politically and economically potent times, we need not just moderate change, but we need to ponder and reevaluate all ways in which we’ve been practicing our faith, relating to the powers of politics and commerce and most of all our own powers of ego and indifference.
My hope is that even if this video is not shown as a commercial, it can still be used as a teaser that inspires us (or angers us) to move from idleness to progressive thought and action and allow this conference to not just be a country club of intellectual superficiality but one of substantial discourse and contemplation used as a catalyst to further ourselves as a community of faith to humbly engage, and actively fight the powers that be, even if it starts with ourselves from people in suburban castles to those in the urban high rise apartment buildings, to wealthy denominations to independent storefront churches and from to the educated idealist yuppie to the cynical immigrant elderly.
And that reality can happen, though it may require me to travel across the city to Scarborough for one more stop with time for one more train of thought that leads me the conference.
In Dreams of my Father, Barack Obama talks about not wanting to associate with the one other black classmate because it would only remind them further of their isolation. I feel that way sometimes when I’m surrounded by Asians.
Asians are rarely included in the black-white race discussions
I’ve heard people say where black and white are on the extremes, yellow and brown are ‘just right’.
Along with the color remarks, I’ve heard people use the term ‘banana’ for Asians that act white. I’ve always wondered if there was something similar for Asians acting ‘black’. Beef patty is the closest thing I can think of, yellow pastry on the outside, dark on the inside?
Labels are rarely helpful, but where else would we start?
When Asians are mentioned in conversations on reconciliation it seems to be merely for the sake of inclusion, not that there might be some form of weight behind it.
Being Asian typically carries more stereotypes behind it than an actual narrative
Many of the circles I travel in, from old-school pastoral gatherings to emergent networks, I’m the only Asian dude.
I wonder if I help validate the movement of Christ to all people when I show up.
Truth is, I long for a truly multi-cultural church as well
At my wife’s school, there’s typically only one token white kid in her classroom.
With the Chinese ethnic church booming over the past decade, black and white pastors have asked me, when will the Chinese church begin reaching back out to them?
We as a church need to have a better theology of the human person and of diversity.
God’s not colorblind, and when we avoid the discussions as we do in Canada, we’re negating a part of who God created us to be.
Is there affirmative action happening in our churches? Is that a good thing?
