This Igbo Boy can Draw!

Why take digital photos when you could just spend 100hrs drawing realistic images?
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You know how we like to claim ours. Yeah! Gotta rep Igbo. Nigeria. *Shrug* Very cool especially from a culture that typically doesn't support art as a professional endeavor.

Sat. Nov 19 Catch Us If You Can

We will be at this awesome event TODAY. Stop by and say hello, and get some awesome gifts.

It’s here! The Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy Holiday Design Bazaar is SATURDAY, November 19, 2011, noon-6pm.

Join us at Harvey Milk for some excellent and unique gift ideas by local artisans and designers. You’ll find something for every budget and in a wide range of styles, AND you’ll be benefiting the arts programs at our school while you shop!

WHAT IT IS: Local artists and designers sell their wares and donate 25% of their sales for the day. (We will also have a ‘Harvey Milk’s Own’ table, with Spike’s Coffee, HMCRA t-shirts, and more)
PLUS: a booth on the value of arts education, DJs throughout the day, silent art auction, live drawing/sketch artists, activities for the kids (face painting, art projects, etc.), childcare, and yummy food!

WHY: The proceeds of the bazaar will go towards our developing visual and performing arts program. This event was created last year to provide Arts Education in every classroom. This year, a Visual Artist will provide 10 art classes to all 11 classrooms through SFArtsEd Artist in Residence program starting in January (http://sfartsed.squarespace.com/artists-in-residence/). Our dream is to raise enough money to not only fund our artist in residence, but also to bring back Performing Arts Workshop for creative movement and capoiera classes in the Spring.

How Can the 99% Occupation Movement Actually Change Things?

Yesterday I was at an amazing action.  The Foreclose on Wall Street West/ Shutdown of Wells Fargo Headquarters in SF (business at that site was paralyzed by protesters for the day). This was organized by a coalition of organizations in the Bay Area including but not limited to Causa Justa Just Cause, Chinese Progressive Association and East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy,
Groups and personalities like Naomi Klein, SF Supervisor and Mayoral Candidate John Avalos,  Brass Liberation Orchestra and Homoeconomixx were around to help fire up the movement with speeches, live music and remixed renditions of Shaggy's 'It wasn't me' with lyrics like "(the) Federal Reserve... were all buck naked banging on the trading room floor".

I went to this action filled with an arm-load of criticism that I will not go into in this post, and a feeling of 'here we go again'.. oh I also had my good ol' camera with me

I left with tears in my eyes, butterflies in my stomach and a bounce in my feet.

Check out the photos I took and please keep reading, because I have a question I need answered

So maybe I'm not as plugged in as I could, and haven't done my research. Although I think what is going on right now in the US is powerful I've been also having this feeling that is typical for me... that of being overwhelmed. stuck. hopeless. What next?

These days I shy away from waxing politics/activism that much and frankly my rhetoric is not sophisticated when it comes to political and social discourse, so I typically save my thoughts to conversations with close friends and my various alter-egos.

What I do mildly well though is try to walk part of the walk.  So that's what I'm asking for.

What do we do? How can we play a part in making ACTUAL change. What are the action items? What are the small and big things we can do? Short & Long term goals. The occupy movement as it stands is not sustainable (in my opinion) so I would like to see some sort of 10 commandment list.... what the 99% can do now to walk the walk.

I've started the list...I need help

1. Take it to the streets and pose for pictures while looking and acting rad. Make sure the News talks about it. Check!
2. Change from a reg corporate Bank to a Credit Union and TWEET about it... getting ready to do that 
3.  ?? 
4. ??
5. ??
6. ??
7. ??
8. ??
9. ??
10. ??

I'm calling all all my organizers, youth, parents, teachers, writers, workers. Let's get this going!

the 99% ignored in Arts Funding #Occupy

REUTERS/Mike Segar

 Even if you were living under a rock. You know about the occupations happening around various cities in the US. What we're also talking about is the various ways this crazy 1% plays out. This Washington Post article talk about how Foundations basically pretty much fund more wealthy-white serving institutions than it does diverse communities. This funding trend does not match up with the growing population of said diverse communities.

“It is a problem because it means that — in the arts — philanthropy is using its tax-exempt status primarily to benefit wealthier, more privileged institutions and populations,” wrote the report’s author, Holly Sidford.

Talk about keeping it in the family.

Of course it's not telling me anything that I don't know. The money just circles around and 'philanthropy' is just a guise that rich people use to keep the things that entertain them alive.

Even though seemed like an ad for the Ford Foundation (which hopefully may encourage them and others to continue diverse funding) at the end, the point of the article is still something to that can be paid attention.

Chinua Achebe forces 50 Cent to rename movie

"You know, sometimes it's not the actual story/publication but the comment box that tells you what's really going on in the world"-N

Things fall apart for rapper as Nigerian writer makes him change forthcoming film title to avoid conflict with 1958 novel

50 Cent has been undone by one of Africa's greatest novelists, Chinua Achebe. The rapper's latest movie has been renamed ahead of its release, due to a conflict with Achebe's most famous work.
Things Fall Apart, published by Achebe in 1958, is Nigeria's most famous English-language novel. It has sold more than 8m copies worldwide. Unfortunately, 50 Cent was not aware of this. He spent much of 2010 shooting a film of the same name, the story of an American football player diagnosed with cancer. "It's a project that I wrote, produced and financed myself," he explained last year. Directed by Mario Van Peebles, it premiered at the Miami film festival in March and is expected to be released soon.
Read More..

 -p.s. I stole the title of the blog post

Ana Goes to School

the Pencil vs. the Gun

On this past weekend the SOS Rally/March happened in Washington D.C. Lots of things were said. Lots of things happened. Below are two videos I've selected to highlight.

Okay see now the problem is. Goodness! Okay I'm glad that the people in this video are the ones who are doing it, because if that was me, there would have been some weave pulling and butt kicking. I know I know, not a good example for the kids. sigh. woosah. meditate. visualize.
If you know half of anything about me, you know that I don't joke with providing the best and equal opportunities for all! But I'll just let you watch the video.



Jose Vilson (click to visit his blog) who is one of my favorite educators and activist that keep me going from afar had this to say:



p.s. Jose you need a "Teacher  Don't Teach Me Nonsense" tee