Sirens and Whiteness

Storm on the Rhine (M.A.Reilly, 2019)

I.

Night has come on and Basel has grown quiet. In the distant, a siren sounds—familiar across all of Europe, and my mind calls forth images from old black and white movies set in WWII. The iconic siren sounding there too.

Dev told me before we arrived that I had to be out in the city at 3 a.m.

“There’s no noise. It’s completely quiet.”

He is right. This city is quiet, save the occasional siren.


II.

Two weeks ago DNA test results were returned, identifying my genetic makeup. I expected to be 100% Irish thinking that because I was born there, I must be Irish. I learned that I am just a smudge more than 50% Irish/Welsh/Scottish. The remainder is:English, Greek, Southern Italian, and Balkan. At the top of the read out, it proclaimed I was 100% European.

Each time I come back to Europe I realize how far away I am from being European, regardless of what DNA results state. Culture is determined by lived experience, not biology.

III.

In the United States where I have lived since I was two, the myth of genetic superiority has once again reared its ugly head with the rise of #MAGA enthusiasts. Before we left to come here, a white man driving a Suburban in Oakland NJ cursed at my son because he was taking too long to exit a parking lot. In the car with him sat his white wife and two white kids. He told Devon to get the f**k out of his country and to go back to China.  Dev is Korean-American, an immigrant like me.  His words hurt my son although Dev says he really has come to expect it of white people. You do not need to be in the south of the USA to experience racism. Dev has known this since he started school.

IV.

Contrary to the rhetoric of white nationalists in the USA and Europe, there is nothing superior about any race. Thinking so leads to genocide and hasn’t history shown this.

Sirens are sounding now and I wonder if white folks are listening and more so will we have the conviction, the courage to stand up and speak out against the racism and privilege that causes so much harm?  Will we honor the obligation to speak directly to our families, friends, neighbors whose sense of privilege is acted upon daily?

Our silence is our complicity.

75 Books about Activism and Resistance, K-12

For 3-5 Years Old 

1. Browne, Mahogany L. (2018). Woke Baby. Illustrated by Theodore Taylor, III. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
2. Holub, Joan. (2017). This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer. New York: Little Simon.
3. Nagara, Innosanto. (2014). A is for Activist. New York: Triangle Square.
4. Nagara, Innosanto. (2015). Counting on Community. New York: Triangle Square.
5. Sanders, Rob. (2019). Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights. Illustrated by Jared Andrew Schorr. New York: Simon & Schuster.
6. Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2018). Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's Dream and You. Illustrated by James E, Ransome. New York: Bloomsbury.

For 6-9 Years Old

1. Deedy, Carmen Agra. (2017). The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. New York: Scholastic Press.
2. Din, Anne Bar. (1999). The Story of Colors/La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Folktale. Illustrated by Domitilia Dominguez. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.
3. DiSalvo-Ryan. DyAnne. (2000). Grandpa's Corner Store. New York: HarperCollins.
4. Eggers, Dave. (2018). What Can a Citizen Do? Illustrated by Shawn Harris. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books.
5. Evans, Shane W. (2016). We March. New York: SquareFish.
6. Giovanni, Nikki. (2007). Rosa. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. New York: SquareFish.
7. Haskins, Jim & Kathleen Benson. (2011). John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement. Illustrated by Benny Andrews. New York: Lee & Low Books.
8. Heagney, Brian. (2010). ABC's of Anarchy. CreateSpace Independent Publishing.
9. Levy, Debbie. (2016). I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Makes Her Mark. Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. New York: Simon & Schuster.
10. Marshall, Linda Elovitz. (2016). Rainbow Weaver/Tejedora del arcoíris. Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri.  New York: Lee & Low Books.
11. Morales, Yuyi. (2018). Dreamers. New York: Neal Porter Books.
12. Nagara, Innosanto. (2017). The Wedding Portrait. New York: Triangle Square.
13. Nelson, Kadir. (2013). Nelson Mandela. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.
14. Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola. (2018). Someday is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins. Illustrated by Jade Johnson. Lake Forest, CA: Seagrass Press.
15. Reynolds, Peter. (2019). Say Something. New York: Orchard Books.
16. Robertson, Joanne & Shirley Williams. (2019). The Water Walker / Nibi Emosaawdang. New York: Second Story Press. 
17. Sanders, Rob. (2018). Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights. Illustrated by Jared Andrew. New York: Simon & Schuster.
18. Seven, John & Jana Christy. (2017). We Say NO!: A Child's Guide to Resistance. San Francisco, CA Manic D Press, Inc.
19. Seven, John & Jana Christy. (2017). Gorilla Gardener: How To Help Nature Take Over the World. San Francisco, CA Manic D Press, Inc.
20. Seven, John & Jana Christy. (2012). A Rule is to Break: A Child's Guide to Anarchy. San Francisco, CA Manic D Press, Inc.
21. Tonatuiuh, Duncan. (2014). Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation. New York: Harry N. Abrams.
22. Verde, Susan. (2018). Hey Wall: A Story of Art and Community. Illustrated by John Parra. New York: Simon and Schuster.
23. Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2018). Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's Dream and You. Illustrated by James E, Ransome. New York: Bloomsbury.
24. Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2007). Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins. Illustrated by Jerome Lagarrigue.  New York: Puffin.
25. Weatherford, Carole Boston. (2006). Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion Books.
26. Winter, Jonah. (2015). Lillian's Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Illustrated by Shame W. Evans. New York: Schwartz & Wade.
27. Yoo, Paula. (2014). Twenty-two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank. Illustrated by Jamel Akib. New York: Lee & Low Books.

For 10-14 Years Old

1. Atkins, Laura and Stan Yogi.  (2017). Fred Korematsu Speaks Up.  Illustrated by . Berkeley, CA: Heydey. 
2. Chambers, Veronica. (2018). Resist: 35 Profiles of Ordinary People Who Rose Up Against Tyranny and Injustice.  New York: HarperCollins.
3. Clinton, Chelsea. (2018). Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference. New York: Philomel.
4. Clinton, Chelsea. (2017). It's Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going! New York: Puffin.
5. Hoose, Philip. (2002). It's Our World Too: Young People Making a Difference and How You Can Too. New York:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
6. Freedman, Russell. (2016). We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler.  New York: Clarion Books.
7. Hudson, Wade & Cheryl Willis Hudson. (2018). We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices. New York: Crown Books.
8. Jankéliowitch, Anne. (2014). Kids Who Are Changing the World. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
9. Johnson, Maureen (Ed.). (2018).  How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation. New York: Wednesday Books.
10. Kuklin,  Susan. (2017). Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out. Somerset, MA: Candlewick Press. 
11. Lewis, Barbara A. (1998). The Kid's Guide to Social Action: How to Solve the Social Problems You Choose-And Turn Creative Thinking into Positive Action. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
12. Lewis, Barbara A. (1992). Kids with Courage: True Stories About Young People Making a Difference. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
13. Moore, Anne Elizabeth. (2004). Hey Kidz! Buy this Book: A Radical Primer on  Corporate and Governmental Propaganda and Activism for Short People. Illustrated by Megan Kelso. Soft Skull Press/Publishers West.
14. Paul, Caroline. (2018). You Are Mighty: A Guide to Changing the World. New York: Bloomsbury.
15. Rappaport, Doreen. (2012). Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
16. Rappaport, Doreen. (2008). Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
17. Rappaport, Doreen. (2005). No More!: Stories and Songs of Slave Resistance. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick
18. Robertson, David Alexander. (2016). When We Were Alone. Illustrated by Julie Flett. Winnipeg, MB: Highwater Press.
19. Schatz, Karen. (2018). Rad Girls Can: Stories of Bold, Brave, and Brilliant Young Women. Illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl. San Francisco, CA: City LIghts.
20. Schatz, Karen. (2016). Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History. Illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl. San Francisco, CA: City LIghts.
21. Schatz, Karen. (2015). Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! Illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl. San Francisco, CA: City Lights.
22. Shamir, Rudy and Cecile Richards. (2019). Make Trouble Young Readers Edition: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead. Illustrated by Lauren Petersen. New York: Margaret McElderry. 
23. Sunder, Garth. (2016). Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Character: Choices That Matter Around the World. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
24. Sunderland, Garth. (2010). Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change: Courageous Actions Around the World. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing
25. Thompson, Laurie Ann. (2014). Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something That Matters. New York: SimonPulse.
26. Watson, Renee and  Ellen Hager. (2019). Watch Us Rise. New York: Bloomsbury
27. Woodson, Jacqueline. (2018). Harbor Me. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.

For Older Teens and Adults

1. Abujbara, Jumaan, Boyd, Andrew, Mitchell, Dave and  Marcel Taminato. (2018). Beautiful Rising: Creative Resistance from the Global South. Toronto, ON: OR Books.
2. Alarcón, Francisco &  Odilia Galván Rodríguez. (Eds.). (2017). Poetry of Resistance: Voices for Social Justice (Camino del Sol).   Phoenix, AZ: University of Arizona Press.
3. Bornstein, David. (2010). Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford Press.
4. Bornstein, David. (2007). How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, Updated Edition. New York: Oxford Press.
5. Boyd, Andrew & Dave Oswald Mitchell. (2016). Beautiful Trouble: AS Toolbox for Revolution. Toronto, ON: OR Books.
6. Brown, Adrienne Maree & Walidah Imarisha. (2015). Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements. Oakland, CA: AK Press.
7. Engler, Mark & Paul Engler. (2017). This is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is Shaping the Twenty-First Century. New York: Nation Books.
8. Halpin, Mikki. (2004). It's Your World--If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers. New York: Simon Pulse.
9. Jha,  Sandhya Rani. (2017). Transforming Communities: How People Like You are Healing Their Neighborhoods. Danvers, MA: Chalice Press.
10. Jobin-Leeds, Greg & AgiArte. (2016). When We Fight We Win! Twenty-First Century Social Movements and the Activities that are Transforming Our World.  New York: The New Press.
11. Lewis, Barbara A. (2007). The Teen Guide to Global Action: How to Connect with Others (Near & Far) to Create Social Change. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.
12. Minieri, Joan. (2007). Tools for Radical Democracy: How to Organize for Power in Your Community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
13. Popovic, Srdja & Matthew Miller. (2015). Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World. New York: Random House.
14. Styron, Alexandra. (2018). Steal This Country: A Handbook for Resistance, Persistence, and Fixing Almost Everything. New York: Viking.
15. Wilson, Kip. (2019). White Rose. New York: Verso. 

Picasso At the Fondation Beyeler

Detail from Pablo Picasso’s “Crouching Woman.”
I spent several minutes in front of this painting
feeling the heaviness of her shadowed closed eyes. 

Today I took in the Picasso exhibit at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland. I have not seen an exhibit that more moved me than this one. It was exquisite even with the teeming crowds who were viewing.  

Picasso’s “Celestina,” 1903

The exhibit features paintings and sculptures by Pablo Picasso from 1901 through 1906—his Blue and Rose periods. These works represent the emergence of a signature style that established Picasso as a figurative painter.  Although these works are interesting and moving, it was the juxtaposition of the moody, somber and melancholy monochromatic Blue period paintings (1901-1904) with the lighter subject matter and pallet of the Rose period paintings (1904-1906) that caused me to think about the young man  and his times. I seemed to have forgotten that Picasso was just a man in his young 20s when he painted these works. 

Seeing the works together and contextualized allowed me to also see the genius who was so vulnerable and so resilient. 

Both. 

Picasso’s “Acrobat and the Young Harlequin,” 1905

Towards the end of the exhibit there is a brief slide show that contextualizes Picasso’s work with the historical period. As I viewed painting after painting, I wondered how it was that he could see so differently from the historical times in which he lived. I enjoy art for many reasons. One reason though is that artists’ works often cause me to see the world differently. It is as if each painting offered a different way of seeing the ordinary. This was certainly true of this exhibit. 

Happiness

Prayer (M.A.Reilly)

Happiness

There’s just no accounting for happiness,
or the way it turns up like a prodigal
who comes back to the dust at your feet
having squandered a fortune far away.

And how can you not forgive?
You make a feast in honor of what
was lost, and take from its place the finest
garment, which you saved for an occasion
you could not imagine, and you weep night and day
to know that you were not abandoned,
that happiness saved its most extreme form
for you alone.

No, happiness is the uncle you never
knew about, who flies a single-engine plane
onto the grassy landing strip, hitchhikes
into town, and inquires at every door
until he finds you asleep midafternoon
as you so often are during the unmerciful
hours of your despair.

It comes to the monk in his cell.
It comes to the woman sweeping the street
with a birch broom, to the child
whose mother has passed out from drink.
It comes to the lover, to the dog chewing
a sock, to the pusher, to the basketmaker,
and to the clerk stacking cans of carrots
in the night.
                  It even comes to the boulder
in the perpetual shade of pine barrens,
to rain falling on the open sea,
to the wineglass, weary of holding wine.

—Jane Kenyon

Houses That Are Sure

Easter (M.A. Reilly, 2019)

Auden in Sonnet XVIII wrote, “We envy streams and houses that are sure...” I read the sonnet, in the Shoshanna Zuboff’s (2019) book, The Age of Survelliance Capitalism . The Auden line and Zuboff’s opening chapter have remained on my mind the last few weeks.

We envy that which is sure.

After Rob’s death, I tried to understand the meaning of that loss as if that meaning could be singular. It was not. It is not. I wondered, who was I without my husband, my best friend, my lover, business partner, fellow writer, and co-parent?

I have been waiting for the loss to leave, pack a bag and move on, far away from my heart. Tonight, I understood that the loss doesn’t leave. Rather, I have learned to live with it. And living with it reveals me as imperfect—showing those hard places that formed me most.

I wrote earlier how marriage allowed me to compose better versions of myself. Living with grief has shown me that those better versions were each imperfect.

Love never was a barter for perfection. Rather it was a house,
                     a stream that wound on
                     well after certainty
                                                          fled.