Activism
Randomly Meeting Mayor Fenty:
(note this can be translated into performance using storytelling, movement and song)
On July 21st, 2010 at approximately 9:02 am, Graciela Lopez a five night resident of Tent City DC was walking from Mt. Pleasant to Woodley Park, when Mayor Fenty, his campaign manager, and a group of his supporters were campaigning, meeting people and handing out stickers. I walked straight to Mayor Fenty who asked me if I was a voting Washington resident.
Fenty: “Are you a voting resident?”
Graciela: “Hello, whats your name? My name is…”
Fenty: “I am Mayor Fenty”
Graciela: Hello, My name is Graciela Lopez, and yes I am a voting resident, I wanted to let you know that I have been living in Tent City for five nights.”
Fenty: “Oh your with those folks?”
Graciela: “yeah it has been an incredible experience, I have learned so much, including the lesson of listening to the people. I trust that you have the best of intentions Mayor Fenty, but without listening to the people, you are not serving them. I did a number of things in Tent City in which I thought were good for the people, but I did not ask the people first. Similarly, you have took some actions that you thought were best for the people, but you did not ask them first what they need. I urge you to meet with the residents of Tent City, but first contact them ahead of time to set up a meeting so that folks can be there, and then listen to their concerns. Let the residents of Shaw who have been living there for years define what affordable housing means to them. Furthermore, listen to their needs for how the housing should be built.”
Fenty: (interjecting throughout my speaking while nodding and seemingly listening: “beautiful, yeah, that makes sense”
Graciela: “Mayor Fenty I want to support you and your campaign, but the only way that I can do that is if you have a meeting with the people and listen to people like Ca’Vonn who is a resident of subsidized housing across the street from Tent City, who has 6 kids and lives in a 3 bedroom apartment. She is living in the same space where her daughter died as an infant. Let her be the first family to move into the affordable housing unit on Parcel 42, which will be built by the people, for the people, with the people’s input.
Fenty: Beautiful, thanks so much, lets get your contact info, (calls his campaign manager) Can you get this incredible resident’s contact info, it is unclear whether she is a supporter or not.”
Lesson: Fenty listens to swing voters, had a been clearly anti-fenty, he would have written me off and not cared about what I said- its politics 101- focus on the Swing voters.
(This script is based on my memory, I may have forgotten some points or made myself sound more eloquent than the actual moment, however all of the main points are points that I made sure to communicate.) Questions, concerns, feedback? I can be reached at peacefulchica@gmail.com (505-440-0301)
titled: "Crazy Place"
Note the love that surrounds the child in this crazy place.
"Love is the only way to change"
"I wanna change you, you wanna change me,
but LOVE,
LOVE, love is the only way to change"
original lyrics by Graciela Lopez inspired by Tent City DC
