Progress, Shame, and Silencing the Margins – Panel discussion of the Film Up The Yangtze
Moderator: Dwight Freisen
Panelists: Cal Uamoto, Eliacin Rosario-Cruz, Chelle Stearns, Christopher L. Heuertz
The following panel discussion took place at the Film, Faith, and Justice forum in Seattle, Washington on October 23rd, 2008.
Film, Faith, and Justice is a forum exploring the relationship between theology and social justice. As host to the Human Rights Watch Traveling Film Festival, this forum uses films, keynote lectures, and discussion panels to engage modern issues of faith and social justice.
It has been awhile since this blog have seen some action. I recently post a tweet -you don’t know what a tweet is? You are so 2006 – in which I stated that I am blogging less, and living more. Which it is not necessary true, I’m living the same as when I was blogging more (in term of time) but I’ve been more present (or so I try) than looking around for my next blog post masterpiece, which is not my in reality, but a link from someone else’s blog.
Here is a brief list of what have kept me occupied and present the last couple of weeks. (not in any order of importance, but in the random way the brain tent to remember things)
Africa: Cultural Studies/Awareness is part of our counter/curriculum in our home education project with Catie. One of the main reasons we are educating our kids at home is to be able to explore deeper the different cultural and ethnic groups that formed them. Last year we started our cultural studies with Catie by giving her the choice to focus for a time in one of the many ethnic groups which she belong to. The first group was the Pottwattamie People, on which she is part of via Ricci’s father lineage. Which she explored and learned of and from for about 5 months. Last August she decided she wanted to know more about her African heritage, which comes to her through me. So for the last couple months Catie and I have been touring the Africa, via the lives of 6 of it’s amazing royal women. The book we’ve been using to guide us through our exploration is African Princess : The Amazing Lives of Africa’s Royal Women. Not only have Catie been learning about geography and African culture, this way of exposing her to some of her strong female ancestors is also her forming helping for in her a sense of pride and identity as a young woman.
Step aside Cinderella, here comes Tata Ajaché!
A Growing family: Catie just turned 6 years old last week. Gabrielito will be 2 next month an we are expecting our third next March. We found out last week that we are having another boy. Catie was devastated to find that out because she really wanted a sister. But now she is excited to realize the power it will bring to be the older sister and the only daughter, only girl of 6 grandkids on my side of the family. I’m also the co-owner with Catie of a betta fish, which she got for her Birthday.
Radical/Alternative/Counter/ Formation un/education project: Not much to say at this point yet, but several of us are schmeing, conspiring and dreaming on an alternative/collaborative way to engage in formation for communities of creativity and radical critique. More soon.
Community life at the Mustard Seed House: Living in community is exciting, but not in the adrenaline rush kind of way. It is not for thrill seekers, which I guess is a good thing. The element of triviality and mundane life is what make most of community life. The key is to realize that the trivial is where incarnation happens. (Advent is coming, so I’ll keep my thoughts on incarnational living for an Advent post.) Most people go through their daily activities as if cruise control, with no clue of what really motivates them and move them forward. The reality of our assumptions and values is express when we act them out. They are performative. To question them when we are in a reflective mood, or in a conversation with others in easy. Hardly any one would confess that they live greedy, selfish lives, control by desire for attention and in obedience to the Empire. But it is in the way we live our everyday, mundane acts that we embrace and perform who we really are. Here is where community come to hold us accountable to our desire for transformation. Community serve as a safe space to become whom we are called to be. Also as midwife of a new way of living in the midst of the negative space of the Empire. A space to experiement with a different kind of life, which we will not have the guts to try on our own. Community also hold us lightly in love when we judge ourselves to harsh. For me is more about decolonizing the occupied places of the Empire in us, than moving into the abandoned places. We can move into a new place and still bring the occupied heart and mind with us.
The Blues: Not the beautiful generative music, but the mood. I’ve been feeling down lately. I’m not sure if what I am feeling are the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder or signs of depression. Depression runs in my family (via my dad’s side of the family), so I am considering talking to my doctor about it. We’ll see.
Reading: Here is a brief list of a couple books I’ve read recently.
. Not only have Catie been learning about geography and African culture, this way of exposing her to some of her strong female ancestors is also her forming helping for in her a sense of pride and identity as a young woman. 
by Ian Mobsby
, 
by Pete Rollins
, John Cavanaugh, Editor
By John Dominic Crossan
by Murray Bookchin
by Vince Miller
by Nigel Oakley