LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Na na na na, hey hey, goodbye

      . . . . The title line is what they're singing in Brooklyn right now.

However, earlier --

11/07  Woke the same WaPo headline to which I shut down last night: “Biden inches closer to victory ….” 

Dreamed last night of wildfires and voting.  Though the wildfire was in the dreamscape rural landscape of the childhood North Dakota farm where I grew up.  It was a more like an oil refinery black smoke fire coming from a neighboring farm. 

The voting was more a dream C'ttown location than a dream downtown NYC location.  The latter may have come out of the contemplation of what the Eastern Shore of MD is all about, where Kent County and Chestertown are located, that confederate MD, where Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, and their family members were casually but intentionally abused every single day and night, every time they were in the proximity of a white person, both physically and mentally.  No wonder its taken all these decades for the Kent County Black communities to come enough out of their protective shells to start working, even a little, even now, with the local white activists such L-- and C-- . whom they’ve known all their lives too, since the Civil Rights era.  Trust … that can’t grow completely not even in 6 decades of proven honesty and respect, not after 300 + years of constant, systematic abuse.

Then . . .

11:36 AM – PA called it for Biden Harris, so then did the A&P and the networks!  Hearing screaming on the street through the sound of the Zoom Slavery and Cuban History Conference from the Gilda Lehrman Ctr. at Harvard. The presenter at the time, who lives in Washington Heights, interrupted herself to say, "I'm hearing screaming from outside in the streets. Do you think...?" Went to the NYT.  I screamed – HARRIS, a woman VP, and Black!

~~~~~~~~~~

Washington Square Park Today

It's so happy making to be outside and see these elderly ladies of the neighborhood, who clearly have known each other all their lives, who are widows, talking of standing in lines of 3 - 6 hours long to early vote here.  

Everybody who isn't Them has had a stake in the Biden-Harris campaign, some far more than others, like Our Ladies of C'town, but still all of us, who have done what we can, which in our case mostly was donations, donations, donations to the candidates, not just Biden-Harris, but the local candidates around the country. Last night already we were getting pleas to donate to the Georgia Dem Senate run-off campaign.

Everybody has earned this great day of public celebration which is also a real repudiation of him and the last 4 years, that not even he can deny, as much as he may lie and lie, and lie some more about it.

~~~~~~~~

When I returned from walkabout during a break in the conference, the local Bistro brought out a glass of champagne for myself and for el V, to go.  And lordessa, is this Conference ever wonderful!  The perfect thing to have going on for us this weekend, since They took Cuba away from us again.  Maybe Biden-Harris will give it back, but then, that was the one strategy They followed that worked for Them. Florida for Them.  Feh.

But for now? Hooray!  Hooray!  Hooray!

I loved what a fellow in Chicago said, when he came out of a grocery store and saw people celebrating wildly.  "It's so good for us to celebrate.  It's been so long since we could be happy together."



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