19 September 2020

EASTERN

When I was a kid

the place where I lived

was a squat cinder block building

they called “the Cottage”.

Inside there was a rubber room

with thickly lined walls

one could slam ones’ self into

without really doing much harm.

I got to spend a bit of time there

when I was bad.

This was nothing like the room they used

the next door over

for the really bad kids.

When a really bad kid went into that room

the Counselors would call the rest of us together

in the hallway, outside the room

where we could look through the window in the door.

Through that window

we could see, four feet above the floor

the brown tinged blocks

as we would watch

a fresh application get added

to the otherwise white walls.

“If you are really bad

You’ll get to go in there too!”

lesson learned.

If you were only partly bad

You get the rubber room.

At least, there, you get to be left alone.

18 September 2020

Hiding History at Independence Hall

from Politico Magazine, an article penned by Ben Woffard

"Too often, Americans choose to venerate our Founding Fathers rather than remember the men, women and children they owned - Slaves. And it’s the absence of physical reminders of this ugly history that makes the forgetting of it that much easier.

Photo c. 2005 Will Brady

"There are countless memorials and museums dedicated to our slave-owning founders, but 150 years after the Civil War, there still exists no federally funded museum dedicated solely to the memory of African-American slaves and the system under which they toiled. The mystery of the missing museums, while noted for years, has been revived again by the recent Confederate flag debate.

" There may, however, be a close contender, if only a meager one, for the first federally funded slave memorial: Tucked in a corner of Independence Mall in Philadelphia—home to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and nearby Constitution Center—lies what its creators say is the country’s only congressionally funded memorial on federal property to explicitly honor some of America’s early slaves.

" The history of the house itself is a microcosm of American origins. Historian, Edward Lawler, Jr. unearthed the forgotten history of the house.

"Lawler’s discovery sparked a fierce debate and public battle—over whether to memorialize the house and the slaves who lived there. The National Park Service, which oversaw the Independence National Historic Park, balked.

"A letter from park superintendent Martha Aikens explained that creating a memorial would inappropriately append the narrative of slavery to an exhibition, the nearby Liberty Bell Center, that was intended to convey the memory of freedom; this, in turn, would cause a “dissonance between the two features, potentially causing confusion for visitors,” Aikens wrote.

READ MORE HERE

Ballek's Garden Center

Ballek's Garden Center / c. 2004 will brady

Gouache on grey paper

As a kid I was fascinated by maps, so much so cartography, after typesetting and lettering, became an avocation for me. And they did not have to be real places, they could be sites that exist purely within the mind. Here's one such site

Highway Series: How we view the wilderness

c. 2020 / will brady

These are real sites, but shall go unidentified for they could be anywhere

For all too many of us, this is how we view the wilderness ~ as we fleetingly pass through it driving from one place to another, rarely seeing the true wilds that exists out there.

The Goodspeed Opera House

Most think of the Opera House as this dramatic white edifice on the edge of the Connecticut River next to the East Haddam/Goodspeed Swing Bridge. But at night, with artificial lighting and the shadows, the structure acquires an entirely different imagery

15 September 2020

Second Trail of Tears

The First "Trail of Tears" began during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, around 1831 and was the beginning of a genocidal forced migration of tens of thousands of people native to the North American continent before the Europeans. an era well documented, but conveniently ignored or forgotten by American historians

The second "Trail of Tears" occurred during the 20th Century "Great Depression"

The Tennessee Valley Authority appropriated lands in the river valleys that had been settled by some of the Cherokee nation during and after the first trail of tears.

This land grab did not get even a fraction of recognition.

"Let's Dance"

Night Woods

Burlington Cabin

28 July 2020

Independent reporter going to DNC in August

Help Drew John Ladd get to Milwaukee as a SURPRISE GUEST!

Fundraiser for Drew John Ladd by Sera Bishop and Will Brady

https://www.facebook.com/donate/279351113175517/10103050829929557/

________ ABOUT DREW: Drew John Ladd is an author, speaker, and activist... and one must never forget: Drew loves his dogs. He also identifies as a queer Black man and he has made "creating an end to white supremacy" his life's work.

WE NEED YOUR HELP to elevate Drew's work and message and to get him where he needs to go so he can have an even broader reach!

_____ DREW's GOAL:

In his own words: • To represent and elevate unheard voices, of which I am one. • To provide on the ground amplification for those shut out of this national event, and • To articulate the wants and needs of queer black people of color with my own voice.

https://www.facebook.com/donate/279351113175517/10103050829929557/
Drew studied Political Science, Human Rights, and White Supremacy at UCONN. In 2014, he furthered his studies in South African History, Human Rights, and White Supremacy at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, Africa.

If you listen to *just one video* of Drew speaking, you too will recognize his immense power, and IMPORTANT of his VOICE.

______ Drew's invite is an open secret... and he knows he needs to be there. And we believe in his work 1000% so we want to do everything we can to get him there.

There will be press. There will be side-events galore. There will be an opportunity for his voice to be heard and for his voice to represent the underrepresented.

SO this is where WE do the work. Once he gets there, he will do his work, the work he does best.

_____ If you aren't at all familiar with Drew's work, you can learn more about the messages he has to share in numerous ways (which we'll be continually updating!):

PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/drewwritesstuff/posts

FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/drewjohnladd

When was the first time you had a Black male teacher?

Black educators and administrators played a major role in my educational experiences while I grew up.

My first Black teacher was Mr Abel in 4th grade. Among other subjects he taught me graphic design / lettering and also instilled in me a love of science and observation. In Philadelphia PA.

In 7th to 9th grade almost all my teachers were Black. I went to a voc/tech high school. While all my vocabulary teachers were White (printing and typography) easily half of my academic teachers were Black.

Between 7th and 12th grade all my English teachers but one (a young white woman from "Long Guyland") were Black (one was male). Three of my history teachers and two of my health ed teachers were Black.

One math teacher was Black - she taught geometry.

In college all my professors (except for two) were White. One of them,, an English professor, was from India, and a biology professor was Asian)

However, I might never had gotten into college at all were it not for the support and assistance of one Wesley Y. Harris, a stocky, muscular, dynamic and assertive Black man who'd been hired to run the college's EOP program. He replaced a slimy and bigoted white academic career bureaucrat who had managed the program so ineptitude it was clear he labored hard to keep black and lower working class white kids from getting admitted into the school. Mr. Harris changed that.

Back to high school, and "junior" high. My most memorable English teachers included Mrs. Hamilton (a no nonsense, strict grammarian and very much a "stickler for business" oft emphasizing the importance of "proper diction"); Miss Bell (a white "Long Guylander"), and Mrs. Bea James (who was also my.home room teacher) - I learned from her writing short stories.

And Mr. Corbin, who taught grammar, creative writing and literature. He gave us Ralph Ellison, Howard Griffin and James Baldwin to read. He knew I wrote other kids' class assignments for money, but mentioned to me as an aside, with no one else around.

01 July 2020

In The Garden

30 June 2020

From the "Black Lives Matter" paint series

Venture Smith's grave site overlooking First Congregational Church, East Haddam CT

"History Lessons"

"When I Get Home"
(an Homage to Solange Knowles composition of the same name)

Using one's Voice to fight Racism and fulfill the promise of the American Dream

from the Arts & Entertainment section of the Hartford Courant 6/26/2020

Drew John Ladd is using his voice to fight racism and fulfill a patriotic dream to make America fulfill its promise

Author Drew John Ladd, who has been fighting white supremacy through his writing for a decade was snubbed
by his local white BLM protest. "This is not an America problem," he said, "This is a lack of America problem." (Mark Mirko / Hartford Courant)

When Drew John Ladd talks, it’s captivating. He is an author, activist and speaker, and his expansive voice makes it obvious he’s the son of two preachers.

Ladd was raised in Hartford, attended Plainville schools as part of Project Choice and unless volunteering at an East Haddam farm, always wears a kilt. His passion, apart from writing, is gardening.

Ladd meant to write fantasy novels, but the need for antiracist work derailed him and he has been working to wake America from white supremacy for years. Each time he’s found a space for his voice, he’s been surprised by thousands of listeners.

“I am just absolutely humbled to be among the millions of voices speaking. I'm not even close to the best or the only voice.”

Click Below for the full article:

https://www.courant.com/ctnow/arts-theater/hc-ctnow-drew-john-ladd-writing-racism-20200628-lolrrhmye5cg5jydax5kht2evu-story.html

Where We Need to Go

11 June 2020

Voting and Voting by Mail

I've been seeing many people making foolish, uniformed, ignorant comments about how people vote, but particularly about the absentee voting process. In the USA, in particular.

SO . . .

Some Useful FACTS about voter registration, and the absentee voter balloting process:

Ballots are NOT handed out. Requests to have ballots sent (the "Absentee Ballot application") to people are.

EACH AND EVERY ONE of any blank absentee ballot application are uniquely numbered.

ANY person receiving blank absentee ballot application is REQUIRED BY LAW to verify and document (providing the recipient's name, address and source of verification) for each individual application released by the Town Clark of the municipality to the recipient.

ANY person distributing absentee ballot applications to other people is REQUIRED BY LAW to submit to the Town Clerk's office the name, address, date of birth AND vouch for the following:

Recipient is a citizen of the United States of America.
Recipient will be at least 18 years old on or before the next Election Day.
Recipient is a resident of the state AND his or her legal address
Recipient has not been convicted of a disenfranchising felony, or, if so, is eligible to register to vote

ALL of these criteria - incidentally - one must affirm when registering to vote . . . PLUS showing documentation affirming your legal address.

Back to the Absentee Ballot Process:

IF someone has provided someone else a ballot application request THAT PERSON GIVING YOU a form MUST provide the  town clerk's office those affirmations, PLUS the recipient's individual's date of birth in advance. The name, address, and from what source the info was affirmed (such as a photo I'd, like a driver's license or official state id) MUST be provided to the Town Clerk's office who authorized the distribution of those forms.

SO . . . it ain't a sloppy process. There's a lot of detail required IN ADVANCE before an actual ballot is sent out. 

So, um, for those idjots who ignorantly claim ballots are being handed out willy nilly with no details, you might as well, right now, crawl back into that ignorant uninformed cave you live in.

More to the point - if you don't know what F'k you are talking about, keep your jaw shut - unless, of course - you WANT people to know how stupid you are.