The Disappearance of Iyanna?
by O’Xman

In another lifetime, The Royal Shakespare Company came to New York City with their production of Marat/Sade. (1) I watched transfixed as the character of Marat, the French revolutionary leader, responded to the Marquis De Sade’s claim that all of Marat’s activity was meaningless, that in the face of The Indifference of the Universe… it was without merit. Marat screamed out: “Yes, but I turn myself inside out, and I invent a meaning.”

Something along those lines.

It’s getting late. I’ll give you just two examples. Not the most serious by any stretch, but ones that are quite clear.

Then I’ll get into what I have to offer Iyanna L. Jones, Executive Producer of “Disappearing Voices” ( http://www.disappearingvoices.com/ ). She recently made it very clear on radio the other day that she and her colleagues truly wanted feedback regarding their next project, etc.

Two seemingly very sweet young women spoke on KPFA today about a project they’re involved with down in the L.A. area. Apparently, they’re trying to make it mandatory that fast food operations inform patrons of the nutritional content of what’s sold.

They underscored that residents have to travel long distances to get healthy food. Too far. So, the premise goes, if citizens are going to be forced to settle for what’s on the shelves at convenience stores and major chain outlets like Mc Donald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc., customers might as well be given the option of basing their choices on something other than simply… price.

They appeared to be quite knowledgeable to point. And they certainly were well-intentioned, hearts and heads in the right place, as they say. But none of that should preclude my leveling heavy criticism at what they’re doing.

In fact, if the situation in that part of southern California is like what’s going on in West Oakland… with something like one supermarket for 30,000 people, then I want to get extremely… over the top here.

In short, there’s no more time to play such a Game of Finesse. The seed they plant will not flower in time. The food that’s been made available to the citizens in question is UNACCEPTABLE. Totally. The relative advantage gained in knowing that this item has less of that, etc. is — for all practical health purposes — meaningless. The genocide going on will be virtually complete within the few short years that probably remain for me on this planet… if such a response to their Food Horror is the Main Response on the community’s table. If that’s their main course (of action).

And I do believe it is.

I mean, what else is being done there or elsewhere, for that matter? In poor communities.

Such toxic outlets can’t be outlawed at present. BUT a spade can be called a spade.

Iyanna highlighted an important abomination with her film about Black ownership of the radio waves disappearing. However, here we’re talking about PEOPLE disappearing, or their voices on the street becoming so faint as to be unheard, unimportant.

No, actually, they are disappearing.

I’m sure that she’s down with this, that she’s all about the Gestalt of needing to address all of the issues in the blender. Yet I feel the need to pull something together here for one and all, including Iyanna.

I have a solution. First (short of meeting in person), I recommend that all readers here review my “The People of Color Party” ( http://oxtogrind.org/archive/272 )… which has a number of links that are decent supplementary reading… for the purpose of understanding that we — like-minded citizens, wanting to change what MUST be changed post-haste — have an opportunity to, well, … I’ll let you see for yourself.

To be telegraphic, though, please note that a Governor of California can — OVERNIGHT — begin to help the public self-educate on nutrition DAILY in ways that are likely to have infinitely more of an impact on poor communities — on ALL citizens — than what can be accomplished by two sweet young women working with virtually no resources. AND said Governor can ALSO begin to: a) encourage healthy food outlets to set up shop in currently forbidden zones; b) discourage the proliferation of unhealthy food outlets; c) contribute, as a person who has GREAT INFLUENCE with the Regents of the University of California, to local academics embracing THE PROBLEM OF FOOD POVERTY as a challenge to be met ASAP; d) make life much easier for organic farmers. He/she could easily do something significant vis-a-vis Iyanna’s fondest radio waves dreams too.

That’s just a taste, so to speak.

I don’t think it’s a huge stretch to say that if governors of the past had had their hearts in the right place… the status quo would be different now. People would have understood the horrors associated with Agribusiness, and have a much better sense of how they’ve been scammed all these years. The rest would be history.

A different history.

We’ve just never had the package of a well-intentioned, compassionate, knowledgeable soul in that office.

Now… for that other example I promised.

I heard another KPFA show on Environmental Racism recently. A Minister Mohammed, I believe, was saying something about how his West Oakland group of concerned citizens was about to confront local council people… with the hopes that authorities on the state level would next embrace their cause, and lead the way to desired legislation, action.

I immediately tried to contact the West Oakland activists.

To simply get across the fact that — OBVIOUSLY — people in a position of power (gangster politicians and their influential friends) have long known about Environmental Racism, and have known exactly what to do about it. And could have made a huge dent in the status quo. But they chose to permit The Abominations to be a fact of life. Appeals to the God within them or crying out to them from any other angle will fall on deaf ears.

Nothing’s different now except, perhaps, that a new set of citizens are engaged in asserting their right to march in circles, sign petitions and take part in meetings.

Zero will change unless a new paradigm for action is adopted.

Ditto regarding Iyanna’s hopes and dreams vis-a-vis Blacks getting back their radio waves, ownership. Ditto respecting everything that’s important.

And on that count I left several messages at different email addresses for Iyanna. She was very impressive, her passion, her clear concern for her people. Which is, ultimately, a compassionate connection for all people, of course.

They were messages that followed many missives to others since One Dance: The People’s Summit ( http://www.counterpunch.org/mickey02102004.html ).

Radio hosts.

Labor leaders.

Guests on shows.

People tabling.

Writers of articles. (2)

Speakers at events.

And so on, ad infinitum.

Rarely do they get back*. It’s almost as if I’ve called their bluff.

*Even when I’ve met activists in person as a result of my pushing their envelope… and they complain about how people on The Left don’t follow-through… THEY drop the ball as a rule too eventually. This also is true of some of my closest personal friends, not just activists. It’s particularly puzzling when anti-Death Penalty people drop the ball. Habit, as Beckett constantly reminded us, is truly The Great Deadener. (3)

When I hear anyone with a voice that cries out for change, I usually respond, immediately. Because I know that human-directed change is begged for within the Indifference of the Universe, within the realm of any God who rules in the mind of man.

I turn myself inside out to connect with the soul of crier, to meet the hawker in the flesh. For the purpose of making something happen that’ll make a difference… in time.

But where is Minister Mohammed? Why haven’t I heard back from Sellassie? Or received a single word from Hard Knock Radio guys and gals? Or… the list is unbelievable. It is a gorgeous rundown of well-meaning creatures who are busting at the seams to hit the hard rulers where it hurts… from a new angle. Wanting to blossom home. (4) A verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry long list.

But the silence is deafening and only my belief in the God within me, the pulsing blood of God within me — from which there is no escape — keeps me from being run down.

Or so it seems.

So as I hear my self-administered sutures crack open, and feel the toxic air enter my failing fissures… I pray that Iyanna… should she read this… will not be offended. I trust that she will understand that I am writing out of the deepest respect… in creating my final line:

Has Iyanna disappeared? (5)

Footnote:

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marat/Sade. My experience was 1965, I believe.

(2) I myself do not submit articles to alternative media outlets any longer, as I figure that if I cannot generate action by in person contact with human beings, I’m not likely to spur readers to meaningful action.

(3) This is a huge, unacknowledged problem for those wanting change. Activists are too busy or too famous or… some variation thereof. If there were time, this would be a book waiting to be written.

(4) This particular lyrical note comes from association with our family business at www.blossomhome.com …a name which came from our son, Marcel, using it as a verb. See www.marcelsgeo.blogspot.com as a family introduction of sorts.

(5) Shawna L. Glover, Bob Law, U-Savior or any of Iyanna’s colleagues are invited to contact me at their earliest convenience. Their BLACK WAXX, Recordings, Television & Filmworks is behind “Disappearing Voices. Though they’re based in NYC, I trust that they’ll see how doing something in California will set the pace for the entire nation.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE POSTING OF THIS PIECE AND A LITTLE BIT OF ADDITIONAL “OUTREACH”… IYANNA DID INDEED CONTACT ME BY PHONE THIS MORN; MY BONES TELL ME THAT THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING QUITE BEAUTIFUL FOR ONE AND ALL. Here’s hoping that she and her colleagues will jump on the bones of my starving skeleton of an idea now, and give it something nutritious… sooner rather than later.

Subsequent update: Uh, oh. Precious time has gone by. People are still eating and being subjected to poison… and still no follow-up word from Shawna Glover, Nana or any of the Black Waxx beautiful people. Uh, oh.

Richard Oxman can be reached at headburg@yahoo.com