Endless Injustices

At the Weisman Museum, walked through an exhibition of Harper’s Bazaar woodcut prints from the 1860s, documenting the Civil War. Contemporary artist Kara Walker overlaid some of these prints with paper cutouts depicting the injustices faced by Black people then and now. Another gallery showcased an injustice I had not realized: the plight of Black families who had migrated to Minnesota post-Reconstruction trying to reconnect with lost family members.

Betrayal

Visited ‘Iolani Palace, once home to Hawaii’s monarchs. In 1893, the reign of the beloved Queen Liliʻuokalani came to an end when the sons of missionaries played a significant role in illegally overthrowing the Hawaiian Kingdom, disenfranchising the native people.

Confronting Tough Issues

I always enjoy walking across two University of Minnesota campuses on my way home from oncology appointments. Today, stopped at an exhibit about the global impact of local activism in Minnesota, especially in areas of torture, racism, and domestic violence.

Multiple Realities

At the Walker Art Center today: “Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s,” artists who pushed boundaries under communism. The threats faced by our current system share unsettling parallels, whether it’s the targeting of sexual minorities, the suppression of inconvenient historical truths, “alternative facts,” or attempts to control access to information.

Our History

On my cycle ride, stopped at Sheridan Memorial Park which has a plaque for each of our wars. I appreciate how the plaques don’t whitewash or romanticize war. Minnesota’s US-Dakota War of 1862 is a case in point. Click through for more…

A Raisin In The Sun

Tonight we’ll walk over to the Guthrie for ”A Raisin In The Sun” where a Black family buys a house in a whites-only neighborhood. The playwright based the story on her own experience of growing up in 1930’s Chicago; it was first performed on Broadway in 1959. 1930’s Minneapolis was no better as this 2020… Continue reading A Raisin In The Sun

A Dodgy Cop

Took pleasure in destroying an illegally posted sign that said COVID is a hoax… until a cop pulled up to tell me I was breaking the law (false), and that COVID is a hoax (false). Silently photographed the cop and the remains of the sign, then wheeled my bicycle down the street.

Fellow Travelers

Tonight: MN Opera, “Fellow Travelers,” set against the witch hunts and mass firings of gay and lesbian federal employees in the 1950’s. 2017, Inauguration Day, the administration rescinded an apology to the thousands whose lives were distorted and careers ruined.

Happy Happy

Paused behind this sculpture in a Minneapolis park. A frieze depicts Father Hennepin’s first contact with the indigenous people. Above this scene, the Norwegian sculptor represents the arrival of pioneers. The displacement of the Dakota people is invisible.