About 30 local activists, organizers, faith leaders and scholars including members of the LGBT community gathered at the Table to Action workshop featuring art, relationship building, story and song at the Chicago Theological Seminary April 25.
The goal was "to imagine and plan … what it takes for one city to turn a desire to stand with and for each other across issue, faith, race, and orientation into a concrete plan for action."
During the day-long event participants were asked to share their dreams for the future on issues that matter to them the most and LGBT equality was expressed by more than one of the participants.
Leaders at the Center for Arts and Activism, Stephen Duncombe and Steve Lambert, spoke about the history of creative activism and facilitated a creative mapping workshop where groups were asked to use art to share their vision of an ideal future for Chicago.
Rev. Benjamin L. Reynolds and Sabrina Hayeem-Ladani performed an original piece of poetry using participants' thoughts about an ideal world and Rev. Dr. JoAnne Marie Terrell and Sabrina Hayeem-Ladani provided the musical benediction to close out the day's events.
See www.tabletoaction.org and www.artisticactivism.org for more information.
OF HOME AND DREAMING
by the Table to Action Project Participants — April 25, 2014
Home is not a place to be found, but a place to be created.
Kids play outside without adults watching over them.
My daughter is a blessed gift. There is room for her to run
and children with whom she plays. Youth come together
to learn about their ancestors. They are fed, they are clothed, they are loved.
Home is not a place to be found, but a place to be created.
Everyone has equal opportunity to walk, play and raise families in compassion and love.
The night outside my door is where people are gathered, with music and dancing.
I dance. We all dance. We are free to go out in the middle of the night.
Bachata, hip-hop and country western on the same 10-minute walk, solar panels,
children on my porch that aren't mine. I have a porch. Families and friends telling stories,
I raise my two sons with my best friend and work part-time as a pastor in a small church
that has monthly poetry slams. I sing in a community choir and speak Spanish
as often as I speak English and I can share Calle 13's new song with everyone because they'll understand it.
Shelly Ann lives next door and her triplets play at my house while I translate from the Greek to my sermon.
I hear laughter, sounds of aha!, smiles, hugs, and thank you's. Smells of barbecue,
melon, iced tea. Food is shared at tables, corn on the cob so fresh it's like candy.
Your oldest relative is someone I know and see. I know her story
and how her hand feels.
Home is not a place to be found, but a place to be created.
Everything is clean and tidy, only the smells of people's fragrances.
Churches without locks on the door, where you wear what you want!
Nice quality shirts, jackets, slacks & shoes, cadillacs!
LGBTQ pastors are welcome to serve in all congregations.
We can drink from any public water fountain we want to, travel anywhere we want!
New languages are created to communicate across barriers!
We all live in this abundantly colorful world—we know that all is well.
No more hungry people, there is a joy pandemic!
Places of rest and rejuvenation, grass in all urban communities,
a burning memorial for ritualized atonement from past psychic wounds.
Those I meet appreciate my beauty and I am dazzled by theirs.
Home is a disease-free world where creativity abounds.
Where the definition of family is expanded, where a biracial gay couple
pushes a stroller down the sidewalk as the sun shines brightly.
Home is not a place to be found, but a place to be created.
It's heaven and my mother takes long, slow breaths, her lungs full of clean healthy air.
It's heaven and it smells like springtime—crisp and open where no black woman
has knowledge or memory of pain or lack. If one is sad, all are sad—
This is a common humankind. It's heaven
and God allows an infinite number of kisses that feel warm and easy and good.
Heart opening—
Love gushing out—
No more masks—
Snapshot of a dream.
