James Lawer has generously shared this powerful reflection, along with his sculpture of which it's an explanation. I want to express how grateful I am to him, and how moved I am by what he's created.
The hanging has four basic areas. Starting from the right: the succession of cones represents my ancestors, all of them white folks. On some of the cones are languages I know they have spoken: Cornish, Plattdeutsh, French, Norse, Mongol and Slavic, Old English, Latin, and developments in the English language.
Hanging beneath the circle are slips of paper naming some instances of homophobia, racism and related violence (physical and emotional and spiritual) that I have experienced from others, from my family, from society, from church. In addition, I did as honest an appraisal as possible to ferret out instances where I myself was a perpetrator of such. These all hang together, in the form of spirit descending, but as they hopefully fall away.
In the center is a circle that represents where I figure I stand in history. All of my descendants, starting with my Black sons-in-law, are all Black. That includes all of my grandchildren and my great-grand daughter. I am, therefore, the last white grandfather of this line.
In addition, my name James Lawer is the last since the early 1700s. In the language of Game of Thrones, I am “James Lawer the Last of His Name.” With me and my daughters, that whole line of only-white ancestors ends. After this moment in time, the genetic line becomes mixed race, politically and racially (originally racist) identified as Black.
In addition, I am Queer, Other. We who are Queer walk between the dualities. We are the In-betweens, the Walk Besides, the Neither This nor That: We are Other. My Queerness is not a mistake: My whole line is charged and changed in my erotic nature.
This Other is the Pivot.
The Cosmic Erotic Multiverse is many universes of loves, wounds, traumas, beliefs, and within All is the Life Force Energy that is also constantly changing. So, with me and my daughters, everything changes.
So: I am (along with my daughters) the Pivot. From here on out, all of my descendants are Black. Not only do I not regret this: I also celebrate this shift.
My descendants are indicated by the single cone going outward to the left. On it is written “Your Black Lives Matter.” I say “Your,” because the whole Black Lives Matter movement is intensely personal to me. That’s my Family!!!
It is in the shape of a megaphone, because I want to stand at the Pivot point and address all of my descendants, telling them to be strong, to shine, to stand proud, to be as wise as you can, to create a new world of inclusion so that no one of you feels hammered by your existence, to know you also come from a long line of adventurers, explorers, folks who wanted a better life for themselves, who also struggled but who made it to this Pivot point, and to say to you: You are loved, blessed and wanted. I welcome you and hold you in my heart, even long after I have been forgotten. I love you.
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