Revolutionary columnist for Illin n Chillin, Leroy Moore, goes to Boston... as a Delegate!! (and speaks the Truth!!)
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by Leroy Moore A Week of Partying No It’s Not College Spring Break! College students go to Dayton Beach or other warm places to party. Politicians go to political conventions to do the same, party. The night was sharp to my half-awake half-asleep stance as the car hummed toward the Oakland Airport July 23rd, 2004. This non-responsive stance to the massive endeavor I was about to jump into summed up the last two months, May & June, since I received an out-of-the-blue call from a member of the disability caucus of the California Democratic Party requesting me to be a delegate at the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston from July 23rd -29th. I bust out laughing! Me, a radical, independent, son of a Black Panther, activist and politically hungry for anything except the same old two party system be a delegate of the California Democratic Party? I was so used to being outside protesting past conventions like Sojourner Truth did the late 1800. My mind couldn’t express how would it feel wearing that custom of the party system being inside of the beast! I once again thought about Sojourner Truth’s 1851 speech she delivered at the Women’s Convention and her strength and Fannie Lou Hamer's testimony at the 1964 Democratic convention as an alternative to the Democratic Party. After some time of thinking about it I told myself, I will wear this custom for only one reason and one reason only and that is to help get the voices of people of color with disabilities onto the political table nothing more and nothing less. Like Fannie Lou Hamer once said, Although I sounded calm during May, June and most of July when congratulation cards, donations and info about the Convention started to jammed my mail box, my political & networking mind was running with excitement with opportunities to network. You see I was a political science major, was president of student government and have been active in the local political arena. So as I a delegate of the Democratic Convention to help take people of color with disabilities issues inside like Mrs. Truth is not so strange. By showing up to the airport a day early by mistake was a sign that I could not hide my excitement. Now it is Saturday July 24, and I’m in my hotel room downtown Boston checking out the schedule for the Convention. This moment reminded me of my trip to Atlanta, GA. couple months before the Olympics. The other side of Conventions or big events make my blood boil like the increase of police appearance all over Boston and how the media are playing on the hype, and stories of how certain people are and have been swept out for appearances. So I went out and saw the other side first hand. I passed through the upscale hotel at ease with my credentials I.D. clipped on my shirt. However I was stopped when I entered Credentials Committee meeting. My name wasn’t on the list and the people kept looking at my delegate I.D. After an hour I decided to go back to my room. You see the real deal starts on Monday July 26th. Before retiring for the night I talked to an activist for people who are homeless and he educated me on what had happened months before. He knew twenty people that were swept from the area next to the high-class hotel and the Fleet Center where the Convention will be hold. Anybody has a video camera because this is real reality t.v. Back at the hotel I looked at my schedule for Sunday and found out that Sunday night is the California Delegation Party. On my ticket for the "party" says I’m allow one guest and I wonder if everybody took one person that was swept out of their place because of the Convention maybe it’d be a great party. By the way why would you have a party at the beginning of the convention? I guest I’m learning in this new arena! As an African American, I know we are excellent in entertaining- singing, dancing etc and I found out on July 25th, 2004 that the California Democratic Party knew it too! Sunday July 25, 2004 is the last day to party for the Democrats and they pulled out "The Best in African Americans!" Before the California Democratic Delegation party at 5pm East Coast time, I took a walk around the neighborhood where the Westin Copley Place Hotel is. As I walked around Boylston, Newbury, Commonwealth and Beacon streets and avenues it was clear to me I was center in upper class central. Cafes, bars, clothing shops and record stores it did bring me back home to Berkeley, no more like Piedmont area. If that’s not enough, I hit Berkeley St. on the way back to the hotel. There was a demonstration of Falun Dafa, Falun Dafa is a traditional Chinese self-cultivation practice that improve mental and physical wellness through a series of exercises, meditation and development of one’s ‘Heart/Mind Nature. Yes I sat down and did some Falun Dafa. I recommend Falun Dafa to all activists, delegates, politicians and others. The exercise led into a march against the genocide and torture in China. One of the demonstrators told me that the "Falun Dafa Movement was founded by Li Hong Zhi, in recognition of our teachings of peace and spirituality and for our courage and perseverance in the face of oppression by the People’s Republic of China." I was happy to be among the people. He also told me over 1,000 were tortured in mental hospitals last year alone. I ran back to the hotel to get ready for the Democratic Delegation party at the Franklin Zoo in the Roxberry District, a mostly African American district, of Boston. In the van, I noticed I was under dress and I also noticed that the van went silent when we drove through the hood, the inner city of Boston. There were talks about Organ County in LA, the fund raising that they did for John Kerry and the tension broke when we pulled into the zoo. Inside the white tent I noticed that there was a group of African Americans dressed in traditional Africa attire. A quick look around I realized that there was a big Latino turn out and a modest African American turn out but only saw one other person with a noticeable disability. Another thing that rang my activist’s bells was the number of police, U.S. Army and other guards that surrounded the tent. I saw some familiar Bay Area political faces like Willie Brown etc.. The speeches began with local Senator who is African American. About the time I got out my mini-disk recorder Dick Patterson CEO of Time Warren who spoke about the diversity of Boston and the hard work that went into bringing the Democratic Convention to Boston, I manage to get some speeches recorded. The African traditional dancers began to tear down the tent with their bare feet dancing to drumming. One of the dancers took my hand and led me to the dance circle. After dancing I saw a person that I’m on a board with back home. He and his family were standing in line to speak and take a picture with Governor Gray Davis. Yes I got into the picture but when I ask Davis about disability issues he suddenly became busy signing autograph. The party featured African traditional dancers, an African American DJ; some of the waiters and waitress were people of color and yes an African American local Senator and the Chairman of the CA Democratic Party and Senator, Art Torres who is Latino. Is this diversity or window dressing? To put the icing on the cake on the way to a concert downtown Boston featuring the O Jays, I had an opportunity to talk to another delegate from San Francisco who seemed cool. She worked on the SF DA campaign but in the same breath she thought Mayor Gavin Newsom is doing a good job. Got to the concert and once again African Americans were on stage entertaining us, The O Jays. It is official the clock struck 12 midnight and the real deal starts. Can African Americans turn entertainment into political hob knobing on the convention floor? And where are my people I respect like Maxine Walters, Barbara Lee and David Patterson? On the first day that’s all I saw was Bill Clinton on the local Boston news? Where are other Black disabled delegates or protesters? Will the Democratic Party give a mike to the left side of their party? What is going to be talked about in the Caucuses? This morning July 26th the California Delegation will have breakfast with Nancy Pelosi. Are we going to have time to question her on her stands on many issues? Please, tell me why do we've Conventions? Wednesday, the third day of the Democratic Convention, and what I’ve found out throughout this week so far was Conventions consist of speeches, parties and a lot of media. I thought I would hear details of Kerry's plan but I got only a general vision. Is that good enough to win my vote? In the last two days, I’ve experienced first hand this thing called the Democratic Convention. But before I go on and tell you what happened and how I felt about this Convention, let me give you some local news from mainstream news. On Saturday July 24th The New York Times Newspaper front page had an article entitled, "Bush Urges Blacks to Reconsider Allegiance to Democratic Party." Bush was actually talking to the National Urban League in Detroit, MI.. I laid out laughing from reading this article. Also in the same newspaper had a feature article on the raising star in the Democratic Party, keynote speaker, soon to be Senator of Illinois, Barack Obama. This should rise red flags about how both parties treat us, people of color, like we are toys to play with once a year. Even Obama said in the article to "don’t believe the hype, I’m only doing my job." How Ms. Clinton joked at the Women’s Caucus at the Convention on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 about how others mispronounced his name sounded offensive to me. The days went like this: California Delegation breakfasts at Back to the breakfast! The breakfasts had all political leaders speaking about how we need to get out the vote for Kerry & Edwards and other Democratic candidates running for the Senate and House. A couple speeches stood out for me. During these breakfasts, I noticed that California is lacking African American political leaders at least who spoke during our breakfasts. Another thing that struck me was the positive outlook on California. I understand we have to put our good foot forward but we can’t forget the struggles we have been in! Yes, a couple of our political leaders mentioned the budget crisis, our new governor and the energy crisis but it was very glossed over. The biggest shocker was when somebody form the state school board or education department got up and gave a glowing picture of California’s schools. As an activist my mind shouted "most of our school districts are so poor that the state had to bail them out like Oakland, Richmond and Compton to name a few. The Caucuses were the best part of the Democratic Convention because in many, Latino, Elders & Veterans, Youth, GLBT and Disability because you got to hear about your issues, mingle with advocates and in some gave opportunity to ask questions to the panel. The Women & the African American Caucuses were the best in my view because of the real dynamic speakers that spoke on domestic issues and took some not a lot of questions from the floor. As a disabled advocate I attended the Disability Caucus both days, Monday and Wednesday, and I had very mix views on what I saw and experience. Let me first start out by saying it must have took a lot to organize and pull this off. As an organizer I understand all the glitches and last minute items to pull some as big as a national Caucus. So I tip my hat to the organizers. As I left the African American Caucus on a high from recording, talking to some panelists and hearing some core issues from Black Democrats and advocates, my high crashed when nobody had a clue where the Disability Caucus was being held. After walking back and forth, I found the room. First thing I noticed the room for the Disability Caucus was a lot smaller than the others and had a lot less people. The panel consists of two people and I heard John Kerry’s voice talking about FDR’s disability and his record on disability issue like his involvement of the passing of the ADA. Kerry’s voice came out of a video about FDR’s disability. The main talk was about the Americans with Disabilities Act, the celebration of the ADA later on that day, voting accessibility and Karry’s platform in general terms on disability issues. The good thing that happened in the Disability Caucus was the open mike for our concerns which I took advantage to ask questions about Kerry’s platform on fully funding Individual Disability Education Act, the homeless, the rights of disabled prisons, the high unemployment rate among disabled people of color etc. I realized I should have brought Kerry’s plan because everything was redirected to his plan. I also notice a handful of disabled African Americans mostly women. After the Monday’s disability Caucus, there was a celebration of the birthday of the Americans with Disability Act however I didn’t have a need to celebrate. At the Fleet Center, the speeches started at 4pm even earlier and lasted till 12, 1, and 2 in the morning. I never lasted to the end on any night. The Fleet Center looked like a place to hold big concerts. There are police, guards, helicopters and a tank surrounding and inside the entrance of the Fleet Center. Media swarm all around the Center. I had a floor pass so I was on floor most of the time interviewing, passing out my business cards and statements from some Bay Area advocates. After two hours of listening to speeches I realize almost everybody that took the stage sounded the same. I needed some relief so I went to the Boston Social Forum and got the medicine I needed to go on with the rest of the week. I also called upon my disabled activists for relief. Tuesday July 27th a couple of Black disabled advocates and I had lunch to discuss how we should work together during and beyond the convention. Safi wa Naiobi from Oakland, CA., Keith Jones, his wife and a friend of Boston sat down to have lunch and to talk. At that moment I felt so relax until we saw Mayor Jerry Brown at a table across from us. Safi & I wanted to see how Jerry Brown would act in taking a picture with us. By the way Safi is on the Oakland’s Commission of the Disabled. A Mayor appointed position! Jerry was so rude to us by saying "hurry up, hurry up!" He didn’t even notice Safi or me. Safi & I just shook our heads. The lunch was one of the major highlights of the whole week. The last day, Thursday July 29th, of the convention completed the circle with more speeches at breakfast, in the Caucuses and at the Fleet Center and African Americans entertaining the crowd. The window display was pretty to look at the Fleet Center but before the main man, John Kerry, was the regular delegation breakfast. Today Jessie Jackson took the stage, one of the few African Americans that spoke to us at breakfast. His speech didn’t sound like it came from an editor matter-of-fact he talked outside his boundaries by mentioning President Bush efforts of getting Africans Americans to question their loyalty to the Democratic Party. When Jackson made his way to leave a youth stuck a microphone out with some After speech after speech most of them about their personal stories dealing with a friend or family member who are disabled, somebody in the crowd started to fire some questions about Kerry’s platform on disability issues and wanted details. All the speakers became nervous but went on with their speeches. The facilitator shut down the lady’s questions. Then the movie stars came in to talk about their experiences with disability and Kerry’s Platform. Keith Jones sat down with Ben Affleck and talked about the inaccessibility issues in the Black disabled community in Boston. Keith made sure that accessibility at the voting polls goes deeper that just accessible equipment especially in the Black community. Another Black disabled attendee didn’t understand why we needed to hear from movie stars. A first time Convention’s Caucus attendee who is African American told me that she got to the Disability Caucus early on Wednesday so she asked if she could sit in the Asian Caucus to listen and observe until the Disability Caucus start in that same room. The lady at the door to the Asian Caucus told her no and that she needed to sit in the hall and wait for the Disability Caucus to start. It just tells you how much work we still have to do even among people of color. I guess it was the day of stars at the Caucuses! The Disability Caucus had Ben Affleck, the Youth Caucus had P Didly and the Women Caucus has Mrs. Clinton. I know Clinton is not a movie star but America treats her like she is a movie star. Even in the July 24th issue of the New York Times it had an article on talk show host Jerry Springer who is considering running for Governor of Ohio as a Democrat. Movie stars are taking over politics in both parties! The highlight of the week, John Kerry, was making his way to the convention floor but before that in the last two days I got to hear from four of my political idols, Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee and David Patterson and Eleanor Norton. Just listening to them almost made the whole week worth it, almost! Back on the convention floor I bumped into President of the NAACP. I gave him my business card three times but he dropped it all three times. I realized that the floor is packed but damn his reaction to me was not pleasant and I wonder what happen to his hand. Did he have a disability or did he just wanted to escape the whole encounter? On the convention floor I interviewed disabled delegates from all over and all were strong supporters of Kerry. Many talked about the lack of accessibility of the Fleet Center. Some disabled delegates got stuck in the elevator for hours and others were almost turned away because of their equipment they use to walk and get around. Some delegates hide their disability when I told them about the disability radio show that I work for. One major theme throughout all the interviews was the need to get reed of Bush. I left before John Kerry delivered his speech. As I was getting read to pack my stuff, I heard a choir singing on the Convention floor "We Shall Overcome!" I couldn’t believe what I was hearing in a place like this. That took the cake! I shouted out loud in the Fleet Center hallway "you are capitalizing on a song that express the oppression of my ancestors in slavery, Reconstruction era, of the sixties and on and on. That song means something!" With all of my experiences at my first and probably my last political convention I come to realize that a political convention is a weeklong party, one sided speeches and window dressing! I agree we need to get Bush out of office but it should not mean we couldn’t question other candidate. From July 23rd to the 29th I have heard the same message from African & Latinos, Gays & Lesbians political leaders, movie stars, youth and disabled spokespersons that have shared the stage at the Fleet Center in Boston. Is this diversity? Yes many different people shared the stage but it sounded like everybody had the same speechwriter and editor. What happen to Free Speech? Are homelessness, racism, police brutality & Haiti bad words? They are reality! I want to thank the California Democratic Party for opening my eyes wide open to this two party system. I want to say that some political leaders in the Democratic Party I hold closely to my heart and have restore faith in the system from Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, Al Sharpton, David Patterson, Dennis Kucinich, the late Ron Brown and Paul Wellstone and a few more that keep it real and speak real and stand 24/7 with the people. These are the people that should be president. We must continue to support them and put them on our shoulders. The other thing that was special about the convention that didn't happen in the Fleet Center it happen on the streets and in the caucuses. All the people that I had a chance to meet from my disabled brothers and sisters of color struggling with racism institutionalize roadblocks, but who are beautiful with talent and ideals and radical solutions. To my walk around Jamaica Plains where I discovered a Black book store and bought the book, The Black Timeline of Massachusetts: A History of White Supremacy in the Bay State where I found some shocking racist true stories about Boston, the home of the 2004 Democratic National Convention. I am so glad I shared this experience with Safi wa Naiobi a talented visually impaired sister from Oakland who covered the convention for KPOO Radio and took photographs for the City of Oakland’s Art of Disability event coming up in October 2004. I want to thank Free Speech Radio and Radio 504 of San Francisco for interviewing people whom had different views of the convention. I want to thank all of you that supported my trip here! I've made great connections and new allies and with a few of my independent disabled brothers and sisters of color we've let some know that Democrats or Republicans that we will continue to push the whole political system to be diverse in not only race & sex but also in disability and more important in Yes, right now we have only two choices and if you push us we must make a choice, but in the near future we won't and refuse to be in this situation. As I head home to the San Francisco Bay Area I still wonder why we have Conventions for any party. Just think how much money has gone into this event. How many people can afford to take a whole week off just to celebrate? All of the police, media coverage, corporations funding? I wonder if my x non-profit and other struggling non-profit had the resources that poured into this convention what could we do. I love my activists who will never be inside or want to be inside a political Convention but continues to break down the system to restore something that our ancestors died for justice, freedom and speaking the truth. Thank you for your support and lets make our own party, convention, system............................ One more thing! The only one who sounded like he had his own speech was Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich. Speaking on police brutality and homelessness etc. This made my week! Leroy F. Moore Jr. ************************************************* Post Convention Thoughts by Leroy Poet Politician "I’m a poet politician Cracking the capitalist & two party systems My poem Artist/Activist(Poet Politician) sums up how I felt about the two political conventions that we witnessed this Summer as an artist\activist. The two parties that make up the US mainstream political system can learn from political poets. From Phillis Wheatley to KRS One, poets have spoken and wrote politics in a form of a poem. Many were and are activists for their people but to this day the two party system have not really taken on the messages of political poets or poets in general. Now that both of the main political parties had their national conventions, the question of a Bostonian poet, that I had a chance to hear while I was in Boston attending the Democratic National Convention, still remains. In Larry Roland’s 2001 spoken word CD, as time flows on, he has a poem entitled, WHO SPEAKS FOR ME, this poem should be the question we all reflect on now through election day 2004 and beyond. After attending the Democratic National Convention as a first time delegate (and probably my last time) in Boston, I have to say very few who shared the stage at the Fleet Center could speak for me as a Black disabled revolutionary activist. A few came close like Al Sharpton and Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee and David Patterson. I guest the poet, Gil Scott-Heron, was right when he read his poem back in the 70’s, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised because at both conventions in Boston and New York the revolution that took place on the streets outside the conventions were not televised where record breaking numbers of activists showed up from across the country and even some outside of the US to practice their first amendment right, freedom of speech and freedom to assemble. However in this Patriot Act society we’re force to live in, the Bill of Rights and The US Constitution has been slain in 2001. I saw this in Boston where activists was restricted to a cage to protest and even one activist was escorted off the floor of the DNC and out of the Fleet Center. Almost the same story happened in New York at the Republican National Convention where activists couldn’t get a permit to protest and where over 11,000 activists were arrested etc.. Although the real story of Boston and New York didn’t make it in the mainstream media the people’s history in both states, way before the conventions and September 11, 2001 poets and activists has and did put what happened in their own artistic way. Some of that history was read on the 1970 album of the Last Poets with their poem entitled, New York, New York or read The Black Timeline of Massachusetts: A History of White Supremacy in the Bay State, a book I bought in the heart of Boston Black community, Jamaica Plains, MA. I also noticed that the Hip-Hop conventions and tour received very little media and political attention. Hip-Hop artists, poets and activists came together to write the book, How to Get Stupid White Men Out of Office published by Soft Skull Press and what I saw this book is truly needed. These hip-hop artists/poets/avitists are following in the shoes of their elder’s collectives and movements like The Black Arts Movement, Chicano Movement and now Poetry for the People and even in some sort Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry. They are creating a social justice message in a form of popular art to be delivered and digested in the publishing and political arenas. Some candidates in the past and now used these platforms in their heyday to get their agenda out. But the question is have they, political candidates, from both parties really listened to the messages in: The words and messages of these and more political poets\artists\activists have been and are way more deeper, real, powerful, concrete and provides a road map to the future compare to any speeches that took place in both political conventions this year! So really who speaks for me? As the two candidates fight over what happened almost twenty years ago, we are heading closer to November 2nd and many are still trying to answer Larry Roland’s question. Like Fannie Lou Hammer, I also believe that we need more parties in our political system. This year and my attendance at the DNC has reinforced the dedication to the work of the late Fannie Lou Hammer, the radical life of Helen Keller and yesterday and today’s political poets like KRS One, Wanda Coleman, Piri Thomas, Los Delicados, Gwendolyn Brooks, Molotov Mouths and Po’ Poets, Roque Dalton, Roxanne Sanna Ware etc. So for November 2nd, my birthday, I will give myself a present by writing in a poet politician for President! I heard that Aya de Leon is running for President! "Join the arts & politics campaign By Leroy F. Moore Jr. |