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by Leroy Moore
"Working 9 to 5S" Dolly Parton sang But I’m busting
my butt 24/7 "I bring home the baconS" Remember
that song I’m busting my butt keating leftovers.
People say what goes around comes around I1m
bustin1 my butt But no money is circling around me
Others say give and it will come back to you My closet
and heart are emptied But bills are all I have received.
Revolutionaries will die for the cause But what is the
real cause They are busin1 their butts for And striving
to death.
"Just give it time!" Tell that to my pocket and stomach
Tick tick tick tick Time is ticking and I am wasting
away physically and mentally
Bustin1 my butt for what Somebody ate my piece of
the pie The American Dream is a lie My life is like
Good Times
Busted my butt for that white paper so I get some
green paper But I was told I need more white paper So
I took out a loan
Now Uncle Sam wants some green paper for the white
I received
I1m bustin1 my butt But I1m still broke Stress out and
beat down Need to calm down before I have a stroke
DAMO1s 1st Annual Celebrating Ourselves
It was a beautiful day, not drop dead gorgeous. The
sun raised up on August 30th 2000 and DAMO1s staff
got busy. It was our first ever Celebrating Ourselves
Blasting Stereotypes on Visible & Invisible Disabilities
event at McLaren Park Amphitheater in San Francisco.
Walking like zombies, with sleep in our eyes, the
DAMO staff crowed into the kitchen to make one
hundred lunches, hang up posters and blow up
balloons.. All the obstacles we had run into for the last
three months of organizing this event , didn1t matter
on this sunny morning. Like they say in Hollywood
"the show must go on!". We descended on McLaren
Park Amphitheater at 9:00am. And oh my God did the
show ever go on!
ALike busy ants we covered the Amphitheater and turned
it into a rainbow of colors. Time was ticking away while
the sun beamed down on us helping us relax. The feet of
children and adults scrambled around the Amphitheater
decorating the stage and the seats. The show was
scheduled for 11:00-2:00 and we were doing good on
time. For entertainment we had a raffle and prizes, a live
DJ and dancers, a dance contest a poet, and yours truly
was the first disabled black clown. For refreshments we
had the lunches we packed plus 7UP and Frito Lays
donated three cases of soda and chips.
The gates opened and we waited for our audience. The
show stared at 12:00pm. (better late than never!). Idell
Wilson and I welcomed the crowd. The sun spilled over
the park and because of the heat I had to take off my blue,
red and yellow clown wig. The DJ did not waste any time
pumping up the crowd with our theme song. The whole
show was like climbing a ladder: the poets, artists and the
energy of the hosts with the hot licks of the DJ took
everybody higher and higher.
At lunchtime everybody mingled and got to know the
artists and the vision of DAMO. We raffled off toys,
Tupperware and we even had a disabled Barbie! The most
amazing element of the whole day was the children. Half
the audience was teens and children. They made the show
come together by dancing on stage and winning our
raffles. They danced with disabled poets and artists
without hesitation.
The show ended with a call for people to get involved in
Disability Advocates of Minorities Organization (DAMO).
We spoke of the emergency that disabled minorities are in
today and expressed our need for help.
One last note: this event could not have happened without
support from the Women1s Foundation, Bay Area
Homeless Program, LA FAMILIA, 7-up Bottling
Company, Frito Lays Company and all the artists and
poets who participated. A big special thanks goes out to
the staff of DAMO - especially Idell Wilson and her
children.
DAMO plans to make Blasting Stereotypes on Invisible &
Visible Disability an annual event! We1ll see you next
year!
By Leroy F. Moore Founder and Executive Director of
Disability Advocates of Minorities Org., DAMO
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