Bustin’ My Butt

by Leroy F. Moore

Bustin’ My Butt

"Working 9 to 5…"
Dolly Parton sang
But I’m bustin’ my butt 24/7
"I bring home the bacon…"
Remember that song
I’m bustin’ my butt keating leftovers

People say what goes around comes around
I’m bustin’ 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 busin’ 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

Bustin’ 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

I’m bustin’ my butt
But I’m still broke
Stress out and beat down
Need to calm down before I have a stroke

DAMO’s 1st Annual
Celebrating Ourselves

It was a beautiful day, not drop dead gorgeous. The sun raised up on August 30th 2000 and DAMO’s 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 , didn’t 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!

Like 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 Women’s 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! We’ll see you next year!

By Leroy F. Moore
Founder and Executive Director of
Disability Advocates of Minorities Org., DAMO