This past week, I've enjoyed attending and teaching at the Cool Fool School in Atlanta, Hosted by the Laughter League. It's been an artistic highlight for me. I'm particularly grateful for the artistic challenge. The
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I walked from the parking deck across the university campus and approached the medical school building. The destination is familiar. We've met in this building several times over the semester. I open the door and walk into the halls of the Emory Medical School. I am at the university to co-teach students at medical school as part of Emory’s Arts and Social Justice Fellows Program.
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I'm always looking for new material to perform in the hospital. Usually, some of the better musical material are things right under my nose, everyday things, or songs I grew up with. It's just a matter of finding the right piece and seeing the opportunity to use it.
Read MoreThe recent focus on Black Lives Matter and the racial awakening that began last year renew a focus on an issue that I've wrestled with over these 20 years…
Read MoreThe conversation about diversity in the arts and the clowning world continues. I've been in several panel discussions about diversity and people of color in the circus world. In late September, The Play the Fool Festival hosted a talk called "Culture, Identity, and Clowning: A BIPoC Artist Conversation"…
Read MoreThe words were familiar if not identical to comments I've seen before. They talk about the purpose of art in our world, how artists' work can serve a greater good in our society. Too often, we think that the artist's primary goal is to entertain…
Read MoreI recently had a conversation with Ampie Alblas. They are a blogger from Belgium who writes a blog called Collecting Clowns. Ampie was working on a story about a film made in 1916 called “Natural Born Gambler.” This film is unique because it is considered one of the first films directed by a black man, Bert Williams…
Read MoreI've been thinking about representation recently—specifically the representation of Black people in our society. Many people seem to be willing to take an honest look at the role race plays in our culture. I am encouraged by this reckoning. I also have some earned pessimism.
Read MoreRecently this ripple of cultural change has been felt in my professional world. There's been a lot of discussion in the circus and clown world regarding racial issues. Some of our performing/circus organizations function under the presumption that "we performing artists" are not racist.
Read MoreI am taking a walk this morning. I walk through my neighborhood across the campus of Agnes Scott College and into Downtown Decatur. My destination is the courthouse, specifically the site where the Confederate monument once stood…
Read MoreWe are seeing changes in our society regarding black lives matter and racial justice.
The NFL has flip-flopped on its former stance. Four years ago, the league banned Colin Kaepernick from playing in the league. His offense? He dared to protest police treatment of African-Americans peacefully.
Read MoreWe have seen the video of the policemen killing George Floyd. Mr. Floyd was killed in Minnesota in broad daylight by police officers as he was stretched out on his stomach with his hands in handcuffs behind his back. A police officer unnecessarily forced his knee into the back of Mr. Floyd's neck. He died moments later.
Read MoreThat black man in the street just didn’t look right. (Sounds familiar to me.)
Today, I joined many others as we run for Ahmaud. I am one of many people running or walking 2.23 miles
Read MoreIf you're reading this, thank you.
This blog is where I have come for the past year to express myself. I started it in the winter of 2019. I needed a place to record my thoughts, my ambitions, the things that were turning in my mind. I needed a place to be … me….
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As I look around the room, I notice that I am the only person of color here. And I am the only man in the room. The place is full of white women and…me…
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I've been a lifelong fan of Buster Keaton. I remember as a child watching his films. More so than the movies of Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, it was Buster Keaton who got my attention…
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I had the pleasure of participating in the second Decatur Dinners on August 25. There was an earlier dinner on April 28. These dinners offer an opportunity to discuss racial issues in a way that is personal and intimate and hopefully in a way that leads to more conversations and progress…
Read MoreIn my post on June 15, I mentioned the monuments at The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. There was a story about these monuments in the June 27 edition of the AJC. Dekalb County is in the process of accepting its monument from the memorial.
Read MoreMarcia, Grace, and I went on a trip to Alabama last week. We visited the locations on the Civil Rights Trail in Alabama. We started at the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham. From there we went to Selma, to see the Edmund Pettus Bridge…
Read MoreToday I had a conference call with several other clowns from around the country. We were talking about ideas to make our clowns and our medical clown team leadership more aware of racial and LGBTQ diversity.
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