The provocative and imaginative Alicia Ostriker takes us on a complex journey from childhood to adulthood in her 2013 poem Ghazal: America the Beautiful. As the speaker ages, her relationship to America changes from one of admiration to one of contradiction. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Dr. Danique Dolly recently rejoined Big Picture Learning and serves as the Northeast Region Co-Director. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. June Jordan reading "Poem Calling on All Silent Minorities" & "Poem for Somebody to Start Singing" on KPOO San Francisco; May 17, 1977 This silent majority isnt as worried about crime and disorder violent crime is still near a 30-year-low but it is concerned with economic security and the rising cost of housing, health care and education. Because Trump believes that this silent majority is protective of Confederate statues and other monuments, he marked Independence Day with a speech on July 3 denouncing angry mobs for defacing our most sacred memorials and unleashing a wave of violent crime in our cities. Because he also believes that this silent majority fears integration and diversity, he has issued constant warnings to the suburban housewives of America that Joe Biden, the former vice president who is his opponent in the election, will destroy their neighborhoods with affordable housing. Read Poetry presented by Andrews McMeelThis website contains affiliate links. He and his allies are and always have been in the minority, acting in ways that frighten and disturb the broad middle of the electorate. Second, disarm the person who committed the microaggression; explain that you want to have an uncomfortable conversation. If sales professionals begin a call with a mindset that silence could be a positive sign of engagement (rather than automatically assuming it is negative), they will have their head in the right place to be relaxed and get curious about the clients needs. In our minds, we are already writing the story from the vantage of victory. Nixon identified with that middle he spoke directly to its fears and anxieties about race, crime and rapid cultural change, as well as its resentments toward those groups (like the Black Power or womens liberation movement) that might try to overturn the existing social order. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Poem-A-Day April 27: the last tribute of a daughter. We are simply asking for you to. This approach allows the transgression to be called out and its impact explained while the details of the incident are fresh in the minds of everyone involved. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. It was partly designed in an attempt to explain the lack of resistance to the Nazi regime. Kinloch, Valerie and Grebowicz, Margret Minority is minor compared to our contributions, as a people, to this nation. Direct action has often been responsible for individual, collective and systemic transformation. Posted on March 24, 2021 March 24, 2021 by seeking stars. Jordan, June, 'Calling on All Silent Minorities', in Directed by Desire: The Complete Poems of June Jordan (Washington: Copper Canyon Press, 2005). Marsh, Nicky My mom and sister and I nursing cocktails of our choice and chittering over Facetime about the FBI executing a search warrant at the home of the former president of the United States. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. Video: Can bipartisanship survive the rise of the independent voter? Unfortunately for Trump, theres quite a bit of distance between his perception and our reality. But what of the crises that do not burn hot in our imaginations, that rely on fuel other than outrage and horror and adrenaline? One of the greatest privileges is the freedom not to notice you have privilege, so microaggressions are often inadvertently offensive. A note of advice for non-Black allies old and new: The work of allyship is difficult. Finally, decide how you want to let the incident affect you. Valerie Kinloch June, with love Posted on March 24, 2021 March 24, 2021 by seeking stars. It is a vital necessity of our existence. Poetry, she said, is how we name the nameless. " On the Fifth Day " by Jane Hirshfield On the fifth day. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. The brief poem claims that it is not material wealth that makes a nation great, not pride or violence, but the dedication of its citizens. Rafael Jess Gonzlez In the virtual realm, its up to the sales professional to assess and create client engagement using a more limited communication medium. Nor do any teachers and educators. I think one of the civic responsibilities of poets in America today is to continue to encourage a sense of civility among us and a sense of curiosity about one anothers lives, said Naomi Shihab Nye in. Podcast: Women in politics: Martha Escutia with Fran Pavley, Podcast: Living in a fragmented democracy. The hope is that the words of the poems gain literal weight and even the anticipation of action and violence from their supports. Danique has a love for learning and values young learners being at the very center of their educationfamilies too! You can use Sentiment Analysis to identify the agents consistently involved with calls that have positive sentiment so you don't miss out on rewardingand learning fromyour top agents. He says as much on Twitter, frequently yelling SILENT MAJORITY at his followers. His work touches upon school transformation through leadership development, innovation, and implementation for progressive systems and schools. Since we were stolen from our homeland, our names and our identity have not been our own to define and claim until fairly recently. Invite them to sit alongside you in the awkwardness of their words or deeds while you get to the root of their behavior together. Because they are pervasive yet subtle, they can be emotionally draining to confront. (2004) 'Calling on All Silent Minorities' by June Jordan. We live in a world where ones gender pronoun is not assumed, it is asked and respected. The 2020 election is expected to have the highest voter turnout in the last 100 years, according to. And ignore the white noise. A first conversation about race starts here. Terrys 1746 poem, Bars Fight, is the oldest poem on record written by a Black person in America. When the immediacy of shock and horror wears off and we settle into the dull realities of grief and accountability in a day, a week, a month our alarm is dulled by the sweet relief of inevitability until the next outrage strikes, sparking a new round of felt urgencies. In a world where majority rules, it is implied minorities do not. Jonathan Stalling HEY. The theory was coined by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974. The story of Lucy Terry (Prince) is one of many that highlights the strength of our contributions and resiliency of our work. Margret Grebowicz and Valerie Kinloch Without the benefit of visual cues, its hard to identify how a client is reacting to what is being said. Within our nation, many are enraged. In Still Seeking an Attitude, the first reflection on her legacy, Jordan's life and works are explored in depth and detail, focusing on subjects . I mean, we are doing good work, right? Oxford: Lanham, Maryland. Kirsten Bartholomew Ortega Conversational intelligence is a combination of machine learning and natural language processing technology. Less than a month before that speech, he convened a secret group he called the Middle America Committee, tasked with reaching a large and politically powerful white middle class that is deeply troubled, primarily over the erosion of what they consider to be their values. These Americans, in the view of the committee, felt that they had lost control of a complicated and impersonal society which oppresses them with high taxes, spiraling inflation and enforced integration.. Of course, our contributions go well beyond our storytelling prowess. We recommend the following framework for determining which course is best for you in any given situation and then, if you decide to respond, ensuring an effective dialogue. Heres a framework for deciding which path is right for the situation and how to handle the conversation if you choose to have one. And, our contributions as Americans are not minor. I begin with this poem "Calling on All Silent Minorities" by activist, poet, and educator June Jordan and an image of the artwork it inspired by Dr. Grace Player for the 2018 LRA conference (see Figure 1).She titled the piece "This Meeting at This Tree." "This Meeting at This Tree" is a metaphorical calling for the collective gathering of Literacy Research Association (LRA) members . When you meet me in 811, no prior poetry experience is required! Sara Miles. Sometimes we need to harness the power of belligerence in the face of bigotry. For Black people, they are ubiquitous across daily work and life. Just like Black women, Black men have worked to build this country in major ways. I thank God my kids turned out well and successful. They we, I guess are working to uphold one of the central tenants of democracy: citizen participation in self-governance. In my family, my grandmother was a seamstress, my other grandmother was a nurse, and my great grandmother was a nannyeach of them using their skills and talents to serve their communities, regardless of race. The silent majority of 1969 was a singular grouping of Americans. You will make mistakes as you learn and you will always be learning. The Art of Resistance, or Poetics Politicized Poem: "Calling on All Silent Minorities" by June Jordan Performing "Righteous Certainty": The Shifting Poetic Address of June Jordan's War Resistance Poetry This is what I hear when people say minority in reference to who I am in this country. Calling on All Silent Minorities HEY C'MON COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE WE NEED TO HAVE THIS MEETING AT THIS TREE AIN' EVEN BEEN PLANTED YET (June Jordan) The protest stones take the form of two text-wrapped stones, one for each pocket, ready to be thrown. Are they engaged? You are so articulate (signaling that Black people are not usually capable of competent intellectual conversation). "Calling All Silent Minorities" appears in poet June Jordan's 1974 collection New Days: Poems of Exile and Return . Video: Living on guard: How much does the threat of racist violence burden black lives? Here are a few seemingly innocuous statements that, in the context of racist assumptions and stereotypes, can be quite damaging. I love the deep attribute of poetry to pause, to look, to listen, to respect, to pay attention to variety and learn something new, said Nye. Silence. Seek to understand the experiences of your Black peers, bosses, and employees without making them responsible for your edification. It is still largely working and middle-class, and it still lives in the suburbs, but those suburbs are also more diverse and heterogeneous. When you are choosing to speak, use the floor wisely. Calling All Silent Minorities appears in poet June Jordans 1974 collection. The idea of the spiral of silence suggests that people remain silent when they think their views are different from majority viewpoints. And it gives you an opportunity to better gauge the perpetrators intent. Black English in Theory and Practice Poem: "What Would I Do White?" Philip Metres We turn to protests and shouting matches with elected officials in restaurants and airports. Any roadblocks we face and overcome just enhance the sweetness of arrival. My father was a postal worker, my uncle and both grandfathers served in the military, and my great-grandfather made shoes by hand. He is trying to build a world where that doesnt actually matter. They were nearly all white (of varying ethnic origins); some were college-educated but the vast majority were not; they had left the cities for the suburbs, part of the white flight that transformed the built environment of the country. Most of us dont fear for our lives when we encounter the police. READ MORE: How the Vietnam War Ratcheted Up Under 5 US Presidents. Let it go. "Ghazal: America the Beautiful" by Alicia Ostriker I think one of the civic responsibilities of poets in America today is to continue to encourage a sense of civility among us and a sense of curiosity about one anothers lives, said Naomi Shihab Nye in this 2015 video from Poetry.org. Microaggressions are defined as verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group. Co-workers walking to coffee and exchanging gossip about House members giving tours to insurrectionists. And as long as Trump cannot see this as long as he holds to his belief in a secret, silent pro-Trump majority he and his campaign will continue to act in ways that diminish his chance of any legitimate victory in the 2020 presidential election. Stay present by closing down email or turning away from your computer. If you have something to say about ways to protect or repair our American democracy, we want to hear from you. I am asking us myself included to respond to our adrenal flares with a little less fealty. There is a silent majority in this country, and it is arrayed against a radical, extremist minority. As I began independently exploring more about the impact African-Americans had on the progress of our nation, I continued discovering there has never been anything minor about their contributions. Exposing the Lie of Neutrality: June Jordan's Affirmative Acts Turned off? If sales professionals begin a call with a mindset that silence could be a positive sign of engagement (rather than automatically assuming it is negative), they will have their head in the right place to be relaxed and get curious about the clients needs. Microaggressions are defined as verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the target person or group. Some events and efforts inspire immediate action. Because when we really get down to what democracy asks of us, urgency sometimes requires boredom. Life is sufficiently taxing without allowing microaggressions to bring you down. One reason we avoid conversations about race is that they make people defensive. My family is not minor. Do not feel pressured to respond to every incident; rather, feel empowered to do so when you decide you should. Some of our placid reactions come from personal coziness for the most part we are educated, employed, insured, well hydrated. Please wait a few minutes and try again. Willis is the founder and director of Oregon's Kitchen Table at Portland State University and executive director of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium. Valerie Kinloch Dozens of hard-working people I know and admire dozens of hard-working people I love are creating opportunities for community members to come together to discuss the issues that affect their lives. Im not minor. Join leaders from across the nation in transforming education for all. Have members of your sales team ever used silence to enhance their sales presence? Its a powerful tool for activism, and often a strong reminder of our civic duties. People have worked all their lives to get into a community, and now theyre going to watch it go to hell, he said last week. In that vein, there is nothing wrong with asking someone how they wish to be identified. C'MON . Black males are imprisoned approximately five times the rate of White males. Urgency sometimes requires compromise. Don't overreact to negative feedback. There Is a Great Silent Majority. But It Stands Against Trump. 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