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Defying the Odds:
African-Americans Make Historic Wins on Election Night
A large number of black candidates claimed victory in state and local races across the country Tuesday night — results widely hailed as a reaction to President Donald Trump and Republican policies in general.
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YES!
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LIGHT was IGNITED
+
SHINED FIERCELY
across
OUR NATION!!!
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Here’s A List Of Historic Victories
Democrats Had On Election Day
Tuesday was a momentous night.
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IndividUals,
AmerIcans,
collectively and in collaboration,
stood UP
+
PERSEVERED
to
RE-IGNITE
RADICAL HOPE
for
ALL!!!
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ACTIONS BREAK THROUGH!!!
MOVING FORWARD!!!
REAL REAL LIFE LIVING!!!
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AUTHENTICITY
+
COURAGE
+
HONORABLE/respectful
LISTENING
+
practicing the
integral principles/ideals
of
DEMOCRACY
was the
HARVEST
across OUR
AMERICA!
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I VOLUNTEER FOR THE MELVIN CARTER FOR MAYOR CAMPAIGN.
ABSOLUTELY!
THE LOCAL LEVEL IS THE CONDUIT, THE FIRE OF THE HURRICANE LAMP.
We need to ALIGN OUR CITY with VALUES/POLICIES/VISION
that REFLECTS OUR CAPACITY TO RISE with GRIT + “ MOVING FORWARD” IMAGINATION.
MELVIN CARTER IS ST. PAUL’S “OUR” MAYOR!
MY VOTE IS FOR MELVIN CARTER!
ABSOLUTELY!
PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL AS YOUR CAMPAIGN!
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ELECTION DAY
T-shirt that I made for the OBAMA campaign: VOTE HOPE. Barack/Michele each have one.
Michele Obama with my OBAMA t-shirts in hand. August 2007
OBAMA Campaign 2007 – scroll down:
Melvin Carter v. Tony Soprano
During my volunteer tenure FOR the MELVIN CARTER FOR MAYOR campaign, dear Rob invited me to dinner and the NYC ballet.
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Rob asked IF I had watched the HBO series THE SOPRANOS (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141842/). I had not. I never wanted to leave Little Italy neighborhood where ALL my senses were harkened and I was embraced with love and caring for 6 years.
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Rob knew I had lived in Little Italy from the time of my yearlong P.S. 1 International Studio Residency (prestigious MOMA program, 41 artists are selected worldwide).
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After a stellar evening experiencing delicious meal, hilarious and probing conversation and ballet dancers’ divine capacity to express the most subtle human emotion with searing poignancy and sublime elegance, I turned on my laptop and watched Season 1 / Episode 1 of THE SOPRANOS.
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Every night, after biking in the freezing temperatures to and from Melvin’s campaign headquarters and making 100 + calls to St. Paul residents, I watched THE SOPRANOS. It became a ritual of participating in democracy- calling out to St. Paul citizens of what their vision was and introducing them to a mature and practicing visionary to watching authoritarian system where the leader struggles with the unmovable mask and his nascent humanity and excruciating emergence of self-awareness.
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THE SOPRANOS was a living scrapbook of my years there on 115 Mulberry Street. I lived in the building behind a restaurant and next to the THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD church where church bells rang every 8 hours.
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While I lived in Little Italy, John Gotti was the Don and his Gambino family reigned. I was watched over with loyal tenderness and deep affection…
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I loved living there.
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The contrasting experiences of working FOR Melvin Carter for Mayor and living IN the Little Italy of my past piqued by my nightly THE SOPRANOS, provided an insight to stark contrasts of systems of leadership and opposite systems of governing others as well as the character of the leader.
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THE SOPRANOS’ acuity was visceral for me. Authoritarian, a rigid vertical hierarchy where devotion was prescribed and questioning was deemed “disrespect”. The head, the Boss, wears a fierce iron mask and behind this mask is a very human man- tender, caring, affectionate, loving. The character of Tony Soprano describes the Hamlet rub: to be OR not to be. I experienced the two sides living in Little Italy. WE all know when the strength of our character and our TRUE NORTH is tested, challenged – the time when INTEGRITY is your touchstone of gold or not.
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For those who served loyalty and filial piety and being a life-sentence prisoner is the life. Questioning and/or going rogue is not seen as a conversation with the leader to arrive at new solutions. The consequences are brutal and the punishment is swift.
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Living in that diagram of power feels safe. However, the sense of safety is anchored to staying immature in thought. Think: SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and Nelson Mandela’s term as prisoner – Nelson kept his soul free, unshackled.
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Melvin Carter’s call out for becoming Mayor was a request to those he would serve what THEY envisioned! Yes, a true practice of democracy: a shout out for blueprints for the future!
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The Melvin Carter campaign was rooted in the principles and discipline of democracy and the sonics of free jazz- call and response. The Melvin Carter leadership demonstrated an individual of mature ancient wisdom within and courage and compassion. He beckoned participation of others to step UP, RISE and act with the “better angels of our Nature”. His leadership welcomed conversation – LIVE conversation – breathing Harvard Negotiating Project and the revelatory TRUTHS + beauty of improv jazz!
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The Melvin Carter campaign demonstrated an open system motivated by ideals and anointed everyone as a steward moving FORWARD.
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At the VICTORY party at the Union Depot, the atmosphere was elation and the elation was welcomed and soaked in. No one questioned IF the victory’s elation did not belong to him or her or was an undeserving experience. No. Melvin’s leadership and system of welcoming, calling out, LISTENING was a testament of COURAGE and COMPASSION and CONVICTION that no one is a stolen soul to serve him.
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I lived in a body cast from infancy through childhood. I have had 47 reconstructive orthopedic surgeries; I became what I dreamed of. I leaned toward those who could SEE me. I was a plant waiting to bloom God’s promise. What I was not given physically, I was bountifully gifted in other ways.
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I listened and moved toward those who are FREE SOULS and welcome the BEST to RISE within.
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I can never be held captive. I observe those who choose to resign themselves and live in rigid systems and wear a mask – a false narrative to feel safe – not realizing they are living the furthest truth of what is safety: to be WHO you are and ALL the things you are.
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Yes, people do choose to live shackled in cyclical bouts of turmoil and fear.
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Yes, people do become their own R/EVOLUTION with courage and serenity.
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I move toward the LIGHT with RADICAL HOPE.
My choice.
My life.
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Adapt.
Improvise.
Overcome!
Lives that live OVERCOME are templates of courage and grace.
EXODUS stories are stories of respect and dignity. Templates.
As a child raised in sterile hospital institutional rigid systems, I read biographies of individuals who had the strength of character to adapt, improvise and overcome what they were told was a life sentence. I loved their HOPE/COURAGE/FAITH that cast off the shackles and they CHOSE, with mighty/remarkable courage and enlightened sense of WHO they were, RISKED + RISED UP! Think: Rev. Dr. MLK; Abraham Lincoln; Marian Anderson; Eleanor Roosevelt; Helen Keller; Nelson Mandela; Harriet Tubman; Maya Angelou; Susan B. Anthony; etc. They became my templates, my hurricane lamps. I was “seen” as a handicapped girl with low intellectual/creative capacities. Low hope. Yet, I was SEEN by my orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mark B. Coventry of the Mayo Clinic; my Uncle Bob, my Grandfather, my Daddy – ALL MAVERICKS whose life circumstances shattered pre-conceptions and lazy optics.
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I loved working FOR Melvin Carter’s campaign for MAYOR.
His intentions/actions called OUT the freedom and the grace that resides within us ALL , and. in turn, what occurs when called out: DIGNITY; HONOR; RESPECT and CARING.
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St. Paul citizens stood UP for the LIGHT, the FIRE in the hurricane lamp that radiates light no matter the tempest.
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Melvin’s victory was a template of what character IS and how a true NEW BREED LEADER functions. When I observed Melvin dancing with Sakeena on the marble floor of the Union Depot, I knew Melvin’s INTEGRITY of calling out the BEST and partnering in the FUTURE was authentic. Theirs was the DANCE OF JOY!!!!!
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“Human freedom involves our capacity to pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight.” Rollo May
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Hallelujah!!!!!
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Yes, there are life lessons and revelation; allusions, and the SERENITY PRAYER in the writings above.
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“Courage is an inner resolution to go forward despite obstacles;
Cowardice is submissive surrender to circumstances.
Courage breeds creativity..,”
Cowardice asks the question, is it safe?
Expediency ask the question, is it politic?
Vanity asks the question, is it popular?
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
Maya Angelou
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“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.”
August Wilson
CATHERINE L. JOHNSON 