#894 + RISE UP! STEP UP! WORDS UP! ACTIONS UP! + “We must accept FINITE disappointment but never lose INFINITE hope.” The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther KING Jr. + RISE UP! STEP UP! WORDS UP! ACTIONS UP!

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We must accept

FINITE disappointment,

but  never lose

INFINITE hope.

—In My Own Words,

a collection of 

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

sermons,

speeches, and writings

selected by his widow,

Coretta Scott King

 

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MPR News Presents

Former U.S. Attorney General

Eric Holder

and

Representative

John Lewis

Georgia

keynote addresses

on

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

20 January 2020

 

Please click on link to listen/read the speeches:

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/01/20/mlk-day-keynotes-by-holder-and-lewis

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Learn More About

NINE Powerful Words

From

Martin Luther King Jr.

https://www.dictionary.com/e/mlk-vocabulary-list/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SATURDAY%20Daily%20Email%202019%202020-01-18&utm_term=Daily

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finite / perish / monologue

content / meandering / injustice

  succumb / conscientious / politic 

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“MLK 

discerned

the

VIBRATION

of

EACH selected WORD

he used to

RE-WIRE

the brainbody

from the fear rooted pattern

spiral down of hopeless despair

to the risk of practicing

THE

SPIRAL UP

of

RADICAL HOPE!“

Catherine L. Johnson

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ACTIONS UP!

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 THE HUMANITY PORTFOLIO

FRESHDRIEDBLOODIAMHUMAN                                                         Catherine L. Johnson 2013

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 EXODUSIMFREEATLASTIAINTGOINGBACKIMFREE                         CATHERINE L. JOHNSON 2013

 

 

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/fifteen-paintings-28-august-2013-the-humanity-portfolio-28-august-2013-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-march-on-washington-for-freedom-jobs-rev-dr-martin-luther-kings-i-have-a-dream-s/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2018/05/07/803-this-is-america-childish-gambino-aka-donald-glover-freshdriedbloodiamhuman/

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HUMANLY POSSIBLE:THE EMPATHY EXHIBITION

IWISHIKNEW                                                                                       Catherine L. Johnson   2011

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https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/humanly-possible-the-empathy-exhibition-instinct-art-gallery-21-november-2015-16-january-2016-press-release/

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THE HALL OF LAMENT:

STAND YOUR GROUND FOR TRAYVON MARTIN

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/hall-of-lament-stand-your-ground-for-trayvon-martin-call-out-for-social-justice-moral-couragetruth-2012-st-paul-spring-art-crawl/

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ISAIAH

FIRST LIGHT @ NIGHT

TWO INSTALLATIONS WITH AUDIO

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/isaiah-and-first-light-night-multimedia-installation-catherine-l-johnson-dan-choma-spring-2013-st-paul-art-crawl/

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A STORY of THREE INDIVIDUALS

KINDNESS WARMS

HONORING INTEGRITY

IMPROVISATIONAL HUMANITY

15 January 2020

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The Ross Frame Shop

Minneapolis, Mn

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In Jim’s* own words

(*dear, dear, dear friend + my selected framer who knows the breath and dance of my art)

of his

special poignant encounter

with a

6 year old boy

on

15 January 2020.

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“A Mother and little boy came into the shop

towards closing.

I asked if she was her to “pick up”? 

She said no,

her son wanted to come in to meet me and see the shop.

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I smiled and introduced myself to him,

shook his hand

and said,

WOW!

I used to have choppers (leather mittens) just like yours!

Keeps your hands nice and warm, I remember. 
He smiled and agreed. 

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I then told him I have been here a long time

and

some of my customers children have already grown up,

and

they are even in their 40’s now!

The mom was amazed

and

I asked her to imagine her son as a 30 year old man,

if she could.

She said she could not!

I said, “Enjoy his age now,

he’s a wonderful six

but kids have a way of growing up before you know it.”

We talked about art

and

I said I have been doing this for a very long time,

and

what’s incredible, I still enjoy what I do!

I told the little boy to find something he loves

and

try to make that happen. 

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I told them their visit to my shop

made my day,

and

gave him some picture frame magnets to hold photos,

and

said they were welcome back anytime.

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This all came about from a little guy

looking out the school bus window

and

seeing me

day after day,

sometimes not,

and

wanted to know who I was!!! 

Amazing! “

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Please reflect and recall what was in your mind’s eye as you read this.

Now, please, cast the individuals in the below variables.

How does the ‘casting’ shift / challenge your perceptions / your comfort zone?

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JOHN RAWLS’ THEORY OF JUSTICE:

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2017/08/26/747-veil-john-rawls-theory-of-justice-the-veil-of-ignorance-the-little-prince-documentary-whose-streets/

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Jim, my dear friend and the framer, is:

black / differently-abled / white / brown / gay / straight / single / married 

what age / what faith / other variables

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The Mother is:

black / differently-abled / white / brown / gay / straight / single / married

what age / what faith / other variables

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The 6 year old boy is:

black / differently-abled / white / brown / gay / straight / trans 

what faith / other variables

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JOHN RAWLS’ THEORY OF JUSTICE:

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2017/08/26/747-veil-john-rawls-theory-of-justice-the-veil-of-ignorance-the-little-prince-documentary-whose-streets/

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RISE UP!

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STEP UP!

WORDS UP!

ACTIONS UP!

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NOW!

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#849 + 12 February 2019 + Abraham Lincoln ENTERED the world + ELEgancE #12 2019 Catherine L. Johnson + Henry Threadgill’s “CELEBRATION”

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE + FOR DETAIL

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ELEgancE #12                                                                                              Catherine L. Johnson 2019

An improvisational performance of gold pencil on black paper.

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HENRY THREADGILL

https://www.henrythreadgill.com/

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Celebrating Henry:

A Threadgill Festival

https://walkerart.org/calendar/2019/celebrating-henry-a-threadgill-festival

15 February + 16 February 2019

@

WALKER ART CENTER

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Walker Art Center  McGuire Theater 

15 February 2019

Henry Threadgill’s birthday

 

Philip Bither / Henry Threadgill / Michelle Kinney   (CLJ)

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Henry Threadgill / CLJ / Anthony Cox  

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Anthony Cox honoring Henry Threadgill on his birthday

acknowledging Threadgill’s improvisational gifts, inspiration and his legacy.

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Anthony’s arrangement of Threadgill’s  ‘Paper Toilet’.

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My maternal Grandfather,

Emil Cottor,

gifted me

Abraham Lincoln

bookends

when I was 7 years old.

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A gift before my next scheduled

reconstructive orthopedic surgery.

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My

beloved

Dr. Mark B. Coventry,

Mayo Clinic,

provided me

the life template of Abraham Lincoln

as a blueprint of living

a life of honor, respect, grace and vision

navigating

a life of adversity.

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The evening before surgery was always a time of me entering a sacred space.

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Grandpa Cottor,

after THE ceremonious “pre-surgery” dinner

my Mother prepared

attended by my sister and brothers,

Lynne, Bill Blake,

presented me

a wrapped box with satin ribbons.

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I was a wide-eyed child:

everything was wonder and awe and fear and courage.

The box was very, very, very heavy.

I opened it slowly and carefully,

rapt with anticipation,

and

when I saw

the busts of Abraham Lincoln,

I was overwhelmed with joy.

I burst out crying an ocean of joy!

Crying was not easy for me – living in body casts stifled crying.

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Grandpa Cottor KNEW Abraham Lincoln

was a signal,

a  secret code,

a dynamic symbol to me.

The fact of my Grandpa’s knowing

rushed

the feelings of being seen and loved

throughout

my body.

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On 12th February,

  when I was home from the hospital,

my Mother,  Doris Cottor Johnson Omlie,

always had a birthday cake

celebrating

the life of my childhood hero.

 

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GRACE LOVE.

AWE LOVE.

WONDER LOVE.

DIGNITY.

RADICAL HOPE.

VISIONARY.

INTEGRITY.

COMPASSION.

COURAGE.

Cœur.

 

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Catherine Louise Johnson

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Catherine –  meaning “pure, clear”. 

I was named in honor of my maternal grandmother:

Edna Catherine Strand Cottor.

My Grandma Cottor was an elegant and extraordinary force of life.

  She was confined to bed at 53 y/o with Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Her body was frozen in the space of her bed.

Grandma Cottor’s remarkable creative intelligence

explored/ traveled the world and beyond.

Her body was frail and her presence radiated colossal. 

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Louise – meaning “famous warrior, renowned fighter”.

I was named in honor of my paternal grandmother:

Florence Louise Knoblach Johnson.

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Johnson – I kept my Daddy’s last name in honor of him,

Richard Harold Johnson,

who fought for me and my rights to thrive while living in hospitals

My Daddy was killed in a car accident when he was 32.

I kept the last name Johnson in honor of my Daddy’s brother,

William Henry Johnson,

a WWII pilot, who was killed at 23 y/o in his B-17

– safely returning his crew in his heavily damaged plane,

flying over the cliffs of Dover from a bombing mission.

He ordered his remarkable crew to bail out.

Uncle Bill’s faltering plane was heading toward a farmhouse

with a family waving their arms.

Uncle Bill, at 23 years old. made the decision to avert the farmhouse

and

he went down with his plane.

 

I was told, multiple times, 

by my Daddy’s family how they were 

PROUD

that I kept the name

JOHNSON

with fortitude, grace, honor and respect

of those before me

who lived their lives known

by the name

JOHNSON.

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My beloved

– Johnson side –

cousin “sister”

and

niece to my Daddy,

Connie Cates Shella,

lived, persevered and endured

with

grace, love and valor.

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/847-she-in-the-dark-found-light-brighter-than-many-ever-see-connie-cates-shella-5-september-1954-23-january-2019/

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I am aware,

at my age now,

I could be my Daddy’s parent

and

I could be my Uncle Bill’s aunt.

Yet, they are forever monumental to me.

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I can only hope

I live the life

that echoes the names I was given

and

amplify the templates

I was provided as a blueprint,

a vision,

to rise

in my own life.

 

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NAMING

“Words are things.

You must be careful, careful about calling people

out of their names,

using racial pejoratives and sexual pejoratives and all that ignorance.

Don’t do that.

Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words.

I think they are things.

They get on the walls.

They get in your wallpaper.

They get in your rugs,

in your upholstery,

and

your clothes,

and

finally in to

you.”

 Maya Angelou

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WEARELOVEAWCCLJROLLEDDINMUDROLLEDINGOLDOVERANDOVERBEAUTIFUL

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#848 + ELEgancE #10/ #11 2019 Catherine L. Johnson + Fantastic Negrito – Plastic Hamburgers + Stacey Abrams says ‘We do NOT succeed alone’

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE + FOR DETAIL

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ELEgancE #10                                                                                           Catherine L. Johnson 2019

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ELEgancE #10 (detail *)                                                                        Catherine L. Johnson 2019
*The iridescence in the graphite/black lead reflects the light and presents a luminous silver.

Graphite pencils – HB/ 2B/ 4B on black paper.

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ELEgancE #11                                                                                           Catherine L. Johnson 2019

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Fantastic Negrito – Plastic Hamburgers

https://genius.com/Fantastic-negrito-plastic-hamburgers-lyrics

Fantastic Negrito says

‘I am Fantastic Negrito, but I did NOT get here alone…’

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Stacey Abrams says ‘We do NOT succeed alone’

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=RAFNEGOTIATORNEWBREEDLEADER=AWC=SONICGENIUSAWEMANRRMANWONDERCOLLABORATOR

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#846 + ELEgancE #9 2019 Catherine L. Johnson + DARE to MOVE FORWARD + “…by ALL means KEEP MOVING.” Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE + FOR DETAIL

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ELEgancE #9  

Graphite pencil on Kraft paper.

An improvisation.

The drawn graphite lines

shift

from rich black lead color

to

luminous silver

with the interplay

of

 the ambient light

and

the position of the viewer

– all in relation

to the contemporaneous variables.

Dynamic.

Intimate.

Dialectical.

Performance.

Attending.

Change is constant.

Movement in stillness.

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Life is not static nor fixed.

HABITS of perception / REACTING.

Conditioned optics shaped by arbitrary convention

and

hard-wired by continuous, repetitive practice

without questioning or awareness.

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A/LIVE

VISION/ary.

RADICAL hope.

SACRED listening.

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DARE to DREAM.

DARE to ACT.

DARE to MOVE FORWARD.

 

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ELEgancE #9                                                                                           Catherine L. Johnson 2019

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ELEgancE #9    (detail *)                                                                     Catherine L. Johnson 2019

*The iridescence in the graphite/black lead reflects the light and presents a luminous silver.

 

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NEW BREED LEADERS keep MOVING FORWARD!

They MUST –

for it is the responsibility / meaning / life force

of their

DIVINE gifts.

Red Sea crossings.

EXODUS.

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EXODUSIMFREEATLASTIAINTGOINGBACKIMFREE                  CATHERINE L. JOHNSON 2013

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THE HUMANITY PORTFOLIO 2013

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/fifteen-paintings-28-august-2013-the-humanity-portfolio-28-august-2013-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-march-on-washington-for-freedom-jobs-rev-dr-martin-luther-kings-i-have-a-dream-s/

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Harris L. Wofford

9 April 1926 – 21 January 2019

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  Blessings of luminous grace and love to our cousins:

his daughter, Susanne Wofford;

his son, Dan Wofford; 

his son, David Wofford;

his husband, Matthew Charlton;

his beloved family;

to

ALL

social justice / civil rights

visionaries / activists

and

to his dedicated colleagues / collaborators,

past and present,

who

RISE FOR HUMANITY.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/

http://www.philly.com/opinion/commentary/harris-wofford-obituary-us-senate-20190128.html

http://www.startribune.com/harris-wofford-activist-who-served-in-senate-dies-at-92/504698852/

https://catherineljohnson.wordpress.com/2015/03/09/selma-bloody-sunday-50th-anniversary-2015-rev-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-speech-how-long-not-long-harris-wofford-what-i-saw-at-selma-today-my-dear-friends-presence-as-a-fami/

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/22/687373085/harris-wofford-former-senator-civil-rights-activist-dies-at-92

http://www.philly.com/news/obituaries-harris-wofford-pennsylvania-civil-rights-martin-luther-king-jfk-bryn-mawr-college-20190122.html

https://www.nationalservice.gov/newsroom/other-news/2019/remembering-harris-wofford

https://charlierose.com/videos/13481

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NEWBREEDLEADERAWCYOUMOVEFORWARDBECAUSEYOUMUSTYOURLIFEISTORISEANDTOBESEENLOVED

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