Hi Everyone. I'm joining in with this group of artists who want to stimulate discussions about ending homelessness. This obviously is one of the worst problems today on the planet. I'll be on in the first half hour, and then there are many other united artists who are a part of this.
Love, Cathy
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Artists United to End Homelessness Zoom 23
Friday, August 20, 7 PM
Zoom:
Meeting ID 813 6605 5566
Passcode 426930
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Top Ten Things You Need to Know About
Artists United to End Homelessness
1. We are a network of Southern California artists.
2. We seek to include every form of artistic expression in our ranks.
3. We strive to build a two-way highway between housed and homeless artists.
4. We put on shows, perform and present at schools, and co-sponsor symposiums.
5. Our goal is not to manage homelessness, but to end it.
6. We often participate in efforts to ensure immediate survival of the homeless, but our primary function is to present a vision of fundamental, permanent solutions.
7. Our slogan is "Take the people without homes and put them in the homes without people." According to Amnesty International, there are 18 million empty housing units in America.
8. There are more than 18 million artists in America, providing potential connection to every neighborhood, school, jail, coffee shop, church, office, or factory in the country.
9. By linking those artists together, we will galvanize the nation by helping to spark a nationwide discussion of how to solve the crisis of homelessness.
10. We work to humanize the homeless through our creations so that homeless people are seen as the sisters and brothers of us all.
Email: contactaueh@gmail.com
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The situation we face is that a lot of people and institutions talk about ending homelessness but, whatever their intentions, concretely they mean services or charity (feeding, etc.) or maybe shelters. Anything that puts calories in someone's belly or gives them a safe place to sleep for a night is a good thing but it doesn't put anyone in a home. Meanwhile, homelessness keeps growing.
According to Amnesty International, there are 18 million empty housing units in America. That's why we say "Take the people without homes and put them in the homes without people." How can this happen? The first thing that has to take place is that people have to know that it's an option, they have to have that vision presented to them. We are well aware of the immediate counter-arguments that arise because we deal with them all the time. Good. We need to debate this out, as opposed to accepting shelters (more accurately, the idea of shelters since so few are actually built) as the limits of our activity and imagination.
How do we go about this?
Outreach. Social media, the Internet, of course. But we find in-person events the most conducive to dialogue. Here are some of the ones we have done:
* Participated in music/poetry event at Studio 526 on Skid Row.
* Held three Artists Symposium on Homelessness at Cal State Fullerton. Keynote speakers have included Clemmie Williams, a rapper who is homeless, and Tyrone Stokes of the Dope Spot in Pomona.
* Artists Dialogue in Santa Ana
* Discussion group at Hope LA Church featuring Adelina Lang, who had just graduated from college while living in her car the entire time.
* Septravaganza. Twelve simultaneous music/poetry events across Southern California each September.
* Art show in Los Angeles.
*Performance/presentation at SpeakEasy with DJ Shneaky at the Redwood Room in Maywood
* Participated in the Coldchella craft beer festival in Los Angeles
* Performance/presentation at Free Speech Thursdays in East Hollywood.
* Appearances on the Black Brown Movement podcast.
* Two semesters as guest performers/lecturers at Southwest College.
Performance/presentation at Dope Spot in Pomona.
Performance/presentation at Monday Night Delight in downtown LA.
Presentation at benefit for DJ Mark Luv at Los Globos
Presentation to Trompers Car Club in Eagle Rock
Performance/presentation at Sober Flow open mic at halfway house for released prisoners in South Central
These often generate other pathways for the distribution of information/ideas/dialogue.
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I should add that our experience is that artists are, quite literally, everywhere. No one's ever counted them all but there must be tens of millions of artists in the United States. Artists are treated, at best, as a condiment, but they are fundamental to change since they have the tools to change hearts and minds. We do our best to promote a culture of respect and embrace for all artists and to help each other be heard and seen by more people as best we can. Sometimes we can see new connections blossom, other times not, but it's happening. The pandemic has limited us in many ways but we strive to make use of what's currently possible.
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Lee