Adventure Blog 4: The Fourth (but definitely not final) Adventure!

Two Sunday's ago (I think it was Sunday) my friend asked if I would come with her to this party (or something) that she was asked to take pictured at. My first thought was "heck no" because I'm up to my eyeballs in work, but I asked her for the details of the party anyway. "It's at The Crown on friday", she says and then I said "of course" because my I needed one more adventure to write about and I definitely needed a mini break even though I'd still be kind of working at this party (or whatever it was).

Fast forward to Friday. After work I burrowed into a study nook and did work until about 10pm when she picked me up. After a quick coffee pit stop and  dashing back to The Crown we climbed the stairs where we were greeted by no cover charge and the beginning of a great set by a couple of DJ's from New York. When the Bmore Club remixes started rolling out, I knew that I made good decision and was finally able to momentarily stop ruminating over all the work that I have to do before next Wednesday. I think it was a good way to constructively de-stress for a bit before the madness that will surely envelop my life until the end of the semester. Below you'll find some of my favorite highlights from that night.

Favorite quote: "We've had a hard f***ing week but that's okay we bout to dance it out. Dance our pain away"

 Favorite photo: Taken by yours truly!

Favorite dancer: He gave the entire dance floor life!

Adventure Blog 3: Own The Change?

During my second adventure at the Food Chains screening there was an announcement for another screening and discussion event. The description sounded interesting so I decided to go back to Red Emma's on February 25th for a screening of a short film called Own the Change. (See flyer below)

 The film was very interesting an gave me a sense of what it means to be a worker cooperative in addition to the several other types of cooperatives that could exist. After the film they opened up the little back room that Jazmin talks about in her oral history for a Q&A about Red Emma's. The Q&A covered topics like the history, hiring model, pitfalls, and benefits of becoming a part of workers cooperative like Red Emma's. This was informative as well, but it began to lean more towards joining Red Emma's worker co-operative, and I'm definitely not in a point my life where I'd be able to join they're worker co-op. I feel like on some level it takes a certain collection of circumstances and traits to be able to commit yourself to their co-op model. Which would also help in understanding why it seems like they only hire their friends as employees, from the way that the process of becoming partial owner of the business is set up you'd pretty much have to like the other workers enough to want to spend a large indefinite amount of time working with them.

After the Q&A discussion I decided that I’d stay for a bit to eat dinner and do some work. I ordered a vegan turkey club that I was feeling a little apprehensive about, but the first bite was so delicious that had to stop and snap a picture for this blog post.  

Advendure Blog 2: Dream Deferred (aka number two of my seriously backlogged adventures)

After class on Thursday Feb 12th I made my first trek through the City to Red Emma's. In class that day we had begun our discussion of Baltimore 68 and before our session ended Dr. King mentioned Dream Deferred , a poem by Langston Hughes. The words of the poem were on my mind while I sat at the bus stop with my chin tucked against the cold, as I waited for the downtown shuttle to arrive. It lingered in my thoughts as I made a quick stop for dinner and watched as the security guards began to usher the seemingly homeless individuals out in the cold. I was spared because I was charging my phone, had a book, and probably emitted a vibe that screamed student. 

After watching the room for a bit my thoughts turned to my next destination. I was heading to Red Emma's for a screening of the documentary Food Chains a film about migrant farm workers in Imokalee Florida. The film was produced, in part, by Eva Longoria  (Who knew home girl was producing films now?)  I didn't know what to expect from the film but I'm always down to learn more about our food system and the screening would be followed by a panel discussion so I figured that I'd have a good time. When I finally got to Emma's I had just enough time to order some tea and find a seat in the collection of chairs that were arranged in front of the pull down screen. While waiting and anxiously hoping that my drink would be ready before the film began I turned and saw my professor from my food systems  seminar. I think we were both surprised to see each other but also not surprised at all. She sat next to me and we caught up until the film began.

As the film played and the people in the film described how their lives, and the lives of others, were impacted large grocery and fast food chains the lines of another Langston Hughes poem drifted in and out of my thoughts. 

I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.
I am the worker sold to the machine.
I am the Negro, servant to you all.
I am the people, humble, hungry, mean--
Hungry yet today despite the dream.
Beaten yet today--O, Pioneers!
I am the man who never got ahead,
The poorest worker bartered through the years.

I'd recommend the film to everyone, so I wont summarize it here but I will share some of my immediate thoughts post viewing. We don't exist in a closed system. Everything is connected, and in the USA it seems like everything is connected to the fact that this country was built on the systemic oppression of others. The system of oppression that this country was built on has morphed into a continuous cycle of exploitation. And the churning of that cycle can be felt everywhere. It's how I was able to find myself  at coffee shop in the middle Baltimore- a city that has taken direct and debilitating blows from the systems spinning spokes- watching a film about migrant workers in Imokalee, Florida and have their stories resonate with my own.  And It's how I found my self in this course that urges to experience the city. We're all caught up in this system but it's always inspiring to hear about collections of people that are digging their way out. Even though it's wild that decades later many of Hughes' words still ring true. 

Other interesting highlights from the evening: In addition to running into my professor, I saw a handful of people that I see on campus, an old friend, and several new and old acquaintances. And just like with my professor it was both surprising and not surprising at all to see them there.