When we applaud historical figures for their bold words or
heroic actions, we often forget to consider whether we would stand with them in
their efforts today, and if there are modern applications to the struggles they
endured. Take Lewis Hine’s photography, which shed light on the dangerous
conditions of workers, including children. His work educated and moved viewers
so effectively that it contributed to changes in labor laws. But many protections
of American law only extend to citizens; non-citizen workers remain vulnerable
to abuses, and can become even more vulnerable if they complain.
An upcoming
event in the “At the Crossroads” art and community conversation series centers
on this concept of applying historic activism to the current struggles of
vulnerable groups. “What to the Refugee is the 4th of July” is inspired by
Frederick Douglass’s famous speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,”
which he delivered to the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in 1852.
That speech remains
“one of the most powerful critiques on the disconnect
between the inalienable rights declared to be endowed by the creator to white
men, in juxtaposition with the simultaneous dehumanization and brutal
enslavement of Black people,” said the event organizer, Rachel DeGuzman, in a
provided statement.
And the speech has relevance today,
she argues, given Trump’s call for a group of Congresswomen of color — who are U.S.
citizens — to “go back” to where they came from, as well as the administration’s
attempts to target Muslims for an immigration ban, its
caging of children at borders, and separation of immigrant families. In America
today, many refugees, recent immigrants, and first-generation Americans are in
crisis, she says.
In the
interest of elevating the voices of these marginalized groups, “What to the
Refugee is the 4th of July” will be held in collaboration with Rochester
organization Refugees Helping Refugees. The event will begin with a collaborative
art-making project directed by artist and new American citizen Tania
Day-Magallon (whose own solo show, “The Divine Feminine and Goddess,” is
currently on display at The MuCCC, 142 Atlantic Avenue). Day-Magallon will lead
the event’s participants and attendees in the ritual of stenciling overlapping
hands (as found in cave paintings), which symbolizes community and is inspired
by ancient art made before territorial borders were established, DeGuzman says.
This will be
followed by a reading of Douglass’s speech by Douglass reenactor David Shakes,
after which the Long Table Conversation will begin. All of this event’s
conversation starters are women who are either refugees, immigrants, or first-generation
Americans: Pyar Mo, Pamela Adams, Mai Abdullah, Tania Day-Magallon, Lisa Kim, Ana
Gomez Parga, and N’Jelle Gage-Thorne.
This article appears in Aug 14-20, 2019.
