Good Trouble: We Come To Disturb The Peace
“This innocent country set you down in a ghetto in which, in fact, it intended that you should perish… You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being. You were not expected to aspire to excellence: you were expected to make peace with mediocrity.” - James Baldwin
“Art has to be a kind of confession. I don’t mean a true confession in the sense of that dreary magazine. The effort it seems to me, is: if you can examine and face your life, you can discover the terms with which you are connected to other lives, and they can discover them, too — the terms with which they are connected to other people. This has happened to every one of us, I’m sure. You read something which you thought only happened to you, and you discovered it happened 100 years ago to Dostoyevsky. This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that they are alone. This is why art is important. Art would not be important if life were not important, and life is important. Most of us, no matter what we say, are walking in the dark, whistling in the dark. Nobody knows what is going to happen to them from one moment to the next, or how one will bear it. This is irreducible. And it’s true for everybody. Now, it is true that the nature of society is to create, among its citizens, an illusion of safety; but it is also absolutely true that the safety is always necessarily an illusion. Artists are here to disturb the peace. They have to disturb the peace. Otherwise, chaos.”
- James Baldwin
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN LEWIS
Rep. John Lewis, who devoted his life to racial justice and equality, died Friday night at 80. He revealed late last year that he was undergoing treatment for Stage IV pancreatic cancer.
Lewis, D-Ga., had served in the House of Representatives since 1987, after decades of work as an organizer and activist — serving as a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, organizing the March on Washington in lockstep with Martin Luther King Jr. and serving in the Atlanta City Council.
He was an orator unlike many others, his words galvanizing action for multiple generations. To honor his legacy, here are some of his most powerful quotes.
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
– A tweet from June 2018
“I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.”
– At the 1963 March on Washington
“Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”
– From his 2017 memoir, “Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America”
“When he was killed, I really felt I’d lost a part of myself.”
– On Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, from his 1998 memoir “Walking with the Wind”
It happened October 1, 2021 6:00 PM airing on Zoom. The magnificent artistry and perfomances by the phenomenal cast made up of authors Colie Aziza, Edward Daniels Currelley, Lorraine Currelley, Janice Nahshal and Yodi Vaden. The evening started with a welcome and introduction by members
of the Good Trouble cast, each reciting quotes by author and activist James Baldwin and representative and activist John Lewis. It recitation was followed by the author stating, “we come to disturb the peace.” On completion of the reading of quotes attendees were surprised by our cast holding up protest signs, in unison refrain, “We Came To Disturb The Peace!”
Part II consisted of Good Trouble: We Come To Disturb The Peace cast members performing original poems and songs. Their performances were passionate and powerful. All performances were powerful resulting in thunderous applauds, finger snaps and audience joyful voices raised and in appreciation.
This evening honored the lives of freedom fighters and human and civil rights activists John Lewis and James Baldwin. We gave of ourselves in appreciation for their sacrifices, contributions, love, resiliency, inspiration, encouragement guidance, courage and strength. This was a teaching experience. Educational, historical, herstorical and cultural shared via performance.
Colie Aziza’s musical style uniquely blends sounds of sultry jazz and soul with therapeutic elements of spoken word that speak to the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of her listeners. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Colie attended Music & Arts High School in Harlem where she majored in vocal studies, and she continued her studies at Syracuse University where she studied musical theatre. Colie published her first children’s book, Corey’s Dreams in 2016 using her pen name Aziza M. Throughout her life’s work, she encourages both adults and young people to always follow their dreams. you can learn more about Colie on her website at colieaziza.com
Edward D. Currelley, author, visual artist, sculptor is widely anthologized. Publications include but are not limited to 2018 HVCCA (MOCA) anthology,” Between I &Thou”, 2019 Hudson Valley MOCA anthology “Death is Irrelevant”, Mom Egg Review, Dove Tales International Journal of the Arts “Empathy in Art, Embracing the Other” 2018 published by Writing for Peace & Colgate University Research Council. Dove Tales Online anthology “One World, One People” 2019 published by Writing for Peace and Dove Tales 2020 anthology “Resistance” also Published by Writing for Peace. Sling Magazine, Metaphor Magazine #5. A contributor to the online publication The Peace Correspondent. His poem “I America” appears in Split This Rock, as part of their Poems of Resistance, Power & Resilience. He is a contributing artist to HVCCA (MOCA) Virtual exhibit 2020 “Writing the Walls” and Studio Theater in Exile 2020 Virtual exhibition of “Climbing the Walls”. He is a Push Cart Prize Nominee and has authored two children’s books. He holds a seat on the board of directors for Poets Network & Exchange, Inc. and resides in New York City.
Lorraine Currelley, poet, spoken word performance artist, multi-genre writer, Pearls of Wisdom storyteller, educator, curator and visual artist. Most recently named Bronx Beat Poet Laureate State of New York 2020–2022. Widely anthologized and multi-awards recipient. Executive Director for Poets Network & Exchange and the Bronx Book Fair. She has a Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling, a Bachelors in Psychology and Specialization in Thanatology (grief and bereavement.) Anti-ageism advocate and activist.
To contact and learn more visit: www.pw.org/directory/writers/lorraine_currelley
Janice Nahshal is a multi-genre writer and educator. She has read and performed her poetry at various venues. Venues include but are not limited to Poets Network & Exchange and the Bronx Book Fair. She says, “My greatest love has always been writing, for me expressing oneself through words is spiritual. It binds the heart to the soul.” Janice Nahshal is a proud mother and grandmother.
Poet Yodi Vaden is a visual, performance, culinary artist, and community activist.Collectively he labels his poetry and spoken word works as Urban Lullabies. He has and continues to host open mics, perform in numerous venues, and is a popular and sought after speaker and spoken word artist. His latest project is Alchemy: Urban Lullabies, a collection of poetry. His passion for the arts led him to found and co-found several organizations. Their purpose was to provide spaces for artists to create and express their art. Some of these groups include IEM Productions, Readers Theater, Street Theatre Alliance, Word Wednesdays, Westside Poetry, and Eastside Poetry. He has worked with such greats as Augusto Boal (founder of Theatre of the Oppressed), Peter Schumann (Bread and Puppet Theater), along with Agua
Sol y Sereno (based in Puerto Rico). In 1998, he was awarded Allentown’s Human Relations award, “World of Difference”, for his contributions and leadership in the arts with the Street Theatre Alliance, an organization that he founded.
