Arend Lee Jessurun

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Singing together binds us together

Last Monday, I participated in a sit-in at Representative Judy Chu's office, urging her to rescind her signature on Discharge Petition no. 9. Our action was one that risked arrest, and one thing that kept us grounded in love was singing together. Ethnomusicologist Joseph Jordania says such communal music-making serves an evolutionary purpose, helping individuals to feel less fear and pain and act…

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Pasadena passed a ceasefire!

I had the honor of giving public comment at Pasadena City Council's meeting on a ceasefire resolution. There were ~500 of us present and ~200 who gave testimony. I'm proud to have united my voice alongside other queer folks, other Christians, other Jews, as well as Palestinian-Americans, Arab-Americans, Muslims, and folks from all backgrounds, demanding a ceasefire as a first step to stop the genocide…

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Quietude and art help us heal

As I continue to hear reports of violence in Palestine, Congo, Sudan, even my own country, prayer and the arts have been balms. If you're taking time listening, sharing, and taking action, remember to also take time for silence. Palestinian writer Adania Shibli said last November, "I was always afraid that one day I would wake up and I wouldn't have language, this is my fear. And in the last four weeks…

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Art trains our imagination for good

Art helps us imagine a better world. Wole Soyinka, Nigerian writer and activist once replied to a question of what literature can do in the face of injustice saying, "Well, present a model of possibilities, and that is all." Palestinian-American artist Fargo Nissim Tbakhi writes that Augusto Boal, Brazilian playwright and UNESCO World Theatre Ambassador, created pieces "dedicated to empowering…

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A collage for Gaza

I started working on this piece a week ago after hearing that Palestinians have resorted to eating animal food, weeds, grass to stave off hunger. Today, I learned about the Flour Massacre, in which Israeli soldiers killed over a hundred hungry Palestinians and wounded hundreds more as they were being offered aid. Weaponized starvation is the latest in the genocide tactics of the state of Israel against…

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Art calls us to compassion

Mary Gauthier once said to me in an elevator, "We have to write songs that make Republicans love trans people against their own will." People are moved to action when it's personal, and art often makes it personal. Art calls us artists to compassion too, and I know it certainly has for me in these last several months witnessing the genocide against Palestinians. Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish says…

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The beauty of protest

Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish says art "frees you from the limitations and cruelties of the moment." Feminist author Jill Dolan speaks about arts as "utopian performatives" which transport us into "imaginative emotional, psychological, and physical spaces that promise richer, more beautiful lives." I believe the same is true for protests and other demonstrations. In these moments, the means are the end: the vision of…

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Art that inspires activism

Palestinian-American author Etaf Rum says, "Literature can be a powerful tool of political awakening ... But awareness alone is not enough. If you can recognize our humanity in the pages of fiction, do not leave your empathy between the covers." Steven Duncombe, co-author of The Art of Activism, and Sarah J. Halford, host of the Creative Resistance podcast mini-series, say that art has the ability to touch our compassion…

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I've been slow getting back into the habit of these since the holiday season, nevertheless, welcome back to another edition of Sharing Notes!

New mix "BUGZ!"

Some artist clients of mine, Doctor Generous and Mina Bloom, put out a music video for their song "BUGZ!" It's a tongue-in-cheek synthwave jam about our interconnected life with and dependence upon arthropods. I had fun mixing and mastering this one and adding some production final touches. With this one, I had to mix several diverse drum…

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Be a good person who makes art

We need more wholesome, loving artists. Austin Kleon says, "Worry less about being a great artist. Worry more about being a good human being who makes art." Maya Angelou speaks about her two responsibilities, the first is her responsibility to grow in her craft, "The other is to be as good a human being as I possibly can be so that once I have achieved control of the language, I don't force my weaknesses on a public…