More “Sound Bites” from Marcie Rendon
Starting in 2019, I was asked by a local radio station, KRSM 98.9 FM, if I would be willing to record one-minute sound bites for the station to air. I think I am one of five other Native people/people of color who do what is called the “Southside 60.” I have chosen to use my minute to talk about the climate crisis and hold out action and hope for people. Here are six of the “sound bites.” I would encourage everyone to search out opportunities like this to make our viewpoint heard. [We published two others of Marcie’s sound bites on page 60 of the April 2020 Present Time.]
1. This is Marcie Rendon, and this is my Southside 60: Boozhoo [“Hello” in Ojibway]. It is a beautiful day here in Minneapolis [Minnesota, USA]. I think it is important that we always try to remember the beauty that is around us. If we can notice the sun shining, or the shape of the clouds, or the child trying to make eye contact with us from her parent’s grocery cart—if we can notice these good things, our day will go better. So often we forget to notice that everything around us is connected, and in truth the universe wants our lives and the lives of everyone around us to go well. If we let it. We are in times that tend to make people fearful. Climate change, the current state of politics in the United States, and now the threat of the coronavirus—these are real concerns. And it does no good to pretend that these concerns aren’t real. The bigger question is, how do we prepare ourselves, our families, and our community to address the concerns in ways that are beneficial for all? We can build relationships with people who work for real change and real good.
2. This is Marcie Rendon, and this is my Southside 60: We are seeing a lot of changes occurring at a rapid pace. We need flexible, adaptable thinking and behaviors to address these new and different situations. The coronavirus is changing how the world thinks about personal space, medical care, work environments, and the necessity, or lack of necessity, for large groups of people to gather. One place of hope is the drastic change in the atmosphere over China as it shut down production, travel, and commerce in response to the virus. NASA satellite photos show a drastic reduction in nitrogen dioxide pollution across China. I can imagine a world of commerce run with full consciousness of its impact on the environment. What if the Twin Cities [Minnesota, USA] proactively designated, at a minimum, one day a month as a “shut-down” day during which travel, factories, and workplaces would all shut down voluntarily to clear the air? If we could continue reducing air pollution without the threat of death from a virus it would be wonderful for the climate and the human race.
3. This is Marcie Rendon, and this is my Southside 60: What if we lived in a world where no one was expendable? Where Black lives mattered? And where there were not five thousand or more missing or murdered Native women? What if there was no need for a child protection system, and domestic violence ceased to be an issue? What if the incarceration rate of Native women dropped to zero? It seems to me that many people’s attitude during the coronavirus is indicative of their attitude toward vulnerable people, including elders. I have heard people say, “I am not worried about this virus; it’s only the old people dying.” Or, “I’m not worried about the virus; I am healthy.” This is a careless attitude when anyone who carries the virus can then infect others, including the elders of our community and those with fragile immune systems. It is the elders who carry the knowledge of the generations. I know this is true for Native communities. I believe it to be true for Southeast Asians, Muslim communities, and the African American community. We value our young as precious beings moving to the future. We value elders as keepers of sacred knowledge. In my viewpoint, no one is expendable.
4. This is Marcie Rendon, and this is my Southside 60: In this time of the pandemic, social media is my daily, sometimes minute-by-minute, connection to the outside world. I see “extroverts,” who thrive on human contact, struggling with loss of freedom to make contact. I see young adults whose need for friends is as great as their need for food and water. Others are mourning jobs that were the mirror that reflected back to them their identity and worth. There are folks who are struggling mightily to make ends meet [to survive financially]. On top of it all is the fear of severe illness or death from this virus that is silently stalking us all. As an Anishinaabe woman, I feel this is the time we have been preparing for. I am not talking about an apocalypse or an “end of the world” scenario. I am talking about ancient prophecies that told us there would be a time when humans would need to choose between two paths—the path of greed and industrialization or a way of life that is in balance with all living beings on the planet.
5. This is Marcie Rendon, and this is my Southside 60: This virus, which is causing so much grief, has also put into motion a healing of the earth. As countries, cities, industrial production, and international travel have ground to a halt; as gas-powered vehicles of all kinds and rush-hour traffic jams have stopped, the atmosphere has cleared, waters have cleansed themselves, and people are commenting in surprise, “I heard all kinds of birds today.” This virus is giving humankind a gift. It is showing us exactly what is required to save the planet. To end the degradation of the environment. To give Mother Earth the time and space to heal and regenerate so that human life can continue. It is a hard gift. It is a gift given with tough love. We, individually and collectively, are the ones who can decide to pay attention to what we are being shown and insist that we never again go back to life as it was—to lives fueled by unnecessary wants instead of real human needs.
6. This is Marcie Rendon, and this is my Southside 60: In isolation, I have found time to have many moments of fun. I love the Indian humor on Facebook and in memes. Many are joking, honestly, that this isn’t our first pandemic. Indians jumped on Facebook and created the Social Distance Pow Wow. 182,000 folks are currently on that site—singing, dancing, sharing artwork and stories. Some of the best-known Native comedians have shown up [appeared] to do standup [comedy]. My granddaughter and I recreated a painting of Anishinaabe artist Karen Savage (the Getty Museum requested that people recreate famous paintings using what they find in their homes). I am looking under and beyond the heartache of so many lies, deaths, and collapse, confident that there is an upwelling of hope waiting to emerge and take charge. A friend said, “It isn’t enough that we vision or dream a new way of being. In order for real change to occur that can continue the environmental cleansing that is occurring, in order for the visions to become the new reality, people need to organize and take action.”
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
(Present Time 201, October 2020)