View the full episode transcript.
This country is extremely divided, always has been.
When you combine the issues of racism, sexism and other isms that have plagued us for ages and mix in the division that’s risen over this drawn out pandemic, you could see why some people might feel comfortable and complacent in their silos.
But let’s do something about it.
I’m asking you to get out of that comfort zone, reach out and connect with another person or group. It’s a simple ask: build a bridge.
This week, I’m encouraging you all to take a step toward building bridges by making some community connections. Take a listen and let’s get into it.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021
Episode Transcript
Pendarvis Harshaw, host: Peace, I’m Pendarvis Harshaw, thanks for tuning in to Rightnowish. We’ve got a special personal essay for you today.
It’s the last episode of the year. So, before we start the 2022 campaign, we’re gonna do things a little different today. I’m coming to you with an ask, actually– na, nah this is a demand. It’s simple
[Music]
Pendarvis Harshaw: Be a bridge, build community. It’s so simple and, at the same time, it’s profoundly necessary right now.
Look at what we’re dealing with: There’s systematic racism, inherent sexism, the failed prison system, and example after example of how the education system is flawed. There are people who come from a lineage of immigrants but dislike people who are currently immigrating.
Meat eaters and vegans are beefing. Men argue about women’s bodies. Look, I haven’t even mentioned the divisions that arise around the COVID-19 vaccinations. People are picking an argument and choosing a side and staying there. The bottom line is: we’re here.
[Music]
Pendarvis Harshaw: Society is splintered into select social groups, which is then magnified and digitized through social media algorithms. It’s wild how the great connector– the internet– can make people even more divisive.
Which brings us to the next reason we need bridges, beyond the conflicts– there’s a lot of isolation. For me, that looked like spending long stretches of time alone in my apartment when Z was at her mom’s. And if you ask me, I’d tell you that loneliness isn’t fully living at all.
[Music]
Pendarvis Harshaw: During these past two years, a lot of folks have been in the same boat– trying to navigate these uncharted medical waters, while getting hit with storm after storm of false information. And the one constant — though sometimes controversial– message has been to avoid social gatherings.
The isolation elevated people’s distrust, both for the government and each other. People missed family traditions during the holidays. Friends lost contact, co-workers didn’t interact as much, if at all. Folks joined the gig economy, where they often work alone. And for others, working from home has become a normal thing. Well, either that, or not working at all.
Then there’s schools. I recently spoke to a teacher who didn’t know what the bottom half of his students’ faces looked like. I laughed, but as a parent, I don’t think I’d be able to identify my daughter’s teacher if she were walking down the street. It’s weird to drop my kid off, see her get her temperature checked and she’s gone. I can’t enter the school for any reason.
Ok, I just laid a lot on you, I know. But I had to illustrate the troubled waters we’re facing. See this feeling of separation and division, forgive my optimism but I think we can overcome it. But hear me out: we gotta wake up everyday and simply build bridges.
I recently watched a film that embodies this idea, for me at least, give me a sec…and I can explain it’ll make sense soon enough.
[Clip from Game Gods]: Ayodele Nzinga: Take the dice. Take the dice and roll your life..
Pendarvis Harshaw: …says Oakland Poet Laureate Ayodele Nzinga in the introductory monologue in Adrian Burrell’s short film Game Gods.
[Clip from Game Gods]: Ayodele Nzinga: Existence is complex and the pieces are held in place by ancient forces. There the gods of our fathers.
Pendarvis Harshaw: The 20 minute motion picture is art. In it we see Ayodele wearing a godly white garb as she recites poetic lyrics, standing in lush green woodlands. Her words are spliced against cinematic scenes of dice games and bankrolls, gold grills and shiny jewelry and recurring shots of baptisms, and a second line.
[Music]
Pendarvis Harshaw: The words: “It’s not right but it’s not wrong either,” appear on the screen. And through interviews we follow the stories of the individuals featured in the film, doing what they can to get what they have.
[Clip from Game Gods]: Ayodele Nzinga: The American dream, the American dream, the American dream…
Pendarvis Harshaw: The movie is an artistic exploration of economics, oppression, morality, and survival in the face of a capitalist society that has looked to exterminate “the Gods”, or rather, the good within.
The film is a bridge between the underworld of urban America and the heavens above. The film is a bridge between the economically disenfranchised folks and the people who I imagine might view this at posh film festivals and art galleries. The film is a bridge between its creators, Ayodele and Adrian. And I had the fortune of being the bridge that connected them by simply sending a message.
[Music]
Pendarvis Harshaw: Through my work as a journalist, I got to know both of them, separately at first, in 2019.
Ayodele is Oakland’s first ever poet laureate, and longtime pillar in the theatre arts community
[Clip from 2019 interview]: Pendarvis Harshaw: I just have to ask you, what happens if that space is not created for story ?
[Clip from 2019 interview]: Ayodele Nzinga: I don’t think I have to hold space. My duty as an artist is to find the stories, honor the stories.
Pendarvis Harshaw: I featured her on this show, when she was one third of the trio behind “Iya Iya’s House of Burning Souls,” along with Kharyshi Wigington and Cat Brooks. Their performance was about art as a form of healing, a thread that Ayodele brings to this film as well.
Adrian Burrell, a documentary filmmaker, was the subject of a piece I wrote after he documented his harassment by a Vallejo Police Department officer.
[Clip from interview]: Adrian Burrell: I felt violated. I felt like my humanity and my agency was taken away from me that in a way that didn’t need to be
Pendarvis Harshaw: Beyond that, I’ve grown to know Adrian through his photography and documentary films, which focus on family, Black history and spirituality.
These two beautiful souls – Ayodele and Adrian, they are among the many, many many people I encounter through my work. It’s a perk of being an Arts writer. But with this power to speak to creative individuals who’ve spent years perfecting their craft, while working in siloed studios and bedrooms– comes with the responsibility of connecting them.
[Music]
Pendarvis Harshaw: So every week, I send a handful of emails or text messages connecting one person to another, a person to an organization, a musician to a group of friends. It’s natural at this point. I mean, it takes time– I wish I could get paid for it. If I had a nickel for every social bridge I’ve built, I’ll tell ya. But keep it a thousand, this is priceless work. Especially when I know how divided we are as a people and how badly we need to be connected.
We’ve got to take it upon ourselves to connect people who might work well together–the folks who have an idea, and need that one person to help actualize it. I ask you, or better, I request that you build with them.
Now, this is going to look different for you than it does for me, I know that. But the idea is the same. If we plan on doing something about the ills of society, we need to work together to do so. And to work together, it’s going to take introductory emails, text threads.
[Text message FX]
Pendarvis Harshaw: And a couple of “hey you should meet this person,” sorta messages.
[Text message FX]
Pendarvis Harshaw: Each bridge will be unique, which is true in the construction world. Think about the Bay, we’ve got overpasses, draw bridges, and other structures [Text message FX]
[Music]
Pendarvis Harshaw: The world-renowned Golden Gate Bridge is hella different from the San Rafael Bridge, despite being only a few miles apart. The Dumbarton Bridge starts low– almost on the water– before rising to its apex and then coming back down. While the Carquinez Bridge is pretty much level all the way through. Even the two sides of the Bay Bridge differ drastically in structural design and lighting.
But each one of those structures helps people get over something, and leads folks from one side to the other–a conduit, aconnector, a community builder, an apt metaphor for what’s needed right now.
That said, take a look at your family or circle of friends, even the larger community. Then ask that question: how can I build a bridge today?
[Music]
Pendarvis Harshaw: I’m Pendarvis Harshaw, host of Rightnowish, and believer in bridge building thanks for listening to me.
Marisol Medina-Cadena is the producer of this show. Our editor is Jessica Placzek. Ceil Muller is our engineer. Kyana Moghadam, Ashly Ng, and Justin Ebrahimi make up the engagement team. KQED execs are David Markus and Holly Kernan.
Happy Holidays folks. Take this time to recharge, catch up with your people, and enjoy yourself. Rightnowish will be taking a winter recess, and be back January 7th. Till then, leave us some love on social. What episodes were your favorite this year? We wanna know.
Rightnowish is a KQED production.
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