Living in coronavirus world 90: Fathers' Day

6/21 

Fathers’ Day

Thanks  to my friend Shannon,  I’ve got into a (now) Sunday morning series, Bagels and Bible with the Beals. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/3091486797577783/).  Namely Timothy Beal of Case-Western University and Clover Reuter Beal of the Montview Bouevard Presbyterian Church of Denver. Both are authors, Timothy of a book, The Revelation: a Biography (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Revelation-Biography-Lives-Religious/dp/0691145830)  and  Clover a book with  reformed theologian Walter Breuggeman  (https://www.amazon.com/Going-Imagination-Conversation-Scripture-Relationship/dp/0664264131). Their current project is "Revelation and Apocalypticism: A User's Guide to the End of the World."fbid=10219878050194371&set=gm.)3191812604211868&type=3&theater&ifg=1 (There is one Sunday left, but all presentations are available on Facebook. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php? ). Both grew up  in conservative evangelical circles and are quite familiar with the popular cultural apocalytpicism of that community. Thus, their first project is to simply open our awareness of the Book of Revelation as coded cry in the midst of the virulent oppression of an occupying Roman empire. Timothy makes clear that the word apocalypse means ‘uncovering.” As opposed to the inclusive universalism of Paul, Revelation's author desires a community of Jewish Christians committed to separation and radical purity. And to get us to find connections between the “apocalyptic “ world of the late first century and our own fading imperial days. I come because of my love for the book…for several years we did  dramatic presentations at West Park, and a rare excuse to eat bagels. Just this once a week.  

Early afternoon, our international family gathers. My oldest son, in Berlin is captivated by the radicalizing reassessment of American iconography currently underway. It is unprecedented, perhaps in our history. The romantic facade of the antebellum south is being ripped away. An acknowledgment that the Civil War was first and foremost about the preservation of the institution of slavery is painfully underway. The paradigm of two  morally equal sides of Americans of integrity is crumbling. The American South has to rethink its  whole cultural ethos and ultimately the north as well, having benefitted from slavery’s economics.  The traditional “stars and bars”flag icon of the south is finally being seen as an unacceptable symbol that came into prominence as a rejection of integration in the US. Regional “cultural differences”  are no longer acceptable, Mississippi is the last state to retain the stars and bars in its flag. It has  been banned from NASCAR, for God’s sake while  NASCAR's sole black  driver, Bubba Wallace, has had a noose  hung  in his garage. Something very radicalizing is underway and how that plays out is still open to see.  The US has ti basically g through what Germany and South Africa has done. 

On another topic, NBC news reports 40000 of our 1200000 Covid deaths have occurred in  nursing homes. And that these facilities have been pushing out longer term patients to  open up space  for higher paying, faster turnover covid19  patients. And I continue to worry about my mother in her isolation in a New Jersey supportive care facility.  And still no known plan of reopening.

window concert

outside

Lara, Lynn and Malik

For the last several years I have participated in New York City’s annual solstice day Make Music New York Festival. We’ve had a full schedule of eclectic performances in our sanctuary and performances on the church steps for the bus stop. I’ve played with my band for Make Music Harlem on a street stage and with my freedom Steve in a college art gallery and on a Brooklyn Street in  front of a “paint and Pino” place and last year in an Upper Westside pocket park with my band.  Due to the Coronavirus, this year I do a window concert right on 115th Street for the passersby. Halfway through,I was tempted to

Thank you Mili

finish it up on the street, but I stayed in my window. My friend Milica (creator of Harlem’s Paracademia) outdid me with a two hour Make Music Harlem fire escape concert including an epic spoken word performance by Malik Work tracing the history of chattel slavery accompanied by violin and Mili’s freestyle vocalizations.  We do what we can. 

Bikes on Morningside

I get word of a bicycle demonstration flowing down 125th. Meanwhile a manifestation of motorcyclists on Morningside. 

father's day hats

My family gathering was also a Fathers’ day event. With two of us now fathers. I think of all we’ve been doing and still miss my father, 27 years now, thinking how he would have enjoyed this.

Robert S. Brashear, my father

The day ends with more fireworks. And barking dogs.