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If I Can't Dance, I Don't Want to be a Part of Your Revolution: On Activism, Burn-out, and Art

Radio Free Fresno
Radio Free Fresno
Episode • May 16, 2020 • 20m

After briefly talking about electoralism, I go into why I think art is essential for activism; it serves as a vent for the overburdened activist to get some respite from the grave and troubling issues they deal with on a daily. The title is a quote from anarchist Emma Goldman, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be a part of your revolution." That is pretty much the theme of the podcast for today.

I chat about Asco, the Chicano art collective from decades ago that fought gentrification by tagging a museum that refused to show Latinx artists. I discuss the pain of activism and why having a creative expression is important--it anchors our anger at the current situation to a future of hope and change. If there be a curriculum for activism, it needs at least a one separate book on activism and art as a form of both self-care and activism in action.

On Asco:  https://eastofborneo.org/articles/your-art-disgusts-me-early-asco-1971-75/

https://www.kcet.org/socal-focus/1970s-la-chicano-conceptual-art-group-gets-its-due

On Emma Goldman:  https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman

On Chicano Protest Art :  https://bmoreart.com/2017/12/from-grape-boycotts-to-the-border-wall-a-history-of-chicano-and-latino-art.html

Academic study on activist burn-out:  http://www.edchange.org/publications/Activist-Burnout-Chen-Gorski.pdf

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