Portrait of a Modern Day Abolitionist

{Since many of you enjoy it when I share my "real" work and because I'm proud of the portraits I took for this, I decided to share this on my blog. This is Benita Hopkins, Manager of the Freedom Store.}

When Benita Hopkins attended her first Freedom Summit in 2009, the stories of modern day slavery "just tugged at my heart." By the time she attended the first Global Forum and "cried the whole weekend," she knew "there was something for me."  Prior to that, she had been a K-8 music teacher and Middle School Literature teacher in the South Bay. She grew up in Virginia and graduated with an Engineering degree from Virginia Tech.  Later, she became a wife and mother, moved to California, and started teaching. With her children grown and feeling like she had accomplished much of what she had set out to do as a teacher, she was ready for a change. Like many involved in the movement to end global slavery, she feels like the cause found her as much as the other way around.  

Shortly after attending the Global Forum, she became a Fellow with the Not For Sale Campaign. Not For Sale is a multi-faceted, global organization that works to end modern day slavery, by, among other things, establishing corporate codes of conduct, providing economic opportunities for survivors of slavery and educating the public about the problem and potential solutions.  As part of her fellowship, Benita began working at The Freedom Store in Princeton Harbor, just north of Half Moon Bay, Ca.

Today, she manages the store which sells a variety of products made by survivors of slavery. In addition to the brick and mortar store in Princeton Harbor, there is also an online store. You can check out the products at this link. Besides providing economic opportunities for survivors, the store also raises awareness of the problem of modern day slavery. 

Benita's favorite part of managing the Freedom Store is that "I get to tell the story when I sell." She's still a teacher and an educator. Only now, instead of teaching music and literature, she teaches about slavery and freedom and personal responsibility. She's still a wife and mother, but now she's also a modern day abolitionist.

Politics, Religion and Art

Did I scare you away with that that title?  Here's the art:

Here's the religion:
When I picked "horizon" as my word of the year, I made a list of a variety of different horizons I wanted to explore this year, and one of them was my religion/faith. I've enjoyed using art journaling to help me in this exploration, and I realize that I am a faith-filled person who believes deeply in many aspects of my Catholic faith, but I have a lot of trouble with many of the actions of the Church as an institution.  I haven't resolved what, if anything to do about that, but it is an important insight for me.

Here's the politics:
This week, a federal court in California found that California's Proposition 8 which banned same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.  It was a wondrous and surprising opinion, especially because it was written by a conservative judge who had brought several prominent law suits against gay rights groups before he was appointed to the bench.  When faced with the evidence, he just had to conclude that such a ban discriminated against gay men and lesbian women in a way that violated the U.S. Constitution because there was no justification for it other than prejudice and hate. I was shocked and really pleased with the decision.  I've run this photograph on my blog before but I just couldn't resist running it again - in celebration of the decision.  On the other hand, I was saddened and not surprised that my Church, a big proponent of Proposition 8, will be fighting the decision.  Sigh.  I just don't get it.
Okay, off my soapbox now.  Tomorrow, back to pretty pictures! And, there will even be the start of a week-long contest with a fun prize or two!

Artists, Musicians and Social Justice

Jacob's Ladder (Art Journal page, click to enlarge)

On Sunday night, DH and I went to a concert at the amazing Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.  This local treasure, a beach house owned by Pete Douglas, has been hosting jazz and classical performers in an incredibly intimate beach-front venue for over forty years. As we watched the 15-piece Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra perform, I thought of my struggling artists friends and wondered how each of these artists could manage to make a living practicing their art. Midway through the second set, I realized that each of the performers just seemed grateful to have an opportunity to be playing the music they loved, with dear and talented friends, in front of an appreciative audience.  It reminded me of the time I participated in a juried art show, and the other artists just kept saying how happy they were to have been selected and to have the opportunity to show their work. It seems that all artists, no matter their field, share common ground.

Although we didn't know this before going to the show, Marcus Shelby is a performer concerned with social justice, as evidenced by this project.  Social justice is also a big theme in my art work.  The Art Journal page above features lyrics from "Jacob's Ladder," a black spiritual song based on Genesis 28:11-19 originally performed by  Bob Seeger and recently adapted by Bruce Springsteen on the album, "We Shall Overcome:  The Seeger Sessions."  Although this is the messiest and grungiest page in my Graffiti Art Journal, I like how the lyrics flow and how the birds seem to be rising up out of a storm and into a brighter future.

Apropos of this post, DH and I had Sunday night relatively free because we had been planning to go see the "Playing for Change" concert in San Francisco with friends.  Those plans fell through, but I wanted to share this video with you, so you can see what it was all about.  It features street musicians from all over the world singing Stand By Me, and it's a very upbeat way to start your day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM