"living flag journal"

…a woman came up and began to yell at me. she said i was uneducated and stupid. that i should just get over it. she was viciously angry. she yelled over and over that i was uneducated. my ivy-league diploma peeked over my shoulder, looking back at her with amazement.

a group of white kids and one black kid, about 11 years old, maybe 13, came by i told the black young man that he didn't have to pay and he raised his fist and said "black power." and "yeah, they should pay us."

a young woman put money in my can and said "i'm sorry." it was powerful as all honest apologies are. something about a real apology opens the heart and makes room for connection and communication. living in a society whose main core value is "everyone for themselves" is a damaging way of life. it strips us of humanity. it is cruel and cold.

my take at the end of a couple of hours: $16.32.

no one accepted a receipt.

this work continues to surprise me. it is new and evolving, and something i know i will continue to grow for the next several years. in boston i began to "pay out" reparations to black passersby. in new york, (pictured on right) a poignant moment was in harlem when two people, one black and one white came up to me...one paying reparations, another accepting them. the two were at odds, argued, and then began to talk. they found hope in each other, and ended up in an embrace at the end of just a few moments.

i'm constantly engaged, and awed by the performances generated by my audience. we mistake performance for a vehicle to observe the performer. but i find the real artistry comes from the audience interaction. powerful, unexpected, breathtaking.