An Update from the Chittenden Zone of the VCN and Big Heavy World
The Chittenden Zone of the Vermont Creative Network (VCN) stated the following on June 4 regarding the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and protests:
Chittenden County Creatives:
We look to each other for peace, reassurance, and light on the path to recovery during a natural public health crisis that has a vague beginning and end. But as history veers toward revealing clear naked destructive truths of our own making — systemic terrors we could eradicate from society by force of will, and haven’t yet — our responsibilities become far more definite. Many of us will choose to act to create a future where justice dwells in everything we call 'civilization.' Our embrace of each other on this day, in this era of danger and division, should be one that we never let go. We found solidarity in the nature of our creative work; let’s find it in our shared humanity and conviction to be accountable, too.
Today, as in all days, creatives have an opportunity to serve our community. The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and more unarmed black civilians have rattled society, sparking movements and civil energy unprecedented in its scale since the Civil Rights movement of the 60s. Pair this with the pressure of Covid-19, and one can see that we reside at a critical point in history. A fork in the road. A moment in which change is both demanded and necessitated.
The Chittenden Zone of the Vermont Networked has provided a “short and imperfect” list of resources. The resources are intended not as a complete representation of racism, but as a small catalyst for improving one’s understanding of it.
The list includes VPR’s “Racism—and Anti-Racism—in Vermont,” a conversation hosted by Jane Lindholm with a large and locally sourced panel of officials, experts, and artists; the best books on racism you can read for free right now; a list of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) businesses in Vermont you can support; and informational articles by Vox and Refinery29.
Organizations offering further information (via Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community):
Black Lives Matter VT & Black Lives Matter of Greater Burlington
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Vermont
NAACP – Rutland Area Chapter & Champlain Area Chapter
Vermont Racial Justice Alliance
Vermont Coalition for Ethnic and Social Equity in Schools
Showing Up for Racial Justice – BTV chapter
Vermont Peace & Justice Center
Today is the best time to take action, and becoming informed is the first step. We at Big Heavy World encourage all to improve their communities, become involved, and lead us to a better tomorrow.
Artists serve a vital role in this effort, as promoters, investigators, and challengers to new ideas. We encourage creatives to embark on new projects—to steal inspiration from the zeitgeist and share their perspective. Now is a time for spreading understanding and perspective, something uniquely suited to artists. Educate and create, we urge you.
As Senator Bernie Sanders recently stated, “If there’s anything about this current crisis that we can learn from, it is that maybe we can rethink our values, our priorities, and where we go from here when this crisis is over.”
Text by Luke Vidic.
Image by munshots@gmail.com via Unsplash.