Ripple Effect - Capitol Hill

It's been overdone at this point, but I've been unable to make it to another event that I remember enough about. So, heeeere we go:

On September 2nd (2008), I went to the St. Paul capitol with Rebecca to the Ripple Effect concert. We were there from 4-6, but we didn't find the class until right after Davey D and Rosa Clemente had left. :( During our search, however, we walked all around and took in pretty much everything else at the event.
Substance (livewithsubstance.org) was the lead organization putting on Ripple Effect, though there were plenty of other groups sponsoring and supporting it. This is the description on their website: "Ripple Effect will be Substance’s first step in a series of efforts to manifest a united intergenerational front. These events are aimed at embracing the core values of the environmental and social justice movements, with a collective understanding that the solutions to these problems will require us to break down issue and generational barriers." (http://livewithsubstance.org/rippleeffect/about/)

On the main stage, I saw performances from Dead Prez and Michael Franti, and there was a speech by Will Steger (though I was away from the stage at that time, exploring). There was a smaller stage set up on the right, where the Sustainable Living Roadshow was performing, speeches were given, and music was played. In addition, there were booths set up all around with art, information, products, and they were also taking donations and volunteers. Some of the sponsors/collaborators with booths were Code Pink, OXFAM, Planned Parenthood, EXCO, SDS, WAMM, Thrifty Hipster, and lots of others that I can't remember. In addition...there was a big tent set up selling food - you could get your organic/eco-friendly/green cheeseburgers and hot dogs for something like $6 each. There was a clothesline with free art clothing hanging on it that anyone could take, and what looked like a meditation or prayer circle on the grass in front of the main stage.

It was an interesting space, and I certainly saw many aspects of the mission present. It looked as though there were many generations of activists present - from those involved, potentially, in the initial SDS movement, and other civil rights movement work, to college-aged people. If this was to be an intergenerational event, though, I certainly did not see much in the musical programming that was aimed to please all generations present. That's not to say that middle-aged and older people cannot get down with some Dead Prez (and I certainly saw a few older ladies dancing around to their set), but what about older artists...maybe some artists of that era.

Though there was fairly good representation of many age groups, I didn't see a similar diversity of race, ethnicity, and class (which was less apparent). In fact, I'd say it was largely a white, middle-class space. There were a few people of color in the audience, but I seriously only saw a few. If this event is supposed to be uniting environmental and social justice movements, why are many not represented evenly? What is keeping them from access? Is the event framed in a way that is accessible, or even worth the time of some people - some who have things to worry about like working to survive provide for families - who can't miss a day of work for an event. Or, if that's not the case at all, was there publicity in communities of color? What about transportation to the location? It was a simple busride to the capitol from Macalester's campus, and could even have been walked in an hour or less. But, if it takes an hour or more to get there by bus, is it worth is to some? I'm not sure if these are all relevant questions, but I didn't see their goal met in terms of bringing together people from different movements. So, I naturally wonder why that is.

Another thing I noticed, speaking of race, is that the artists that I saw were mostly people of color. So, what is up with that dynamic of a mostly white crowd, with a political Hip-Hop group like Dead Prez performing in front of them? What about their (the audience's) point of access to the material? Or their privilege in hearing it?

I saw a somewhat even balance of men and women in attendance. As far as programming, there weren't any female artists that I saw, and certainly the headliner, Michael Franti (and the secret guests, Rage Against the Machine) was male. Sha Cage, a local spoken word artists and activist, did MC the event, though, which was great. She's amazing. I don't know if she performed - as that probably would have been at the beginning or throughout, and I only saw her on stage once or twice. If I had to gender the space, I would say male. This was partly due to the music, and the voices and actual presence of the artists performing, but also because of the male officers that were surrounding the area. I don't know that any of the police and riot cops I saw were female. But, just the presence of police, potentially violent, with weapons and surveillance was really threatening and seemed like the state “flexing its muscles,” in a very masculine attempt to scare us/show us it was powerful.