This is a continuation from Part One:


Imagine other cultures through their poetry and novels: Although La Paloma Sabanera closed in December 2007, there are still many places in the city to explore other cultures through literature– the Hartford Public Library (main and branches), The Jumping Frog, and the Catholic Bookstore are just a few places where books can be found. There’s also several free book tables/carts in 56 Arbor Street.

The literature is just one place to begin.


Listen to music you don’t understand*Dance to it: The Artists Collective has dance and musical workshops for youth. Last year, one of my students gave a presentation about his involvement in The Artists Collective while growing up in Hartford, and after listening, not a person in the classroom could even entertain doubts that this young man was profoundly and positively affected by his experience.

The Charter Oak Cultural Center is home to many musical, theatrical, and other cultural events, ranging from Punk shows to Juneteenth commemorations.

Act Locally: There are issues to address right here in our backyards (or front stoops, as the case may be). These local issues are typically more solvable in a timely way. Rather than talk esoterically about how to reduce crime nationally, we can get results by making crime less welcome–instituting citywide closing times for convenience stores, eliminating blight, and sending police around on foot or bicycle are good things to start with. Looking at the educational system and job opportunities (along with public transportation to get to said jobs) help too.

A city is a place where many diverse people are supposed to come together–I think–to live, work, and seek entertainment. So, why foster an environment for only a select few? Why not make current residents feel welcomed the way others are being sought after?

Notice the workings of power & privilege in your culture: I have nothing succinct to add to this.

Be skeptical about what you read: If there is one thing I’d like to impart, it’s that we need to be careful about giving too much authority to the media. Too often half-truths, misleading videos, out-of-context quotes, and soundbites create ideas that do not accurately portray a person, place, or event. Get your news from a variety of sources, including witness accounts and blogs. Think critically about what you read/watch/hear. Would the media outlet have an agenda that might interfere with the quality/content of news? Does something seem too unbelievable about a story? Has there been a recent surge in news items on a particular topic, like mosquitos, teen pregnancy, or muggings? If you can answer yes to any of those questions, then really evaluate the information you are getting.

Other ways to build community:
Question consumption

Know how your lettuce and coffee are grown: wake up
and smell the exploitation

Look for fair trade and union labels

Help build economies from the bottom up

Acquire few needs

Learn a second(or third) language

Visit people,places, and cultures – not tourist attractions

Learn people’s history*Re-define progress

Know physical and political geography

Play games from other cultures*Watch films with subtitles

Know your heritage

Honor everyone’s holidays

Look at the moon and imagine someone else,
Somewhere else, looking at it too

Read the UNs Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Understand the global economy in terms of people, land, and water

Know where your bank banks

Never believe you have the right to anyone else’s resources

Refuse to wear corporate logos: defy corporate domination

Question military/corporate connections

Don’t confuse money with wealth, or time with money

Have a pen/email pal*Honor indigenous cultures

Judge governance by how well it meets all people’s needs

Eat adventurously*Enjoy vegetables,
Beans and grains in your diet

Choose curiosity over certainty

Know where your water comes from and where your wastes go

Pledge allegiance to the earth;question nationalism
Think South, Central, and North-
There are many Americans

Assume that many others share your dreams

Know that no one is silent though many are not heard
Work to change this