Tuesday, May 27, 2008
More from Detroit
Here are more images from my recent Detroit visit. Included are some of the most remarkable people I have ever met. At the top is Joan, a former nun, who went to the Dominican Republic fifty years ago to help the women there organize themselves into projects which would improve their lives and the life of their community. As a result, the women banded together, pooled their resources and energies, and succeeded in many of their efforts, including sending several of their own children to college. Joan has just returned from yet another visit to this group, where they honored her for her work on their behalf.
Also in our group (we were picnicking in Point Pelee Park) was Pat Noonan, celebrated for her lifetime of dedication to feminist and other causes. She is known as the "mother of feminism" of Windsor, Ontario, and is frequently interviewed on T. V. and radio for her views of current affairs. (Somehow I managed to put her picture up twice, but believe me, she is a greater than life size woman, and deserves to be acknowledged more than once.)
Next, of course, is Patricia herself, my longtime friend and supporter. I have written of her accomplishments many times, and she continues to be a major player in my life. The scope of her achievements is amazing--art, music, photography, political causes, writing--she is celebrated and loved literally by thousands all over the world.
Next is an owl, which I somehow managed to photograph though I never did actually see it. It seems a fitting symbol for the collective wisdom of the women I just described (and also for Penny, whose picture appears later.)
And here are three "birders" intently gazing at their feathered subject--perhaps it was the owl they were peering at.
This birder and his son came all the way from Vietnam for this "Festival of the Birds" which is famous all over the world.
This is Penny, who was also an important part of our group. A poet and artist, she is planning to come to the Bay Area for the month of July and we hope to get together to explore San Francisco at that time.
The final image is part of Rivera's mural in the Detroit Art Institute. Although most of his depictions in this mural are of male factory workers, I selected this female figure who embodies the "earth mother" energies which sustain us all.
