"Marisa Handler,
who was born in apartheid South Africa,
has been at the heart of some of the most important protest
movements of the last decade – participating as a concerned activist
and covering them as an impassioned journalist. From carrying signs
and writing songs, to coordinating affinity groups and mediating on
the front lines with the police, Handler has traveled the United States and the world to investigate,
bringing the world’s injustices to the forefront of America’s consciousness. In her new
book, LOYAL TO THE SKY: Notes From An Activist, Handler shares her
experiences, and offers a unique look from the inside out."
MARISA HANDLER, a San Francisco-based writer, has covered
anti-globalization and peace movements worldwide. Her work has
appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon.com, Tikkun,
Bitch, Earth Island Journal, the San Francisco Bay Guardian,
and several anthologies.
Portland, March 5th, 2007 Timothy Flanagan,
editor at The Wordsmith Collection
Marisa is disarmingly honest and absolutely genuine.
She is a woman of courage whose vision
transcends her years... Her perspectives on what social
activism means, and what it can mean for working people are timely.
She reminds us, that in spite of what often seem overwhelming odds,
together... we can make a difference.
Here are portions of my interview with Ms. Handler.
Tim: What is your primary occupation, are you an
activist, a writer, or an entertainer?
Marisa: Well, I'm still trying to figure it out myself.
I think that's the best answer I can give at this point. I
think each of those are important parts of who I am... and
singing is a really important vehicle
for me, and it's been a lot of my activism actually, singing at
rallies and protests. It seems to reach
people in a way that connects with their heart.
...Writing this book and the journalism that I've done
that's led up to this book, has also been a very important
vehicle... particularly when I've traveled
abroad as a journalist... And I think activism is completely key to
any kind of long-term social change.
Tim: How do marches and protests make any difference?
Marisa: I think that some of the effects are visible
and some of the effects are not immediately visible.
...For example, the massive marches by immigrants, those have had a
very visible and concrete effect
on immigration policy in this country. I do think that the
representatives in congress really stood up and took notice when a
million people got out into the streets. On the other hand, I think
...some of the effects are less visible... and what I mean by that
is, that in the process of building resistance, we are also building
alternatives. Particularly if our modes of organizing reflect
the world we are trying to create. Especially if those modes
are directly democratic, are diverse, and incorporate different
voices... We are creating the anwers as we protest. ...we are
sewing positive seeds...
Tim: What part must unions and working people play in
this struggle?
Marisa: That's a great question and I'm glad you're asking
it... I think it's really key, I think often,
at least the organizing I've been a part of, has been pretty much
middle-class, and can leave out
the voices of average working people... I was in Miami in November
2003 for the Free Trade Area
of the Americas protest... It was really wonderful to
see how Labor and the direct action contingency
worked together there. ...John Sweeney came to our warehouse and
spoke...
It was inspiring and I wrote about that. ...I think
that because of our access to resources in this country, and the
fact that we use more than 20% of those resources, ...sometimes we
forget about the working people in this country. ...American
labor's issues here connect with issues around the world.
...I
think NAFTA hits working people the hardest.
Tim: NAFTA, The North American Free Trade Agreement,
by
virtually destroying the economies south of the border has driven
people north trying to feed their families, and lowered wages here
as well as destroying much
of the infrastructure of societies to the
south. It has been a disaster, except for certain
corporations.
Marisa: Exactly, exactly... its just another
example of corporate globalization, where you see resources that
belong to communities, to all of us, being moved into the hands of a
few vast transnational corporations, and out of the hands of those
people who should control them.
Tim: Well said... I don't mean mean to change the
subject, Marisa, but your book is titled "Loyal to the Sky."
Where did that title come from?
Marisa: ...That is the title of a song I wrote and sang
on March 20, 2003. On March 19 Bush declared war on Iraq, and
on March 20th, 20,000 people stepped into the streets of San
Francisco to protest. I wrote the song for that occasion. ....The
lyrics are ...essentially about a loyalty which is greater than
simply loyalty to this country. I think patriotism is good,
but I think at this point, in a globalized world, it falls upon us
to be loyal to more than just our country... really to all of
humanity, to the planet, to things that are greater than to just
people who fly the same flag...
Tim: It makes good sense... In your book... you
indicated you have visited India, Israel, Ecuador, and Peru and
participated in activism in those and other places. How do you
think problems in those nations relate to working people in America?
Marisa: They're not very different than the problems
here, to be honest... All the places I've been people are
struggling to preserve their communities, their cultures, and their
land in the face of corporate globalization, imperialism, or war.
Communities, community values, ecosystems, and environments are
getting trampled by a "monoculture." I think that, much
like here, people are trying to preserve their jobs and to preserve
their community and sense of community. And to keep living by
the values that are important to them... that's happening all over
the word. The exciting thing is that people are resisting all
over the world. ...Some have been very successful in
their struggle.
Tim: So, civic-commitment in those nations is the same
civic-commitment we have here. And as you said, it is a commitment
to something higher than a nation.
Marisa: Absolutely. It's to something both smaller and
bigger than a nation. Something smaller, in the sense of
family and community, and something bigger in the sense of shared
values, humanity, and dignity. ...As I write in Loyal to the
Sky, no matter where I go, it's a struggle just to preserve the
things that are beautiful about being human.
Tim: Our listeners will appreciate that idea... A
question a lot of people ask is how can one person make a
difference? Marisa: I wrote Loyal to the Sky to speak to
that. Because I think the reason there isn't more happening in this
country, is because people really feel like they cannot make a
difference, and even if they can, where do they begin? I wrote the
book to inspire people who are thinking about being more active, and
thinking about how much they can commit. ...I really do
believe, whether we recognize it or not, we are making a difference.
...Our choices, living in a globalized world, particularly living in
this country with the kind of resources we command, they do have
effects, whether or not we recognize it. And, we get to
choose, we get to choose whether we want to have positive or
negative effects. I think that in a sense we are all activists
already. The way I like to put it is that every action, or every
choice that we make that brings us closer to each other, to a more
authentic sense of who we are, and to the planet... is positive
activism. That's activism that is really helping. .... I think that
for people who are wondering what to do or how to do things, I would
tell them they already know. Everyone knows what you are good at,
what draws you, and really its just a matter of being quiet and
really listening, finding out...what it is your mission in life to
give, and then being bold and creative about it.
... Tim: Your insights are appreciated and I wonder if you have
any last words for our listeners...
Marisa: Yes. There is a spiritual thread in the
book. As I move outward and find what I can do, there is also
a movement inward where I ask am I making a difference? Is my
work helping or hurting? Or what am I really doing here, on a
deeper level... It's easy to burn out if we are just being active
and not paying attention to our inner lives and what feeds us.
Whether that's meditation or prayer or art or spending time in
nature... we must nurture ourselves as we go about doing our work in
the world.
Tim... Thank you Marisa. We appreciate your
having told us more about who you are,
what you do, and why you do
it.
Here is some background information on Marisa:
Dissent and protest have been the impetus for historic governmental
changes –
precipitating the abolishment of slavery and women winning the right
to vote. Today’s protests are just as passionate and just as
historically important – advocating peace in the Middle East, the
end to the war in Iraq, and civic-commitment. Corporate
globalization continues to undermine labor rights and workers in
third world or developing countries. We must band together to
protect our communities.
Marisa
Handler, who was born in apartheid
South Africa, has been at the heart
of some of the most important protest movements of the last decade –
participating as a concerned activist and covering them as an
impassioned journalist. From carrying signs and writing songs, to
coordinating affinity groups and mediating on the front lines with
the police, Handler has traveled the United States and the world to investigate,
bringing the world’s injustices to the forefront of America’s consciousness. In her new
book, LOYAL TO THE SKY: Notes From An Activist, Handler shares her
experiences, and offers a unique look from the inside out.
Marisa visited
Portland March 6-8
She appeared Tuesday,
March 6, 7pm, at an event w/ FirstUnitarianChurch, 1011 SW 12th Avenue.
and Wednesday, March 7, 7:30pm, @
Powell's Bookstore, downtown main store located at 1005 W. Burnside
LOYAL TO THE SKY
Notes from an Activist
By Marisa Handler
Foreword by Rebecca Solnit
"You can change the world; you can accept the challenge injustice
issues. It won't make your life easier, but it might make it worth
living or let you live with yourself." —
Rebecca Solnit
As a 12-yr-old in apartheid South Africa,
Marisa Handler wasn’t planning on becoming an activist. But her
course was set on a day in a South African school yard when she
defended her parents vote for the Progressive Federal Party—Contact:
the only legal party in the apartheid state that advocated equality
for all. Despite the condemnation of her schoolmates, young Marisa
stood her ground, declaring that, "a black person could be
president," of
South Africa.
This schoolyard debate was the first step in a journey that would
take Handler all over the world. In Loyal to the Sky, a vivid
mix of personal memoir and political reportage, she combines the
story of her own coming-of age with a fascinating inside look at the
global justice movement.
Handler vividly describes her work as an organizer and journalist in Israel, India, Nepal, Ecuador, Peru and all across the United States,
both covering and leading protests. She sketches memorable portraits
of the people she encountered and the sometimes harrowing events
that changed and shaped her. Along the way she offers an insider’s
perspective on what drives the global justice movement and describes
how large-scale protests are planned and executed. She demystifies
direct action—the confrontational tactic the movement is known
for—and describes how she came to advocate a spiritually based,
nonviolent activism. Part
biography, part manifesto, Loyal to the Sky
traces the arc of one woman's life and her travels across the
globe—drawing us in and showing us how we all can contribute to
create a better world for all.
Marisa Handler has written for Salon.com, the San Francisco
Chronicle, AlterNet, and Tikkun, Orion, and Bitch magazines. She has
worked as an activist with numerous organizations, including Direct
Action to Stop the War, United for Peace and Justice, and the Tikkun
Community, where she was National Organizer. Her Orion story was
nominated for the Society of Environmental Journalists’ Best
Environmental Writing award.
BK Currents titles advance social and economic justice by exploring
the critical intersections between business and society. Offering a
unique combination of thoughtful analysis and progressive
alternatives, BK Currents titles promote positive change at the
national and global levels.
"For readers interested in liberal political activism in this new
century---this is a must-read. Most entertaining are the lively
descriptions of such groups as the “Knitters for Peace” and the “Dot
Commies,” and descriptions of behind-the-scenes encounters. A deeply
intelligent, absorbing call to action." — Booklist
“From assisting Amazon Basin communities threatened by oil
companies, to protesting at the 2004 Republican National Convention,
Handler has put her values into action with tenacious creativity.
She ably conveys the histories of places many people couldn't find
on a map in a lively, moving and funny voice." — Publishers Weekly
“Marisa Handler is a young activist who captures in this book the
most hopeful energies of her generation and will excite anyone who
hopes for a post-Bush world of peace and justice. Insightful and
charming, spiritually rich and emotionally honest, Handler's writing
shows that tikkun olam, the healing of the world, is not some
outdated fantasy but an ever-present possibility.” — Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun, and author of
The Left Hand of God: Taking Back our Country from the Religious
Right
“From apartheid
South Africa to US
militarism to Ecuadorian indigenous rights, Marisa Handler weaves
together her fascinating search for a more caring, compassionate
world. But no Kumbaya triteness here--the author takes a brutally
honest look at herself, the activist community and the world. She
writes with wit and beauty, preaches with passion and love.
Loyal to the Sky is an affirmation that mortal humans, with all
our foibles, can be powerful agents for change.” — Medea Benjamin, Cofounder, Global Exchange and CODEPINK
"Handler brings a unique wit, intelligence, honesty, and
outsider's skepticism to an insider's view of the global justice
movement. Hers is a welcome contribution to a history in the
making—providing an eloquent glimpse into who we are and what we may
yet become." — Antonia Juhasz, Activist, Policy-Analyst, and author of The
Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time
LOYAL TO THE
SKYNotes from an Activist
By Marisa Handler
Published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Publication Date: February 2007
Singer, songwriter, author, political
activist
Marisa Handler releases CD
Dark Spoke and book Loyal to the Sky. She's on tour Feb-Mar.
Listen to a unmastered
sing-along of The Dream at the Revolution Cafe in SF.
http://www.k9sound.com/
"The spread of evil is the symptom of a
vacuum. whenever evil wins, it is only by default: by the
moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be
no compromise on basic principles."
Ayn Rand
