Stuff worth seeking out

Mindful of where things are at in the world right now, and what was touched on in the last post, things are still pretty tense.

In a recent conversation with a trusted confidant and friend, they raised a valid point that while I may not choose to use this medium/forum to start a dialogue on more serious topics that people in the world face every day, it doesn’t mean I can’t offer avenues to help raise awareness of what is going on in the world today. Especially within the space of magic.

The following was compiled by someone who wishes to remain nameless. Nonetheless, thank you for everything you do.

This is definitely not a complete list. This covers what I knew about and was able to find, but I’m certain there are projects, efforts and people I missed. Please reply in the comments if there’s something you think people should know that I haven’t included

WATCH

The Heart & Soul of Magic – TIME SENSITIVE
On June 27th, 2020 at 7 PM EDT Poe’s Magic in Baltimore, MD is hosting a virtual show, starring all African-American magicians. The show is free and all donated proceeds will go to the Associated Black Charities. Hosted by Ran’d Shine, the show features Ben Barnes, Cameron Braxton, Joshua Messado, and Anthony Ware.

https://poesmagic.com/2020/06/18/the-heart-sould-of-magic/

Quiet Masters
Quiet Masters is a 2018 documentary on Black magicians. It spans from Richard Potter in the 1800’s all the way to Black magicians today. The doc goes into all kinds of areas from incredible Black magicians, to the challenges they face, to stories and clips from their acts. As magicians we should know the people in our own art and these people deserve to be known. This doc is also very accessible to laypeople. Even non-magicians can benefit from this. It’s on Amazon Prime here.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07HHDKLQ3/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

Liberty Magic @ Home
Liberty Magic @ Home’s 8th episode passed off the host position to Eric Jones. The show is in two parts. In the first half Ran’D Shine, The Evasons, and Rory Rennick gave a wonderful ~35 min show. The second was a ~45 min panel discussion with Eric Jones, Ran’D Shine, Rory Rennick, and The Evasons about social injustice and cultural appropriation within magic.

https://youtu.be/TKNNgh221Ik

READ

Vanish Magic
The July 2020 issue is a special issue entirely devoted to the experiences of Black magicians. There are articles from Kevin Bethea, Darryl V. Harris, Michael Vincent, Eric Jones, Kid Ace, Marcus Eddie, ICE McDonald, and the Evasons.

http://www.vanishmagic.com/

Genii Magazine
The July 2020 issue contains an essay from Eric Jones called “Eric Jones Invites Magicians to Speak Freely” In it, he discusses many things including his personal experiences as a Black man, historical anti-Black oppression and its progression to today, its presence in magic, and what it means to for the magic community to move forward. It is deeply moving. You can subscribe to Genii to read it digitally or you can purchase the individual issue at your local magic shop once it arrives there.

http://geniimagazine.com/subscribe-now/

Magic for BLM
Magic for BLM is a book made to raise funds for Black Lives Matter, the NAACP, and the National Lawyers Guild. It contains 39 entries by 35 magicians from 5 countries. There’s published and unpublished stuff, established names and underground people, self-working and bullshit, etc. The cost is $25+. It can be purchased on Gumroad here.

https://gum.co/nBlIa

ORGANIZATIONS

IABMA
The International Association of Black Magical Artists (the IABMA) is an organization dedicated to the elevation of magic, particularly within the African Diaspora. Their mission statement is to “organize as many African American magicians and/or TransAtlantic Black magicians and mentalists, for the exchange of ideas, the improvement and perfecting of performance skills, and the showcasing thereof.” They also “promote the learning of our rich cultural magic heritage, and the archiving of our own current magic history.” They’re a fantastic organization.
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https://www.iabma.com/

Organizations Outside of Magic
There are also many organizations outside of magic which need our support. There are too many to list, but some notable ones include BLM, NAACP, ACLU, SPLC, BYP100, NLG, and Color of Change. It’s also good to support things like bail funds, black-owned businesses, or directly donating to the victims. Protesting, calling your representative, and confronting racist family or friends are also all good things to do if you’re able. Please remember that we all have different resources and weaknesses, so consider what you’re able to do when acting. It’s probably a bad idea for a seventy-year-old autistic man with asthma to go to a violent protest in the middle of a pandemic, but he can absolutely confront his family when they try to excuse police violence or call his alderman and tell them he supports the establishment of the Civilian Police Accountability Counsel. The card below from Black Lives Matter is a good collection of information.

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

CLOSING THOUGHTS

My favorite definition of allyship is Rachel Cargle’s Knowledge + Empathy + Action. The continued de-humanization, murder, prison slavery, psychological torment, and every other form of oppression directed at Black Americans is monstrous and transcendentally evil. As sentient beings, it is our moral duty to take part in all anti-racist action to the best of our ability.

Avoid our duty by claiming to be “apolitical” is still a political choice and amounts to supporting the current power structure. It’s looking at cops beating protesters in the streets; prisoners who were tortured into confessing still in prison; black sites still in operation; the leader of the police union having 50+ misconduct allegations including abuse of force, verbal abuse based on race/sexual orientation, illegal searches, coercion, and neglect of duty among many, many others; and thinking things don’t need to change. It is our duty to learn, empathize, and act. Stay safe and be well.

xoxo,
LH

A brief interlude

I received a few messages, asking for commentary on the tension, hate, racial disparity and police brutality with what is going on right now around the world, how it relates to magic, and to be honest, this baffled me.

Asking for my views or about magic in this context, on any of these key issues, makes no sense at all.

This is a blog to talk about magic shit; not a platform for me or anyone else to utilise one way or another in seriously discussing important social issues/flaws. Doing so would only downplay and take away from the importance and focus needed for the right reasons, especially right now.

Currently, innocent people are being killed, losing their livelihoods and being singled out and challenged for nothing more than existing in their own skin.

The only thing I can ask is that you, as the reader, use this time, energy and focus that you have and seek to understand what and why things are how they are. As you would research and learn about whatever interests you, I ask that you use that same focus and energy to learn about what is going on around you, how that impacts your fellow man (and woman) and what you can do to change it for the better.

Ask an uncomfortable question, be ready to have uncomfortable realisations and conversations, but don’t look to any one place or person to dictate or validate your perspective on the world, or anything in it.

Stay safe, be kind and look out for one another
We’ve got a long way to go ahead,
xoxo
LH