You Gotta Work the Culture If You Wanna Change the Politics
From Rinku Sen at Colorlines:
I’m going to highlight some of the very cool projects and people I met. But before I do, I’ll just name one lesson from these discussions for organizers and advocates: People like me, who have been trained in the linear world of policy change, tend to have a very transactional view of art and culture in relation to their work, although they may be perfectly capable of appreciating art for its own sake in other contexts. Politicos consider artistic projects valuable if they increase pressure on a targeted decision maker, generate press for a campaign or attract celebrities to the cause. These are tactical benefits. There’s nothing wrong with any of these goals, but they don’t fill the gap between what people believe and the policies we want to push. Every political strategy needs a corresponding cultural strategy.