1 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Anny and Samantha imot the stuff we 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: never told you protection by her radio. 3 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 2: And welcome to another Activists around the world and happy 4 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 2: continued AAPI history months and today we're returning to our 5 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 2: love of poetry with an activist and leader, Teresa Sia 6 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 2: Gatano so On her website Teresaciagatano dot com, Teresa describes 7 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 2: herself like this, The important stuff that you must know 8 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 2: off top is that I was born, raised, and repped 9 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 2: the Bay Area all day. I come from a big, 10 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 2: beautiful Samoan family, even though I'm an only child, and 11 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 2: I'm deeply devoted to my Pacific Islander community across the diaspora. 12 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 2: And when I'm not on stage, in a classroom or 13 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 2: behind a microphone, you can catch me facetiming with my nephews, 14 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 2: which I thought was very sweet. Family is important, and 15 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 2: she often introduces herself as an artist, an educator, and 16 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 2: a community leader, and her work has been celebrated throughout 17 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:12,679 Speaker 2: the country and the world, including at the White House 18 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 2: during President Obama's administration. She has been a speaker of 19 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 2: the UN Climate Change Conference and was even awarded the 20 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 2: Champion of Change Award in twenty twelve by President Obama. 21 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 2: What do I think of those days? I just think 22 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 2: the good old day. There was a lot of problems, 23 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 2: but not these problems. Yeah. Anyway, So she uses her 24 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 2: work and talent to advocate the needs of protecting the 25 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 2: land and nature, as well as using her words to 26 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 2: speak for her community and people. She writes this for 27 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 2: culturalpower dot org in the wake of a brand new 28 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 2: year with the same climate crisis anxiety we carry. Is 29 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 2: poetry that helps me reckon with my indigenous Samoan roots 30 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 2: as a ground not only my desire to now language 31 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 2: climate crisis in my writing, but also my responsibility to 32 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 2: take action on it in my life, both on and 33 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 2: off stage, both in the poem and with my people, 34 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 2: both when I create and when I organize. And this 35 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,000 Speaker 2: piece is an amazing piece. She writes a lot in there. 36 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 2: It's like three or four pages, so if you have time, 37 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 2: go and look her up. And this piece we're going 38 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 2: to reference it again. But obviously is a huge chunk 39 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 2: and is beautiful, Like the way she lays it out 40 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 2: is obvious that she's a poet, like you know those 41 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 2: types of people that like this is all gorgeous and beautiful, 42 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 2: but this is just an essay, what not just then? 43 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 2: But you know it's not an actual poetry piece, which 44 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 2: you were like, this is a four page poetry piece 45 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 2: in an essay, But anyway, you should take time to 46 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 2: go look at it. So in this piece she talks 47 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 2: about the growth and use of poetry and artistry. She 48 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 2: explains that though she was fearful of failing as an artist, 49 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 2: and even though her parents had plans that involved other professions, 50 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 2: you know, being a doctor, lawyer, we got those things, 51 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 2: poetry was always something important to her and a part 52 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 2: of her So again from that article, she writes, fear 53 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 2: of failing my parents, my community, myself always pulled me 54 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 2: away from the choir desire of going full time with 55 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 2: my writing and instead kept me on the academic route 56 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 2: to someone else's dreams. It took three career changes to 57 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 2: college degrees, leaving my life in clients as a therapist, 58 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 2: and thousands of dollars in student loan debt for me 59 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 2: to realize that I will never stop being afraid of 60 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 2: failing at being an artist, that I may always question 61 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 2: whether or not I made the right decision to leave academia, 62 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 2: and finally choose myself that I would rather feel free 63 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 2: and afraid of what I may fell at than secure 64 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,160 Speaker 2: myself to a life that asks me to exist but 65 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 2: doesn't demand for me to live to dream, even if 66 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 2: it means doing it scared. Such is the duty of 67 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 2: the artist anyways, to reflect the times and to tell 68 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 2: the truth about us, as both Nina Simone and James 69 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 2: Baldwin have instructed so many of us to do. I 70 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 2: love that again, this is just like a small excerpt 71 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 2: of what she wrote, Like the entire thing is just poetry. 72 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 2: It's obvious, and it is through her art that she 73 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 2: pushes for change and fights for her land. For the 74 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 2: land from the Justice dot Org, they say Sia Gatano 75 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 2: emphasize the role of artists in making social change cultural 76 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 2: changes faster than policy. She said, so artists have enormous 77 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,280 Speaker 2: power through things like social media and trends to shift 78 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 2: narratives surrounding societal issues. Artists can also will the power 79 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 2: of imagination, and according to Cia Gatano quote we're in 80 00:04:28,440 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 2: the dire need of a radical reimagination of a world 81 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 2: different and better than this one, and it continues as 82 00:04:37,800 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 2: part of her role as an artist. Sia Gatano uses 83 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 2: language to quote shift narratives to focus on marginalized people, 84 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 2: especially when it comes to climate change, is indigenous, black 85 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 2: and brown folks who are affected first and foremost. Cia 86 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 2: Gatano said Indigenous ways of knowing or ways of thinking 87 00:04:53,320 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 2: about relationships, learning, and the world informed by indigenous cultures 88 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 2: can also provide important perspective on climate change, according to Siagatanu, 89 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 2: such as the understanding that one does not own the earth, 90 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,960 Speaker 2: but instead is a part of it. Cia Gatana referred 91 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 2: to the Native Hawaiian notion of kulieyana or responsibility to 92 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,280 Speaker 2: the land, as an example of an indigenous perspective on 93 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 2: climate justice. And it seems again that the power of 94 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 2: her words and poetry is something that she has used 95 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 2: to share her heart and her intentions and of her advocacy. 96 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 2: So from kqed dot org, she says, I think the 97 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 2: poet is responsible for making what is typically taboo or 98 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 2: typically off limits to talk about, make it, to make 99 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 2: it possible to talk about, and make it accessible, especially 100 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 2: right now in regards to climate change. I see poetry. 101 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 2: I see it literally as medicine, and it is we 102 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 2: know the healing power of art like poetry. We need 103 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 2: more of it. And she uses her work to tell 104 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 2: the story of our people and community as well. As 105 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 2: we've obviously mentioned from utterish dot com quote. Her work 106 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 2: combines activism and storytelling to mesh the personal and political, 107 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:10,920 Speaker 2: and her poem at List she writes, I tell them 108 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 2: that home is a machete, and that I belong to 109 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 2: the places that don't belong in themselves anymore, broken and butchered, 110 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,200 Speaker 2: places that have made me a hyphen of a woman, 111 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 2: a Samoan American that carries the weight of both colonizer 112 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 2: and colonized, both blade and blood. She writes about the 113 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,479 Speaker 2: experience of belonging to the Pacific islanderdiaspora and the harm 114 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,040 Speaker 2: of being constantly decentered and marginalized in the US approach 115 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:40,040 Speaker 2: to historytelling. Her poetry looks at intersections of marginalization, constantly 116 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,720 Speaker 2: pressuring for a new point of view that is more expansive. 117 00:06:43,520 --> 00:06:46,279 Speaker 2: So she made sure to give credit to our community 118 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 2: when it comes to her passion and her talent, and 119 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:50,960 Speaker 2: she often talks about how important the arts are to 120 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 2: her people and how they communicated. Again back to that 121 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 2: culturalpower dot Org again, that beautiful piece. Many things make 122 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,599 Speaker 2: up who we are as a community, but I do 123 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 2: believe that art is the soul of who we are. 124 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,960 Speaker 2: Our dances, our music, our drawings, our films, our photographs, 125 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 2: our paintings, our poems, our books, our oral traditions, our instruments, 126 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 2: our storytelling, our writing. All of it is how we've 127 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 2: been able to pass down our histories and the truth 128 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 2: of us for centuries. There is a resilience in our 129 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 2: memory that art never lets us forget the reason why 130 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 2: we're able to dream in the first place. And I 131 00:07:27,520 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 2: can't think of anything else that we need to do 132 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 2: now more than that. We've tried many things, some for decades, 133 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:35,640 Speaker 2: that are just not working, that are just not in 134 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 2: the service of our collective liberation and justice. The time 135 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 2: has come to finally trust the artists to allow us 136 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 2: to help us to dream again. Chills just from pig 137 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 2: chills again. Her poetry speaks for itself and the work 138 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 2: she does and what she is doing, but she also 139 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 2: does advocacy work and is heavily involved in facilitating and 140 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 2: creating workshops, mentors and creating mentorships for other artists and professionals. 141 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 2: And it also has the background in counseling and often does 142 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 2: a lot of work and mental health support a just rehabilitation. 143 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:15,200 Speaker 2: So she does a lot obviously, so you take definitely 144 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 2: if you can look her up, look up her poetry. 145 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 2: It is powerful work. 146 00:08:20,440 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: Yes, absolutely, and as always, listeners, if you have any 147 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: suggestions for this segment, please let us know. You can 148 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 1: email us at Hello at stuff Wehenever Told You dot com. 149 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:32,200 Speaker 1: You can find us on Blue Sky at mom Stuff podcast, 150 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff we Never Told 151 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: You more lst on YouTube. We have a teapoop a 152 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: store and we have a book you can get wherever 153 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:39,959 Speaker 1: we get your books. Thanks as always too, our super 154 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: producer Christina, our executive producer and contruder Joey. Thank you 155 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:46,079 Speaker 1: and thanks to you for listening. Stuff I've Never Told 156 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: You is production by Heart Radio. 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