2nd BAGHT Hootenanny!

Mark your calendars!

The next BAGHT Hootenanny is scheduled for September 6th at 7:00pm, at Willow Tree coffeehouse in downtown Johnson City at 216 East Main Street.

SPEAC (Spoken word and Poetry Egalitarian Artistic Community) is our new series for the purpose of gathering creative minds, fundraising for good causes, and building community through the arts.

Please check us out on Facebook, all events are shared in the "Be a Good Human Tricities" group page.

Hootenanny:  an informal gathering with music and sometimes dancing. (We added the spoken word/poetry part, because we can) 

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This is a spoken word/storytelling/live music/dance/fundraising extravaganza!
Because doing humanitarian work in the world can also be celebratory, and
it's always a good time to remind ourselves of this truth.

Hear from local poets, storytellers, songwriters, and musicians, while
helping us raise some dollars for Southern Poverty Law Center. This is
a local event, not sanctioned by them, but all donations will be mailed to
them after the event to support their ongoing efforts for social justice.

If you are unable to attend, and would like to support, we encourage donations
directly to them online at https://www.splcenter.org/

If you can't support with dollars, we want you to come and enjoy this event all
the same! We never want anyone to miss out on this over lack of funds.

BAGHT is all about building community. This event will have a focus on inclusivity,
human rights, and a celebration of friendship.

So come listen, learn, dance, and have a beer on tap while doing some good in the
world!

Please check the Facbook event page for updates and details. Local artists;
Jasmine Henderson, Sam Love, Kiran Singh, Gwenda the Lively, and Langley
Shazor are on the line up. More to come!

I Do Not Believe in Illegal People

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Borders Like Stop Signs

I don’t believe in illegal people,

because there’s no such thing as a state line.

Those were drawn by rich men

who could afford the pen and ink required draw them.

And there’s no such thing as a country,

those too were created by rich men

who had the power to absolve themselves

of all sins against humanity

by baptizing themselves in the blood

of the poor and huddled masses,

on the backs of whom whole empires

have been constructed.

A wall or closed border only serves to separate,

to cast judgment from one side onto the other.

That slick, black ink still drying, but already set

seeks to damn anyone born on the wrong side of it.

I do not believe in illegal people.

How could I?

When you feel the only way to save yourself

or your child’s life is by boarding a boat you know might not make it,

or by riding the top of an overcrowded train,

hurdling toward borders meant to act more like stop signs,

the word ‘illegal’ loses all meaning.

I do not believe in illegal people.

See we curse, we sigh,

we waste our breath trying to

explain occupation,

trying to describe a refugee crisis,

yelling at the top of our lungs

to those unwilling to listen.

Tell me, how many dead Palestinians

must be counted and buried?

How many Syrian children must wash up on Turkey’s shores,

drowned in the Mediterranean?

And how many families trying to escape

poverty, violence, and corruption must

be told that in the land of freedom,

there’s no room for those seeking to be free?

Do Syrians not breathe as you breathe?

Are Palestinian children not born as your children are born?

Do Iraqis not live, love, and hope for a world

in which they can just live in peace, as you do?

And do immigrants from Central or South America,

those merely seeking a better life, not mourn, feel pain,

or die as you one day will too?

I do not believe in illegal people.

---

Poem by Bailey Buckner, originally posted on medium.com.

ETSU Creative Writing Festival

East Tennessee State University is hosting its third annual Creative Writing Festival this week! The events span April 10th and 11th, with everything from poetry and prose readings to creative writing workshops for students and the public alike to attend at The Reece Museum and the Martha Street Culp Auditorium. Yes, you read that correctly: both days and all events are FREE and OPEN to the public! You do not have to be a student to attend, nor do you have to have a ticket of any kind. We encourage you to please share this event with any interested friends or family members, as this unique opportunity should not be passed up!

We will be graced with the presence of several extremely talented authors, including Courtney Stevens (author of works such as Dress Code for Small Towns, Faking Normal, and others), the award-winning Mark Powell (author of Small Treasons and others), and the delightful poet and award-winning Bianca Lynne Spriggs (author of Call Her by Her Name and others, co-editor of the forthcoming Black Bone: 25 Years of Affrilachian Poets).

The guest of honor is the multi-talented Joy Harjo: member of the Mvskoke Nation, author of memoir Crazy Brave, poet-author of collections such as How We Became Human, musician of five albums, and award-winning.

We will attach the schedule down below for both days, as well as the author biography page from the ETSU handout so you can all read a little more about our guests. Keep in mind that while the book signings are free to attend, you must purchase or bring your own book to be signed. We hope to see you there!

*Images used in this post belong to East Tennessee State University and the photographs to respective authors. We are using these photographs with permission from the university to promote the event and do not claim ownership.*

April BAGHT meeting

BAGHT monthly meeting: April 24th at 6:00pm

Join us at Willow Tree Coffeehouse and Music Room at 216 East Main Street in downtown Johnson City for an informative and inspirational meeting.

Our guest speaker this month is Kenneth Bonner from CAUSE; Community Alliance United for Social Equality. 

Kenneth is a positive force in our region, dealing with social and civil rights issues in a variety of ways. His passion is bringing about a more equitable society for all. 
From the CAUSE Facebook page:

"The Community Alliance United for Social Equality (CAUSE) is a grassroots organization founded by Kenneth Bonner, and is dedicated to engaging and empowering people and communities to help create a true society of social. economic, and political equality. To carry out the CAUSE mission we utilize a variety of platforms: Creative/Performing Arts, Support groups, Public Advocacy, Empowerment Program/Workshops, Public/Political Awareness Forums, and Community engagement events. "

Please join us for community, coffee, education, and friendship.

Welcome!

Welcome to the "Be a Good Human Tricities" blog!

We are excited to share BAGHT meetings and events, as well as a number of essays, posts, and events related to humanitarian efforts both in our region, and worldwide.

This blog is a work in progress and we welcome your feedback, either in comments or by emailing one of the admins (Bailey or Ren).

As always, our events are listed on the Facebook page, as well as our ongoing conversations. We hope this blog will give us another avenue for staying in touch and reaching people who are not on FB.

Thank you for being here!

P.S. If anyone knows to whom the credit goes for this image, please advise! I can not find the original source. Thank you.