Activism is not always carried out with a loud voice or picket sign but can occur when we are touched deeply within our souls and we feel deeply enough to share those feelings with others. Janice Cartier presented the oil spill crisis in a way that no other could. From the depth of her own grief about a region she loves she allowed that emotion to pour out in her brush and pen. She represented activism at its core – unattached from grandstanding and political agendas – simply one person seeing a problem and giving voice to it so that others will hear.
Through Janice’s words and paintings my heart responded to the authenticity of her unspoken plea – I care, will you care too? There was no concert or campaign but one person whose soul wailed in pain and allowed it to rise up and spill out like the black oil that lurched into the sea. It was a dignified gnashing of teeth and renting of garments that in its raw reality struck a chord inviting others to mourn at the Wailing Wall.
Through the eyes of a an artist I saw the oil spill and I no longer cared who was at fault, what titles they held and whether or not they failed. It did not matter what was said, and what political agenda it bolstered or diminished, I cared about the wetlands, and the gulf coast region. I cared about the toxicity and the air we breathe. I cared about those who had been exiled by the assaults on the environment and those that remained because it was home. I cared about the sea and its place in the cycle of life.
My heart cried out in pain and my song of sorrow joined Janice for she made me see, feel and care. Oh yes, I see it too and I am moved with compassion. From my belly rises an overwhelming sadness that spurs me beyond seeing and feeling but action. I no longer ask what have they done, but what can I do, and so begins a chain started by one artist with her brush and pen.
There are those who will do the other work that needs to be done – the clean up, accountability and hopefully prevention. The law changers, marchers and way makers whose names we may or may not know. They will be the feet and hands of this body of action. However, others will stir them with their simple pleas to look, to care and to act. Janice Cartier is an activist and today I salute her.
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