Saint | Citizen
Join me for a listening event and open discussion at the National Library of Scotland
On Wednesday, March 12 I’ll be hosting a listening event and open discussion at the National Library of Scotland at Kelvin Hall. We’ll be listening to Charles Mingus’s 1963 masterpiece The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady.
This record is not only a beautiful work of art but is the composer’s desperate cry to his audience that racism was destroying the United States and making the world hell for people who weren’t white.
At the event, we’ll be listening to the record in its entirety. After, I’ll give a short presentation to give the record some historical context. But what I’m actually interested in is recovering the fiery Cold War conversation that this record butted its way into: the question of what an American is—and who gets to answer that question. It’s just as timely and up in the air today, in Scotland as much as the US, as it ever was. That’s why we’ll be having an open discussion, digging into these questions and seeing what we can come up with. I know it’s not possible to tackle such huge subjects by talking about a jazz record in a library, but I believe that we need to start somewhere and The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady speaks to the crisis of the present moment powerfully and urgently.
As I write, Donald Trump, in one of the first acts of his second administration, is attempting to strike down birthright citizenship, a right enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution—in other words, he is trying through presidential fiat to redefine what an American is. If he’s successful, it could mean treating undocumented Americans as a foreign invading army who can be dealt with militarily. Now, I’ve talked a lot about this, both in print and on the radio show, and I’ve talked about it in connection with The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. You can read my essay “The Passive Voice” (or listen the radio show episode where I read it alongside playing the record) to see what I think.
But I want to know what you think. That’s why I’m hosting this event. You might not think that you know enough to have an opinion, but you definitely do. You’re a person living in a country—maybe your country, maybe not—and what else is a country but a place where a bunch of people live? Why shouldn’t your opinion on citizenship be considered? You’ve sure had enough practice getting your hands on it and I’m sure it didn’t always come easy. Whether it was getting a passport or visa, accessing benefits or entitlements, being able to see a doctor or find a place to live or beat back the fear that you wouldn’t have enough money the next month for essentials, this is the stuff of everyday life wherever it is that life is made.
Where does freedom or democracy fit in?
Words and concepts like “freedom” and “democracy” are so overused and abused by people wielding them as weapons of economic power that they sound almost meaningless. I want to know what you think they mean, or what they could mean. We can’t fight back against something we don’t even understand, but neither can we rely on the experts to make us understand it—because, as I say, who knows better than you what it means to be a regular person?
Tickets are free but you’ll need to book. You can find details of the event here and you can book tickets here. I look forward to seeing you there.