Keep in mind, this is not on a Superbowl weekend, or during an international event in LA. Mira Loma isn’t even close to Los Angeles. Three random days, using one screen name.
In addition to drumming for Jubilee, I write and teach poetry. This summer I engaged the issue of sexual oppression from several different angles: the John, the pimp, the sexually oppressed, and like much of America, Robin Thicke’s song Blurred Lines. (note: Yes, I know I'm the 10000000000th person to talk about this. Keep reading.)
I imagine listening to the rough cuts of this song must have been like sitting in my living room with an oil man describing the oil reservoir beneath my house. They know we’re going to buy it. If not you (thank you), then someone. Millions of someones.
You’re probably thinking, wait what was that thing about California?
Right. Those 51 men. Some of them leaving their families to have sex with someone closer in age to their kids than themselves. If an artist (not the only one) on TV and the radio who has a family is able to dry-hump on national television and spend his days on a hyper-sexualized movie set, what’s the difference with one of these men hooking up over instant messenger? I’ll let you answer that question.
If the Mira Loma police were able to arrest 51 men in three days using one screen name, I can’t even imagine the scale of this issue in our country. Across our world. In my eyes, each perpetrator is responsible for themselves, but I would argue there is a lie at work and pop culture gives these men every tool the lie needs to corrupt their rationale. What’s the lie? Who will counter it?
With love,
Steven
"Called Out Your Name" Justice Conference 2012 from Live JUBILEE on Vimeo.
Do What You Love to End What You Hate from Arts Aftercare on Vimeo.
Members of JUBILEE started our sister nonprofit Arts Aftercare. All JUBILEE cd sales go to Arts Aftercare and bring music and the arts in a healing capacity to survivors of modern slavery. Our motto is "do what you love to undo what you hate". We love music and hate the fact that children as young as 4 years old are abused in forced prostitution and slave labor. We encourage people to "give what you get" - give from your passion, what you understand, what God's put in your DNA. Go to www.artsaftercare.org to learn more, and to donate. $10/month is enough to send a Healing Arts Toolkit that brings the arts in a healing capacity to dozens of human trafficking survivors at aftercare safe homes. Much love, CurtisHealing Arts Toolkit, Philippines from Arts Aftercare on Vimeo.
JUBILEE will be performing at The Triple Door on Monday, August 27th at "Beautiful Things," an Arts Aftercare benefit event. Arts Aftercare is our sister organization which we founded to bring the arts in a healing capacity to survivors of human trafficking in Seattle and around the world. Come learn about the Healing Arts Toolkit, and the impact the arts are having bringing beauty and healing to survivors of human trafficking. Purchase your tickets here. 100% of ticket sales go to Arts Aftercare. All ages welcome.
'In our understanding of human trafficking, we are today about where we were with the problem of domestic violence about 40 years ago," he says — "low levels of awareness, low levels of law enforcement response, almost no services for victims.'"
