Stories & Events for Social Connection

By Seamus Gallivan

• Taking two weeks off after this, returning 11/26
• “Where Do We Go From Here” – MLK, India Walton, AOC & Jon Stewart
• Musings on Music: Shakti Yoga is a soft spot for live music
• Featured Events: 50+ over the next three weeks
• Listening Links: recommendations welcome!
• Reading Rundown: local and national

Welcome to the Buffalodown! Always welcoming submissions.

Happy November, y’all – figured I’d take a couple extra days to send this week’s Buffalodown, for both some post-election offerings and to stack the event listings for a planned two-week break after 43 straight free weekly emails. For those yet unenlightened by the “Nap Bishop,” Tricia Hersey – Rest is Resistance, and we sure need both right now…

…when I reached the final stage of grief about the re-election of Trump – acceptance – I was reminded, as usual, by the philosophy and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, this time from his final year of life before assassination. In 1967, after spending a month or so in isolation to rest, reflect, and write, he wrote his fourth and final book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?” and that August delivered a speech in which he declared:

“I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems. And I’m going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn’t popular to talk about it in some circles today. And I’m not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love; I’m talking about a strong, demanding love. For I have seen too much hate…and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love.”

I wish for all of us some space to rest, reflect and write – rest up for the resistance needed to the rise of fascism; reflect on how we got here, and how we can help going forward; write, write, write, from journaling our inner-visions to reaching out to loved ones and neighbors – myself included, please let’s be and stay connected, we need social connection now more than ever…

…meantime, for a bit about where we go from here before the usual Buffalodown content below – which will always include outlets for civic engagement – here’s an MLK-inspired pre-election reflection from Reconnecter supporter, Roots Action strategist, and brand-new grandma(!) India Walton, as well as words of wisdom on consuming post-election content from The Daily Show host Jon Stewart.

“Yes, the moral arc of the universe is long, family. We must build a durable and expansive movement. Durable means we have to be able to withstand pressure or damage and be long-lasting. Expansive means that we must be open and operate in abundance – we can’t cancel everybody who doesn’t check all the boxes, y’all, we have to live our values and meet people where they are. Our movement cannot be dependent on a single charismatic leader; we have to stop gatekeeping and allow vibrant, eager, young people in – we must teach them, train them up and then let them LEAD.   

  “No matter the outcome of this election, I know that for the sake of my granddaughter, my community, this planet, there is still work to do.”

---

 Musings on Music

Shakti Yoga is a soft spot for live music

There’s something special about a concert in which one must remove their shoes to enter..

…such is the setting at Shakti Yoga (133 Grant Street, West Side), where the Lavender Haze Collective returns this Saturday to start another series of intimate concerts in the Shakti Lounge, “a salon-like listening room offering high caliber music in a relaxed setting, located inside the beautiful Shakti Yoga studio [with] warm floors for cushion seating or chairs provided.” Guests are welcome to bring their own beverage, relax and just breathe.

The series kicks off with a true tone-setter, the same artist I booked to start summer concerts in Larkin Square – the globetrotting, soul-stirring Walter Kemp 3. From the LHC: “When do we hear silence? What should a sound, sound like? Who mandates freedom within the form? We invite you to take a seat in preparation for a sonic dose to your eardrums…grounded by the roots of swinging, soulful syncopation, bandleader Walter Kemp 3 (piano, Rhodes, and Viscount organ) and the ensemble deliver an intense trip into sound-space-time. Through unexpected instrumental exchanges and dynamic interplay, what is heard is both dynamically intriguing and warmly familiar.”

Special note on the season schedule below – a benefit for the Sara Rogers Foundation in January, honoring the legacy of a beloved presence at Shakti and beyond.

Become a paying member to help us present and promote more music!

Become a paying member to help us promote community events!

---

Listening Links

Recommendations welcome!

Resetting the Table: Bridging Divides for a Safer Community – WBFO What’s Next – “‘Resetting The Table’ is a national effort to prevent political violence through collaborative discussion….the three steps of ‘Resetting The Table’: Stop and listen, pause before action, and spread the message.”

Community Responders: Strengthening First Response – The Public Good by PPG – “In Buffalo today, over 80% of 911 calls to Buffalo Police do not involve crime or violence, and yet police are almost always sent – an approach that is dangerous, unnecessary, costly, and ineffective. Instead, community responder teams composed of health professionals and peers can be safely deployed without the police to many of these calls and prevent situations from escalating into crises”

America Has Changed. So Has Jon Stewart – Ezra Klein Show  – “We discuss how the media has become increasingly segmented and polarized in the past 25 years, how that has affected politics, how he understands Tucker Carlson’s political transformation and whether his own politics have changed.”

Reconnecting to Prevent Social Unrest – WBFO What’s Next – Leaving this link up for a while, as I’m honored to have been invited onto this profound program – this went real deep from the jump, please listen! Here’s how they described it: “Seamus Gallivan’s latest endeavor is Reconnecter, a ‘social connection space’ that aims to bring people together in person and online ‘by illuminating the ties that bind us.’ That means music showcases, variety shows, and media elements — all to help provide a need that he believes can help prevent social unrest. Gallivan sits down with Thomas O’Neil-White to speak about the power of reconnection and his plans for the new project.”

---

Reading Rundown

With intent to connect, inform, and inspire action, every edition of the Buffalodown closes with links to other sources and stories that deserve more attention. Always welcoming links to read and share at seamus@reconnecter.org.

[Local] election results: A rare incumbent loss, lots of no-contests – Investigative Post – “Half of Tuesday’s local races in Erie and Niagara counties were uncontested.”

16 deaths blamed on domestic violence in one year– Investigative Post – “Rising domestic violence in Erie County concerns advocates, who praise state commitment, but say the system in place to address the issue needs to be more coordinated.”

Group pitches plan that would have community responders, not police, handle some non-emergency calls in Buffalo– The Buffalo News – “I think it’s one of those situations I’ve seen as a policy person in Western New York where you really, actually have to have some seed money before government partners will say, ‘Yes, let’s test this out with you.’ ”

---

Thank YOU for reading this far and being part of it all – extra thanks to everyone supporting this work with a membership at www.reconnecter.org!

Please share with friends to sign up for next Tuesday’s Buffalodown, and reach out with any feedback, all ideas welcome!

Copyright (C) 2024 Reconnecter, Inc. All rights reserved.