A New Day?

The mainstream media is announcing a new day of the "improved economy." Heartened, I spent a week attending official meetings that hinted at future hope. I went to a strategic planning meeting of the Oakland Unified School District, a Broad Based Coalition meeting of the Oakland Unified School District, and an Oakland City Council budget committee hearing. Our government agencies hard at work.

The fact that these bodies allow public comment/input, and appear to listen, is extremely laudable. The fact that these august bodies are talking about distribution of pennies to bail out the sinking boat of education, the arts and city services(don't you love to mix metaphors?), is horrible. Cuts, cuts, cuts and more cuts.

The programs and plans discussed at all these meetings were wonderful. The language soared. The hopes and dreams soared even higher. The charts handed out gave a feeling of things being done, progress being made, problems solved. This is what we're going to do and isn't it wonderful? I can hardly wait for these things to materialize, these things being announced.

But why is it that the directors of Oakland non profits talk about cutting positions, cutting programs, possible closing? Why has the Oakland City Council proposed a 50% cut in funding to arts organizations and artists? Why are many schools laying off arts teachers in order to keep "more basic" programs running?

The new day is back to the old day: wealthier areas will continue to have more resources and options for their children; poorer areas will continue to have less. All the high sounding speeches about equity and focusing on those "needing intervention" are no more than clanging cymbals. Artists will continue to create, as we always have, but I wonder how many children won't discover the arts because their parents don't have the resources to pay for them?