Food, Laughter & Dialog in Richmond

THE PREDOMINANT SOUND WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAS LAUGHTER. Even with so many difficult subjects going around the table, people were simply glad to be together during this bi-monthly gathering hosted by Touchable Stories. Roast chicken, hot links and pork rinds shared space with an oh-so-healthy sampling of salads and vegan delights – yet another reflection of the populations of UC Berkeley and Richmond mingling together with one another at a table that was set in the City of Richmond.

“Our city is going down and it’s going to take all of us to bring it back up.”

Much of the dinner dialog was about pulling together as a community, with broad discussions surrounding the violence perpetrated by people, mirrored by the violence that has for generations been stacking up a significant death toll due to all the toxic land sites in Richmond. (The ever present shadow of Chevron Oil drifting casually around the table.)

“I participated in the madness (violence), I am a survivor of the madness, and I am now working to help my people change.”

We were told by a literacy educator that “Over 70% of 3rd graders are reading below level in Richmond” and that “it is with 3rd graders that they begin to gage how many will go to prison. That’s not just wrong – it’s an obscenity.”

There was a young pediatrician from Kaiser who related stories about a trip to the former Yugoslavia; about Bosnians and Serbs, and how even with everything those people experienced they still had the capacity to extend generosity and kindness to strangers. That this could surely still happen in Richmond “because somehow people find the grace to come back to that which unites us as human beings.”

It was a table of community activists, social service providers, UCB performance and geography majors, one or two policemen, a gaggle of artists, church ladies, five children and two dogs, totaling over 40 in attendance. The dialog is now attracting very dedicated participants.

The next Touchable Stories dinner will occur during the fall harvest - at a great place called EcoVillage where local kids are being reintroduced to the land. We will be happy to set you a place at the table.

Shannon Flattery
Artist Director/Founder - Touchable Stories
UCB Artist-in-Residence