S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition on today's show. A studio audience and three podcast exploring the art of protest. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. You're about San Diego's Chicano Park and Black Panther movements. Plus , Port of Entry explores comedy as protest and the finest talks with a sign painter who uses his art as protest. That's ahead on Midday Edition. On Sunday , KPBS welcomed a live studio audience for tapings with three of our signature podcasts. Midday Edition , Port of Entry and The Finest. All three conversations were connected by a central theme the Art of protest. Midday edition kick things off by sitting down with two lifelong San Diego activists. I spoke with Henry Wallace , the fifth chairman of the San Diego Original Black Panther Party for Community Empowerment , along with Josephine Talon Mantis , co-founder of Chicano Park and founder and board chair of the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center. Here's our conversation. So listen , you all your paths have crossed so many times , but today is your first time actually meeting. Yes. That's so interesting. Right? Yeah. And , you know , you both started this when you were very , very young. Um , each of you , you know , you've got in. Yeah. I mean , and you've got incredible stories as local organizers. But , Josephine , I want to start with you. So take me back 56 years to 1970 , Logan Heights , the city of San Diego , breaks its promise to create a park underneath the Coronado Bridge. But you put your body on the line in protest. So tell us about that day.
S2: Well , I was in a class at City College , and one of my colleagues , uh , one of the neighbors down the street , came running into the classroom and said , they're not going to build us a park. And everybody turned around. And what do you mean? It says they're going to put a highway patrol station where we want a park. And everybody just got up , turned to the door and started walking. The professor , to his credit , stopped us and just said , okay , I want a written report on what you're doing here? And basically within , um , not very much time. And don't forget , during those times , there were no cell phones. There are no blackberries. You know , there was no social media , but within a few hours , we had probably up to 300 people that came down and stopped. The bulldozers , uh , created human chains around the bulldozers to stop them and started building our own park , basically. And it's ironic , you know , something I found last year doing research. San Diego archives , San Diego City Archives. I found a document from 1917 where they were asking for a park in Logan Heights. So I said , you know , we you know , the community had started advocating really about in the 1950s , late 40s , you know , they wanted access to the bay again. I've got pictures of my great grandmother and her family picnicking on the bay. This is before , you know , the shipbuilding industries and a major cannery industries , because canneries were around this side of the of the bay. Not not where they're not where the shipbuilding is now , today. So we wanted access to , um , green space , if you will. And ironically , it was April 22nd , 1970. Do you all know what April 22nd is? Earth day , national launching of Earth Day. But we were facing jail time. Wow.
S1: Wow.
S2: For creating a park. I mean , that was my day. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. And you were 17. 17.
S2: 17.
S1: 17 years old. Yeah. Tell me more about this significance of the Chicano Park movement. What did it mean for the entire community?
S2: You know , Logan Heights at that time had just been opened up , if you will. Um , the area was redlined. Blacks , browns , basically Japanese coming back from from World War two or being incarcerated. Uh , and some Italians that still worked in the canneries , the fish canneries right there were still living there , but we couldn't live anywhere else. I didn't understand that concept at the time , but in research and , you know , studying over the years , basically we had no ability to live anywhere outside of Logan Heights. And Logan Heights at that time was basically what what you look at now , which is Barrio Logan , Logan Heights , uh , East Village , um , Sherman , Grant Hill , Shelton and parts of southeast San Diego. That was all Logan Heights. And then they renamed us in the 1960s. I've got elders that are still alive that hate the name because we were Logan Heights. Um , they renamed us to Barrio Logan and separated. You know , the churches were on that side of the freeway. The schools were on that side of the freeway. The post office was on that side of the freeway. We were I we were basically boxed in. Which leads us to today being the third most air polluted site in the state of California. So we're still advocates for our own green space and health , if you will. So , uh , within a year , the , the , the murals started going up and , and , you know , it it was self-determination of our community standing up and saying , we're tired of not having access , of city planning , not taking us into consideration. Uh , no access to speak on our own behalf. And so we basically Stop the city of San Diego in the state of California and built our own park.
S1: Henry , you got into this too , right?
S3: I mean , oh , yeah , I'm reliving it. I mean , while she's telling it , I'm reliving.
S1: You're reliving. It.
S3: It. Is it? Yeah.
S1: Talk to me about that.
S3: Uh , well , back in those days , it was still Jim Crow. And San Diego was called Little Mississippi back in those days. San Diego was a very segregated county , period. There's only certain areas that we as , uh , people of color can go to. Uh , Santee was called Klan tea. Uh , you go out there and mess around and come up missing. Uh , one of the Marines , uh , got beat down once out there , and , uh , it brought the federal government in to start cleaning up that area of the Klu Klux Klan. And , uh , they started dismantling it. Slowly but surely. But there's still some pockets of it. But you can go out there now. But , uh , southeast San Diego. Logan. Barrio. Logan. Like she said , we were segregated. Uh , we I remember as a child growing up in the national city , and the police would stop us and access. Where were we going? They said that you don't belong over here. And so they would try and find something to say. You up here stealing or something like that and take us home to our parents , you know , get us out of there. So it was it was really rough.
S2: If you were lucky to be taken home.
S3: By yourself , you was lucky because you remember the the lumberyard. Yeah. They used to take us down to the lumber yard and beat.
S2: You and.
S3: Beat you. Yeah , right over there on 35th. Yeah. That's right. And , uh , and then they had the one downtown , too.
S1: So , yeah , these are all conditions that that sound familiar? Growing up in Saint Louis , I heard the same stories from my parents. Yes. Um. You were living in these conditions , and as a teenager , you jumped into the movement as well. You joined the Black Panther Party. Tell me a bit about what made you make that move.
S3: Well , uh , I was a military brat , as they call them. My daddy was a sergeant in the Air Force. Him and mom didn't get along that well , so they wound up separating. And then she found a boyfriend that loved her for who she was. Uh , they moved us to the Bay area. My mother and her new boyfriend. Uh , and he turned out to be a pretty good stepdad. Uh , I started developing and became a musician. At that time , I was a bandleader at 13 , 14 years old , emulating the Temptations and Smokey Robinson and the miracles became a teen idol up there every time I get up on the stage , the girl said , sing , soul brother.
S1: And I did not know this about you.
S3: I was in another part as a musician. So lo and behold , in Richmond , California , while we were shopping for our outfits. You know , the shiny outfits. Sure. You know , we're trying to look good on the stage. Uh , next thing you know , the police came down on the people down there and started a riot. They started searching people and harassed them. The next thing you know. Then people started fighting back. And , uh , that was after the Watts riot of 1965. And so my mom decided to send us back to San Diego. And from there , that's when I put away my hopes to be a teen idol musician and become a revolutionary.
S1: All right.
S2: I became there wasn't the same. Yes.
S1: Yes. Okay. So.
S3: So.
S1: Tell me , because in the late 1960s , um , you know , coalition building between the Black Panthers and and the , the Chicano movement , Brown berets was a powerful example of cross racial solidarity. Yes. Um , how did building a united front create a stronger movement back then?
S3: Well , we found that , you know , at first when Black Panthers , original Black Panthers and Oakland came about , it was about , uh , protecting the neighborhood , you know , the black neighborhood. And later on , because of the government tried to say that we were thugs and we were misfits to come and find out , uh , our leadership was college students. And so they had a pretty good idea on how to deal with the politics at that time. And so we started talking to other groups , you know , such as Mario Logan and places like that which I grew up in that area as well , and we start having dialogue with different groups of people. We found out that they were having some of the same problems that we were. So we decided to come together and protest the government. And so a lot of groups was created from that front. Right.
S1: Right. And , Josephine , what do you would you want to add to that?
S2: No , I was just going to say that day when I mentioned earlier that within a few hours there's 300 people. It was mixed people. It was the Black Panthers , it was the Brown Berets , it was lowriders. It was college students. It was high school students. It was junior high school students. It was elderly and it was youth. And they all came out. And these coalitions , uh , still have the relationship today. I mean , when we went in 2018 when the Proud Boys attacked Chicano Park. Black Panthers were right there with us , along with a whole cadre of religious leaders to defend the park. I mean , so these coalitions were made way back when , and they're still very , very strong. I mean , we don't see each other on a daily basis , but if something happens to the park and we're going to make a statement , we're all united. Front. Right.
S1: How important is that to these movements?
S2: It's extremely important. I mean , you have to coalition build in order to move forward and to have a strong united front to make change. You have to have people on the inside that you're talking to. Either it's politicians or it's people that are in places of power that can make change. And these coalitions , you know , Henry may know people that I don't know or I may know people Henry don't know. So we share these resources so that we can continue to hold this united front and keep this coalition building and going forward , and especially right now , everything that we're experiencing in this country right now , you know , we need to be together. We can't be separate silos. We need coalition building with the people we haven't coalition build yet with.
S1: What do you all see as the unfinished business of of your two movements?
S3: It's still bringing , uh , our taxpaying government in the compliance with what it says that it does. And if they don't , then they see us. You see , if if if they do , then we all cool. You see , you ain't had no riots , right? So in 2016 , the Black Panther Party celebrated its 50th anniversary Like we're doing this year. This is our 60th anniversary. We came together up in Oakland and Big Man. Some of the original founders of the Black Panther Party. We discussed the Donald Trump administration before he became president , and we've seen that this country was turning right. Far right. So we started talking about how we're going to have to deal with this. And so that's why I came back to San Diego and reactivated the San Diego Original Black Panther Party , because we knew that we had this , this new system coming into play , and we want to be at the forefront of it , to let them know that the heroes are still here.
S2: One of the roots that I. One of the roots that I took to secure our place in society is getting Chicano Park listed on the National Register in 2013. And then I partnered with Manny Galvez and we co-authored Landmark status. Chicano Park is the only Chicano landmark in the nation. And the reason I mentioned that , and it's listed as Chicano Park and the Chicano Park Monumental Murals. And that's really significant because in on the National Register , the history of the register is really facilities , buildings , you know , not necessarily people and projects. Right , right. We were a people movement that stopped the city and the state. We made a significant impact. And that is listed under the Chicano civil rights era. But because of that. Um , it was difficult doing the process because there's no arts and I didn't know how to How to frame it and find following Watchtower in LA with Nora Foy , you know , and what he did , it's actually listed there , and I took from that on what Noah did there and what he did in Palm Springs to the Palm Springs , you know , the Noah perf , uh , Desert Museum. Uh , and then I brought that in to make the case. And so we are we are grounded. However , you know , we have an administration right now that is undoing everything. I mean , they have attacked education , undoing education , undoing health , undoing everything. I wouldn't be surprised if they went in and worked with the Secretary of the interior and took away our status. I worry about that because they have. They're changing history. Um , they're the only want history that , uh , paints , uh. Ah , significance in a positive way , and there's nothing wrong with that. But you also have to tell the truth , because not everything that happened here was positive. No.
S1: You know. And part of , um.
S2: And it's not to stay in the negative. It's just to understand the truth so we can go forward.
S1: Well , and and when I think about it , I'm , I think , you know , one of the questions is , is how do you fortify what you've built? Right. Um , there are just legacies that are still standing. Chicano Park , the murals in there. They preserve history and the story of the movement and , um , the programs that you helped to build , whether it was education or food. You know , you helped to build self-sustaining and self-sufficient communities. Yeah. Um , how do you fortify those things in a moment like today?
S3: Well , for for us , the Black Panther Party , we , we build in our partnerships with , uh , like Vons and food for less. Target feeding San Diego Food Bank of San Diego. Cushman Food Bank of San Diego to provide food for not only low income families , but for the homeless and for children. We just got a permit to allow us to start cooking food for the children again. So we're working on that , and we got a grassroots effort now to preserve the arts and create new art. We're creating new art on Commercial Avenue as we speak right now. The the oldest owned black Elks building in San Diego is over a hundred years old , owned by a black folks. And we're putting up murals of the Black Panther Party and showing the history of what we've done so that when the trolley passed by , they could see that. And we just put the black family statues back at Mountain View Park , where the police raided that park back in the 60s and killed one of the first Black Panther Party members , Bruce Lewis , for carrying a gun. And then they descended on the people down in that park and beat him down. It was like a three day riot , and it's on film. So you can look at YouTube and you'll see it. So we put those black family statues back there. We changed the name of the park to Neil Pettus , after one of our football players that became a coach and wanted more for the kids. So we got grassroot efforts going on there , and we're going to put murals up to reflect Chicano Park for the black people. And so Southeast San Diego is going to become a tourist destination from Barrio Logan all the way up to Encanto. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. And I think for what we're doing just to. Just to mention , um , is it? In 2015 , I incorporated the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center , and we began fundraising over the years. We're now going to celebrate four years. We're going to have a fundraiser October 9th. Put it on your calendar. Um , uh , for recognition of us being in the building for years , where we are focused on archival and historical preservation. So what the question you ask , what are we doing to maintain and go forward? The archive , um , has already collected all of the historical significant documents of the Chicano Park Steering Committee that has documented everything for the last 56 years. We are collecting oral histories to be in this archive. Uh , we do exhibitions to teach. Right now we have a print as protest to teach. Um. The significance of art , if you will , as protest. And I think that's what we tried to preserve the history of Chicano Park and the monumental murals , but not just of San Diego , of the whole borderland region on both sides of the border.
S1: Let me ask you this because , um , you know , as I listen to the struggles , um , and the fight for Chicano Park , it now makes me think of Emerald Hills and what's happening today. Yes. So so the the movement continues , the fight that continues , the struggle continues. And it's up to the next generation to pick up that that that mantle. When you all jumped into the movement as teenagers , what was it that you saw that perhaps the adults around didn't see , that made you want to jump into the movement and get active?
S3: It was the brutality of how we were being treated as a people , The Black Panther Party taught me that we were citizens of this country , and that we had equal rights to everything. We should be able to walk through La Jolla and not be afraid. We pay taxes every time we buy a pack of cigarettes. You know , we paying taxes even though we might not own a house , we still was paying taxes. So we should have equal protection from the law. And so that empowered me through the Black Panther Party to stand up. They taught me a vocabulary , even though my vocabulary is limited right now. I have other words I use , but , uh. It is that they don't carry it on work these days. But.
S4: All right , all right. Fair enough.
S3: But they did teach. They empowered me to be more than who I thought I was.
S1: And is that the message you would , you would send to to younger folks today who are picking up the mantle?
S3: Stand up and be that person. Take advantage of what this country told you that you posed to be.
S1: And , Josephine.
S2: I think for me , you know , it was interesting because like I said , my family's been here since about 1906 , and they experienced the worst racism in this in this city than I ever experienced. By the time I'm coming around and my relatives are coming back from World War two , and they've just fought , but they still don't have access. I'm a little kid , right? Growing , starting to grow up and watching , uh , watching the treatment of my neighborhood. I mean , my , you know , one of the things you said , my my brothers , my older brothers couldn't walk out of the house if a police car was driving by. They'd automatically turn around and put their hands up because they knew they were going to be frisked. Right. So I'm growing up watching all this. Although my family were activists. My mother was , uh , you know , involved in the in the unions , down in the canneries. And so I'm watching all of this , but yet , you know , they're still very , um , intimidated at times to be around , uh , other than the Mexican Indian community , the black community. Um , being outside of our our cocoon , if you will. And so when I'm growing up , I'm immersed in all of that. I go to San Diego High School , I'm in AP classes. My my friends are , you know , all different colors. I'm I'm not stuck in , in that mindset. But I also know , uh , you know , inequities and injustice. I'm I'm recognizing those. As a kid , I experienced it myself when we went out to Klan TI. You know , I got where they threw rocks at me. You dirty Indian and you dirty Mexican and all these other things. So when it came down to us realizing that that even though we were going through the process to try to get that park or to get access to green space , and they weren't listening , we they never listened to anything. So it was time to just stand up , you know? And that's what had to be done , because we were thrown out in front of everybody and we had to speak , and we had to speak for our families and our future generations. And I think our archives at the museum allows that history to be told , because you ain't going to learn it in school.
S1: I mean , it it took persistence and courage , and that is the art of protest for you all. Yes. And I thank you both so much for joining us today. Henry. Josephine. Thank you. We're going to leave it there. But this is a conversation to be continued with sure to be continued.
S5: A lot to talk a lot.
S1: Oh my goodness. After the break , we bring you another conversation from our live podcast event featuring our colleagues from the Port of Entry podcast. Stay with us. Welcome back to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. This past weekend , KPBS recorded three of our signature podcasts in front of a live studio audience. This next conversation is hosted by port of entries Alan Lilienthal and Natalie Gonzalez. Their podcast tells cross-border stories that connect us all. They sat down with Lourdes Iron , a comedian Lobbyist and storyteller who grew up in Tijuana. Here's part of that conversation.
S6: So you grew up in Tijuana? Yeah. Me too. Were Tijuana sisters. You later. Later on. Moved to San Diego. So how did growing up in a border region so unique like this one? You know , Tijuana and San Diego. How did growing up in this region shaped the way that you see the world?
S7: That's duality. I think that that's the first thing that comes to my mind. I think that being in the border , there's there's a really unique perspective that we have being so close to Tijuana and San Diego that there's two whole countries that can coexist together. And yes , there's a whole border and yes , there's a whole discussion , but there's a duality that is is shared by just this region. It doesn't exist anywhere else in California where we can we can see and and eat the best tacos and the most incredible Tortillas. That doesn't happen in Sacramento. I'm sorry , Sacramento , but they just don't have good tortillas over there. I don't know what they're doing. That's true. Gamez out of fries. Are you kidding me? Like they didn't even know about the fries.
S5: I was like , what are they? Yeah. Where are they?
S7: I went to , um. I went to a taco truck and we ordered some enchiladas , and we said , uh , no , we were already in tacos. And the guy said , uh , what would you like on your tacos? He was. He was not. He was not Mexican. And we said , we want the whole enchilada. And he was like , oh , we don't sell enchiladas here.
S5: And we're like , wow , I thought you were gonna say he put an enchilada in the no , no , no. That's when I realized , like , I'm not in San Diego. Tijuana anymore. You know what I mean? I said I was so far away from home.
S7: At that moment , but that duality with the fact that the the this person couldn't think that whole enchilada didn't mean enchilada. It means , like , put everything on it , kind of a kind of a deal. And he was very literal about it , made me it made me understand that I have the ability to to not only see the differences in people and be comfortable with them and be tolerant and be , um , and be celebratory of them , but also to to see that duality in myself , because I'm very much Mexican , very much Mexican , and also very much American at the same time. And I feel like when people look at me , I look very Mexican. I can anyway , um , and I have to and sometimes I feel self-conscious about that , and especially when I'm performing before white audiences. And so I feel like then the first thing I want to say is , yes , I'm Mexican and don't get scared. And yes , I have papers. You know , that kind of a thing , especially because in the in the environment that we're living in now , it's it's so , um , like top of mind this whole like ice raids and people getting , getting taken and kids in cages and all these , all these elements that are existing and that are constantly being thrown at us. It's very it's very scary and uncomfortable.
S8: But to switch , uh , rhythm a little bit , you've talked about we'll bridge them later in the conversation. But to move to comedy , you've talked about being very influenced by English and Spanish comedy. That's right. Even when you didn't , as a kid understand all the all the words in English. Right. You understood the humor. Yeah. What do you think that says about humor as a as a universal language?
S7: I think I think humor is , is is in the body and it's it's almost like a , it's a cadence. It's a melody. Like , you know , when there's tension being built up and then you know , when something's going to happen and somebody can release the switch and we can all collectively laugh about something we feel like , ah , okay.
S5: Thank you. Okay , that didn't really happen.
S7: Or if you get caught with your , you know , hand in the cookie jar , everybody knows what that feels like to. Oh , my God , I wasn't supposed to be here. Like , um , my my , my , you know , my , my niece was in my room going through my drawer , through a drawer , and we're like , hey! And she looked up at me and she was like , oh , what am I doing here? Right.
S5: Right. So it's like , this is. Where.
S8: Where.
S5: I left my keys. Yeah , it's kind of like , okay , that was humorous.
S7: And she didn't mean to be , but there's there's a there's a collective human experience that we all recognize and that we can all laugh about it and that we can all share it. And I think in that , in that way , um , you can feel it , you can feel the tension , you can feel that movement , you can feel that cadence. And it feels melodic to me. And , and a lot of my comedy comes from being Mexican , being , you know , speaking Spanish and families. And there's , there's like we were talking about how in Spanish we speak a lot faster. Yeah. Um , and so there is cadence there , there's a rhythm there as well. And um , a lot of times people tell me when I go on stage , you need to speak a little bit slower , and I want to , but I just can't.
S5: It's a little bit hard for me not to , you know what I mean?
S7: And especially if I get excited and I'm like this family.
S5: And it's just it's just.
S7: Me being Mexican. I can't help it. And so , um , but then being , um , it's that cadence , it's that rhythm. And I think it's universal and people can understand it and feel it. Um , I think as , as , as , as people , there's a connection. And that's what I feel it's like universal in that way that you don't need language per se. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. I love that you're as a musician. I love that you're using all this very musical language because there's something , you know , when when times are very difficult , our bodies tense up and it's it's hard to move through that. I think something about comedy is that you take all these , all these chaotic , disturbing things and you turn them into harmony and melody and allow your body to feel like to laugh through it. And then you can move through it in a wiser way. I think , um , I think a lot of , uh , immigrant and border communities use humor as a way to , to navigate uncertainty and change and , uh , difficult times. Why do you think laughter is such a , I mean , maybe I answered it partially , but in your view , why do you think laughter is such an important tool or medicine to use in in difficult times? Yeah.
S5: Yeah.
S7: So I work in politics and it's a really interesting. It's a really interesting perspective to also be in politics. And I've been in politics for about 28 years of my life now. I started off when I left , uh , San Diego , went to UC Davis and started working at the state Capitol as a receptionist and worked my way up and eventually was chief of staff , and then left the state Capitol and started working , um , as a , as a lobbyist. And so , um , having that that perspective as a , um , as a , as a politician in a world of , of politics and then and then there's so much pressure , so much tension , so much like politics is not easy. And I wish that it were it were it were it would actually make a difference right away. But there's so much bureaucracy. There's so many , so many , so much red tape , so much spinning around. And it doesn't. And it's so incremental. It doesn't get solved right away. You got to wait and and unfortunately into something horrible happens and maybe maybe you'll see some change. But the , the reason why I'm giving this really bad long answer is because there's a stacking up of tension and and inequities and sadness and frustration and like , you know , things are more expensive now. And there's like folks that are they can't afford , um , housing , access to higher education. You have like all these things and access to quality medical care. Um , you have elderly that are , that end up , um , suffering these things as well. There's so many things and it's stacked on stack on top of stacking of all this , this like tension. We have to be able to laugh at it. Right? We have to be able to laugh a little bit about what's going on.
S1: That was comedian Lourdes Ian speaking with the Port of Entry team during our live podcast event this past weekend. You can listen to the full conversation when their next episode drops on July 31st. More details on our website KPBS. Coming up , we hear from the finest about the power of art as a form of protest. Welcome back to KPBS midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. This hour , we're bringing you three conversations from our live podcast event exploring the art of protest in our democracy. Our colleagues at The finest tell stories about the art and movements defining San Diego. And on Sunday , they sat down with Koy Sun. He's a San Diego Bay sign painter who blends visual art and storytelling. Here's a portion of that interview.
S9: So in recent years , you've taken your sign painting and your social media videos , and we'll get into the specifics of those later. But we like to start our episodes kind of in the middle of things with like , a hook. And so you've been using that work , your sign painting and your videos as your own form of protest or activism. And my question is , can you remember a single moment when it dawned on you that you could do that , or how you could do that? Yeah.
S10: Yeah. I mean , it's it's kind of weird to think of how as I , my focus in my arts is sign painting , which is like a very traditional , relatively old. You know , like some people say , dead or dying , you know , art , discipline. And then my job as a social media content creator , which is very , very new. And in a lot of cases , I've had to find my own answers because the mentors and stuff to find these things , it's it's it's just it is so new and it changes all the time. And I think I made that realization was from actually helping out my parents and basically I , uh , I made a video talking about how I painted for my parents restaurant. It was kind of like a throwaway thing , like , oh , let me just do it for fun. And what ended up happening was they were bombarded with customers for , for forever , essentially. Like , uh , I've had folks from Hong Kong who or Texas or wherever is saying is like , oh , we came all the way over here to eat. You know , we came to visit San Diego and eat at your , your parents restaurant. And , and just for context , like , uh , you know , you can imagine folks coming to San Diego and my parents are in a office park in Sorrento Valley. Yeah , there's there's you can see the seals in La Jolla or , you know , Seaport Village. And it's just like , let me just go to this concrete jungle because I saw someone on TikTok. And so it it was my it's one thing to make a video and , and see like a million views and , you know , thousands of comments and all these other things , but it doesn't really feel like anything but to see my parents restaurant literally have people like , oh , like people actually do watch my videos. It made me think about , um , how I can use that , not just like for fun things , but also just like , you know , support my local communities and things like that.
S9: Okay , let's talk about like , sign painting and this concept of efficiency or getting things done like the fastest , cheapest way. Um , how is sign painting? And even , like zooming out to be all analog niche trades? Like , how are those different from this efficient or bland sameness that we're seeing?
S10: You know , any art movement is , uh , a contrast of , of whatever is prior. Um , and in this case , because digital , um , screens and stuff are so accessible , you know , you're basically born with an iPad at this point kind of thing. Um , the novelty of being sent to , like a handwritten letter or something. And I'm getting emotional because I'm sure seeing a lot of folks here who have gotten a lot of handwritten letters for a lot while. Um , or like , yeah , like mixtapes , like actual like cassette mixtapes and things like that. It's , um , you know , you send your birthday cards to email now or like , your gift cards or email where it's just like , you know , it's like , oh , I want to give you like a , like a target gift card. But I can also just buy a gift card online and send an email and be like , oh , here's a QR code. Just like spend that. Mhm. Um , I think that is the it forgot the key I think is the word. Mhm.
S5: Mhm. Yeah.
S10: Yeah. Yeah. It's scrappy. Yeah I , I noticed that with everyone it's just like every young kid in a lot of ways is just , you know collecting stuff and stickers and scrapbooking and all that. Yeah.
S9: So um , back to a little bit more about your work. Um , you make such great videos about your own process , your own challenges as an artist. And you also recently have started making videos that touch on like broader things war , politics , oppression. How did you find your own way of doing this that felt authentic? And have there been challenges?
S10: Yeah , I would say that the weirdest thing about the position that I'm in is that I. Get treated in a lot of ways with like , you know , being a celebrity in that , like , you know , I get recognized a lot and I get invited to like , you know , red carpet , whatever thingies and all that. But at the end of the day , like , I don't , I don't have like a film crew or anything. I just set up a camera and then I record it , and then I posted on Instagram , and then I call it a day , and I very much kind of navigate the world as a , as relatively a normal person that I can think I am. Yeah. Um , And but but with that , it's the pressure of me having a reach where I could make a video and millions of people can watch it , and I can support businesses like my parents or like Libby Lula , the bookstore that I recently painted for. It's it's and so it was it felt like it was only right for me to speak up. And for a while , I didn't really know how because it was just in a sense , like I was. I felt like I was an echo chamber where I was just repeating what everybody else was saying , like , look at this dramatic thing , or like , look at this , like news and all these other things. And it didn't really feel like I was doing that much , and it felt like I was kind of wearing my audience out , as as sad as that sounds. And and so I took a lot of inspiration from Miss Rachel Creators. It does a lot of like , you know , children's shows and things like that. And she found a way to touch on a lot of the same beliefs that I have political beliefs and morals that I have , but in a way that focuses more on on children , protecting children and using that as kind of like a the only word I can think of right now as Trojan Horse. But it's not that. But it's like this is about the children. But if you really look into it , there are a lot of things that I'm really mad about , kind of thing. That's what I saw from Miss Rachel. And so I was like , okay , let me try to do the same thing where , you know , I , you know , recently learning about Palestine , things like that. I wanted to support , find my support. And for me , it was through I met this person named Leanne who runs a music , music , uh , event group called Masika here in San Diego. And I started , um , painting for her and painting signs for her. Um , I saw Lula was also pro-Palestine. And so I painted all their , their , all their storefront windows for free and making videos about that. And it wasn't so much talking about , like , any political talking points. It was just like , hey , check out this , you know , a muslim focused , like , music group. And they're so cool. But there's this underlying thing of like , fun music events , cute bookstore that is kind of like a way to like , you know , poke and prod in my audience being like , hey , like , I get it. Because the hardest part about being a content creator is that there's times where I've spoken up and my account has been attempted to be hacked , I've been threatened , and all these other things because , again , I reach so many people. Um , and this was just like my way of doing it , essentially , that maintains my safety , but also feels like I'm helping my community locally because as much as I like want to change things and like on a government level , it feels a lot easier to support the folks that are in front of me.
S1: That was artist Coy Sun , speaking with Julia Dixon Evans , host of the finest podcast. You can hear the full interview on The Finest Podcast this Thursday at KPBS , Wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for joining us today. Hey , if you attended Sunday's event , we want to hear from you. Tell us how you think it went. Send us your feedback to midday at pbs.org or you can call us. The number is (619) 452-0228. If you missed anything , you can download KPBS Midday Edition on all podcast apps. Also , don't forget to watch Evening Edition tonight at five for in-depth reporting on San Diego issues. I'm Jade Hindman. We'll chat again tomorrow. Until then. Have a great day on purpose , everyone.
