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Toward Barefoot Journalism (cont'd)
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He paused for about four days, then continued:
Now that I think about it, I would never have known Gidra if I were someone else instead of me, or even just someone else with better ears too. I would even go so far as to say that I am positive that such would have been the case if it happened. And it did, which is better than nothing at all, and I think we all want something better with all the different kinds of ways we ask and search for it.
A very sensitive artist and poet, Tracy was at his best when he escaped the conventions of prose:
How sad Yellow Brother
you must be,
born so small and loving
tiny hands reaching. ..
Just to grasp...just to have a warmth
...just to hear, "I love you, you are mine."
And who will love you, sad Yellow Brother...
...sad little brother of mine.
How sad Yellow Sister
you will be,
to learn that you are mute-
pretty voice longing...
Just to speak°just to sing a song
...just to say, "I love you, you are mine."
And who will love you, sad Yellow Sister...
...sad little sister of mine.
How sad my family
we should be,
to be so short in thinking
young men dying°
Just to free...just to give us life
...just to prove, "I love you, you are mine.Ó
And who will love them my Yellow Family°
...sad Yellow Family of mine.
How sad my people...
we needn't be !
be strong and join the marching
we all are fighting...
Just to be...just to have our way
...just to be proud of our heritage
To be together and love all mankind»
And who will love you, my Yellow People
...sad Yellow People of mine...
Who will love you, my Yellow People?
"I love you, you are mine."
P.S. ...but you piss me off one hell of a lot...!
More recently, Tracy has been working for a printing and graphics enterprise in Los Angeles.
Colin Watanabe recalls that day when we started Gidra, and the months he spent on the staff:
I've found that many people have great ideas, but that's about all. When it comes down to acting out their convictions, something happens to them. Gidra, as a radical departure from what's been done by Asian American youth in the past, may help to break the mental hangups that prevent more people from doing the things they believe in. It's a tribute to the determination, not the ability, of people."