Polianiac

A couple of years ago, during the break in a seminar, a young student approached me and asked, “Karen, what does it mean when people say drinking the Kool-Aid?” Immediately, I responded, “Jonestown!” I could tell by the look on his face I may as well not have answered.

We headed for the Cappuccino Bar and I went into detail about a massacre that happened “sometime in the late 70s”. People from the United States had followed their religious cult leader, Rev. Jim Jones, to a place in South America called Guyana; and ultimately, committed suicide by “drinking Kool-aid” laced with cyanide. Over 900 people died there and ever since, “drinking the Kool-aid” is Pop Culture speak for blindly following a leader—even to one’s death.  

The 30^th Anniversary of the Jonestown Tragedy, as it is now known, is being commemorated this weekend on cable news channels. Both MSNBC and CNN have specials that historically recount this very sad event. This moment in U.S. history marks the only instance of a United States Congressman being killed “in the line of duty”. All in all, it is a piece of modern history that deserves attention. This is not an easy story to digest. It portrays people in a time and place that many can not imagine. The fact is, the story is true and it happened to United States citizens. By learning and knowing their story, we become aware and hopefully know not to make the same mistakes.

“Once in a lifetime you may experience a brief moment when the stars align and something truly extraordinary happens. This was the case in October 2004, when four of the greatest living blues legends were assembled in Dallas, Texas for one incomparable night of music. At the time they ranged in age from 89 to 94 and all had received the National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship Award, the highest honor in the USA for traditional arts.”        ~Blue Shoe Project Website: “The Last of the Mississippi Delta Bluesmen”

It is really hard to believe it has been four years since the upstart Dallas non-profit Blue Shoe Project launched its mission to bring the history of Blues Music and Blues education back to public attention. That first night, the Project debuted “The Last of the Mississippi Delta Bluesmen” on the stage of Dallas’ Majestic Theater. There were four bluesmen that night: Henry Townsend, Robert Lockwood, Jr., David “Honeyboy” Edwards, and Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins. Last week, the now Grammy-Award Winning Blue Shoe Project again came to the stage in Dallas, with over 4,000 Dallas area students in attendance.  This time at the Meyerson Symphony Center with the two remaining Mississippi Bluesmen, Perkins and Edwards. 

Michael Dyson, Founder of the Blue Shoe Project made his case for the Blues Legends to be part of the upcoming Inaugural festivities in January 2009. Michael, as always, I yield the floor to you ~khl