In this spoken word piece, Cat Brooks shares her journey seeking balance in her life as a warrior and healer, integrating her activism with a sustaining spirituality.
Cat is an Oakland, CA-based activist, organizer, poet, theater artist, and mother. She played a central role in the struggle for justice for Oscar Grant (who was murdered by BART police in 2009), and spent the last decade working with impacted communities and families to rapidly respond to police violence and radically transform the ways our communities are policed and incarcerated. She is the co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) and the Executive Director of the Justice Teams Network. In 2018, Cat received 40,000 first-place votes for Oakland Mayor– more than any candidate in the prior two Oakland mayoral elections. Although she was not elected, the coalition brought together by her campaign remains an active force for progressive organizing in Oakland. Cat is a regular performer with The Lower Bottom Playaz theater company. Her original one-woman play "Tasha" is based on the life of Natasha McKenna, who was tased to death while in police custody. Cat co-hosts UpFront, weekdays on KPFA radio.
This performance was recorded at OneLife Institute's 'Transformative Visions' event in 2010. Improvisational accompanying music is by the Richard Howell Quintet.