Ustream logged 1,536 views of the Ayotzinapa conference, which I'm not embedding because the archive is not up yet. When it is, I'll post it separately. With any luck, commentary links and perhaps even a Storify will be available to accompany it. It was intense and powerful, No reading list or having followed the news, however attentively, could prepare anyone for the experience of watching and listening to survivors, students and family, talk about their experience, let alone the powerful alchemy of Ferguson and Ayotzapa participants meeting and sharing.I'm still processing the experience and can only imagine how alternately drained and exhilarated actual participants must feel, and especially the #YaNosCansamos Solidarity Network that put it together, +Ana Maria Fores Tamayo, +Andrés Leopoldo Pacheco Sanfuentes (who get mentioned because they are the ones I know) and others from across the U.S. and Mexico ~ 22 on the group email. The story of the network is surely worth telling too. For now, check out the Facebook Event page, catch up on Ayotzinapa news and back story and watch the invitation video to see how many states, cities, universities in the U/S. and Mexico participated.
The number of Ustream views does not count those participating in teleconference from multiple sites across the US and Mexico, possibly other countries as well or following on Twitter and Facebook Event page. There were technical problems, apparently originating with TelMex that delayed broadcast and prevented both YouTube Spanish and Ustream English translation version from load.
So what happened? Another kind of alchemy. Everybody pitched in, worked together like networks are supposed to ~ and made it work. The planned online Skype conference switched to teleconference mode until the livestream came on. Translators on U.S. university sites, St Louis' Washington University in particular, jumped in to pick up the slack on translation. Twitter coverage by hashtag (transcending a mid-stream hashtag change) reported comments in Spanish and English translations and improvised. My own personal thanks for good tweets to spread around go to Bradley Schlesinger, UStired2, DREAM Factory, jessicat and Sean M. Kennedy
Thank you for all this, Vanessa, and for all the twitters who were out there tweeting away during this powerful event.
ReplyDeleteAs you know -- and you so eloquently state -- the "powerful alchemy" that happened last night was truly miraculous. NOT only because it was incredible and heart wrenching listening to these stories of pain and frustration and fear, but also because out of these -- and out of reaching out beyond that pain -- people might heal and go forward to forge something new.
It was incredible to hear mothers -- one from Ferguson and the others from Ayotzinapa -- speak to each other of their pain.
How can any words speak to that experience?
So yes, this was truly one of a kind.
But I would like to thank you for doing the incredible work of getting all the news stories out to everyone, synchronizing the event and getting it out all over social media the way you do, so that almost 1600 viewers were able to watch: that is an incredible 1st try!
So thank you for that too, Vanessa! We owe you a lot of that thanks. Think what we could all accomplish next time with another week of prep time? Think what we will accomplish with the lessons learned from this first try?
I think this was an amazing discovery and experience in many more ways than just one.
And there is nothing quite like grassroots all the way! The exhilaration of the moment, the beat of energy racing through everyone as it happens...
Besos, not borders, Ana/Adjunct Justice