From Staff Reports

Change starts with people, relationships and courage, author-artist-speaker damali ayo said during her keynote speech in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Week on Jan. 19 in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium.

damali ayo

Ayo used her humorous stories and award-winning art in an effort to provide the audience with practical tools for building better communities.

In its promotions, UNCA stated that ayo uses a creative, pragmatic and satirical approach to make hard conversations about racial justice more accessible.

Ayo addressed “Are You Ready to Fix Racism? (or Are You Still Pretending It Doesn’t Exist?)” during her two-hour talk. She grew up in Washington, D.C. and now lives in Los Angeles with her adopted blind dog, Stevie.

Lipinsky’s 650 seats were filled, resulting in standing-room-only, as many members of the surrounding community as well as UNCA students showed up to hear ayo.

One of ayo’s best-known works is the web-art-performance rent-a-negro.com. Her book “How to Rent a Negro” was acclaimed as “one of the most trenchant and amusing commentaries on contemporary race relations,” a UNCA promotional brochure stated. Her radio story, “Living Flag: Panhandling for Reparations,” won a Silver Reel Award from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.

“Hi, Asheville!,” ayo said enthusiastically, as the crowd cheered her. “I’m sure some of us our nervous,” while others are thinking, “I hope this chick is good.”

As the crowd’s laughter died down, ayo asked, “OK, so who wants to talk about racism?” (Many hands were raised. )“Who doesn’t?” (One man raised his hand.)

Smiling, ayo mused that that is “one brave soul, who speaks for the rest of us.” Many in the crowd laughed.

She noted, “I’m an artist and I mess with people ... I’m so lucky I get paid to mess with people.”

Ayo spoke of attending the same school as President Barack Obama’s daughters — Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. “At four years old, I brought black dolls with me” to keep her company, during an era when she was among the few black students at the school.

Next, she showed — on a big screen — a picture of King and Malcolm X together, noting, “I love this picture.”

As for King, ayo said, “Our country has agreed he was a good black dude. I’m here to tell you there was more than one ... More than two ....”

Continuing, she asserted, “I love this picture. Look how happy they are. That’s why they shot them.” ayo laughed, as did the crowd. “They didn’t want these two happy together.”

She then cited a quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

To that end, ayo said, “I’m asking you today to find your own way to be a shining example.”

King “liked to dramatize issues,” she noted, adding that she will follow his example in her UNCA address. Therefore, ayo said, “My disclaimer: I’m going to be using ‘white’ a lot. Don’t be scared. There will be times in this program where you will feel uncomfortable. We’re also going to laugh together as a community ... Last thing, I’ve been trying to clean up my language ... but I still let it slip” on occasion.

“Here’s my theory. I believe our country is on a third-grade leve of race relations,” ayo asserted.

With a grin, she added, “A friend pointed out to me that white people name their black dogs after black people — Aretha, Koby ... It’s wrong.”

Blacks as well as whites in the crowd roared with laughter, after which ayo added, “I know a lot of people who are afraid to say the word ‘black.’ What is the default description?”

Regarding using terminology that offends those of another race, she said, “We all step in it from time to time. I was hearing this in third grade and that I’m almost 40” and still hearing it “is not making me happy, OK?”

She said she wrote her 2005 book, “How to Rent a Negro,” because “I felt like a rent-a-Negro,” with the questions her white friends and acquainances were asking her about her race.

In reviewing some of her rental rates, ayo said for those needing “a black opinion,” the price is $75 per 30-minute call; to touch her hair, $100 per occurance; use of African-American slang, $100.

“Here’s the thing,” she said. “I don’t do institutional change.”

She told of a poll that was taken in which 2,000 people were asked for five ideas for what individuals could do to end racism.

“For white people, ayo noted, “admit it .. The first step is admitting you have a race.”

Speaking personally, she asserted, “I’m on a mission to dispel ‘Caucasian’ as a synonym for ‘white.’ The Caucasus is a region. It’s also a breed of dog.”

Following her talk, audience members received copies of ali’s “I Can Rix Racism” guide.

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