Category: Other

OtherLeave a comment

‘The Invisible Homeless’ Director’s Speech

ianjolie

FWIW, this is the director’s speech I gave at Guild Theater last night after the screening of “The Invisible Homeless”: So, long before I was a filmmaker, I’d been a union organizer for more than nine years, helping un-organized workers throughout California form labor unions. And as I lean more into filmmaking, it’s certainly been the perception of my friends that I’m putting more of my efforts into filmmaking than organizing. It’s not hard to imagine why – art is fun, I enjoy art. I think I’m pretty good at filmmaking. And I’m extremely proud of the film that you … Continue reading ‘The Invisible Homeless’ Director’s Speech

OtherLeave a comment

3 Things I’m Learning as a Small Media Business Owner

ianjolie

For the last few weeks, I’ve wanted to write down — mostly for myself — some of the biggest lessons I’ve been learning as a small media business owner. These lessons are not original — I doubt these will surprise you. Nonetheless, I’ve wanted to write the following lessons down for several reasons: (1) the way I process information/emotions is very verbal, and writing this will help ingrain these lessons deeper within me; (2) these Facebook essays I write serve a secondary purpose as nice mementos that are, for me, if not ‘better than’ then at least ‘more efficient’ than … Continue reading 3 Things I’m Learning as a Small Media Business Owner

OtherLeave a comment

Quick Thoughts: Weakness, Organizing, Love, and Chill

ianjolie

1. Weakness Everyone is weak in their own way. What that means is, you are weak in your own way. Others are weak in their own way. What that means is, be kind. Be honest, but be kind. 2. Field Organizing I think one of the most beautiful things about being committed to field organizing is that it forces you to become a better person socially. I still don’t consider myself to be particularly socially smart in certain very deep respects. I still have got a long, long ways to go. But I’ll tell you this: I was way, way … Continue reading Quick Thoughts: Weakness, Organizing, Love, and Chill

OtherLeave a comment

Fitness & Organizing: Synergistic Balance

ianjolie

Something I like about fitness is that it’s simultaneously one of the most important things in the world for you and also the most useless thing to the world. Like, it’s good for your body to be active and to exercise. Too much body fat will shorten your life, and putting on muscle properly has lots of health benefits. But also: No. One. Cares. I spend probably way too much time working out in the gym and planning out my nutrition, and sure maybe people who’ve known me a long time might comment, “Hey you’re looking good.” But even then … Continue reading Fitness & Organizing: Synergistic Balance

OtherLeave a comment

Pepper Spray Anniversary & Prolegomenon to Students for a Democratic UC

ianjolie

(This is a speech I delivered on November 19th on the UC Davis quad — during an event for the one-year anniversary for the UC Davis pepper-spray incident.) Hello, my name is Ian Lee, and I was one of the students who was pepper-sprayed on this quad last year. I’ll keep this short. By now, the pepper-spray incident is almost a bit cliché: students protested, the University sent in riot police, and then the police brutalized us with pepper-spray. But I urge people interested in what happened last year to think about the pepper-spray incident more complexly, and to especially … Continue reading Pepper Spray Anniversary & Prolegomenon to Students for a Democratic UC