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Introduction

Ablazing Grace is a small of collection of poems, meditations,
declarations and lyrics that follows the journey of the
Recoloration Proclamation, a 16 years project that I have been
working on which explores the complexity of identity, cultural
appropriation/remixing, white supremacy, visual terrorism in
the context of Confederate iconography and African-American
culture, and ways to challenge these national issues throughthe
creative process of art, text and performance.

We begin with A Poet's Visual History of Confederate flag; then
we present the Confederate Redress- a text that was performed at
the hanging of the Confederate flag from a 13 foot
gallows at Ohio University on October 25, 2017. This is followed by
Burn and Bury: Let it Go, a meditative eulogy written to lead the
annual call to burn and bury the Confederate Flag across the
country after the mass murder of nine people at an A.M.E church
in Charleston, South Carolina, June 17, 2015. Each of these works
comes with associated videopoems.

ABlazing Grace, both the entire book and the featured lyrics-
a rewrite of the iconic Amazing Grace--offers an invitation
to move beyond the space of reflection to a place of action,
transformation and healing that is so necessary if are to move
forward as a nation in peace, justice and humanity.

So, on the occasion of the exhibition Reinterpretation as
Resistance: Artists Questioning Normative Iconography, Natalie
and James Thompson Art Gallery, San Jose State University,
October 2-November 2, 2018 and the associated City Light
videopoems /AfroDixieRemixes presentation on November 4, 2018, I
am deeply honored to present to you this limited edition artist-
chapbook, ABlazing Grace.
Confederate Goth by John Sims 2004

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