Spoiler alert! This one isn’t funny, and if you think it is, there’s something wrong with you, in my humble freakin’ opinion.

For all I know, you don’t think that any of my columns are amusing, and you’re entitled to your own opinion—but as a general rule, I do make an effort to look at the lighter side of life. Most of the time, it’s easy to do, since my day-to-day is composed of taking in a show, snapping pics of you and the kids, or being entertained in general and simply having a laugh or two. But lately? Well, suffice it to say, I’m beginning to fear that I’ve lost my mojo, and that ain’t good.

Therefore, it was with a bit of trepidation that I made plans to catch G. Oliver King and the Blue Hearts Jazz Quartet at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre (HPAC) last Saturday. The event was billed as “The Harlem Renaissance: Langston Hughes’ Legacy in Poetry,” and I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for a history lesson. Especially at this particular juncture, since history seems to be repeating itself, and it’s not pretty.

I had no qualms about the caliber of the performer, since I have a more-than-passing familiarity with King, his considerable talent and his experience. Trained by Lee Strasberg in New York City, he has worked with notable figures like Geraldine Fitzgerald and Marketa Kimbrel, and has toured with a variety of companies, both here and abroad. 

Many of us have seen King performing excerpts of Frederick Douglas’ works in Sullivan, Ulster and Orange counties over the years. Those programs are specifically designed for Black History Month—something the current administration would like to sweep under the rug and pretend doesn’t exist.

Thankfully, at the heart of HPAC’s mission statement is DEI—diversity, equity and inclusion—which the artificial intelligence (AI) on my phone defines as “an organizational framework that seeks to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination based on identity or disability.” Something the current administration has begun dismantling with great fervor, much to the delight of millions. 

I told you it wasn’t funny.

Backed by the incomparable Blue Hearts Quartet (Ray Blue, Darius Beckford, Alfonso Ramos and Kim Peralta), G. Oliver King did his thing for an appreciative audience as he recited dozens of Hughes’ memorable poems, including “Genius Child,” “The Negro Mother,” “I Dream a World,” and “Still Here.” As King spoke, accompanied by the musicians, powerful, striking and disturbing images played on the big screen behind them, portraying real-life moments in U.S. history. They were dark, ugly moments that were once etched into the collective consciousness of a nation—a history lesson that the current administration is seeking to erase, and one that Hughes helped bring to the forefront back in the day. 

With an additional assist from the dreaded AI, I learned that James Mercer Langston Hughes (1901-1967) is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance, and was “an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri.” He was “one of the earliest innovators of the literary form called jazz poetry.”

Additionally, I read that Hughes became a prolific writer at an early age and moved to New York City as a young man, where he made his career. Although he dropped out of Columbia University, he had gained notice from New York publishers, first in The Crisis magazine and then from book publishers, and became known in the creative community in Harlem. His first poetry collection, “The Weary Blues,” was published in 1926. 

As the evening progressed, so did my anxiety and I had to control myself, lest those around me notice my tears. My mind wandered a bit, as I thought about what we’ve been through over the decades, and all that the current administration is attempting to whitewash. 

My angst isn’t just about the civil rights movement of our recent past, but also about the present and another issue that has reared its ugly head. According to Wikipedia, the Gaza War is “currently being fought between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups since 2023.” This latest war is the 15th Gaza-Israel “conflict”—one which has once again sparked an “ongoing Middle Eastern crisis” and it’s heartbreaking. Will we ever learn? I’m beginning to think not.

As I’m scratching the surface of these topics in my mind, the horror I feel is palpable. How is it even possible that the past is once again the present, and what, if anything, does that imply about the future? Not your future, not my future, but our future. Are we doomed to relive the horrors of the past over and over again, until we’ve literally destroyed ourselves? 

This is inconceivable to me and yet, as the words “never again” echo in my head, I reflect about hearing them said in the past, and now repeated in the present—specifically about the Holocaust, and thinking about what those words mean to me, my family and friends, and wondering aloud if they mean anything at all to others.

An AI overview that I did not ask for popped up on my phone, which is “always listening,” or so I’m told. “Never again,” it stated, “means that something unpleasant or undesirable will not happen or be done again in the future, expressing a strong intention or vow not to repeat the action or experience. The phrase signifies a firm resolve to avoid repeating a past event or behavior, especially if it was negative or regrettable.” 

As for historical significance, the phrase has gained weight in the context of the Holocaust, symbolizing a vow to ensure that such atrocities never happen again. 

“Never again” is now used in a wide variety of contexts my “smart” device informed me, “from personal experiences to political and social causes; to express a resolve to prevent the recurrence of undesirable events or actions, be it a call for gun control, anti-genocide efforts, or segregation”—another hideous issue from our dark, ugly past that the present administration is considering allowing in the future. Wait—what? 

According to a recent article written by Jenna Sundel for Newsweek, (www.newsweek.com/segregation-legal-us-trump-lifted-ban-contractors-2048905)  the General Services Administration (GSA) has lifted its requirement for the prohibition of segregated facilities in government contracts to comply with an executive order signed by the current president of the United States. 

Ironically, the last Langston Hughes poem that G. Oliver King presented at HPAC was written in 1935 and titled “Let America Be America Again.” Is it any wonder that I cry? If you don’t, there’s something wrong with you. In my humble opinion.

For more on HPAC and its future, go to www.HPACny.org and for additional info re: the quartet, visit www.blueheartsjazz.com/. 

Ask the Google: What the heck is “mojo”?

Answer: “In this context, ‘mojo’ refers to a person’s energy, charisma or ability to succeed in a particular area. ‘Lost my mojo’ suggests that someone feels they have lost that positive energy or spark.” Sigh.