Almost four years ago, white models in Marc Jacob’s Fashion show donned dreadlocks. One of my former students employed this example as part of a presentation asserting that the Jacobs show performed an appreciation for black culture. On the performance component, my student and I could not agree more. I think back to this moment…
Tag: #blacklivesmatter
On Juneteenth 2020
One of the most pertinent distinctions that the African descended must make is the distinction between “enslaved” and “slave.” Enslaved speaks to a systemic position, and slavery references a mind weighed down by cognitive chains. Juneteenth as a commercialized holiday delineates that this distinction remains more prevalent than ever. As Dr. Carr reminded us on…
A Nationalist Agenda: #blackpower > #blacklivesmatter
Civil rights, for those of us whose philosophy is black nationalism, means: “Give it to us now. Don’t wait for next year. Give it to us yesterday, and that’s not fast enough.”
Symbolism and Functional Blindness
Though many look at the contemporary moment and see change and solidarity, I see more of a Christmas tree decorated with what functions as beauty only under a gaze of white nationalism. As elucidated countless times during black presence in the Americas, symbolism tranquilizes the masses into a slumber that precedes a functional blindness. By…
So We’re At Our Tipping Point, But…What About Tawana Brawley? #saytheirnametoo
I wish it were true; that the waves of white supremacy came crashing down in the weeks before summer 2020. But I know that the coming weeks, months, and years to come will reference this moment to counter pro-black and “separatist” agendas that seek to actualize the change so many pursue hollowly. In the contemporary…
Protest Participation and Black Power
We met on the hilltop. The chants occurred sporadically, ascending when passing those translating our footsteps to footage on their phones. The African adjacent came with signs more often than the African descended. The crowd knelt with raised fists twice, a gesture synonymous with closing one’s eyes to pray. In studying the ancestral plight to…
When the Smoke Clears: Why We Must Live a Life of Protest
“the great show down cannot be postponed indefinitely” –Frantz Fanon
Anti-black Violence: An American Vaccine
Another day another slay, literally. George Floyd, yet another black man murdered by the police inundated news stories yesterday, and as it is with black murders, it is not only Flloyd’s story that makes the news but his body. His body, robbed of the richness of black spirit, lay breathless on the concrete, yet another…
The Fault in Contemporary Leadership: On Umar Johnson and others
Visibility remains a consistent problem in the western world. For some, to obtain visibility is not only to be seen, but to obtain value. The correspondence between value and visibility is perhaps best illustrated in the contemporary world where access to a computer grants you a stage and “likes” seemingly imply a range of positive…
No Justice No Peace: Asserting A Black Perspective of Contemporary White America
This week in America has shocked some, scared most, angered others and left many with a series of inquiries. The murders of Alton Sterling, and Phillando Castile echo previous racial injustice seen in slain black bodies such as Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner , Freddie Gray and Mike Brown. However, this week’s tragedies occurring…
Whispers of a Womanist 