January 23, 2002
rap & reparationssaturday nite, my "cat & all that" sherri and i went to see the proclaimed "godfathers of rap," the last poets at little brothers. their set didn't start until about 11:45, so we enjoyed 3 hours of local poets doin' their thang (which would have been totally cool, except for that we stood the whole time and my poor, tired, 37-year-old feet just can't do that anymore without a protest. *grin*). it was a great show...the last poets were doing spoken word over a drum beat way before it was cool, and they've never had a problem speaking their collective mind about racism, the government, our racist government, and a whole host of other topics that most musicians before public enemy wouldn't even touch. these brothas (led by umar bin hassan and abiodun oyewole) have been around a long time, but their message is just as relevant today as it was back in the '70s.
only one thing disturbed me...oyewole's homophobic comment (i'm paraphrasing here) about how there won't be any homosexuality after "the revolution" because "that shit ain't right." whatever. *rolling eyes* get over yourself. moving on....
so then yesterday, s and i went to see/hear randall robinson, author of the debt: what america owes to blacks, as one of the lectures in the (university) president's and provost's year-round diversity lecture series. it was one of the better lectures i've seen/heard in this series in the two years it's been going on...i really learned some fascinating (albeit disturbing) facts. for example...robinson earned a law degree from harvard. 30 years later, he discovered that the university's seal reveals how the history of this prestigious institution is rooted in slavery. depicted on the seal, beneath the word veritas ("truth" in latin), are bundles of sugar cane...because the university was built, in part, using profits that a benefactor had made from selling sugar cane that was raised and harvested by slaves! i immediately wondered if the black students, faculty, and staff at harvard are aware of this fact; i'm sure it's not something the university publicizes....
robinson also pointed out how the art work in the rotunda of our nation's capitol—including the apotheosis of washington, the painting on the inside of the dome, and the frescoes beneath it—not only depicts no people of color (with the exception of pocahontas), but includes no evidence whatsoever that slavery even happened, tho the very blocks of stone used to construct the building were cut and hauled by slaves! amazing. not surprising...but amazing.
i disagree with robinson, tho, on a couple of points (perhaps more, once i've read his books):
1) i really hate the term "black" as a noun...as in, what america owes to BLACKS. i hate it for the same reason that i hate the term "gay" used as a noun...as if "black" (the adjective) is all black people are...as if "gay" (the adjective) is all gay people are. to me, it's important to include the "people" part...otherwise, people are reduced—from the complex, multidimensional beings that we really are—to just one trait, one aspect of ourselves...and that ain't right. it may be "only" a matter of semantics to some, but words and how they're used have a lot of power, and we need to use them in a way that acknowledges that.
2) his belief that we have to argue successfully for reparations for black americans before we can even start talking about exactly what form those reparations will take. the thing is, there are a lot of (white) people who will never even consider supporting reparations if they think it means that the federal government will simply write a whole mess of checks out to black folks. to get the kind of support needed to do this, we have to be able to explain that what is really being discussed are huge investments in educational, entrepreneurial, and other kinds of opportunities for black people...because, let's face it...reparations for black people will never happen unless there is "buy-in" by the people in power (most of whom, unfortunately, are white).
fascinating stuff...and proof that there are great things to do in this city if you take the time to find them.
2:32 PM
|
|
