Say That: From Asam Ahmad’s “We are NOT all Trayvon: Challenging Anti-Black Racism in POC Communities”

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Say That: From Asam Ahmad’s “We are NOT all Trayvon: Challenging Anti-Black Racism in POC Communities”

So many words. The outpouring over the last five days has been overwhelming. I can’t scroll through Twitter or refresh the pages on my favorite blogs and news sources for the latest commentary and reflections fast enough. The gamut of emotion on display has been raw, with many folks extending their anger over the acquittal of George Zimmerman to a frank analysis of the failure of our U.S. justice system for people of color, especially Black folks.

Of all the words, the ones that say “We are ALL Trayvon” have troubled me the most. 

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Independence Day and Collective Memory

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Independence Day and Collective Memory

While I was in college, I used to send a mass email of the text of Frederick Douglass’s memorable speech, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro”. I was a little… hmm… frustrated… at the time by my fresh, more nuanced understandings of how America has functioned in her history –realizations that for many come, unfortunately, after leaving grade school. So I was more than happy to hold up this speech as my rejection of the most exemplary celebration of AMERICA: Independence Day. I was fascinated with the boldness of this oration, given before an audience on July 5, 1852. Not initially printed and distributed, but delivered with the full force of his voice and emotion to folks who I imagine did not sense the irony in inviting a Negro to speak at their July 4th Celebration.

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Stating the Obvious: We SUCK at Talking About Race

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Stating the Obvious: We SUCK at Talking About Race

It was a blessing and a curse to have access to cable this week (although Twitter would have given me a glimpse into the nonsense whether I liked it or not). In the last week, there have been a few shake-ups to the usual routine of filling the airwaves with a day’s worth of partisan maneuvering in Congress and the top three YouTube sensations. That’s right. This week we’re getting down and dirty. It’s time for our strictly situational, truncated, and intellectually shallow dive into conversations on RACE. This is real talk, people. This is what we do in a post-racial society, right?

Ugh.

Sadly, these golden opportunities for insight and profundity have led to so much stupid it has been mind numbing.

Oh man. Where do I begin…

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NYC's "You Can Touch My Hair" - Some observations

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NYC's "You Can Touch My Hair" - Some observations

Unwanted hair touching is a thing, y’all. Yes, it has happened to me. My tightly coiled hair has been natural for most of my life and in my adulthood I have worn it in a short afro, in box braids, twisted, in loose styles, and currently in slender locs. I am generally a “worst case scenario” thinker, which means I try to plan for random, mostly outlandish occurrences. So, per my natural mental processes, I have conceived a plan for the reasonable likelihood that someone would engage in unauthorized fondling of my hair. For the grabby woman in my imagination, I’ve already decided to grab a boob. For the man, I’m going for his package. “Who are you to determine what is open for exploration on my body?” I’d say. Cue slow clap from the crowd that has gathered. End scene.

The need to guard against such interactions is real for so many folks who join the ranks of those who are outwardly “other” in the United States. Black women are right in there for very specific reasons. So as social media and the Black Blogosphere exploded with news that un-ruly.com would host the exhibition, “You Can Touch My Hair,” I knew I had to go.

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