Middle Aged Adulthood is evolving. It used to be that the only people who knew what was inside of our houses were friends, neighbors and *close* family members. Now, for some of us, our private lives are mostly free and wide open. A guided tour of our own self-consciousness disguised as confidence and marred by consummate emptiness. Intimacy has been devoured. We have become divorced from it. Sharing this thought is ironic; because social media…🙃
~R
Light Reflected Is Enlightenment Infinite
Filed under Education
This essay is dedicated to my children. All of them.
Close, interpersonal and familiar relations provide the linkages and connections within small communities. Many of us are raised very close to family and friends, our relationships are intertwined with both blood and proximity. Our relationships are tangible and intimate bonds. Within the context of the Black Community, and with respect to the aftermath of tragic and traumatic events, we seldomly get a chance to exhale before the onset of the next blow. As of late, we have community members who have been impacted by a string of deaths, effected by terminal illness, violence, floods and fires. Some of us are seriously wondering if a pestilence of frogs or locusts will be next.
A mere generation ago, we were enveloped in the care and traditions of our elders but with the passing of time and our beloved people, we are left with the memorialized traces of our pasts. Tragedy has a way of bringing intense emotions bubbling to the surface and the things that we think we may have dealt with erupt; Sometimes dramatically so. We tell ourselves that we are not victims, that we are healed or that we are stronger for enduring what we have experienced but little do we know; We’ve been merely coping and coping can be easily disguised as thriving. Ask me how I know…
In an attempt to empower my children, I have reared them with a “get over it” attitude. I have peppered my love, care and affection for them with bouts of expecting them to be strong in the face of adversity. I presumed that they should be as mentally agile as I had to be. Instead, I have been insensitive to their emotional needs and I have essentially denied them their traumatic experiences and therefore been unsupportive of their mental health and wellbeing. Thankfully, my children don’t have to face the challenges of my childhood; Unfortunately, they must face the challenges of their own. I appreciate that because they love me, they can abide me but I am deeply and eternally apologetic for my insensitivity toward them. I am committed to being better.
As I do the self-work of learning how to examine my life through a trauma informed lens, I am realizing just how many things I have stuffed down and suffocated so that I could get on with the business of living. From a very young age, I understood that life isn’t easily navigated when plagued with painful memories from the past. I often pride myself at my own resiliency, having left home at the age of 16, I’ve been reliant on my own efforts and abilities and this experience has deeply influenced my self-confidence. I know that I am resilient because I am familiar with my ability to recover, adjust and change.
Or am I?
Could it be that I’ve become really really good at staying busy, self-soothing, explaining and at times even justifying the most difficult times in my childhood? The truth is, I was raised by parents who had a tumultuous relationship to say the least. I am a product of growing up having witnessed domestic violence and try as I might, I am deeply effected by it. The reality is, much of my developmental years were spent inside of a chaotic, turbulent environment and often, I was hyper-vigilant and on edge.
Leaving home at 16 forced an accelerated coming of age. Looking back, I don’t know that I was more mature than my peers but I did have responsibilities and realities that I had to manage on my own. I’m a staunch believer in “fake it ‘til you make it” and I’m pretty sure faking it is exactly what I was doing most of the time and, in an intentional quest to overcome the wounds of my childhood, I bandaged them because I didn’t understand the gravity of healing them.
Obviously, my childhood trauma has helped to shape me and although it certainly hasn’t defined who I am entirely; Many of the characteristics that I appreciate about myself are derived from learning, growing and becoming empowered from it. The good, the bad and the ugly have all had an impact on my becoming but in truth, it’s the bad and the ugly I’m learning to process, properly file away and heal from the emotional damage caused by domestic violence and the aftermath of growing up way too fast. And, it’s ok.
I am not special and my story likely resonates with many people. The older I get, the less afraid I am of my past. Most of us are not well versed in or are familiar with the vocabulary of trauma, grief and bereavement but I am in the process of appreciating these words. Far too many of us are ignorant to the processes of how to actually heal. In my case, I had to admit that there are some things I had to accept. Not mask or bury or ignore or make peace with, but to accept. In the interest of my own mental health and physical wellbeing, in the interest of protecting the relationships I have with each of my children, the relationships that they have with each other. In the effort of supporting the mental health of the people within my community; I am finally learning, growing, healing and living post trauma.
I’m human and so I’m giving myself a little grace along this journey. Sure, I had a stunted emotional capacity but, I am committed to becoming a better, more empathetic mother, wife, sister and friend. I am thankful for the resources that are being offered up and available within community and I encourage everyone who can to take advantage of the opportunity to learn to face our proverbial demons and heal. I feel lighter. We all deserve this freedom.
Light Reflected Is Enlightenment Infinite
~R
Filed under Education
We come from a place called North Preston
Bedrock hilltop
Majestic woods
Ancestors, descendent from slavery
Stolen People with few worldly goods.
Heading North toward the colonies, hope-filled Humans toiled and made their place.
They prayed that going North would promise freedom for our “race”.
The settlers tried to prosper through adversity and strife
They fought to persevere and chose build a better life.
Our people worked hard to have a place to call their own
Freedom was their blessing and North Preston was their home.
Come Sunday, they sang spirituals and they prayed on their soul search.
They fellowshipped together in St. Thomas Baptist Church.
We come from a place of community where neighbors know us each by name
We must strive to live in unity, of our history, unashamed.
We’re proud of our “Up Home” by none but God it was predestined
That we would be a legacy of freedom in North Preston
~Rachelle M. Turple-Christmas
2008
Filed under Black Canadian, Education, North Preston, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, Poetry
Opinion pieces are spreading like wildfire and now that I’ve had the opportunity to read from and (tweet) directly with the Director/Producer of This Is North Preston, a addendum to my original essay is required.
Since I posited the importance of context, I’ll extend some of my own. So, as said before, I saw the film at the Canadian Film Festival in Toronto with a mixed crowd of Nova Scotian family members, Scotian expats, North Preston natives and many strangers. I was seated in the front row of the middle section with the majority of my fellow movie goers at my back. During certain scenes I could hear the sighs and the people exclaim “Oh my God!” and the “Where the f*ck is THIS place?” “That’s CRAZY” and worse, the laughter when Ms. Downey was put on camera in what should have been the comfort and the relative safety of her own home. It was downright hurtful and I felt sick when it was over.
We stayed through to the end of the live commentary from the cast and crew and I distinctly remember director Jaren Hayman clearly stating that prior to this project, he really didn’t know such a place existed on the East Coast. I remember thinking to myself, “How’d they let this interloper pillage our community like this?”. A few of us stopped to speak together outside of the theatre and we were equally disturbed. We felt so exposed and ashamed, we were sad. People were laughing at us and confused at our culture and how we live and no doubt some went home possibly believing every negative thing they had ever thought about Black People.
I say ALL THAT to finally state the obvious. It’s one thing to deal with our own when being forced to hold up the proverbial mirror, it’s an entirely different thing when the trouble is amplified by an outsider and a white man at that.
I’m not pulling the “race card”. I’m half white and I have enough sense to know that it’d be problematic and wrong for *ME* with my light skinned self who was born and raised in North Preston to cast my people in a disrespectful, anti-black and discriminative shadow. So to invite a stranger in and allow their media vehicle to do it is sacrilege.
“I was drawn to our characters stories bc they owned their life decisions while also intelligently exploring the cycle that contributed to their upbringing. The film isn’t perfect and it’s not the entire North Preston story, but it’s THEIR North Preston which deserved to be heard.” I thought this film is a documentary based on real life individuals but Hayman seems to view our people as characters. NONE of these *people* are characters. They are real life human beings and even worse, the film encouraged many of them to depict themselves and each other as caricatures. This is a problem.
I personally am pleased with much of the dialog which has sprung from the overwhelming reaction to this film. We’ve been able to agree that the name of the film is what’s majorly problematic and that the reality of the content requires immediate redress. We’ve accepted that the reaction of community members is justified. We’re growing, we’re learning and more importantly, as a community, we’ve been called to task and we’re talking and planning for next steps. Some of us are hunkering down and huddling toward building solutions and realizing that it’s our onus to do more to protect our legacy. There is a reason for everything and I believe that this is the reason so I’ve made my peace with it. I am concerned with the lack of remorse or better yet, understanding by the films director.
Hayman insists that this film was indeed an exploration into North Preston’s troubled past and not Blacksploitation.
We beg to differ.
Spending a year of my life doing this project with money raised privately and no broadcast or streaming deal would be a terrible way to try to advance ones career. We explored tough problems, but also history, social cultural issues, opportunity and decades of systemic racism.
— Jaren Hayman (@JarenHayman) May 21, 2019
I don’t know Mr. Hayman personally. Other than what I’ve been able to ascertain online about his professional achievements, I know next to nothing about him but I am deeply concerned that in 2019 when a white man is being asked to consider whether or not his actions were exploitative toward the black community, he abjectly denies all wrong doing and instead is praised for a job well done. I question the professional integrity of someone who refuses to listen.
While us community members are faced with picking up the pieces and putting our relationship and motives in check, Hayman gets to climb back into his ivory tower and ride off into the Western sunset leaving the ashes and dust to settle in our community and with ‘This Is North Preston’ under his belt as a trophy.
“Systemic Racism” are simply buzz words from someone who is sheltered by his white privilege. You can easily deny that you’re actually *still* quite ignorant about North Preston & you had the audacity to assume we wouldn’t notice how terrible you framed us ALL in this film.
— Rachy007 (@Blacklit101) May 23, 2019
At this point it is what it is. I really wish that the film participants had their own independent PR and legal consultants to properly advise and coach them on what content they should divulge and how prior to going into production and at least when it was time for editing. I trust that they’ll do different going forward. I have no doubt of the trajectory of success that they’re all on and I wish them the best. These are the success stories our North Preston needs to continue to thrive and we all salute you!
Me personally, I’ll be working with my peers to build a Bursary Fund for our North Preston Youth in hopes to help make post-secondary education more attainable through being more affordable. That’s the impression the film left on me so, in reality it’s all been worth the “drama”.
I don’t think Hayman is a bad guy, in fact I think he’s demonstrated his ability and potential as a director and producer! I think we’ll be hearing more from this man in the future but I do think it’s unprofessional to be arrogant in the face of justified confrontation. I believe he’s simply a man who’s currently on the defense and with lots to learn about how his white privilege can be best utilized and how professional allyship works.
If the experience isn’t perceived by your audience as quid pro quo, it’s exploitation. Simple as that. We’re trying to teach you. So, in the words of the great Lyricist Kendrick Lamar, “Sit Down. Be Humble”
~R
Light Reflected Is Enlightenment Infinite
To capture the essence of an entire community, the story must be finessed with incredible nuance and care.
I saw the film ‘This Is North Preston’ at it’s original release during The Canadian Film Festival in March. Like a lot of other people and prior to seeing the film, I’d seen the trailer and wasn’t overly impressed. Many of us feared that the ‘documentary’ (I use this word in the most liberal way possible) would amount to nothing more than a contrived and visual blanket statement of the average anti-black and stereotypical sentiments of which many of us are all too familiar; Sadly, we were right.
Needless to say, this portrayal of coming of age in North Preston is a scathing display of ignorance and arrogance in disturbing amounts. I grew up in North Preston and although I’m about a decade older than the films central figure, in my opinion, Preston natives were shamefully depicted as caricatures of who the majority of us actually are.
Each one of us are entitled to capture our experiences from our own perspectives as it’s entirely relative to the storyteller. It’s useless to argue somebody else’s point of view or opinion but having said that, since the film is titled ‘This Is North Preston’ and North Preston is my home; I will challenge this problematic portrayal of my community with my own opinions regarding the subject matter.
Like most young girls from the community, I was protected from the elements of bad behavior. My father chose to tightly guard my proximity to anything or anybody who had the potential to bring me harm and he diligently ensured that I understood boundaries in terms of exercising agency over my own body. Our boys weren’t necessarily as protected. Where us girls were sheltered from the perils of pimping and prostitution, I understand that for many of our community’s boys, the opposite is true. Many of our young boys were grossly exposed and even encouraged.
Although it is not been my personal experience, I can accept that for some people who grew up a few years behind me and especially from a male perspective; This film captures the essence of their exposure and their exposures are what bred their likelihood to pursue and participate in certain socially irresponsible activities. Like it or not, I believe that this is the reality for many of North Preston’s young men.
Much of my discord with this film is that it’s intentionally captured as broad-stroke to misrepresent an entire community. Pimping and prostitution is in fact not intrinsic to the natural culture of North Preston or Black Nova Scotians for that matter. Our Men did not walk out of Africa with the innate impulse to buy and sell each other. Our Men did not walk out of slavery with the proclivity to exploit their female counterparts to the worst possible end of the spectrum in terms of sexual violence. They simply and absolutely did not.
In reality, most criminal activity surrounding pimping and prostitution arrived in our community as a result of the push factors of poor economic opportunities ultimately derived from acute poverty owed to systemic anti-black racism. Such factors inevitably pulled our people toward bigger metropolitan areas where they were exposed to criminality. Unfortunately, many of them brought the anti-social behaviors back home with them. (*Side note, this is an idea for an interesting documentary that I would love for somebody to tastefully explore.)
Contrary to what this film would have viewers believe; In North Preston, rampant pimping has *never* been the norm or the rule. It is the exception. If one was to organize a Gallup Poll to analyze the demographics of North Preston, the percentage of people involved in pimping and prostitution would be incredibly and boringly low.
I doubt that those who chose to participate in the film are misrepresenting their own experiences, my disappointment lies within the lack of counter balance. Those that align themselves as being the spokespeople of our community and are self-identified advocates for the betterment of our people failed to successfully counter the narrative. Instead, they stepped into the limelight forgetting that the onus of accurate depiction rested in their ability to vocalize the many anti-black stereotypes and provide evidence to the contrary. You cannot claim to be representative for North Preston and yet stand shoulder to shoulder or will sleep next to the same people who perpetuate the violent death of yours and your own children’s legacy.
Allowing the narrative to continually disregard the good pillars of our community and permitting them to be dismissed, discounted and discredited is hypocritical and dangerous within itself. Every attempt at defining ‘North Preston’s Finest’ as a lifestyle and *not* a gang failed miserably and actually worked to reinforce the belief that NPF is indeed a gang connected to organized crime. (Which was rather quite asinine.)
Where were the feminine voices? North Preston is filled with educated, articulate and forward-thinking women. Why were so few women included to provide context? Where were the elders to provide historical context? Where were the blue and white collar workers who’ve never challenged the law a day in their humble lives and live dedicated to supporting and raising socially responsible citizens? I was especially disturbed when the mother of friends I grew up with was seemingly included for comic relief. It was horrifying and incredibly disrespectful to put one of our own on display for strangers to laugh at. I was both saddened and ashamed at seeing her on screen. I wonder if she knew how her image would be used. If that had been my parent, I would be fully booked with court dates and lawsuits.
With the exception of Kirk Johnson who has always been a beacon of hope and an example of strength, dedication, fortitude and hard work for my generation, the film offered but one example of a positive role model and considering Kirk is not the central character, I consider this a failure.
It’s a shame that the filmmakers settled on creating a sensationalized extended music video rather than recognize the value in telling a multifaceted story or didn’t care enough to challenge themselves into filming an accurate portrayal of Indigenous Black Canadians. Perhaps, it was a bit of both. Jaren Hayman I implore you to reach out to those of us interested in sharing and educating you with some of *our* truths. We know that ‘truth’ is subjective and is merely a matter of opinion based on the perspective of whoever is telling the story so, here’s the ‘truth’ from my perspective; I have always found pimps to be effeminate. I firmly believe that it is anti-masculine for men to abuse and sell women. It’s the complete antithesis of the natural order a society especially in a Black Community where the men are free and can actively and openly protect their women. Traditionally, the sex industry was one controlled by women therefore; I question the masculinity of men who busies himself with women’s work. I question the masculinity of men who garner attention with shiny possessions bought with what women have acquired via their own sexual prowess. I question the masculinity of men who claim to have acquired wealth and riches by any means necessary yet are unable or unwilling to finance a film and retain creative control over their own cultural narrative. I question the masculinity men who would sell women rather than uphold, protect and respect us. A society in which men fail to value their women and nurture their children is a society destined for failure. This film tries to make us all look bad however; As negative as the fall-out from this film has been, we have to face the reality. I don’t believe that merely changing the name of it will easily remedy the damage which has been done. This is NOT North Preston but, “a hit dog will holler” and since we’re all up in arms, there is obviously truth in this film. This isn’t the story that we want told about ourselves. This isn’t the story that makes us proud of where we come from. This isn’t the story that captures the essence of what it means to be a Black Nova Scotian. What actions will we now take to move our own narrative forward in a more positive light? Will we begin to hold each other accountable? Will we protect the least among us from the more powerful among us? Will we be honest with one another? Will we now be the community members that we say we are and speak openly to our neighbors about the ills that pervade and pervert the street corners of North Preston and do something to change them or will we simply be enraged until the next distraction comes along?
Despite the negative content of this film, I am not nor will I ever be ashamed of my home. I am proud of where I come from. I am proud of my community and I respect and admire the many people who helped to raise us up with decency and integrity and with steadfast ingenuity. The antithesis of every negative idea portrayed in this film are examples of success which aren’t derived or defined by materialism or perverted by criminal sexual exploitation. We need to now be North Preston’s Finest and showcase our best work to provide much needed counter balance and show the world who we really are.
These are simply the opinions of a girl who grew up Down The Road.
~R
Light Reflected Is Enlightenment Infinite
I’ve suffered, oh how I have suffered this past year with writers block and a multitude of other excuses NOT to write until last night. After watching Light Girls on OWN I’m now bum-rushed with a multitude of self-centered attitudes and opinions that I think everyone ought to read about…
My intention was to watch this piece with a an open heart and mind. I wanted to allow myself to step beyond my own experience and see if this dialogue would serve as a haven for yellow girls who may not have ever felt like anyone related to their experience. I had hoped that this would be an opportunity to walk away from the message with an enlightened frame of mind or a broader scope of opinion. I believe I was failed in my expectation. Although the discussion had major potential as an instrument of societal education, it ended up being a divisive mess.
Without re-hatching the entire documentary, here’s where I believe the show could have been powerful.
It seemed to me that the participants were encouraged to reveal their negative experiences as light skinned women in a tit-for-tat match in comparison to the oppression and rejection that dark skinned women typically face. At least, it was edited to to depict that. I think that if they had narrowed the narrative and spent more time focusing on the real ways in which our experience as light skinned women differs from those of our deeply melanated sistren, we would have actually gotten somewhere.
Showcasing real-life-fly-on-the-wall experiences of how being light skinned can make us privy to places and permit exposure to experiences that our counterparts are often refused or outright shunned. Examples from these women of how growing up in a world so deeply divided by shadism has effected the way in which we must tread through society. I’ve recently been in a position to have to explain to a client that yes, I am Black and no, I’d rather not “pass” as something else even though I can get away with it; This “conversation” occurred in a boardroom. To me, I see situations such as these as sad abuses of my identity and to express these experiences lends voice to the fact that mal-acceptance and rejection happens to practically all non-white people at onetime or another.
I wish they had talked about understanding the power of our visibility because that’s what “light skinned privilege” really boils down to doesn’t it? Being a woman and being visible.
Being approved of to be heard and seen and loved. Having your right to exist validated because of the shade of your complexion. “Passers” understood this years ago and it’s quantified in the mainstream media today.
They could have discussed the heart-felt obligation which drives some of us to over-compensate our “Blackness” by being uber vigilant and outspoken on social issues which plague the Black community, many of which do not impact our own social lives directly. The need to be apologetic for being born a shade apart from our own people.
Instead of flagrantly and distastefully daring to insinuate violence and sexual assault as things that only light skinned women experience, they could have shed light on some of the things that set light skinned and bi/multi racial women on different courses of social development from early stages in life.
Other than a few key elements, I enjoyed hearing from Angela Davis, Soledad O’Brien, Amber-Rose and Iyanla) this film lacked a cohesive dialog which eventually lead somewhere. The commentary included far too many men and women who aren’t even light skinned to begin with. In other words it was empty.
Although this movie had the potential to unite WOC, I fear it may have further fragmented our already fragile unity as kindred. In order for a film like this to work, it would have to be met with some serious empathy and I just don’t think it was presented in the right package.
I will say that the one positive I took from this documentary is the outright refusal to apologize for who I am, my genetic makeup, my experiences in this life as a human being or denounce myself out of the cultural diaspora for not being considered Black enough.
If anything, it further reinforced my desire to pay closer attention to each and every break I am given in this world and use it to make a way for someone else. Not because I’m anyone’s hero but more because, what’s the point of having privilege or power if one doesn’t A) Recognize it and B) Utilize it.
How to do all of this is where the challenge lies… Any feedback is welcomed. Unpacking and deconstructing this reality is a most fragile and difficult thing to do.
These are simply my opinions.
~R
Light Reflected Is Enlightenment Infinite
Filed under Education
*I write this in response to a creeping Kola Boofs Twitter timeline and seeing a back-and-forth between she and Rosanne*
The women reading this Blog are gainfully employed, running functioning households, controlling successful businesses, busy being beautiful, whatever; So, I’ll TRY to keep this short and sweet 😉
Tommy Sotomayor IS sending a message which although particularly controversial, is one that some people feel is a motivating force within the Black Community. Many people understand the use of his platform to simply be a self-reflective mirror showing that we ought to be holding ourselves to higher standards of morality and ethics; A necessary evil of sorts.
Others at the polar opposite of the spectrum instead believe that he is a contagion; A deadly strain of ideological virus compiled of hatred and contempt toward Black Women in general and that he is set on propagating the lie that we are on a path of self-destruction. That we are ugly, matriarchal failures. Genocidal maniacs.
I’ve watched my fair share of TS YouTube clips and am familiar with the jargon of “Beasties”, “Snow Queens”, “Mixed Nuts” and “Hair Hatted Hooligans”. I’ve also become fluent to the language of “Simps” and “Madden Kings” and so, I well understand the “message of his media” and where both sides have formed their opinions from. Tommy Sotomayor openly and scathingly critiques Black Women and Black Men however, like him or hate him; His types have become an important enigma in the world of North American internet savvy Black People. Tommy Sotomayor and the like are speaking about us and therefore they are speaking to us. But ultimately, it is our prerogative to acknowledge, discuss, ignore or silence their condescension. That us being Black People however; These messages are far reaching and unfortunately not only falling into our ears, so instead of hitting home only within the realm of our particular communities, it’s breaching cultural “boundaries”.
I believe that the judgment that some white people are allowing themselves to openly express toward Black Women is a side-effect after also being exposed to TS type messages; Collateral damage so to speak. (As if having the loaded finger of detriment pointed at us isn’t enough.) You want to judge us? Fine, it’s your right but, I suggest you sit quietly by and in blood curdling suffocating silence.
Stop assuming that the world needs you to speak for it because you can’t and yes, you assume the implication right; It is simply because you are white and inexperienced with what it means to be considered “other”. As much as it’s your right to direct your misinformed judgement toward us, we’ve every right to call you out on it and demand that you miss us with your foolishness. When we catch you in blatant acts of prejudice and discrimination, it’s not a reflection of our inherent “angry”ness to reject your violation, it’s simple self preservation of which we are also entitled to. It forces to mistrust you and therefore sometimes refrain from truly connecting with you. I digress…
Though, I don’t presume to speak for all Black Women, I think it’s safe to illuminate the sacred sorority that does exist between us.
We are all our mothers daughters but we are her first born and therefore delightfully special and beautifully unique. I choose not to pretend to understand a hierarchy where you feel you deserve to be placed above us, undermining our right to exist within the norms, mores, taboos and boundaries of our own cultures. Undermine our own agency to navigate the complexities of our relationships. Undermine the acceptance, indifference or the critiques of our own men. Men who may not love us but of who we are by nature innately designed and bound to love in spite of ourselves. (A WHOLE other essay entirely…)
Understand that we do not consider you to be beneath us; For our Mothers taught us to be especially respectful of other Women but, if you continue to chose to NOT be beside us within our framework of true and inclusive sorority which protects the integrity of Women as a whole and does not cheapen the right to exist of certain individuals, then inevitably, you will subjugate yourselves invariably.
Contrary to your popular opinion, we do not need you in order to be relevant. We are not in juxtaposition with you. We do not worship you. We can and do reject your assumption of dominion over us.
White supremacist Euro-Judeo-Anglo Saxon superiority is an utter fallacy and if you refuse to see us as equals, as fellow She-People; We will refuse to see you at all. We have each other, the majority of us do not take it for granted. Intersectionality is simply a theory, a theory that can be bitterly rejected.
P.S. Some of You will deconstruct this and claim that I am defending Ts; Resoundingly, NO I am not. I’m saying that we are mindful enough to deal with the fallout of his ideologies on our own and are also intelligent enough to see through a White persons “co-sign” on his perception of us. We see that your support of people like that is simply you giving your-less-than-perfect-self permission to stereotype and paint all Black Women with the broad stroke of ratchetness without a) Knowing more than maybe two Black Women and likely not that intimately and b) Understanding ANY thing about us. So, unless you’re defending the right of all Women to exist, be silent.
Black Women can support and hold each other up magnificently therefore, where there are changes and areas for growth within our circles, we can help to positively influence each other and we do. We have each other to help Mother and Sister each other to self-improvement, striving to becoming better individuals so that we can be better Daughters, Sisters, Mothers, Wives, Lovers and Friends. Solidarity is nothing short of love.
TS is welcome to his opinion, but as we all know by now, opinions are like assh*les; Everyone has one and some are shi*tty 😉
The moral of the story is; Always think twice before You openly climb aboard some bandwagon full of bull sh*t because we can see through misogynistic f*ckey just as well as the next Lass.
Light Reflected is enlightenment infinite.
~R
Filed under African Canadian, Black Canadian, Black Educators, Black Literature, Education, Eurocentricism, Literacy, Musings, Parents, Racism, Uncategorized, Women
I purposely waited until saw McQueen’s 12 Years A Slave twice before writing an essay in dedication to the thought this film is responsible for provoking. I wanted to ensure that I hadn’t been beguiled by the beauty of the Louisiana setting, the intriguing melancholic score or the creative nuances that make this film easily one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve ever had.
Having said all of that, anyone who’s seen the film will agree or flounder trying to argue that the transfer of Northup’s horrifying experiences within the physical and spiritual confines of slavery from print to film wasn’t an industry clinic in screenplay and film adaptation.
But enough movie love, now for a healthy dose of relativity. As much as I love this film, I loved the fact that it was even made more. This story needed to be told on film. In all my years of thinking I was well versed in what slavery was, I never seriously extended my curiosity toward the exploration of the inhumane reality that “free” Black people were sold into slavery right on North American soil. To further illustrate; Often when we think in terms of slavery, we tend to romanticize that Black People were only kidnapped, stolen and whisked away from the shores of Africa. I was ignorant in not considering how often “free” Black People were kidnapped, stolen and whisked away from the shores of the Atlantic, renamed and sold into slavery right here in North America.
In a way that Roots, Amistad, Beloved, The Color Purple, Glory, Imitation Of Life, A Raisin In The Sun, Queen and other film depictions of Black People surviving in a disordered world at the end of the white man’s whip and under the white man’s arbitrary control, 12 Years A Slave surpasses it’s cinematographic peers. I liken it to The Passion Of The Christ in the sense that, although we have the biblical and apostolic recount of Jesus’ tortured last days on Earth; Until Mel Gibson unabashedly displayed his torture on film, for me, it was merely a story.
Slavery is not a story. It is a poignant, relevant and historical reality as was the violence, torture and degradation. As is the social psychopathy that has thus evolved because of it. For me, this movie epitomizes living in “niggery” and is a point blank example of why I believe that no Black Person should use or condone the use of the *N* word and especially by other Black People. There is an abomination of power within that word and it is loaded with venom that has been used to dehumanize us from the dawn of the North Atlantic slave trade up to this very second in time.
Like many of you, I can recall the annual Roots marathon during Black history month and being expected to re-watch it year after year. My parents knew that it was important for me to see the human travesty that was slavery and that reading about it simply wasn’t enough. This is also why I insisted my teens watch this film. It wasn’t just that I wanted them to see a contemporary take on our history as North American Black People, I need them to understand that if there was ever a time to be a Black Person living in North America, it’s now. There is simply no excuse for average or sub par effort when they do not face the constraints our ancestors had to and who did not give up and accept the status quo and merely exist; They endured in the hope that one day their generations would live.
I remember my father being angered by the scenes in Roots and his explosions of emotion when he felt the anguish and helplessness of Kunta Kinte. Even into his mid 70’s, Daddy claims he’d rather have died trying to free himself of bondage by inflicting violence on anyone in his path rather than accept life as a slave. I’ve seen this movie in theaters twice now and both times, I kept wishing for Django to ride up and kill every oppressor in his path.
As a demonstrative period piece, this story allows for no heroes and makes no false pretenses about who people were in relation to the social hierarchy in this time. The white women in this film felt no disregard toward owning, degrading and brutalizing people and even encouraged it while, rare white people, who were intrinsically abhorred by slavery still referred to Black People as “niggers”. A reminder that language is ultra powerful when objectifying humans. I walked away feeling like the majority of white people in this time were absolutely terrifying because they were absolutely crazy.
The violence inflicted on human beings at the hands of other human beings is unfathomable and yet, I understand that in order for slavery to have been sustained, immeasurable violence, abuse, neglect and brainwash had to exist and the people carrying out this violence had obvious mental issues, although lucid enough to utilize the bible as a tool of obedience to assert power over others; It takes a disconnected and sick individual to not see a fellow human as a fellow human and deduce that they worth only the value that they serve as commodities.
In terms of history and violence as it relates to enslaving and violating human beings, we often neglect to validate herstory. Without giving any of the story away, Patsy is absolute misery personified. Patsy reminds us that Black Women existed for three reasons: To labor, bear commodities and satisfy the lust and desires of their controllers. The list of desires is open ended. Patsy is the reason I will never classify myself as a feminist for I believe the disdain, superiority, ignorance, insecurity and hatred portrayed by the white women in this film was an accurate depiction. It was was alive and kicking during the suffragette movement and the contemporary feminist movement is rife with discord now. I’m a womanist and my heart aches for Patsy who couldn’t be protected by men who had also been dehumanized and made powerless to protect themselves let alone others by the very same men who victimized her. There are no heroes in this movie. The actions of every character are motivated simply by social status, lack of choice and survival. At times, the imagery in 12 Years A Slave depicting this powerlessness is enough to make you vomit.
Overall, I think this movie is an important film and that it is a “must see” for a variety of reasons. As a period piece, Spielberg’s award winning Lincoln, which I actually found quite boring, pales in comparison. Canada’s own Lawrence Hill’s, The Book Of Negroes is being adapted to film and is set to release in 2014. Now this is a story I can’t wait to see on screen. Although the story is fictitious, it’s set to the degrading reality which is our history rooted in slavery and I am excited to see the heroine Aminata come to life and leap from the page. To watch Her evolve from a curious and sheltered child stolen African child to an intelligent, brave and industrious grown African Woman living within and beyond slavery in North America will be worthwhile.
Isn’t that what we’re all really doing anyway; Trying to live beyond slavery? There is no “post racial” era and Jim Crow hasn’t up and died. North America is still very much polarized in terms Black and White and, structural, intentional and institutionalized racism is typical. Are we really so far removed from the plight of our grandparents? Are we really so far removed from Solomon who probably never thought that as a “free” Black Man living in the North, he’d be sold into slavery; Like the Black Man whose rights and freedoms are infringed upon with racial profiling or, locked up for driving while Black with no access to decent legal representation? The Black Men and Women who’re handcuffed, arrested and humiliated for innocently shopping at Macy’s. Both the book and film are the recount of a fascinating and thought provoking experience but, now that we’re thinking and talking about it, what are we to do with the insight?
Light reflected is enlightenment infinite.
~Rachelle
Filed under Black Canadian, Black Educators, Black Literature, Education, Literacy, Musings, Racism, Uncategorized, Women
A personal dialogue on the importance of self-awareness and on who the overall onus of educating our children lies with.
“Currently, it is the schools that are majorly responsible for socializing, instilling values, moralizing and instructing Black learners. I believe that in handing near total control over to the education system, we are allowing for the systematic annihilation of our intellectual and therefore future potential. We are inviting people whose best interests it is to keep us ignorant, docile and complacent to have control and dominance over our minds. We are permitting our children to be systematically and purposefully prepared to be “larger” society’s worker ants.
Why do we do this? Because during the civil rights movements we naively and ignorantly fought to assimilate our education along with those who did not want us on their school property let alone in their classrooms. Those who never intended “formal” education be extended to us and furthermore, we put the control of our “mind building” into the hands of people who did…
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