Anthony Pinn wrote, "Black bodies are complex signs that represent something both appealing and repulsive for the society in which we dwell."
The beginning of Black History Month has been a doozy, I tell ya.
If you have followed this blog for any time at all you will know that I stand firm in my belief that the South won the Civil War, even though the North won the military engagement. This past week shows why.
The week starts out with Jussie Smollett, one of the stars of Empire, surviving a racist and homophobic attack that involved a hood, a noose, and bleach.
The week ended with pictures of Virginia governor Ralph Northam in his medical school yearbook either in blackface or in a Klan robe and hood. (if you don't think he is one of those men in that picture, I have swamp land in Arizona to sell you) And yesterday, Gov. Northam said that he wasn't in the picture BUT he did go blackface a little later in the year in a Michael Jackson imitation contest. He also said that he knew the problems with using shoe polish to do the blackface. (did you catch that?)
I've been meditating on Dr. Pinn's quote a lot this week. Because the U.S. still doesn't know how to deal with Black/black bodies. The need to control/mimic Black/black bodies is a constant.
This is the strange fruit of the United States.
Every few hours/days/weeks/months some outrageously racist action takes over the news cycle. And those of us who know the history of racism in this country have to point out that there is nothing new in any of these actions. Those who have been in denial act as if it is surprising that none of this is new. The cycle repeats.
And all of this keeps us from having the real discussion about racist policy and practice. Don't misunderstand me, the racist actions need to be talked about. However, until we get to the harder conversation about policy and practice, little will change.
