Author: iross

Fighting for Reform: When The New Generation Leads the Charge

May 3, 2019 / iross / 0 Comments

The tragedy that occurred at Parkland High School on February 14th, 2018 was sadly a familiar story. Images and videos from the day circulated on popular news media, and the content shocked the nation, but unfortunately, did not surprise. Teenagers held each other as they were escorted outside to distraught parents. Sirens blare, casting a red and blue reflection on the school’s walls. Officials began the usual charade of condemning violence and offering condolences. In that year alone, over 24 school shootings occurred, resulting in 114 people killed or injured by these acts. At first, it seemed that Parkland would be just another name in the statistic. However, survivors, family members, and supporters decided that enough was enough. They confronted lawmakers, reached out to others, and created a nationwide movement for gun reform, championing the motto, “Never Again”. Their asks were simple and not terribly radical. They wanted justice, and some form of change that could guarantee that a child would not have to fear for their corporeal safety when headed to school.

Aalayah Eastmond hid under a classmate’s body during the school shooting at Parkland High in Florida. Now she, and others are lobbying for gun control. Here’s her story.

Many students have used twitter to publicize their activism. Trump received deserved criticism for his “out-of-touch” tweet posted in reaction to the Parkland shooting. One such example, tweeted from a Parkland survivor is included above.

Above is a photo taken of Emma Gonzales, one of the Parkland Florida High school students, during her speech at the March for our Lives event. Though she spoke for just under two minutes, her speech moved thousands to act. Her closing remarks included this poignant quote. “Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds,” she said. “The shooter has ceased shooting, and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students as they escape, and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it’s someone else’s job.”

The movement that followed after the Parkland shooting experienced some success. Riding a tidal wave of support, twenty-six states passed 67 bills aimed at diminishing gun violence. However, the movement is not by any means done. Gun lobbying groups also won several “Stand Your Ground Laws”, taking a bite out of the activists’ momentum. However, their advocacy still inspires others to actively reconsider the laws and structures that guide our daily living. Their story and their fight continues on, in hopes that such a tragedy would never happen again.

Overlooking the Flaws; Black Panther’s Strength as a Cultural Moment

April 9, 2019 / iross / 0 Comments

A vibrant and engaging tale of archetypal conflict, Black Panther emerged as a significant cultural event in not only Black representational art, but in the American cannon of cinema as a whole. A movie that invoked feelings of wonder across generations, it redesigned and upgraded the typical action hero story as an Afro-futurist, utopian drama. Millions of black families made trips to watch the film into a significant affair; wearing coordinated outfits in support of the movie’s aesthetic flair. The fictional nation of Wakanda, whose lush green landscapes and crisp, vivid imagery, inspired a generation and reopened a century-long discourse on the ideal role of black internationalism in the global sphere. While there are significant flaws in some of the details of the movie, it served as an important moment in society’s imagining of black cultural expression.

The movie opens with a brief synopsis of the set of events that created Wakanda and led to the crux of the movie’s mission; the problem of vibranium, an indestructible element that Wakandans are tasked with protecting. Wakanda, seen as a sort of Eden for African intellectual excellence, is the tucked-away home to the Black Panther, named T’Challa. After his father’s death, he returns home to Wakanda to take his place as king, only to be tested by several powerful enemies. This conflict forces him to make a leadership decision that would forever alter the fate of not only his home but also the condition of the world’s powers. The story introduces a classic, if not cliché villain, Ulysses Klaue, an underworld arms dealer with a cavalier Afrikaans attitude (perhaps a comment on the political controversy of Afrikaners in South Africa). However, the more compelling antagonist is Erik Killmonger, a slick-talking army man from Oakland. The story jumps around from Wakanda to South Korea, offering aesthetically pleasing cinematic shots with an artistic flourish.

What is truly intriguing to me is how the movie dispenses with but also reinforces certain binaries with regards to African/African-American cultural diaspora. Life in Wakanda is simultaneously urban and rural, futuristic, yet agrarian, with an emphasis on both progress and tradition. With visuals such as spaceships shooting past thatched top-structures, viewers are certainly presented with different conceptions of Afro-futurism than often presented in major American films. However, there are other ways that the film affirms certain simplified binary conceptions of racial politics that should not be taken as all-encompassing representations of black global freedom ideologies. While a portrayal of a “Third World” country having more advanced technology than “First World” countries is subversive, there are aspects to the rendering of African cultures as mystically and spiritually gifted that has roots in a more problematic portrayal of black characters in American fiction. The trope of the Magical Negro is a supporting stock character who often comes to the aid of white protagonists in a film. While certainly white characters are a minority in this film and black characters are the leading figures throughout the film, the romanticizing of black characters and their magical capabilities is certainly reminiscent of a troubling pattern. (A theme that becomes more notable when considering Black Panther within the context of the Marvel machine). As for what Wakanda could represent; it seems to be more of a powerful symbol for the African American imagination than any tangible idea; not unlike the concept of Ethiopia in Harlem Renaissance-era concepts as the home of African excellence. Ultimately the movie pushes a moral that in order to progress as a society, one must lift up other nations and share successes.

T’Challa sermonized near the end of the movie, “’In times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers”.

This statement is a beautiful sentiment, however, it fails to sufficiently acknowledge the more insidious history of European powers colonizing and stealing resources from African countries for centuries. Further, the tension between Killmonger and T’Challa creates a false dichotomy of perspectives in Black liberation theory, posing that there are only two possible schools of thought. Not to mention, the movie fails to acknowledge the role of Black Caribbeans in diasporic dialogues. There are many holes one can poke in the theoretical arguments that Black Panther puts forth, however, as a film, I’m not sure its purpose was to address these concerns. The strength of the film is not in its commitment to an accurate portrayal of the contours of Black Freedom, but rather the first of many steps to both a broader discussion of black politics and the role of representation in films as a whole. So, the movie doesn’t have to advance a revolutionary theory, as it isn’t marketed as a documentary, but rather, as an expression of cultural difference. As such, it marks a key moment in the Black American imagination and sparked important conversations about building global diasporic relationships.

Tracing Roots; Rediscovering My Own First Introduction to Diasporic Consciousness

March 28, 2019 / iross / 0 Comments

There is no perfect way to neatly package the grim realities of a generational slave narrative. However, StoryMaps proved to be the best way for me to present the main contours of Alex Haley’s historical fiction novel, Roots. I first read the novel in 6th grade and watched the miniseries not too long afterwards. While I never had any misconceptions about the realities of being a descendent of slaves, Roots was my first exposure to an uncover-able family history that can connect back to Africa. As it was my first stepping stone into Diasporic Consciousness, I felt it appropriate to make it the focus of this assignment. My presentation is an overview of the physical movement forced upon the narrative’s characters and a brief revisiting of their life experiences. I was seeking a platform that would display a path from one place to another and simultaneously provide a format for storytelling and visual aid. I found that StoryMaps allowed this; smoothly transitioning from continent to continent, carrying along the story arc along the way. The format allows the viewer to see a “bird’s eye view” of the transport as well, an easy way to visualize the plot arcs. The text accompanying the markers allows for a personal touch, necessary for such a sensitive subject matter, lest the presentation verge on the dry and clinical. I speak more about why I chose to feature Haley’s novel, and the television miniseries that it inspired in my StoryMaps presentation. Check it out!

If The Mountaintop Isn’t In America, Where Is It? What Happens After We Find It?

March 7, 2019 / iross / 0 Comments

It’s been nearly two years since Philando Castile and Alton Sterling were shot and killed by U.S. police officers within a day of each other. While they hailed from different regions of America, they shared many similarities. Both victims were black and had their last moments caught on camera, which was ultimately watched and shared by citizens across the globe. Their deaths marked a summer of political activism, catapulted to a peak by the upcoming presidential election. Twitter exploded into a social media hotbed for political discourse, with hashtags such as #BlackLivesMatter becoming increasingly popular across the web. Activists, driven by grief, frustration, and a sense of righteous indignance, took to the streets demanding the world acknowledge the atrocities that had unfortunately become all too commonplace.

Others processed these events through satire. Dr. Ulysses Burley III coined the term “Blaxit”, posting on The Salt Collective a long list of ideas and people that would comprise a mass exodus of blacks from the United States, from sports industries and key musicians to beauty trends. While Burley coined this term sartorially, it connects to a larger, older discourse within the African American tradition. From Martin Delaney to Marcus Garvey, the question of “To Stay or Leave” has lingered at the root of Black social theory from its very founding. Knowing this, #Blaxit isn’t a new phenomenon at all. However, it became a vehicle for contemporary reimagining of Black social mobility without America as the epicenter of growth and uplift.

Black political empowerment has always had a Pan-African leaning, made clearly explicit in this quote by the UK branch of the Black Panther movement.

“Black Power provided the political slogan which gives expression to the pent up fury that rages in the oppressed peoples of the world.” Anne-Marie Angelo described this in her article, The Black Panthers and the ‘Underdeveloped Country,’ of the Left. Many Black Panthers followed through on this statement. Kathleen Cleaver chartered the first international wing of the Black Panther Party in Algeria in 1969. John McCarney, Ruth Reitan, Jeffrey Ogbar, and others became international leaders of the Black Panthers, spreading the movement’s influence worldwide.

“The end game is land ownership. The endgame is our own government in a nation within a nation. We want to control the politics in our community…And we most definitely want to control the…school system, where they are teaching and misrepresenting the true history of the Black man here in the United States,” said Babu Omowale of the People’s New Black Panther Party.

Half a century since the peak of Black Panther activity, the causes they fought for still resist change. While people of color make up almost 30% of the United States’ population, they account for more than 60% of those imprisoned. According to the Bureau of Justice, one in three black men can expect to go to prison in their lifetime. Students of color face harsher punishments in school than their white counterparts, contributing to a higher number of incarcerated youth of color. The list of disheartening statistics goes on and on, and it becomes clear that virulent racial prejudice has grown roots far into the very bedrock of American society. And so, the answer for many, is #Blaxit.

So where to turn? For many, Ghana has become the destination of choice for those seeking an ancestral connection in Africa. Ghana, from whose shores upwards of 15 million Africans passed so long ago, around 3,000 have attempted to make Ghana a home once again. One such Black ex-pat, wrote, “I was so ready to turn my back on the United States,” he says, adding: “We did so much for the US, yet they don’t want to see us as first-class citizens.” This may be true, but for many African Americans who have made the journey, the transition hasn’t been without its fair share of obstacles either. For Black expats who moved to African countries expecting to feel a familial bond, many have found that their blackness has been erased. Seen as American first and black second, expectations had to be adjusted. One woman spoke about her experience living in Ghana, saying, “You are a foreigner here…they still consider me to be ‘white’”. Others critique calls for black migration as a continuation of the cycle of colonialism enacted by Americans in centuries past. The alternative, migrating to European countries, like so many Black thinkers have done (James Baldwin, to name one), also carries with it its own set of problems. When speaking about the experience of migrating to Sweden, Azaa Ahmed Ali remarks, “There is a feeling of racism here, but nobody wants to talk about it because they want to be politically correct…People will tiptoe around you, but those microaggressions are constant.”

So, it is difficult for me to fully conceptualize what a large-scale #Blaxit could look like in practice. Because while America is not the land of freedom that it so proclaims, there is not yet a clear “Eden” for Black Americans elsewhere. For those who do not have the resources to leave, and for those whose families have been here for generations, a life outside of America feels aspirational at best. And so #Blaxit might just remain as a hashtag and not a reality, for now. As for that mountaintop that Dr. King so eloquently and richly described 50 years ago, his clear vision eludes us today. It is unclear to me, where on the globe it could rest, and how Black citizens around the world will get there, in the event that we ever find it.

Mari Copeny: Burgeoning Young Advocate for Human Rights

February 20, 2019 / iross / 0 Comments

Ever heard of Little Miss Flint? It’s possible you may have heard of her from her witty response to Tomi Lahren on Twitter. She was the youngest person listed in the Teen Vogue 21 under 21 Class of 2017 and the youngest national Women’s March youth ambassador. She’s also been featured on news sites, social media, and even Oprah’s magazine. Little Miss Flint is the nickname of Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny, the impressive young eleven year old who orchestrated the delivery of 135,000 water bottles to Flint, Michigan last year.

On May 27th of 2018, Mari Copeny organized the delivery of these bottles of water to Flint residents who lined up for more than two hours to stack up. In 93 degree heat, residents were grateful for Copeny’s organization. Copeny’s team also sent personally delivered water packs to the elderly, those with disabilities, and other residents who were unable to wait in the heat.

The problem that Mari Copeny is working to solve began when she was only six years old. In 2014, Flint’s water reserves were altered, leading to a devastating deterioration of the quality of its residents’ tap water. As a result of the higher traces of lead, twelve cases of Legionnaires’ disease arose. Even more broadly, scores of children suffered from brain damage because of the constant intake of the toxic water for years without warning of its many risks. The more Copeny learned about the water crisis, she realized that she wanted to take a more active role in finding the solution.

“It smelled funny, and it was brown,” Copeny noted. “It wasn’t something you’d want to drink…my baby sister’s [condition] was so bad she had to use special oil and be wrapped in plastic wrap at nighttime.” Copeny’s family began to limit showers to two minutes to avoid the rashes, hair loss, and long-term developmental problems that resulted from a possible exposure to lead in the water. When she was 8 years old, Copeny wrote a letter to President Obama, requesting to meet with her and a group of people coming to Washington regarding congressional hearings on the Flint water crisis. He later responded in a letter announcing he was coming to Flint to ensure that the town’s residents receive the help they deserve. This moment cemented Copeny’s nickname internationally as “Little Miss Flint” because of her precocious devotion to representing the children of Flint’s interests.

Copeny isn’t the only one raising awareness about this dire situation. Ever since the discovery of dangerous levels of lead in Flint’s water, residents have been calling on the governor to update the city’s water supply, pipes, and reservoir. This would include the overhaul of pipes which carry water to homes, as they were also badly corroded by the very chemicals which were intended to sterilize the toxic water.

Karen Weaver, Flint’s mayor has spoken out about these troubling circumstances, writing in a statement, “We did not cause the man-made water disaster…Therefore adequate resources should continue being provided until the problem is fixed and all the lead and galvanized pipes have been replaced”. While Weaver’s acknowledgement that Flint is currently undergoing a disaster is encouraging, it does little to solve the daily problem of obtaining safe drinking water which poses an immediate concern to residents. As for now, many have relied on bottled water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. This is why Copeny’s work is so important.

In April of 2018, Michigan governor Rick Snyder decided to end a state-funded free bottled water program. Copeny started a crowdfunding page to raise money for water bottles and has so far generated 65,000 dollars. The money was processed by the nonprofit Pack Your Back, and any funds not used for Flint’s water is set aside for summer programming for children in Michigan. She’s committed in many ways to ensuring the safety of the children she represents.

When asked what she likes about helping people and why she thinks it’s important, Copeny responded, “I love helping people, especially kids. I grew up around giving back to others, it’s always been a part of my life. If I don’t help others someone else may not think that they need to help others. When people see me, a ten-year-old helping others, they sometimes want to be able to help others too.” Copeny shows no signs of slowing down either. She’s traveled around the country to speak about Flint’s crisis, raised thousands of dollars for academic and extracurricular support for Flint Kids, thrown several movie screenings, given away over 600 bicycles, held events for Christmas, given away over 15,000 backpacks with school supplies and more. Copeny makes her presidential aspirations no secret, and there’s no reason why she should. Her devotion to advocating on the behalf of human rights in underrepresented communities would prove a healthy and fresh force in American government systems.