| This week's column is influenced by a conversation I had with my aunt at her 47th Birthday party. My family and many of her friends had gathered for this festive occasion -- replete with good food, good laughter, and good reflection on all the bad -- and good -- that had preceded us before this point. My aunt is no feeble woman: with the help of God and my grandmother's strong backhand every now and then to keep her in line, she has been able to grow into the solid pearl of virtue and stability I'm sure her mother -- if she was still living -- would be proud of. She's not dumb either; while she wasn't able to advance exceptionally far academically, she has definitely earned her PhD in the School of the Hard Knocks, trumping others on a regular basis with her street-bred common sense. With that said, I'm a little disheartened by some of the things she said while we were talking -- things that, by and large, I'm beginning to think represent (if only in part) a much larger set of ideas than random things that come out of your elders' mouths that warrant exceptional mercy because of who they are coming from. Despite the luxuries of television, video games, and other musical entertainment, my little cousin -- her 13-year-old-son -- is privileged with, my aunt basically announced to me her intentions to exclude the purchase of a personal computer from his recreational and academic future. Despite the confused, incredulous looks I gave in response to her grand proclamations she did not budge, asserting at my inquiry regarding her thoughts on the growing technological needs of the U.S. adolescents that "Hey, he can go to the library." *sigh* Am I wrong for thinking that that was one of the worst ideas she could ever have -- resolve denying her son a ticket to the Information Age? Is it wrong that I felt the immediate urge to shake some sense into her about the idiocy of her logic? I wouldn't come right out and tell my aunt she was a lunatic who through that one decision nailed the last rusty linchpin into the coffin of my cousin's intellectual future (I mean, my teeth have served me quite well over their lifetime, and the last thing I need is to lose them) at the same time though I can't pretend that's not how I felt about what she was saying. I mean, on one hand I understand where she's coming from: my aunt is a child of the 1970's -- a time that was, understatedly, much simpler than it is now for children who are at the age she was then and younger. At the same time though, purchasing a computer isn't (necessarily -- if you use it right) about having the latest toy, or fulfilling my cousin's latest recreational craving; by and large, owning a computer is becoming more of a necessity to being even remotely competitive in future academic and professional arenas. And while there's absolutely nothing wrong with utilizing community resources to accomplish tasks ... the last time I checked, the local library wasn't exactly the pantheon of technological advancement when it came to experiencing the optimal benefits of computer access. I hoped she would somehow, in this day in age, get that ... but she didn't. What she said though got my mind's wheels turning -- and I started to wonder: are there others of us who are thinking like her, in terms of placing minimal importance on the things that will get us ahead as a community? What other places are we also struggling to understand how we are held back as a people, and what can we do to begin coming out of those gray areas? I sat, and thought about it, and really tried to think about it ... because to be honest this wasn't the first time someone I looked up to or respected said something that made me pause ... and not in a good way. We have a LONG way to go as a people -- and so I thought I'd take some time to submit the following ideas on this and other things we might want to take a serious look at, in terms of where we can look to move forward. Because you do realize we need to move forward, right? Like, we can all agree that the destinations of equality, peace and justice for all of us ain't quite been reached, right? Sure you do -- consider this then my official submission for Black History Month -- an attempt to chart a new course of progressive movement and fruitful dialogue; because Jesse and Al can't chart the Black agenda forever, I give you: Tracie's Rough and Ever-Evolving List of Items We (and she does mean "we" as she still has her own hang-ups to unhook) as Blackfolk Can Begin to Work Out, Regardless of how Uncomfortable it Makes Us Feel to Go There 1. The Digital Divide. If we can plunk down the equivalent of house deposits on shoes, clothes, Wiis and Playstation 3s for ourselves and our kids, then we can also save up and plant a true investment in our kids' (and our own, truth be told) intellectual futures. It's really simple ... in a world where access to the Internet is leveling the playing field between us and our white counterparts in abnormal ways, it's becoming less and less excusable to not jump on the train that can take us to a better place. Not saying that we can change EVERYTHING through computers -- but we CAN change some things, and that conversation has yet to be truly examined. 2. Hip-Hop. Can we just go ahead and be real about the fact that Hip-Hop is not working anymore in its current state? Not just in how women are treated, but in how masculine identity as a whole is distorted? Sure we can say all day that that's how mainstream society functions -- that doesn't mean we are not obligated to take a stand in those areas we participate in. Please right this down and take a picture: REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY DIFFERENT WAYS YOU TRY TO DRESS IT UP, WHISPER IT OR HIDE IT UNDER A DOPE BEAT, YOUR KIDS ARE STILL LEARNING HOW TO HATE THEMSELVES AND EACH OTHER THROUGH WHAT'S BEING PUSHED THROUGH YOUR SPEAKERS. 3. Homophobia in the Black Church. While we're on the subject of hate, I GOTTA throw it out here: just because we (again, I'm included as a member of the Body of Christ) are taught that homosexuality is a sin, doesn't give us the right to make hateful remarks or behave in hateful ways about those who identify as LGBTQTS, etc. No, I'm not assuming that all Black folk go to church, but our historical and contemporary connection to the church (name one black person you know who has NEVER stepped foot in a Black church ... EXACTLY!) leads me to believe that this issue in our community is very much informed by what goes on and is taught in that facility's four walls. And no, I'm not fishing here -- I have heard pastors in this very city make comments and co-sign comments during religious events about homosexual men being "sissies" -- totally excusing themselves under the "blood-stained banner" of Jesus Christ, while simultaneously assuming that no one would disagree with such language who might want to one day gaze upon the Savior's holy face. And you can tell yourself "OMG there's NO ONE like THAT in my church" and you'd be just as much a lie as those who think folk aren't having sex at all -- homosexual or otherwise. The sooner we face and deal with reality as it really is, the sooner we can help heal community bonds that break every time folk exhibit such animosity. 4. Supporting People and Institutions That Look Like Us. This is another thing that appears to be quite simple -- but it isn't. Perhaps I'm not talking about you; perhaps you are the one whose very light fixtures come from a hardware store owned by an African American (in which case you purchased them from out of town, as there are no African American-owned hardware stores in Madison) I applaud you for your righteousness. But for every one of you that exists, there's at least five others of us who are quick to scan the malls, outlets, and mainstream establishments of the world to give our money to without a second thought -- but will completely disregard the business whose owners have our similar brown faces because we think they're trying to get over on us, or we automatically discount the quality of whatever it is they're offering. Here's a question for those worried about being taken advantage of -- WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY'RE DOING AT THE MALL? Businesses of ALL kinds -- from the guy down the street trying to get you to let him work on your car, to the major conglomerates -- they're ALL trying to get paid from YOUR hard-earned dollar, just because THAT'S THE VERY NATURE OF HAVING A BUSINESS!!!!! We don't give Walgreens a hard time about their ulterior motives for selling us household items -- why do we do that to the neighborhood business owner who's selling some things on the side to pay off a bill? It's a much bigger issue than the oft-unfounded reasons we hang our hats on; perhaps if we were willing to at least examine those things in ourselves we might begin to get somewhere. So of course I know this isn't an exhaustive list -- but I'm sure it's enough to begin to at least start thinking about things differently. As far as my aunt goes, I'm not convinced her thought process will change anytime soon; however, perhaps the library will be a greater help to my cousin's development than I think. And if it's not ...? |
| Random Order/ Tracie Gilbert State of the Black Union: a rough estimate |
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