Cloud of Witnesses: Maggie Lena Walker

In the first installment of the Cloud of Witnesses series, I wanted to, in many instances, introduce some of us to Black women that may have been cast aside on the historical trail.  If they garner any mention, it’s not sufficient as most of these women accomplished feats in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  They deserve a better space to occupy during this new century and with the advent of the World Wide Web and blogging, in particular, I can formally bring you the wondrous achievements of Mrs. Maggie Lena Walker.

Born as the daughter of a washerwoman in 1867, Walker grew up in Richmond, Virginia and graduated from the Colored Normal School in 1883.  As a teacher in the city’s public schools, Walker also took courses in accounting and sales which would later prove to be vital assets in her historical contributions.  She married Armstead Walker and was required to stop teaching but used her skills in the many organizations that catered to the needs of women.

One of Walker’s most instrumental roles was as the Grand Worthy Secretary of the Independent Order of St. Luke,  founded by former slave woman, Mary Prout.  The organization was founded as a women’s sickness and death mutual benefit association; meaning it provided insurance benefits  mainly for former slave women.  In this role, Walker instituted and worked diligently on the order’s ventures: a juvenile department,  an educational fund, a department store, and a weekly newspaper.  Initially in decline prior to Walker, the order grew to 100,000 members in 2,010 councils and circles in twenty eight states.

The order was involved in every capacity necessary to ensure equality for Black Americans, and in particular, Black women.  The order’s endeavors ranged from social, economic, and political levels; complete with a women’s suffrage movement that led to an unprecedented achievement, even today.  During the 1920 elections in Richmond, black women accounted for 80% of eligible black voters.  In turn, blacks organized an independent political party called the Virginia Lily-Black Republican Party; and Walker ran for state superintendent of public instruction under the ticket in 1921.

Maggie Lena Walker is most known for being the first woman bank president. She founded the Penny Savings Bank in 1903 which was dedicated to ensuring that the ’small depositor’ was able to save money.  Many of the bank’s customers were washerwomen, like her mother, and other domestics and laborers–both male and female.  Before her death in 1934, Walker helped with the reorganization of the bank as the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company; and it is the oldest, existing Black owned and operated financial institution in the country.

Walker’s philosophy rested squarely on the need to provide black women with the same opportunities to excel economically as white women, and even men.  Of course, her active public life drew criticism from those within the black community as well as among whites.  However, Walker stood firm on her ideals of enabling Black women to be self-sufficient, whether married or single.  Black women were suffering under conditions that rendered them helpless in caring for their children.  Therefore, they deserved the ability to acquire their own means financially in an effort to better support their families as their husbands were unable, in many cases, to do so alone.

Walker believed that women should have a balance between work and family life and both were necessities in upholding a proper society.  Noted scholar, Elsa Barkley Brown, wrote,

“In her efforts Walker, like the other Saint Luke women, was guided by a clearly understood and shared perspective concerning the relationship of black women to black men, to the black community, and to the larger society.  This was a perspective that acknowledged individual powerlessness in the face of racism and sexism and that argued that black women, because of their condition and status, had a right–indeed, according to Walker, a special duty and incentive–to organize” (p. 620).

Indeed, Walker’s ideals were forward thinking in the nineteenth century and perhaps just as progressive in the 21st century.  Are Black women making a point to organize as once before?  Do we still feel as though we have a need to do so?  Walker believed that black women should be able to support themselves financially without the ‘companion of a man’ and it appears that this same sentiment is revalent some 100 or so years later.  How much have Black women advanced in their struggle?  Does it matter that Black women continue to lag behind their white women counterparts in wage earnings as well as suffer disproportionately from poverty?

It appears that Walker’s work must be extended into the 21st century as Black women, not only in this country,but the world over are continuing to be affected severely by the complexities of race and sex.  I know that when I study foremothers like Walker, I notice a sense of inadequacy as I realize that I am not doing enough.  Their courageous stories charge me to be a better woman in the world—a better sister to my fellow sisters and brothers, a better lover to black men, and better nurturer to black children.

I hope I am not the only one.

Reference:

Brown, Elsa Barkley (1989) Womanist Consciousness: Maggie Lena Walker and the Independent Order of Saint Luke  Signs (14) 3 pp. 610-633

Spinning a New Web for Black History Month

Initially, Black History Month was only a week. Founded in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, it was dubbed Negro History Week before expanding into a month long observance.  Why was it necessary?  Well, for obvious reasons.  African Americans were not regarded as an intricate component of society and Woodson deemed it as imperative that Black people are included in all historical discussions.  At the same time, Woodson, along with other great African American historians, John Hope Franklin, John Henrik Clarke, W.E.B. Dubois, Martin Delaney, Arthur Schomburg, and others, were reacting to the theoretical assumptions by many White historians and scientists that African people did not have a history of any significance nor were they intellectually capable of producing any worthwhile contributions because they were ‘biologically inferior’.  Woodson and company set out to disprove these grossly biased and racist assumptions by developing a separate body of thought and field of reference.

Woodson went on to pen many books including the classic, ‘The Mis-Education of the Negro’ and founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; a research institute that published The Journal of Negro History in 1916.  It was later renamed The Journal of African American History and still available.  As Woodson and company went about the business of constructing a historical account of African Americans, they simultaneously became historical figures in their own right.  To that end, Black History Month becomes much of a celebration of Woodson’s life as it is quite unfair to honor the masses and disregard the leader. Ya dig?

Given the spirit of the times that fueled the Black Power and Civil Rights Movements, Black History Month was perhaps more revered than I believe it is now.  As a matter of fact, when I was growing up in the 80s, it was treated more so like a bothersome task of the school system and the teachers did little more than offered a list of ’safe’ Black folks for students to write a book report; by ’safe’, I mean that Malcolm X, Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis, and Stokely Carmichael were not really included on the list–only Dr. King and some more folks.  By the time I got to the 8th grade, Black History Month was a contrived event; if I had to hear about Dr. Charles Drew, Ralph Bunche, Ida B. Wells, and Mary Mcleod-Bethune ONE more time….  It wasn’t until I started spending countless hours in that two-story library in my hometown that I discovered other largely ignored Black figures.  Further still, as an adult, it seems as though I’ve become familiarized with more and more Black figures that went under the radar during my childhood and teen years.

Sadly, unless someone corrects me, I don’t think Black History Month has evolved beyond my grade and high school years.  About two years ago, my mentee was undergoing the same programming at her inner city middle school during Black History Month.  Teachers were only providing a list of Black folks for book reports—Malcolm X has made the list, at least (thanks Spike Lee).  Compared to my mentee’s teachers, my teachers, who were all disinterested and unmotivated, were rather sprightly.  Understandably, there’s only so much that the teachers can do given the systematic constraints and ongoing social conditions that so many of our children endure.*

*This statement was added for the benefit of teachers.  I don’t need ya’ll reading this and blasting me.  We’re good, right? 

In a larger context, Black History Month is somewhat undergoing an attack.  There are some who believe that Black History Month is unnecessary now that the country has its first African American at the helm as POTUS. They regard it as separatism and unbefitting to the so-called ‘post-racial, color-blind society’ in which we live now.  Oh yeah?  On the contrary, many important aspects of Black history (and, let me add, any other history of people of color) are still largely omitted from the textbooks of our children and furthermore, many of us do not get an opportunity to truly capture the breadth of Black History until either studying it in college or striking out on our own as life-long learners.  Black History Month was conceptualized during the initial scourges of Jim Crowism and segregation, however, its purpose has always been larger than integration.

Compared to most of the world, America is among one of the youngest countries.  Unlike many nations, every citizen here can trace their roots to another land with its own history, leaving a huge void in the American story that begins with the coming of the Mayflower.  These voids must be filled appropriately with accurate histories that connect themselves with the dominant history, or else it will continue to cripple our ability to relate…and more importantly, accept and understand each other. Ya dig? At the same time, it will give each one of us the total picture, putting many things into perspective while establishing the truth (Can’t get too deep with that one. I don’t have the space.)

On another note, Black History Month is just as significant now because of the need to connect the African Diaspora;constructing a full history of a people with an ever-present struggle for identity. Since the tragedy in Haiti, I’ve been wondering if there are some African Americans who are unable to see themselves in the faces of their Haitian brothers and sisters.  I believe if we (Black folks) had a richer knowledge of our history, Pat Robertson would not have been able to practically get away undisputed with his comments regarding Haiti.  For that sake alone, we need to move past the mere activity of rolling off the accomplishments of selected individuals and actually engage in the work of thorough research, critique, and analysis; after all, history is not so much defined by past occurrences so much as it is the foundation and explanation of present-day realities.

Guess what? That’s gonna take longer than a month per year.

Classic Moments in Black Films, Take One

Film: THE WOOD

Starring: Taye Diggs, Omar Epps, and Richard T. Jones

Released in 1999, The Wood is the first addition to the Southern Eccentrik’s club of Black movie classics.  Set in Inglewood, CA, it’s the story of three men who have been friends since junior high school.  Taye Diggs plays the charming but self-styled ladies’ man, Roland, while Omar Epps and Richard T. Jones portray the characters of the level-headed Mike and the quick-witted Slim respectively.  The film opens with Roland having a serious case of cold feet as he disappears on his wedding day.  To that end, his buddies find him and then help him sort out his fear of taking the final step into manhood by reminiscing about their boyhood antics; which all occurred during the late eighties.  The fact that writer/director, Rick Famuwiya, set the timeframe of the story during the height of gang activity in Cali, The Wood can be easily considered as the alternative to John Singleton’s Boyz in Da Hood and answers the question, ‘If not all young Black boys were banging, what were they doing?’

Apparently, they were trying to grow up, become men, and have a lot of fun while doing it.  The actors who played the younger versions of the main characters did a great job at conveying the youthful dispositions of black boys during that era.  Sean Nelson (Young Mike), Trent Cameron (Young Roland), and Duane Finley (Young Slim) were all complete crack ups, showcasing the cute and clumsy moments that denote coming of age.  In everything from the Phone Number Contest to their Pussy Pot caper, I saw so much of my childhood male friends in each one of them.  In my little hometown in Mississippi, I had my own versions of Mike, Roland, and Slim.

I even had my own version of Stacy. He was actually my first boyfriend (I’m saving that story for the biopic).  Stacy, portrayed by De’Aundre Bonds, was the Blood-affiliated older brother of Mike’s object of affection, Alicia.  While the entire movie brightens up my mood every time I watch it, there is one particular scene that does it for me every time and Bonds’ character is at the center.

All of the elements that were incorporated into the film (the music, the clothes, the language) points out that Famuwiya wanted a relatable story; so he had to deal with the phenomenon of gangs, which is where Stacy comes into play.  Instead of building Stacy as a one-dimensional character, Famuwiya brilliantly constructs him with depth, showing different sides of Stacy as he was essentially just a misguided youngster who needed a swift kick in the right direction.  Famuwiya’s development and Bonds’ performance made Stacy likeable and left the audience with a good impression.  This was not an easy task, considering that Hollywood historically generalizes Black men as innate criminals or dumb, subservient individuals with little worth to society.  Famuwiya even spoofed the O-Dog persona (Menace II Society) with the goofy hold up scene in which Mike, Roland, and Slim technically become accessories to a felony.

Not only does Stacy trip in the doorway as he enters to rob the store, but he also incriminates himself when Mike calls out his name.  If that’s not funny enough, he has time to have a moment about his pre-gangster days when he used to attend the school dances and to explain to his homie that Mike has ‘heart’ because of how he handled an ass whopping after violating Alicia (grabbing her booty at school).  As an act of courtesy, he tells his younger counterparts to grab something from the store, if they wanted it, and offered a ride to the dance.  Now, for the most part, Stacy is clearly a gangster in training, but he must have been paying attention in his Armed Robbery classes because taking the boys to the dance could serve as a great alibi.

Of course, everything doesn’t go as planned and Stacy gets pulled over by the trigger-happy lot known as the LAPD, and for all things, a busted tail light.  When it comes to young Black men, random traffic stops often become an opportunity to investigate any inkling of suspicion that a police officer could get.  Here, Famuwiya visually presents a bit of social commentary about racial profiling and how Black men can acquire a criminal record with relative ease.  So when the boys are spread eagled against the wall, Mike observes that the gun used in the store robbery is in plain view on the floor in the low-rider’s backseat.  Distracting the officers, Mike earns the immediate respect of Stacy who blesses him four times; once by demoting his Blood homie to the backseat with his ‘cry baby ass’ and giving Mike the coveted spot. The second time, Stacy apologizes for the ass whooping, third, he christens Mike as Big Mike because of his ‘heart’ or courage and finally, by dropping a dime on how to win Alicia over.

There’s so many takeaways from this scene alone.  As a soul deep lover of Black men, this film helped me with understanding how much they revere their friendships.  Also, I got a glimpse at how hard it is for them to earn and keep each other’s respect. It’s also nice to have a movie in the Black Experience where Black men were portrayed without any pretenses.  Famuwiya stayed away from the overused clichés that seem to follow Black men; no prison scenes, no blood spilling, no ‘the block is hot but I’m selling these rocks’ mentality, no high speed car chases, no over exaggerated cool pose expressions that have trapped Black men in a never-ending maze of lazy strolls, chin up, tilted heads, and thugged-out simplicity.

In a word, classic.

C/K

‘Precious’ Ain’t Precious At All

I was  going to try to give my offering on the film, ‘Precious’ but I haven’t been able to pull the words together.  Yes, I’m just that bothered by it; rarely am I rendered speechless, but Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey have successfully achieved this feat.  Now I know it’s possible to be so appalled that I can’t even organize my thoughts enough to write them down,  let alone express them.

The more I try to get some mental juices flowing on this thing so I can try to discuss it, all articulation goes out of the window and I’m left with a vulgar, venom-filled quip, ‘What the FUCK?’

Instead of trying to work myself up in a frenzy, I’ve decided to link this post to an excellent review of the movie by Black film critic, Armond White.

Before,  I do that, however, I just wanted to state one thing about this movie…and one thing only:

This movie continues the annihilation of the image of Black women.  It is a thorough crucifixion of our character—and Oprah’s endorsement can be regarded as the Judah’s kiss of betrayal.

Ok, so maybe that was two things.  Here’s the link to Armond White’s review.

IT ONLY TAKES ONE or, How a 12 Year Old Upstages the Memphis Media

Facebook is perhaps a better communicator of news than the media, especially the media in my current city of Memphis. The first time I heard about 12-year old Diedra Shores, a local teen, was through Facebook via a post by one of my friends.  At the time, Diedra was picked as one of the finalists for the Today Show’s Kid Reporter, a nation-wide contest.  Well, this morning, the energetic Ms. Shores won the contest and will be embarking upon her first news story very soon aboard a cruise ship.  How did I find out about it? Yep, through Facebook.

But this is not about Facebook so much as it is about how Diedra Shores has singlehandedly upstaged the Memphis media.  For many of you who may be reading this from other cities, let me give you an idea of how news stories run in the Bluff City.

Here’s a few examples of the headlines:

“Two men charged with armed robbery at local convenience store.”
“Three teens sought as suspects in death of local teen.”
“Woman killed during carjacking at traffic light.”
“Toddler left for dead in North Memphis apartment building.”

Get the picture? After I learned of Diedra’s soaring accomplishment, I did a quick search of local media websites:

9:15am: Scanned the website of the Commercial Appeal, Memphis’ joke of a newspaper.  Nothing on Diedra.

9:30am: Scanned the website of WREG, the local CBS affiliate; scrolled down to mid-way of the homepage and found one little link under the NBC Memphis heading.

9:35am: Scanned the website for WLMT/WPTY, the local ABC affiliate. Zilch on Diedra

9:40am: Scanned the website for WHBQ, the local Fox affiliate. Nada on Diedra.  Not surprised at all by that one.

9:43am: Scanned the website for WMC, the local NBC affiliate.  Surely, the local NBC affiliate is going to have something right?  After all, The Today Show is on the NBC network. Ok, there is something…but I had to scroll down and go past all of the bad news to see the video link on Diedra.

Thanks to the local media, a large swath of Memphians (and quite a few outsiders) believe that this city is one big cesspool of violence and poverty; even teens like Diedra are not immune to becoming the top story on one of these news programs. Guaranteed, if there was an incident that involved a teen doing something as small as raising their voice in the school cafeteria, it would be carried by all of the media affiliates in the city.  Furthermore, it could be presented as a story where the teen was being unruly towards another student or the teacher, when in actuality, the child could have been simply trying to get the attention of a friend. There have been instances where the Memphis media did not accurately check sources or facts regarding several new stories.  In addition, their rate of following up on news stories and doing in-depth reporting is atrocious.

Meanwhile, Diedra Shores becomes a winner of a national contest and it seems to have fallen on deaf ears of the so-called media personnel in the city. She didn’t win a ribbon in a local pie eating contest; she won a national contest as a Kid Reporter—that alone should have caused them to take notice and try to capitalize from it.  In an industry that’s struggling for ratings and eyeballs, they need all of the help they can get. Furthermore, if there is ever a city in need of a better image, it’s Memphis. Stories like this could be used as a part of an image building platform to improve the opinion of the city among its citizens first…then to the rest of the nation.

There’s so many angles that a good reporter could work with this story.  For instance, one could interview administrators at Memphis City Schools to get their reactions to Diedra’s accomplishment and how that could be leveraged into encouraging other students to strive for higher goals.  After all, Diedra’s school, Colonial Middle, is part of the public school system.  A good reporter could also seek out other students within the public school system who are achieving in spite of the system’s failing report card.  Through a well-researched report, a local news station could incorporate Diedra’s story and even allow her to be apart of the story as a co-reporter. That would be a great publicity boost for Memphis City Schools.  Those are just a few ideas that I’m tossing out there, in hopes that it would stir the creative juices of someone at one of these local news stations…or just somebody who cares enough.

Lastly, I find it quite interesting that Diedra wants a career in an industry that has a tendency to demonize people who look like her.  However, I can only pray that she will become the change agent as she is already on the path of being a trailblazer.  After all, it only takes one.

C/K

Reclaiming Betty Davis

My, how times have changed.

Back in the 70s,  it was still considered lewd and risque for a woman to be on stage in lingerie, fishnet stockings, and scowl while singing about ‘crawling to her man’ when he needed his ego lifted.  I suppose those still around with modest sensibilities must wear a constant frown at the likes of Beyonce, who is half-naked every time she steps on stage and actually wiggled on the floor during a performance.   But, the willingness to be scantily-clad is normal among so many women these days, not just the Pop Queens and R&B Princesses.  That’s their business.  I don’t have it in me to take on the sex kitten persona with this post, or, maybe I do….just from a different angle.

See, I got this thing about people who don’t fall into pre-determined categories.  Also, I love to ponder on the large-scale meanings of things and see if there’s a connection between them. Ya dig?  That’s why I’d rather play around with the badass-ness of Betty Davis.  It’s much more fun because this woman was letting it all hang out when it really wasn’t the norm to do so.

Now, in terms of sheer musical quality, Betty’s funky contributions were rather normal, after all, she used musicians that used to play for Sly and the Family Stone.  The gritty vocal delivery of female singers had already happened with the likes of Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, and Kate Copeland, so, nothing new there.  But,  Betty’s screeches, moans, and wailing separated her from other female vocalists for a couple of reasons.  For one, she opted to keep it raw, abandoning the trend of Disco that was sweeping up the market and she completely avoided diving into the sweet Soul movement.  Another reason and the most important one,  Betty dared to put female sexuality on blast in her records and stage performances.  As a matter of fact, the latter is why her performances were protested by religious groups (perhaps the same ones that despised the feminism movement) and radio stations shied away from playing her records, which eventually resulted in poor album sales–causing Betty to stop doing music and go into hiding.

As the former wife of jazz master, Miles Davis, Betty’s nasty gal image contrasted totally to her cute-faced, model girl looks, giving her that extra boost of eccentricity that raised a lot of eyebrows.  I can imagine it now.  They probably asked questions like, ‘Dang, how did someone as smooth as Miles get hooked up with such a racy woman?’  I suppose  Miles wondered that too because the couple divorced after a year of marriage.  The trumpeter would go on later to cite that Betty was just a little too wild for him. Of course, that pesky little rumor about her affair with Jimi Hendrix, whom she connected to Miles, may have had something to do with their split as well.  Betty completely denies the allegation.   According to sources though, she was the inspiration behind Miles’ experimental jazz masterpiece, Bitches Brew, so the union couldn’t have been that bad.

Fast forward to the 21st century,  Betty’s music is enjoying a resurgence, thanks to the indie label, Light in the Attic Records.  The label released her three albums, including the formerly unreleased third album (shown below) that’s considered her best work. Some thirty something years later, Betty seems to fits in well with today’s culture, perhaps so much so that there’s probably a few people who don’t get the big deal about her at all.

For the sake of the sisters, I’d like to reclaim Betty Davis and put her in the annals of history alongside Pam Grier and Tamara Dobson.  So, as we critique and have this discussion about the cultural and social persona of Black women, we can adequately assess that Betty Davis also did her part to ensure that minxes like Beyonce and company could comfortably exist in their sex appeal—now whether that’s good or bad is not the subject of this post.   It’s even safe to state that Betty Davis was the ‘Lil Kim’ of her day and we all know how the Notorious K.I.M. gets down.  Here’s the difference though:  Betty Davis, for the most part, was almost burned at the stake.  Lil’ Kim, on the other hand, had a college course named after her.  Talk about extremes.

Anyway, check out the bawdy Betty Davis courtesy of Youtube.  As you listen to the lyrics, bear in mind that this was 1975…and not 2009.

Yo, there’s really nothing new under the sun.

The Death of the Starving Artist

Wikipedia, the Super Site of Need to Know, defines the starving artist as someone who has given up the comfort and luxuries of material gain for the sake of their craft. The term has been around for ages, attaching itself to many of the world’s artistic geniuses.  Seemingly, it applied to painters and sculptors; individuals who needed to be free at all times because it is nearly impossible to put creative vision on a schedule.  I suppose it didn’t extend to writers, singers, and musicians because given the history of the art forms, many of these individuals were not always broke.

For instance, writers, at one point in time, were known as scribes.  In many cultures, scribes held rank with priests and other dignitaries, largely because reading and writing were regarded as privileges.  Their chief responsibilities included documenting historical events as well as preparing decrees and other royal ordinances.  Musicians and singers were also part of the royal court; on hand to perform during feasts and  ceremonies.  While I can’t quote a definite source, I strongly believe that painters were the original starving artists because they had to be commissioned by someone to do a special piece of art or had to await an opportunity to exhibit their works for sale, which were notoriously sparse.

Now, the starving artist label has expanded to include anyone who does anything with an artistic flair, especially if they live in the good ole United States; the capitalistic empire of this age.  Let’s face it, the only thing that creativity and capitalism have in common is that they both start with the letter ‘C’.  If it can’t be priced, manufactured, and marketed to the masses, then this economic system doesn’t want anything to do with it.  This is a country where platinum selling recording artists file for bankruptcy and/or have to face tax evasion charges.  Arts budgets are being slashed in every area where they can be found, especially in schools.  Apparently, some kook reasoned that one of the least effective ways to develop a society of well-rounded individuals is teaching the violin—but performance based testing is the ’sure-fire’ method of transforming your children into robots with pulses, my bad, ahem….’more competitive workers for the global economy’.  Who was that mastermind?

Oh.  Never mind.  I remember now.  As always, I digress.  I guess I have too much to say.

—-

Take a look at the picture to the right.  I’m certain that if I were to write for a living during these times, that would be my instrument; worn out, outdated, and counter productive.  Shhh! Don’t tell anybody, but I still hold down a 9 to 5.  To me, I’m in an adulterous union with Corporate America.  I’m cheating on my pen.  Blame it on my weakness; I actually like to eat…and don’t you think it would be rather hard to write in the dark or on some dimly lit street corner inside of a cardboard box? I do.  Of course, I realize that every writer’s game plan is to find a job  so they can remain focused on the art of writing.  Well, that would be great and perhaps I should get a few really great writing samples together and a contact list of editors at magazines and newspapers….oh wait, they’re going out of business.  Ok, let’s see.

I could write a banging, super sleek manuscript and shop it to major book publishers.  No. Wait.  What in the hell do they know about Black literature? Nah.  Oh! I got it! Since I have a business degree and corporate experience, why don’t I just start a company? Yes!!!! That’s it! I’ll start a company that will not only publish my books, but other people’s books too! With the help of the internet, it’s much easier to get a book published, reach my audience and sell my books.  After I decide the price of the book, I could even offer the books in various formats: audio, e-book, Kindle.  Through  the use of social media, I could start a Facebook fan page, start virtual reading groups and host special events to promote the books.   I can develop all kinds of strategies that will incorporate an integrated platform, using both traditional and non traditional media vehicles.  The case of the starving artist is solved.  At least, for me, it is.

As for others, that’s my word of encouragement.  We, as artistic professionals, live in an era where creativity and capitalism has to be introduced to each other.  You owe it to yourself as an artist to control your gift and to profit from it.  This means that you must be as much of a business person as an artist.  Modern technology has granted us more resources than previous generations of artists.   So, use them to your advantage.   Given the current state of the music industry, any artist that’s still shopping demos must have been asleep for the past few years.  I’m still waiting on this barrage of musical artists to jump start digital labels that will officially put big boys out of business.

I’m not saying anything new.  The purpose of this post is to simply exist in the internet stratosphere, hovering about aimlessly while some poor disgruntled artists are surfing the web, trying to get their minds off their hungry bellies and/or those  lame ass jobs where they are underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked.  Hey, even if they don’t feel like reading the whole thing, all they got to do is internalize the message above….and just keep it moving.

Even Happier to Be Nappy

Chris Rock’s Good Hair documentary was released nationwide this weekend.  So, if you haven’t seen it, make a point to do so.  On Saturday, I went solo to see the documentary, but upon entering the theater, I was among family. There were several Black women there with natural hair, of  course, and we seemed to have gravitated to each other; perhaps in an unconscious act of solidarity—we know we’re in the minority among Black women. 

Now, I will not go into details about the documentary because it is my desire that you flock to the theaters to see it for yourself, that is, if you haven’t seen it already.  But, I will divulge the thoughts and feelings that I experienced while viewing it.  First of all, it’s worth every dime of its money, mainly because it is funny and informative.  So, I laughed quite a few times at Rock’s infamous dry wit humor, while being enlightened about some things that I need to research further.  It spurned some ideas as well, but I won’t get into that.  In many ways, it also concerned and, to some degree, troubled me. 

I found myself wondering just how far have we come as a people. Why do we, Black women, go to such great lengths to alter our appearance under the guise of personal choice and supposedly to feel better about ourselves?  Have we become so jaded that we actually believe the hype of longer and straighter hair makes us more beautiful?  Apparently, we have…at least, according to Rock’s documentary.  The issues brought up in the documentary bears discussing at great length in your own neighborhoods and social groups.  I’m quite certain that Good Hair will convict a lot of Black women and make them think twice about something that they deemed as relatively insignificant—which is great!    

I thought about my own hair journey as I recall getting my first relaxer at the tender age of seven. My mother had the hardest time working with my hair because it was thick and ultra-curly.  To add, I was ‘tender-headed’, meaning that I didn’t want anyone to comb my hair because of the painstaking effort it took to detangle it.  So, my mother bounced me off to the house of a distant cousin who was starting her beauty salon the old-fashioned way—in her kitchen.  I kept getting my hair relaxed  and wearing various styles (none of them included weave) until I turned 30. During that time, I didn’t even question why I was getting my hair relaxed.  To me, it was just a normal activity for Black women—perhaps this thinking was embedded in me because I started getting a relaxer so young.  Meanwhile, I was developing into one of the most Afrocentric sistas you have ever seen—all while I was straightening my African crown with No-Lye relaxers. I was even pro-Black about that as the black owned Dudley’s relaxer was my creamy crack of choice.  Interesting, huh?       

Before I made the final decision to go natural, I had thought about it quite a few times, hesitating at every turn. I was unraveling all of the deeply rooted notions about Black beauty and acceptance.  How will I look?  Would men like me with my natural hair? Will I be able to get a job?  Did it even matter?  Of course, it did…but I went against the grain and decided to go natural anyway, prepared to deal with all of the consequences.  It’s been six years and counting…and the only regret I have is not doing it sooner.  Here’s what I’ve learned, you have to make people accept you for who you are….not for what they expect you to be.  In this day and age, companies have to adhere to their own bullshit about having a diverse workplace; so how I wear my hair is a non-entity, unless they want a lawsuit.  As for Black men, I cannot count how many times I’ve been asked if they can touch the ‘Fro. 

However, the reactions of other Black women has been the most startling observation.   I recall one woman assuming that I let my relaxer go because I was losing hair…and once I got enough ‘new growth’, I was going to get it relaxed again.   She kept saying, ‘Girl, when you get your new perm, it’s gonna be pretty!’.  Once I informed her that my natural hair is intentional, she seemed surprised.  Other Black women have made a point to compliment my hair; yet stated that they can’t wear their hair in its natural state because they don’t have ‘good hair’ like me but they got that ‘coarse, nappy hair that won’t do anything’.  Ummm, what?  That’s why it’s called ‘natural hair’!  Ok, I’ll stop here because I could go on and on…       

On a closing note, Good Hair forced me to think seriously about the degenerative effects of assimilation.  It’s always been my theory that we pushed aside much of ourselves in order to be accepted within the larger society.  This documentary serves as a great reference to prove my theory.  As I search for some way to end this post, I realize that I will have to take this issue up again and continue the discussion (so expect a few more posts on the subject). It’s not about hair so much as it is about the psychological, social and cultural associations that’s attached to it.  It’s deeper than personal choice, for the most part, so I strongly encourage those who want to write it off as minor to seriously consider that.  Bear in mind, Chris Rock’s premise for doing this documentary came by way of his young daughter who asked him why she did not have ‘good hair’. So, this is something that’s being transferred to our young daughters; continuing to perpetuate a harmful cycle of poor self-image.  I cannot become a staunch advocate against relaxers; especially since I used to be in the number of ‘permed up’ sistas, nevertheless, it is imperative that we teach ourselves and our children that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).  Let’s, at least, kill this notion of ‘good hair’ and spending boatloads of money on somebody else’s hair for the sake of exoticism and having that ‘flip’ action.

At the conclusion of Good Hair, I talked briefly with some of the women in the audience, agreeing that this documentary was much needed (whether the concept was stolen or not) and we both shared our impressions of certain parts of it.  A couple of us even had the same reaction about the same parts.  So again, if you haven’t, get out to the theaters to see it and then let me know what you think.  As for me, I’ve given you a lengthy post about my thoughts, but overall, one thing’s for sure, as I left the theater, I was even happier to be nappy.    

Chandra Kamaria

 

‘Urban’ Fiction: We Don’t Need It, Do We?

As an avid reader and genuine lover of books, I really do not spend a lot of time  in bookstores.  Why?  Because brick and mortar establishments rarely carry the titles that I desire.  That’s understandable.  They only have a limited amount of shelf space per genre.   Given that fact, it often puzzles me how some selections have made it to the shelves while others are absent.  Recently, I was hanging out in one of my favorite bookstore chains, which will remain nameless, and decided to venture over to the African American fiction section.

Upon browsing, I became annoyed and dismayed; so much so that I had to call a friend and have her bear witness to the literary atrocity I saw on those shelves.   Many of the titles (and authors) escape me and for good reason–there’s no way that I would want to remember them.  All of these books fell in the trendy genre of ‘urban fiction’, which translates into ‘hot ghetto mess’ on paper.  What about the rich literary heritage of Black writers?  Where were those books?  Ah! One hardcover copy of ‘Invisible Man’ by Ralph Ellison sat on the top shelf, while all of the street culture lore remained at eye level.  By   training and profession, I’m a marketer so I understand shelf placement very well.  These tales from the ‘hood were readily available with multiple copies; on the other hand, Toni Morrison and Ralph Ellison were situated high enough so that a customer would have to want that book really bad to retrieve it.

Now, this bookstore is located in a predominately White, upper middle class neighborhood, but there are a few surrounding areas that consists mostly of middle class African American families, so apparently, the bookstore services those areas as well.  Nevertheless, the titles carried at the bookstore were audacious enough to pique my curiosity.  Who in the hell buys and reads those books?

Our children?  White children? If so, then that frightens me, whether it’s one or both groups.  Black youth who have taken up a love of reading should not be subjected to such material, unless they have been properly introduced to those prolific Black writers who laid the culture’s literary foundation.  How else will they learn how to balance their imaginations?  Think about it this way.  Most secondary English classes require students to read what has been dubbed as ‘classics’ by authors such as Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and William Faulkner.  If I recall my high school English class experience correctly, we read very few titles by Black authors.  I’m almost certain that hasn’t changed much in the past 20 years.  So, whenever a Black child desires to read works by Black authors (like I did), if the only thing that’s available to them are the urban fiction titles….now, do you see why I’m frightened?

Suppose White children are reaching for these urban fiction titles.  Will they believe that they have effectively tapped into the essence of the African American cultural landscape? If you add the current state of Hip Hop music and about 90% of Black television, then unfortunately, I would have to answer that question with a resounding ‘yes’.  Both White and Black children would have a rather lopsided perspective about the African American experience, which is a pity.  For Black children,  reading these works could potentially establish a warped sense of cultural identity, while for White children, these works could possibly continue the legacy of stereotyping.

Could it be that serious, Chandra?  Yes.  It is.  After all, we are talking about impressionable minds here.  Besides, books are a gateway to acquiring knowledge and understanding.  Whether fiction or non-fiction, all books can be used as a learning tool and give a deeper meaning to many of life’s occurrences and bodies of thought—past and present.  For instance, we are able to gain incredible insight regarding the past just by reading a book written during that time frame.  During present times, books  shape our opinions regarding ongoing social, political, economic, and cultural issues.  Therefore, it would be foolhardy to discount the effects of these ‘hood stories’.

So,  is urban fiction really needed? Yes and no.  Yes, because I have always been a firm believer in balance.  Everything Black ain’t good.  In addition, Blackness has many different angles and all of them deserve some light.  But there should be a sufficiency of all of it; not some of it—and most definitely not the worst of it.  This leads me to the other answer of  ‘no’.   In the long run, urban fiction will perhaps cause more harm than good because it will become harder to spot passionate and sincere writers.  If garbled vulgarity is considered quality writing and storytelling, then that means nearly anybody can write a book. Secondly, the need to construct a complete story and most importantly, leave the reader with a profound message will no longer be the motivation to write.  What a disgrace to the legacy of Black writers such as James Baldwin, Chester Himes, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Richard Wright, James Weldon Johnson, Gloria Naylor, John Oliver Killens, etc.

The aim of urban fiction is the same as much of contemporary U.S. culture—to entrap us all in the downward spiral of  dysfunction without a purpose.  For us, as African Americans, this nihilistic behavior is becoming the centerpoint of  our cultural identity.  Considering that Black culture has been in a defensive position for several decades, trust me, that’s not a good look and I….am….scared.

Sidebar Note: I have a good friend of mine that works in a bookstore.  He told me one day while we were discussing this very subject that the bookstore does not donate any of these urban titles to prisons for inmates to read.  Why?  Because the prison administrators do not want the content of the books to interfere with the prisoners’ rehabilitation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARCUS MOSIAH GARVEY

August 17, 1887–The spirit formerly known as Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in Jamaica.  Early in his life, he emigrated to the United States and became one of the greatest black leaders in history.  Through his organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association, Garvey instilled a philosophy which sought to unite all Africans across the globe.  His ideals bore his name, Garveyism, but it is also referred to as Pan-Africanism.

In the documentary, A Great and Mighty Walk, Dr. John Henrik Clarke posited that Marcus Garvey should be re-examined and more thoroughly analyzed.  I couldn’t agree more.   Garvey could be considered a prophet of sorts because much of his philosophical thoughts were seriously ahead of its time.  Some 122 years after his birth, the African Diaspora is still not unified with Africa struggling to regain control and rebuild after centuries of colonialism.  Here in the U.S., truthfully speaking, African Americans are still largely engaged in a ‘catch up’ phenomenon that is being threatened by this current economic turbulence.  To that end, much of what Garvey wanted for Black people has not been fully realized.  Therefore, revisiting his ideals and concepts could perhaps light the way to a new understanding of how we are to proceed as a people in the Obama era.

For the record, Garvey supported the notion of Black women being involved in the movement, having a branch of the UNIA that was specifically designed for women.  I highly recommend locating a copy of the documentary, Look for Me in the Whirlwind, which is an in-depth look at the life and work of Marcus Garvey.  He died in 1940 at the age of 53.