We Hold These Truths

I AM not the type to of black person that jumps on the black bandwagon just because everyone else in the African American community jumps on board.  In 1987 when the black community was outraged with Tawana Brawley’s claim of rape, I was skeptical; in 1988 if I had sense enough to vote, I would not have cast my ballot for Jessie Jackson; I favor Malcolm more than I do Martin; I don’t want to jump over no broom, I think Kwanzaa is a made up holiday guilty of commodification and I didn’t like the movie Black Panther.  But, when it comes to the NFL protest, I am in complete agreement with the players.  I believe African Americans must stand up against blatant injustice, racism and inequality and protesting in sports arenas during the national anthem is the perfect venue to do so.

I must confess when I first heard about Colin Kaepernick’s decision to take a knee during the national anthem, I was torn between my beliefs that we as African Americans have overcome and the reality, that's demonstrated over and over again, showing we have not.  Because I was torn I decided to get all my facts together and make an honest decision as to whether it’s appropriate to take a knee or not. 

So, I went back—way back—back in time to 1619.  The year the first Africans came to America.  They came not as slaves, but as immigrants—immigrants who bargained repayment for passage to the new world by working 1-7 years as servants for the white  colonist in the new world.  Originally these indentured servants must have believed seven years a fair price to pay for freedom, but tides changed quickly--with a single stroke of a pen, slavery became the law of the land.  In 1641 the Proclamation of Prince Charles II of England declared slavery for blacks in the US a legal institution and white colonial land owners seized upon this opportunity to make themselves a great nation.  

It was then blacks were forced to participate in an economic system that would keep them shackled and chained for generations and generations and generations and generations.  White landowners justified keeping blacks in bondage by perpetuating the lie that those born with black skin were inferior, or less than human.  They even went so far as to deny the truth and classify blacks as cattle.   Amazes me how everybody went along with the fallacy. 

The outright mendacity of these white colonists was demonstrated in 1776 during their own fight for freedom and independence.  The American Revolution was a revolt against England,  white Patriots desired to build a perfect union free of taxation and annexation with England.  While the Patriots fought for their Independence, they coveted black slaves like diamonds.   Interesting enough free blacks fought alongside America, knowing their brothers and sisters,  their aunts, and uncles were still held captive under the bondage of slavery.  

May 11, 1812, America declared war on Great Britain for seizing American ships. At that time Great Britain took advantage of the American hypocrisy and started a campaign that enticed slaves to join Britain in their fight in exchange for freedom.  More than 4000 blacks escaped US slavery and fought alongside Great Britain.  This is significant because after the final battle between the US and Great Britain, at Fort Francis, Scott Key penned the poem that would become our national anthem.  In one stanza of this anthem Key admonished those slaves that had the audacity to stand up for themselves and fight against the country that kept them in bondage:

"No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.

This all may sound disjointed:  Slavery, The American Revolution, and the War of 1812, just like black football player's decision to protest during the national anthem may seem disjointed.  But when you dig deep and consider the circumstances, you see it's not disjointed at all.  There's a single connector, a pattern of usury and disrespect that has stained American History since 1641.  Many people want to believe this stain has been removed, blotted out by the false promise of forty acres and a mule, or the civil rights movement, or Barack Obama.  

After considering these things, I've concluded the animosity and opposition to NFL Players taking a knee is because that very act shines too big a light on the American duplicity that started in 1641, was ignored in 1776, inked in 1812 and continues to exist even today.   The world believes America has transcended other nations because we embrace freedom for all regardless of race, nationality or religious beliefs, but our history tells a different story.   Taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem is like placing a mirror in the front of all America and showing them a reflection of America’s past sins and exposing the current condition, revealing they're one the same.  

Three questions remain: Should African Americans sing the national anthem with their hands over their chest, a song whose lyrics admonished their ancestors for escaping the plight of slavery?  More than that, should we continue to place our hands over our hearts, and sing along with this anthem, ignoring the fact that black men and women continue to be profiled, stopped, beaten, and murdered by police officers?  And more than that, should African Americans ignore the fact that our denial makes us complicit in the American hypocrisy.  

I know there are some folk that will argue, only 1-2 innocent blacks die at the hands of police officers, but Isn't a single innocent life, one too many?  When Kaepernick took the knee on that faithful day in August, he was saying that he would no longer place his hands over his heart and sing an anthem that condoned racial inequality and condemned blacks for fighting for freedom.  He was unequivocal saying, Black Lives Matter!  

Since 2016 countless analysts, media sources, and NFL commentators have waged arguments for and against Kaepernick’s decision to take a knee.  Black NFL players that have taken a stand with Kaepernick have faced outrage from people who cry, “It’s a disrespect to our military.”   Blacks that refuse to stand for the anthem have been disparaged, even by people amongst our very own race—Uncle Tom black folks that ignore those two stanzas in the anthem, make excuses for police that shoot and kill blacks in cold blood, because they have convinced themselves that today is a different day and racial bias only exist in the past, at the same time they tout along with others who hope to MAGA.    

Here we are in 2018 and we're debating the same question.  Owners, like Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, with his slave mentality, has threatened to suspend players that don’t stand for the anthem.  The NFL Protest has become such a divided issue that even Donald Trump has weighed in against the protesters. 

.....Be happy, be cool! A football game, that fans are paying soooo much money to watch and enjoy, is no place to protest. Most of that money goes to the players anyway. Find another way to protest. Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2018

"Be happy be cool," words tweeted by a man that pledged to be the President of a United State, yet he wants to root out everything the only black US President has accomplished.  He wants to put a stain in place of achievement and is so desperate to rid the country of President Obama's legacy, he will even debate crowd size to make himself appear superior to a black man.  Trump wants black NFL protesters to acquiesce to his subtle command, or suffer the consequences--perhaps the doom and gloom of the grave. 

NFL players could have protested in different ways.  They could have done something as extreme as burn American flags, like they did in 1968 when Americans protested the Vietnam War.  They could demand that stanza be stricken from the national anthem--but have not.  Instead, they have decided to take a knee--even that's too much for people like Jerry West, Donald Trump and other so-called patriotic Americans.

I say—take a knee NFL players, take an audacious knee!

The rights to the content and images on this website are owned by Jacqueline Session Ausby, and you have no right to use any of the content / images without her expressed permission.  If you would like to contact Jacqueline Ausby, please email jmbeausby@aol.com. 

This is America--Really?

This is America By Donald Glover:  A Piece of Art or Propaganda?  

I get it...I get it...I get it...

The video “This is America,” by Childish Gambino is disturbing, alarming and brilliant all at the same time.   The video starts with Childish Gambino—a Bojangle like caricature moving to the beat of a guitar in a snake-like fashion.  Music is played by a black man strumming the guitar.  At first the beat of the music is happy, uplifting, almost inspiring, but then the tune changes.  It becomes deep and dark.  The black man now has a burlap sack on his head and a noose around his neck.  Gambino shoots the man, point-blank in the head.  Then, he carefully hands the gun to a black boy, who swaddles the gun in a red garment.  The body is dragged away and Gambino continues his dance as if nothing happened.

The beat of the music returns to the happy go-lucky tune and a group of black boys and girls, dressed in preppy uniforms, start to follow Gambino like he’s the Pied Piper.   In the background things are happening, but they don’t seem to notice or care.  Eventually Gambino enters a red door and finds a church choir. with all black members.  The choir is draped in robes, singing gayly like happy black folks.  You know the type that fasted and prayed for the Mercy of God?  Black folks that believed they’ve finally overcome in America.  But like before, the music switches to that deep, disturbing beat.  A boy hands Gambino an automatic rifle.  BAM! Blood spews everywhere.  Gambino shoots the entire choir.  He hands the assault refile off to another black boy that wraps it in a red garment.  Hostility from the crowd is captured, the absence of God eerily evident. 

No emotions are shown by Gambino or the kids, when the melody changes again, they continue to dance around in the same happy fashion.  All the while the backdrop becomes saturated with violent scenes.  Chaos and riots and people running about with wrangled arms and horrid faces amid utter madness.  Things become increasing out of hand and absurd: a car is aflame and a white horse trots around.   Gambino and the kids are seemingly oblivious to everything that is happening around them.  Some of the kids even use their cell phones to capture everything that’s taking place, as if they’re numb to the violence and the mayhem. 

Like a music round, the chorus of “This is America,” is repeated until—just like that--the music stops.  Gambino lights a blunt and takes a hit.  After a few seconds, the music starts again he’s standing on a car and a bunch of outdated cars are spread-out before him, like Christ stood on the mountain top, with all the world before him (might be too much).   Ultimately in the final clip of the video Gambino is running down a long hallway, like a slave.

I read and listened to several commentaries that said, “This is America,” is about gun violence—a referendum on guns in America.  I read some place where the video was highlighting gun violence and drug addiction.   But after watching the video, over and over, I’m not convinced that’s the message. 

It’s true the very first scene in the video is a black man being shot in the head.  I can see how many would interpret that as an image about black on black crime.   And the clip does raise the question of gun control in America.   But the church shooting made me think otherwise.  As the majority of the random acts of gun violence, such as the one committed in Charleston, were committed by white men—but Gambino (clearly black)  fires the assault weapon,  Besides that, there’s also the juxtaposition of the images such as, the black man with a burlap sack over his head and a noose around his neck.  This image is symbolic to something more.  If the view was just about gun violence, why cover up the man’s head and take the time to apply the noose?  In my opinion, these images in this video are used to demonstrate the crude and violent dismantling of the black man and his psyche.   

In so many ways this video reminds me of Jean-Michel Basquat’s paintings.  There’s something disjointed, yet tangible and true and sad about the message.  Originally, I wasn’t sure what to make of the video.  I went back and forth watching the video and listening to the lyrics.  After a time, I concluded this video depicts the way African American men and women have been systematically violated since the days of slavery, Jim Crow and Civil Rights.  It also addresses the way American ideology  indoctrinates  African American Youth in the American Matrix, creating black boys and girls in its own image and likeness, (i.e. a generation of children consumed with social media and images of themselves).  

Gambino doesn’t recognize this until he hits the blunt.  When the music stops and he takes a drag his eyes are opened.  He’s enlightened.  He recognizes the trap when he stand atop the red car and starts to think outside of the box.  He finally sees America for what America really is, a place where people are bred by an economic system whose only motivation is greed.  Consumption.  Black Americans have been programmed to buy into this matrix, our minds have been brainwashed.  Fact or fiction there’s some truth in that idea.

The reality is disturbing and begs the question, is there any way to escape?  Is there a way to get out of the Matrix? Trying to escape the American ideology is difficult.  So, begins the chase of the black man, like the black slave that ran away in the brush of the black night, with wide-white eyes and sweat dripping down his black chest and back, as he desperately tries to escape his oppressor. 

This video is brilliant because it asks the question is this the picture of America?—or is Glover trying to uses violent images to make a point about gun violence?

Black Panther

BLACK PANTHER – I AM confused.  I liked the movie it was exciting.  I’m not a big Marvel fan, but I think this movie was well done and in comparison to other Marvel movies I've seen, it's far better.  Kudos to the young African American director.  But I don't see Black Panther as a political narrative.  Let me repeat, Black Panther the Movie is not the political narrative so many of us African Americans make it out to be.  Let me also state, that I think this movie is good for young black boys and girls to see themselves on the big screen.  But the fact of the matter is, Black Panther is just another American tale.

Let’s start with giving a little background about the movie.  It centered around a brother killing his brother (Cain vs. Abel), because the brother (living in US) wanted to use the resources from his home land (Wakanda in Africa)  to help other oppressed brothers in the community where he resided.  When the King of Wakanda discovered his brother’s transgression, thanks to a snake— (oh…my bad, Forest Whittaker) he murdered his brother.  All to preserve the resources of Wakanda—in Wakanda (greed).   Then he lies to cover the truth and left his nephew stranded in the US.  Talk about black on black crime.

My problem with this movie is it was hailed as having an all-black cast.  But when I watched the movie I discovered that just isn’t the case.  There’s a white CIA agent – why is he even a part of the movie?  Whose telling us this story??? (Can’t be the uncle or cousin, they're dead, perhaps it’s the new King of Wakanda--or maybe it's Stan Lee—the white creator).  I haven’t forgotten about that scene at the entrance to the movie, where the son asks the father to tell him the story again, I believe that’s called a set-up.  Also the new King of Wakanda doesn't save the day.  Nope, it’s Stan—my bad—the white CIA Agent who really saved the day. Oh but he had direction from the King’s sister, the Wakanda most like an African American Girl (got that). 

Because of Wakanda’s technological prowess, they were able to save the white CIA Agent, but couldn’t save their own black brother.  In Game of Thrones when John Snow died his brothers used every resource in their power, (including—dark magic) to bring him back to life (ijs).  I know, I know, Cuz wanted to die, he wanted to meet his ancestors (got that too).  

This movie depicts the image of black brother vs black brother, while the white man ends up benefiting the most, hence the real story of slavery.  Black tribe sells his brother to the white man—white man uses that resource to build a nation (stretch?  Maybe—you decide).  Or perhaps slavery is a bit much, maybe it depicts what king Leopold did in the Congo, without the truth.

In the move the CIA Agent survives due to Wakanda’s ingenuity.  He lives and goes back home and tells the story of Wakanda.    Next thing you know the King of Wakanda, having been enlightened by the truth, stands side by side with his bride at the National Assembly, before the United Nations, giving the world access to Wakanda’s resources; meanwhile, Stan the man--sorry, the white CIA Agent is seated in the audience, wearing a nice suit and a proud smile on his face.  Mission accomplished—divide, conquer, control.

Lastly, that jab at African American women and our hair is duly noted because this black film wouldn’t be a black film  if it didn’t make fun of African American women and our hair.  Maybe it's petty, but so is the black boy in the monkey tee shirt.  Or so is this unspoken dynamic that supposed to exist between African American women being fake, and African women being real.  When the truth of the matter is we are all genuine, have black skin, bleed red blood and worry about our hair.   

Maybe my synopsis is not that deep.   I can go on and speak about the way the movie glorifies aspects of African tradition and tribal life, while consciously ignoring facts about customs and beliefs that need to be changed.  I could go into how places in Africa continue to oppress and mutilate women, I could speak about President Obama's 2015 speech in Kenya that condemned such practices, or talk about how tribal communities force young girls to marry old men under the guise of tradition, but none of these ugly subjects were captured in this beautiful American tale.  So I’ll leave that right there.

This movie is no political narrative, but African Americans are so happy to see ourselves lit up in Magnificent lights, with a predominant black cast, that we will overlook every detail, just to have that glory.

😂#getthatdirtoffmyshoulder; #dahtruth.com.