Kufere and Doc G share thoughts and questions about African-American liberation.

The brilliant American poet Langston Hughes wrote a poem named History.
The past has been a mint of blood and sorrow.
That must not be the time of tomorrow.
This is one of his shortest poems but has a big message about not letting history repeat itself. For African-Americans in Memphis there is a well-documented history of freedom fighters and liberators being marginalized by violence and oppressive policies. Those like Ida B. Wells who dared to speak truth to power were run out of town or chose to leave under the weight of frustration. How are freedom fighters being marginalized today, or are there none present? Are we satisfied with the strategies available to fight oppressive policies that could keep many African-Americans poor and powerless in Memphis into all of the 2020 decade?
Tricksters and oppressors using social media to get us to not vote in government elections have peeped our weaknesses and lack of awareness of where our strengths exist. Intellectual giants like Langston Hughes and Ida B. Wells were unapologetic in calling out racist tactics and putting a spotlight on the path to freedom. Are African-Americans using our most favorite social media platforms to liberate others?
Harriett Tubman was a freedom fighter like none others and deserves to be honored on U. S currency and film. The lessons to be learned from the greatest of liberators have relevancy for preventing more blood and sorrow in cities like Memphis. Are tricksters intentionally influencing execution of films like Harriett? Are they orchestrating controversy to keep us confused about whether to integrate this liberation story in to our consciousness in the same way we integrate Queen and Slim, another traumatic and dramatic display of our powerlessness? Do we need to be more discerning, more truthful and more responsible about the information we absorb and repeat? Is history repeating itself?

3 thoughts on “Kufere and Doc G share thoughts and questions about African-American liberation.

  1. I think that there is a lot of effort, on community and national levels, dedicated to continuing to oppress people of color by compromising their sense of self. It’s true that “the winner writes history.” The real history of African-Americans in the U.S., and in Memphis, is often watered down and rewritten to frame white activists as heroes while characterizing black freedom fighters as dangerous extremists. Even in current discussions of these issues, we tend to use the past tense; however, there are still very real and intentional obstacles to African-American social mobility and participation in politics. What some people may think of as a second wave of oppression is really just the revelation that legal discrimination never stopped–it simply adapted.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *