Two lives cut short by impotent rage. A killer’s family remains whole while the victim’s is wholly disfigured– Limbs of a family tree which can never be grafted or revived. Today marks Sunny & Sabs’ death day.
Two bodies now six feet underground, but one killer asks to be free. Two bodies: one mother, one daughter, both hacked from the family tree.
“Blackness” is multivalent concept that has been shaped by cultural and historical events, from colonial trade to desegregation, these global events have shaped African, American, and British societies as we know them today.
The link below highlights the black experience in the 20th century through the lens of literature. Whereas Malcolm X’s autobiography deconstructs the disillusionment of freedom and equality in America, the poetry of Jackie Kay’s the Adoption Papers explores biracial identity, parenthood, and #LGBTQ+ issues, all of which are themes that are included in Octavia Butler’s dystopian science fiction novel. “Parable Of The Sower”. Individually, the texts present the multifaceted nature of blackness, together they highlight systemic challenges people of the African diaspora have faced.
The authors and titles featured in my post Black Diaspora Literature of the 20th Century illustrate core problems during the cultivation of a black identity, using their lived experience, their poetry, and their allegories to tell the story African diaspora. We live in a post-colonial word, but xenophobia is still a real issue that has no borders, but seeks to build walls of false security. As we draw closer to 2020, let us take a look into the past so that we can focus on co-creating a more inclusive future.
January 20, 2017, one Donald J. Trump took into office as the President of the United States of America. In the 60+ days that he has been in oval office he has disrupted airports across the United States with his positions on immigration; has threatened (and failed) to revamp the Healthcare system established by his predecessor, and has filled his presidential cabinet with Wall Street’s finest. With less than 1400 days left in office, what else is in store for the citizens of the United States? Watching Trump’s executive process from the golden state of California, some 2000 miles away from Washington D.C, is still a little unsettling– even as his executive orders, and nominations crash and burn.
The first month was, a baltering tango danced to the tune of “Xenophobia in b minor.” Mr. President and his dance partner-in-grime, VP Mike Pence, ended up tangoing with The American Civil Liberties Union, and citizens across the United States as the administration signed an executive order which would have called for a halt on all “refugee admissions for 120 days,” as well as a stop to all “refugee and non-refugee entries from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Syria for 90 days.” Yes, national security, is important however, the order itself was crude, as it targeted migration from countries that have a dense Muslim population. The order was deemed unconstitutional, but still disrupted the lives of migrant people during the order’s short lifespan.
History is not without a sense of remembering given that 2017 marks the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, a presidential order which also disproportionately disrupted the lives and livelihood of thousands of individuals. Locally, the commemoration of the Eorder was marked with the opening of “Instructions to All Persons: Reflections on Executive Order 9066,” at the Japanese American National Museum. The parallels to today’s cultural climate are uncanny, and serve as a historical reminder of what unchecked xenophobic legislation can produce. People will often refer to the Nazi death camps when speaking about the horrors of war, however, the United States has its own horror stories– including Jim Crow laws, more than a century of slavery, and an ongoing fight for indigenous sovereignty at Standing Rock to Arizona and sea to shining sea.
Amidst the headlines, it appears that some Californians have taken a stance in opposition to the current administration: Santa Monica joined a coalition of cities in a collective effort to pursue legal action against the modern xenophobic travel ban, while Los Angeles residents continue to gather and exercise their right to assemble peacefully. At the state level Congressman Ted W. Lieu has stated that “President Trump doesn’t understand or doesn’t care that we need to act on climate now” and that he opposes the rollback of the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations, including regulations on carbon emissions. With the 6th largest economy in the world, Californians are flexing their social, political, economic and cultural values; standing in support of diversity, ecology, and empowered citizens.
Kaleidoscope Soup 