I once carried an ‘I don’t see color,’ point of view – an ‘I love everybody’ lens. That perspective landed me in places surrounded by brilliant people striving to change the structure of schools and the way we approach educating Black men in particular.
I walked straight into the middle of a conversation on public education and discipline and rather than listening, I sharpened my stance around saving the land and water, ‘because if we don’t have water and food, we don’t survive,’ I lamented.
Oh, sweet Mother of Mary, I thought – never have I ever felt so embarrassed. Embarrassed by my inappropriate words, my illegitimate understanding of culture and my blindness to the way society forces color into the very fabric of humanity.
“You’ve never had to see color. How could you ever understand the stares, the shift in body language, the sound of doors locking as you walk by?” Said a “melanated” brother, who then broke down in tears.
His tears carried centuries of hurt and in that moment, I finally overstood my position. How could I ever truly know what it feels like to be this man? At first I responded with defensiveness but over time, I began to see the truth. I didn’t know nearly enough about the people I called my best friends and colleagues. I never wanted to cause division between myself and my community, especially with such a deep love for Hip Hop and yet, in that moment, I spit on the very people I admired.
For that, I am sorry. Sorry for my words and for my ignorance. Yet without speaking to them, I may never have learned the brilliance of Assata Shakur. To call this woman a leader feels like an understatement. She revolutionized the way we confront police brutality, racism COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program was an illegal FBI program that covertly disrupted U.S. political dissenters, Communist Party, Black Nationalist/Civil Rights Groups from 1956 to 1971) and the systems of America itself. She exposed truths and fought so that children could have a better future.
She cracked my worldview wide open and pushed me towards new perspectives. She taught me to expand my logic, to listen longer and to build empathy and understanding towards others. Assata was my introduction to poetry, into the power of creative autobiography and a way of opening my eyes to the world I had never seen before. Cheers to all the brilliant and beautiful women of color who have lightened our path so that we can see the truth.
Rest in peace and power, Assata Shakur. ♥️💚🖤✊
