Sugar’s Take

Let me first say that we are not magically exempt from racism and hate because a Black man is President. Many times in history both the monkey and black males are made to be simple and animalistic. I know I’m always on some cultural stuff, but the Egyptians (among other ancient cultures) revered animals and studied their behaviors to help in their daily lives. Somehow or another the monkey has been made to be a fool, to the point where it’s common for folks to point and laugh. This has also been done with black people; and it is a bit disgusting. So many people were rushing to see King Kong, and the movie is one of the biggest symbols of white supremacy and marginalization in the history of modern film. To parallel Obama’s intricate policies and a monkey running the streets is less than unacceptable. It seems as if a black person in the U.S. cannot rise to a position of power without some major form of belittlement – whether it’s being the head cook in the high school cafeteria or the undisputed heavyweight champ. Tyler Perry tries to do his thing in Atlanta and they adamantly invade his privacy. Fahamu Pecou paints the stories of our ancestors and he’s not edgy enough. Roger Toussaint tries to get the MTA more rights and the very workers start complaining. Ed Garnes tries to unite the campus so regular folks can have a say in the student council and his own people relegate him to the unspoken margin. I have said and will always say, police are not the enemy, white supremacy is. This cartoon is not the first and will not be the last piece of evidence in proving this statement. Remember that cover of the New Yorker?

Ed’s Take

It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.–James Baldwin

As I always say, because if often bears repeating, a little white supremacy goes a long way. In her infinite wisdom, my grandma would often opine: “A zebra never changes it stripes.” We can never divorce ourselves from history no matter how much things have seemed to change.  The cartoon leans heavily to the days of biological determinism (belief that  a person genes solely determine behavior) and eugenics, a shady ideology of racial superiority and purity, made famous worldwide by Hitler, and advanced by the twisted intellect of Sir Francis Galton in the 1800s. Even our loving Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson dabbled in this belief/practice of race based supremacy.

This, my good people, is all about power. The New York Post, Fox, and a host of other entities are owned by billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation. He who owns the media controls public perception and public discourse. So, if a blatant racist and capitalist like Murdoch believes we are apes, it makes sense that his companies would reflect his value system.  Beyond the ape metaphor, which is beyond appalling, the cartoon calls for assassination of Obama employing the same fear tactics used in the killing of Emmett Till, Medgar Evers, King, Oscar Grant, etc. I prefer my racism straight up with a twist of lime, and this straight no chaser display by the post is the perfect “u still a nigga” wake up call for us all.

We expect the same America who bought us here in chains to throw us a victory party with Hennessey because Obama is President.  If anything, Obama’s win has caused many to dust off age old pathologies about black folk.  So, enough rhetoric…here are some solutions:

1)       Always trust in a higher power.

2)       Tell a friend about the work of From Afros To Shelltoes.

3)       Support Independent Media!!! Not just ones owned by folks of color (cuz we know BET has set us back 500 years).  Never under estimate the power of alternative media and voices like Farai Chideya and Davey D.

4)       Boycott the New York Post. Folks in America only feel ya’ when you hit them in the pocketbook. Email your disdain to the following: Editor of The Post Col Allan@ colallan@nypost.com, The Post Cartoonist, Sean Delonas @ seandelonas@gmail.com (peace to www.concreteloop.com for putting the emails on blast).  Mad luv to John Legend for –his open letter to the New York Post– putting his career on the line to speak truth to power.

5)       Stand up for injustice everyday.  We have to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to racism.  Or as we say round my way: “Get down or lay down.”

6)       Support artists like From Afros To Shelltoes, Nikki Giovanni, The Last Poets, Amiri Baraka, Jessica Care Moore, Dead Prez, Killer Mike, Outkast, Little Brother, Fahamu Pecou, Meshell Ndegeocello, John Legend, Shannon McCollum, Carla Aaron Lopez, and others whose work sidesteps the status quo.

7)       Serve as a mentor or play cousin to someone in your community. In the words of hip hop theologians Outkast: “You wanna heal the nation..start on your corner.”