There have been so many think pieces flooding the internet these past few days about Bey’s new video and its complex symbolism that for some reason is making people uncomfortable, which has me like:
There’s also been this weird prospect emerging that’s gaining an alarming amount of traction, which is, there’s a “new kind of black” person or idea. In my opinion, whenever I hear notions like this it just seems plain insulting. It’s like hearing, “But you’re not really black” or “I don’t consider you black.” It’s an insinuation that there is some kind of definition of what it means to be black, as if it’s “different” to challenge the status quo. It’s time to turn this tedious, parochial idea that has plagued what it means to be black for centuries on its head. There is no such thing as a “new kind of blackness or black person.” There is finally an acceptance of the fact that blackness means an infinite amount of things, because people can’t be one dimensional even if they tried. Yes, even you Stacey Dash are not just a scary testament of self-hatred.
I think Bey’s new video is so refreshing because it’s devoid of the fake, overly produced, annoyingly flashy music video, but is a celebration, embracing culture- black culture-and critiquing society in a way the mainstream hasn’t seen before. It’s not often, these days, a star of her caliber throws caution to the wind to examine the shortcomings of our current social climate and takes an obvious stand on racial, controversial issues.
There have been scores of historical and contemporary figures who have used their talents or their clout to discuss what it means to be black in a way that is beyond the monochromatic language associated with conversations about race. Whenever I think about race I always think of this person. One of my favorite human beings who has written countless essays on the subject and continues to inspire me beyond the grave. Of course, it is the incomparable James Baldwin.
Baldwin also celebrated black culture in his writing and made me want to be a writer because of the way he used the very language that created such strong rhetoric for oppression and hate, but transformed it into a beautifully complex narrative that is non-apologetic and has an uncanny demand for respect. He writes in a way I have yet to find anywhere else. His command of language, the grace of his candor- he’s a timeless mind that doesn’t get nearly enough attention, but this is not surprising, just disappointing.
Anyway, I digress. The entire point of this post is to point out this celebration of blackness by a black woman and how seeing a video in this context is a game changer. Baldwin speaks almost (ALMOST) ad nauseam about the way black people are perceived and the serious issues that lie in needing approval by the very people who refuse to see you as anything but what they perceive you to be. In a society that is constantly chipping away at the self-esteem of black men and women so painstakingly built on a history where our ancestors were subjected to atrocities and horrors that are unspeakable, unthinkable, this music video cut through all of that bullshit and celebrated black culture.
In other (more boring) news, it’s Black History month and every year I swear the same five figures are plastered all over everything. I’m not saying these five people are not important, it’s just frustrating that there is very little done to showcase more than the “first black (insert insane profession here that confirms that racism is rampant)” or uncover black individuals who have had a tremendous hand in building modern society. It’s one of the most insulting times of year, because it’s the shortest month and, in schools, it’s a lazy testament of how little this country cares to actually face racism. I GUESS this list is a start.
Black history is intrinsically tied with American history, but this pointed distinction each year that because of the discrepancy in curriculum… and America culture(?) there is still a need for this month because this history would otherwise be ignored. That to me is the biggest issue - this annual reassurance that things have not changed. And if you’re one of those lunatics who thinks we should “be grateful you get an entire month, because if there was a white history month everyone would be mad,” I’m not sure who you are or on what planet you’re existing but the ignorance of statements like that are what make my blood boil and put me into an all-encompassing rage. Black history should be taught throughout the year, because it’s not like it happened in a vacuum, divorced from the reality in which it was occurring, on some third dimensional plane. It takes effort to separate out Black History from the history of this country and I like to call that effort, racism.
So, it was nice to feel those same feelings of pride while watching that Beyoncé video and seeing a part of me, various aspects of blackness, be given this insurmountable glory, this infectious glamor, this fistful of motivation, this long needed affirmation using imagery that is so inherently within the context of black culture that’s been glaringly missing from mainstream media.
Plus, nobody has pull like Bey.
And nobody will ever be able to get down like Baldwin.
I’m out.
