At my daughter’s high school graduation I noticed quite a few things. Lots of kente cloths. Didn’t disrupt my ability to enjoy the ceremony. I also saw a person, who was clearly born male, dressed in the white robes the females were wearing. Didn’t disrupt my ability to enjoy the ceremony (actually it stood out, and I saw it as extremely positive. My daughter seemed completely unimpressed, which is pretty cool, because she accepts it on a level much deeper than I do). I saw plenty of messages on mortarboards, buttons on collars. Didn’t disrupt my ability to enjoy the ceremony. In fact, I expect it, as should every fucking adult who did the exact same shit when they were kids. Kids disrupt. Kids act out. We have much to learn from how they do so, and what they say when they do.
Those of you who think people should set things aside, and follow the rules, remember that once upon a time black people had to sit at the back of the bus. One of them didn’t. Someone has to stand up to stupid, fucked up rules, and be punished for it. Eventually, in part because someone stood up, those rules will change.
Go back and read the article and the tweets, and put yourself in his place. He asks, ‘Is your agenda worth more than my cultural pride?’ He is told he cannot, and he says, ‘I will’.
He told Atlanta Black Star it was important for him to wear the
traditional African print because as a “descendant of slaves, I have no
firm connection to my roots in Africa.” – Think about what that means.
He absolutely should have worn it, and walked across that stage proudly, and nobody should have stopped him.
