We all have guilty pleasures–the things we do when no one is looking. The things that seem indecently self-indulgent. Those things we do instead of meet deadlines, pay bills, balance checkbooks, take out the trash and do the dishes. Well, one of my favorite things to do (without this turning into an Oprah segment) is to watch Def Jam Poetry on Youtube while doing my make up and doing my hair. I may be self-indulgent but at least I multitask. Anyway, this is one of my favorites and it seems wholly appropriate for the blog because it references many points in Black history that we may have learnt from but it would have been nice to learn without so much loss. I will outline the events that Will “Da Real One” Bell highlights below the clip.
Harriet Tubman played a pivotal role in the “underground railroad” freeing potentially hundreds of slaves over numerous trips (later she aided in freeing hundreds of slaves during the Combahee River Raid). Harriet Tubman (unlike the others in the poem) died of illness at the (estimated) age of 91 in a hospital bed surrounded by loved ones.
Medgar Evers was honored earlier this month when a Naval supply ship was named after him. He was a civil rights activist from Mississippi who worked hard campaigning for integration and supporting the NAACP. He was shot in front of his home.
16th Street Baptist Church Bombing (Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins) A bombing of an African American church in Birmingham, AL perpetrated by the KKK claimed the lives of 4 young girls. Four grown men planted 122 sticks of dynamite around the church and when the children were filing in for closing prayers (a sermon entitled “The Love That Forgives”) the explosives were detonated. The church has since been rebuilt and stands as a historic landmark which can be toured.
After the bombing this window remained.
Malcolm X After being incarcerated at the age of 20, Malcolm X turned to the Nation of Islam in order to examine the world around him. Remembering his father’s passion for Garvyism, Malcolm projected that same passion towards NOI, becoming a minister within the organization. His outspoken nature made him ideal for the activist role and through spirituality and a strong Black pride, he was able to preach to his community and to garner support for his views (sometimes (incorrectly) deemed “racist” or “radical” by opposition). In 1965, Malcolm X was gunned down at an assembly. Thousands of people came to Harlem to mourn the tremendous loss of this heroic figure.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Perhaps the most prominent figure of the Civil Rights Movement, King was a pastor and activist dedicated to racial unity. Investing in a non-violent approach to his activism, he worked towards de-segregation and towards an end to discrimination. His “I Have A Dream” speech is one of the most recognizable orations of all time. Tragically his lost his life in 1968 in Memphis, TN on a balcony of the Lorraine Hotel (which has since been converted into the Civil Rights Museum).
Tupac Shakur Rapper, actor, performer and poet, Shakur became the face of hip hop during the 1990′s and remains one of the top selling musical artists of our time. His success and honesty made him a hero to some and a legend to many. At the age of 25, Tupac lost his life when he was short 4 times in Nevada.
Notorious BIG A contemporary of Shakur’s, Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls) was said to represent the “East Coast” to Shakur’s “West”. Growing up in Brooklyn, he was pivotal in the New York hip hop scene. Growing up during the 1980′s Wallace used his street smarts to hustle drugs in order to make money to support himself. The grittiness of this lifestyle is manifested in his rhymes reflecting the attitude that he cultivated during his youth. In 1997, Wallace was shot in Los Angeles, CA.
