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May 1, 2005 Angela Davis was ostracized by then California Governor, and future U.S. President, Ronald Reagan and in 1970 was the third woman ever to make the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. She angered many whites on the left and the right because of her affiliation with the Communist Party. She was subsequently jailed for conspiracy in a jailbreak that resulted in the death of a Marin county judge, a prison guard and Soledad Brother Jonathan Jackson. Her case became a cause celebre and she was later acquitted. In 1972 her story was immortalized in songs by John and Yoko Lennon (“Angela”) and the Rolling Stones (“Sweet Black Angel”). Like Spike Lee and Haki Madhubuti, Davis is regarded as a central symbol (her trademark afro in particular) of the black power movement. She represented black beauty that stood in defiant contrast to what the American media said was beautiful—blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin. This was important because this was during the height of the black struggle. Black pride and the phrase “Black is beautiful” were taking root in black communities. Davis discussed imagery as acceptance of reality in reality shows like America’s Most Wanted and Cops: “…the acceptance of ‘criminals’ that flash across the screen become symbolic objects in the viewer’s minds that then translate into fearful and racist responses to certain types of people, often people of color, who are criminalized from these representations.” (Angela Davis, “Prison Abolition,” Black genius, p. 200). Or as Mao Tse-Tung put it, “He who controls images, controls minds; and he who controls minds has little, if anything, to worry about from bodies.” (Mao Tse-Tung, “Selected Works,” China: August 1937, www.maotse-dong.com) Davis emphasis in the struggle centers on the role of women. Most people were of the mindset that the roles of black men and women were interchangeable. Davis disputed such a notion and insisted that the U.S. prison-industrial complex was hell-bent on incarcerating black men, while incorporating black women into the system. She sees parallels between today’s prison system and slavery, noting the dearth of prisons in early America until after slavery “ended” and the incarceration of blacks increased by more than 300 percent in Georgia and Mississippi. Davis writes, “…black people were arrested for the most negligible crimes and then were ‘leased out’ to work on plantations and farms…thus the penitentiary system allowed for the continuation of slavery.” This is still practiced today, particularly in states where chain gangs (or “roadwork crews”) exist, only these inmates labor under the auspices of the state. Davis is the a teacher, lecturer and author of seven books including “Women, Race and Class” (1980). lashes out at the prison-industrial complex and her criticism is mistakenly seen as advocating the elimination of prisons altogether. Truth is, she calls for other means of punishing “victimless” and non-violent crimes and redirecting funds to find the root causes of violent behavior. Like Ms. Davis, Jocelyn Elders has also raised a few eyebrows, especially after gaining access to the most powerful institution on earth—The White House. She was handpicked by President Bill Clinton to fill the role of U.S. Surgeon General. However, her tenure was but fifteen months cut short to her advocacy of the decriminalization of drugs and teaching of masturbation in schools. These views ruffled the feathers of conservatives and Elders was asked to resign. Elders declared, “I am about preventing unplanned, unwanted pregnancies.” (Jocelyn Elders, “Educating On Behalf of Black Public Health,” Black genius, p. 181). She saw masturbation as a viable anlternative to intercourse, which often results in “babies raising babies.” She cited data that 70% of teenage pregnancies result in the mother and child living below the poverty level. She earned a M.D. in 1960 from the University of Arkansas and a M.S. in biochemistry seven years later. This was followed by a D.Sc. from Bates college in 2002. Gwendolyn Brooks was born June 7, 1917 in Topeka, Kansas. However, the Brooks family soon moved to Chicago. Subsequently, much of her work was featured in the Chicago Defender. In 1945 her first book of poetry was published, “A Street In Bronzeville.” That same year she received a Guggenheim Fellowship. While it was critically well received, as was her second book 1949’s “Annie Allen.” Five years hence Ms. Brooks struck pay-dirt. That year she became the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize. Over the years she was invited to read at a Library of Congress poetry festival (1962), named as a poetry consultant to that same body (1985) and in 1994 she was selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities as the 1994 Jefferson Lecturer, the highest award in the humanities given by the federal government. According to researcher Kenny Jackson, “A turning point in her career came in 1967 when she attended the Fisk University Second Black Writers' Conference and decided to become more involved in the Black Arts movement. She became one of the most visible articulators of ‘the black aesthetic.’ Her ‘awakening’ led to a shift away from a major publishing house to smaller black ones. While some critics found an angrier tone in her work, elements of protest had always been present in her writing and her awareness of social issues did not result in diatribes at the expense of her clear commitment to aesthetic principles.” (“Gwendolyn Brooks' Life and Career,” by Kenny Jackson Williams). Some of her works include, “Bronzeville Boys and Girls” (1956), “In the Mecca” (1968). “The Bean Eaters” (1960), “Selected Poems” (1963), and “Report from Part One: An Autobiography” (1972). Her latest work is a book of poetry titled, “In Montgomery.” Many of her poems are powerful pieces that dealt with the abject nature of inner city life and racial inequality. It has been written that the impetus for a lot of her work came about by “looking out of the window of her second-floor apartment house in Chicago.” Perhaps Brooks is best known for the succinct and soulful, “We Real Cool”: We real cool. We Left school. We Lurk late. We Strike straight. We Sing sin. We Thin gin. We Jazz June. We Die soon. Brooks said of the pool players in her classic work, “They have no pretensions to any glamour. They are supposedly dropouts, or at least they're in the poolroom when they should possibly be in school. You're supposed to stop after the ‘We’ and think about their validity...I want to represent their basic uncertainty, which they don't bother to question every day.” That piece of work along with Langston Hughes’ “A Dream Deferred” are what inspired me to start writing serious poetry. What links Brooks, Lee, Davis, Elders and Madhubuti is that they are not only unique talents, but their focus is afrocentric. Lee’s mainstream work, “Summer of Sam,” was not a painful rehashing of the killings that terrorized New Yorkers in the 1970’s, but offered a view of how fear and racial perception affected the city’s residents. Madhubuti’s work, “Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?” centers on the idea that young men are an endangered species. Davis continues to write, teach and lecture, while Elders has stayed out of the limelight for several years. These five individuals achieved success through education and their ability to overcome obstacles. Moreover, they serve as role models in a community nearly devoid of positive influences. They provoke dissemination and dialogue, which historically has been the role of black talents from the days of Frederick Douglas, Marcus Garvey and other notable black leadership. ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is a 46-year old poet, novelist and aspiring screenwriter who resides in northern California with his three youngest children--Lawrence, Kimberly and Dante. He is a member of various writer's groups and has three novels in print, his most recent, "Like A Straight-Up Sucka," is available at www.lulu.com. website: http://stellbreadO@tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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