I just read the op-ed piece entitled Ending the Slavery Blame-Game written by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and I was completely floored that the op-ed piece did not take into account African-American's contemporary lived experiences nor the vestiges of chattel slavey. In the article he writes, "Many African-Americans, these facts can be difficult to accept. Excuses run the gamut, from 'Africans didn’t know how harsh slavery in America was' and 'Slavery in Africa was, by comparison, humane'or, in a bizarre version of 'The devil made me do it".  It appears that Dr. Gates is blaming the victim  and not addressing the system that has maintained those "excuses". It appears that he is  operating under the assumption that African-Americans should be beyond those "excuses", but how can that be when the majority of public k-12 schools don't teach critical engagement and reflection around race?  Instead, the 28 days that we have been allotted to engage with our Black history is spent in a "show&tell" mode  i.e. this is Rosa Parks and she did xyz. The "show&tell" practice as a tool for teaching Black history is ineffective because without the opportunity to identify with our ancestors, which happens during critical reflection, there can be no connection. Therefore, black people's bodies and experiences are further objectified and only strengthen the legacy of racism within this country.

The new contribution of Dr. Gates' piece from my perspective is his unveiling of the role that African elite played in fueling the enslavement of African/ African-Americans. The recognition of the role of African elite in the selling of enslaved Africans to Europeans does not somehow negate, nullify, or absolve this country of its role in the systematic dehumanization of African/ African-Americans. The practice of selling people--into institutions--that destroy their spirit and don't recognize their inherent value is a crime against humanity no matter if it is taking place in the U.S., Africa, Europe, etc. Once my ancestors arrived here, the conversation became not so much what African elites did or did not do, but what Europeans did and how they went on to strategically assemble a system that would continually exploit African-Americans for their continued gains.

While, I believe Dr. Gates' point was that seeking reparations from particular individuals  may not work, that is a mute point for people like me who are doing work around race. Clearly, we will not be looking for people who are died in the graves and request that they pay up. However, what I believe is necessary is the recognition that this country was built on the backs of African-Americans and we and our ancestors deserve respect. Also, the acknowledgement that we are NOT living in a post-racialized society and that we are all not on equal footing. We need to acknowledge the direct and indirect affects of hundreds of years of enslavement and the social inequalities that exist today because of that. So, I don't need 40acres and a mule...it would be nice, but no. What I need is for my community to have access to health care, funding for text books, computers with the latest software to address the digital divide, affordable housing, access to eduction, job training, the address of the funneling of Black boys and men into prisons. Those are my reparations! Give me that!

My professors always taught me to think about the potential effects of my writing and to weigh whether or not my work would be more or less beneficial delivered in a particular space. A lot of time was spent on focusing on knowing your audience and writing to them. With that in mind, my question to Dr. Gates is, knowing what we do know about how race and racism operate in this country--how does this op-ed piece play into the system of racism that continually pathologizes African-Americans?

crossposted on http://ayotunde4real.wordpress.com.