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December 26, 2003
Umoja 2003
You may not know it, but under ordinary circumstances, I would be a celebrity of sorts. Who knows, in time my story may make headlines. But the obscure fact of the matter is that I was something of a privileged youth. Although I don't often think or talk about it, I was the original kid cast in the role of Corey for the groundbreaking television series 'Julia' starring Dianne Carroll. I was also the fist black kid scripted to star in an episode of Gunsmoke. None of that actually happened because my parents were not stage parents. It's deeper than that, but that's a story for another day.
One thing that I mention more than those other brushes with fame is my association with the origins of Kwanzaa. So in my middle age, I feel some responsibility to the celebration and its values. In fact, a year ago I got much of my impetus to blog publicly over the venomous idiocy being spread by Ann Coulter. At the time I was rolling my own blog and then transitioned it to 'Cobb Static' at any rate. Here is the kwanzaa section of my first days of Cobb.
This year as my kids have become old enough to understand more than simple symbols, I will bear the burden of exemplifying various of the values with tales of my own youth. I cannot believe that my children will be black in the same ways I was, but as I have said on behalf of the Old School, there are certain strengths forged in the furnace of yesteryear that maintain their fortitude today. They can be admired for what they are even if they are not duplicated, as if they could be. No one need race a tortoise and a hare today to understand the moral of that story. So while I am an exponent of Kwanzaa, I am not a die-hard for strict interpretation. This is why I have no particular objections to whitefolks celebrating watered down or variant versions, multi-culti style.
On this, the first day of Kwanzaa, the theme is Umoja. Unity. It is of great value in the proper context, and nothing has demonstrated greater power for African Americans than our unanimity in opposition to those who have initiated perpetuated conditions which subjected us over the centuries. There are others who have dedicated themselves to the purple prose of all that, I'll just tell one old personal story and allow you to consider the resonance.
The first is the story of New Year's Day some year between 1975 and 1977. I was in highschool and Deet was three years younger.
My brother and I had just come back from a dance at St. John's Church on the bus. We got off at Adams and Crenshaw and were walking home at about 10:30 or 11pm. As I get to the first block south of Adams, about 6 blocks from my house, some kid approaches me with the question. 'Where's the party at?', which in the context of walking down Crenshaw at this time of night is clearly the opening dance of a jack move. He's trying to assess if I know where I am which he is defining as his turf. Sooner or later, he tells me he as a knife and all money that he finds on me, he can have. I tell my little brother to wait on the street while I have a discussion in the alley. If I'm going to be in a knife fight, I don't want my little brother to see it.Two minutes later, my brother is calling me. Right about this time, Lonzo, Darell, Rabo and Pickens are heading to the Pastrami Stand. Deet sees them and lets me know. Meanwhile, 'Punkin' is trying to impress upon me his gangbang credentials. I head back to the 'shaw and sure enough my boys are right there. We are not in a gang, we're neighbors. But it is certain that now Punkin knows that I've got backup.
It turns out that Punkin indeed was some sort of a Crip, but lived about 12 blocks west near Vineyard Park. Pickens played ball at Vineyard and so... The issue was resolved by Punkin disappearing quietly into the night. No blows, no blood. But the lesson was clear. Numbers count.
The nuance to today's lesson in Unity is threefold. The first is that unity is useful in conflict, but needn't be established for the purposes of conflict. My boys and I played football, basketball and other ghetto games, but we weren't gangbangers. Nevertheless we cultivated a respect and friendship that survived gang threats.
Secondly, unity doesn't mean that you drag everyone you know into conflict. Some battles need to be fought alone. Not everyone needs to always have every dog in every fight, especially if it's a matter of pride and principle. There is a case for unilateralism.
Thirdly, real unity is a credible deterrent. If people understand that you have strong alliances, there are certain tricks they will not attempt. When somebody has got your back. You can walk taller than ordinarily.
I myself was being arrogant and probably a little bit foolish. Yeah I was the best wrestler in my neighborhood and I knew that once this fight got to the ground I would win, but I never fought anyone with a knife before. I had no reason to expect that Lonzo and them would be around or come to the rescue, I was just amazed at the nerve of this kid and I could not stand the idea that anyone would jack me. (I have never lost a dime to stickup kids, although I never faced a gun).
And so Unity is our principle for the day. Learn it and be wise. Practice it and be strong.
Posted by mbowen at December 26, 2003 02:40 PM
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� Learn it and be wise. Practice it and be strong. from Negrophile
On this, the first day of Kwanzaa, the theme is Umoja. Unity. It is of great value in the proper context, and nothing has demonstrated greater power for African Americans than our unanimity in opposition to those who have initiated... [Read More]
Tracked on December 26, 2003 06:33 PM