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4 PASADENA WEEKLY | 02.24.22
PW ARTS
Reading your way through Black History Month
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By Ellen Snortland Pasadena Weekly Columnist
ow are we to atone for sins of the past if we don’t know what the transgressions were?” people of conscience may ask. It’s a question worth pondering, one that eluded the governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin, after running — and winning — on a platform of “no critical race theory.” Napoleon popularized Fontenelle’s quote “What is history but fables agreed upon?” while Churchill is often (but incorrectly) credited with “History is written by the victors.” Black History and Women’s History months (as well as the other commemorative history months) are attempts to counter the dominant history perpetrated by the dominators, the so-called victors. In the United States, our official history is the province of white, straight males with occasional appearances by two-dimensional, often stereotypical Black and/or female people. They are the “extras” in our historical fables — myths are touted as The Truth. It is a narrative so convincing that people will die to keep it in place. Hey, fellow white people! As a start, we can confront our entrenched societal racism by reading books and watching documentaries about African Americans. I would recommend not starting with books like “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo. It’s a necessary book, albeit a challenging one. If you’d rather tap into empathy by getting inside a person’s head and life, I recommend starting with real people. An essential primer is “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by the late, great Maya Angelou. Guys, it’s beneficial to read more female authors if you’ve segregated yourself by reading only male memoirs or fiction. You can learn a lot and heal many wounds if you can put yourself into the life-as-lived shoes of women and girls. I’m shocked by how few men I admire and respect have not read Toni Morrison or Maya Angelou. When it comes to compelling stories of Black lives on the big and small screen, cable television and streaming services have done much better than glitzy, big-budget Hollywood films. Documentary films and series are compelling at accurately reflecting the populations in this country. A friend recently said something like, “There will always be action movies for the guys. It’s predictable fare, and that’s fine; it doesn’t harm anything.” I take issue with that. I find it harmful in reinforcing and ultimately cementing stale and outdated ideas of hypermasculinity. The current state of mainstream storytelling is enmeshed in wealth and gun “porn,” which ends up being bad for everyone — even the men who are cramming those stories down our throats. I think storytelling is key to a person’s and a nation’s health, and entertainment is a significant export for America. When films cast anyone except white men and women as “villainous” characters, which is the norm, the entire globe gets a picture of these citizens as some form of lowlife. Heroic nonwhite characters are seen as exceptions to the rule. Thankfully there has been some movement in this area over the last few years. It’s been a long time coming. Back to the basics: Please read James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time.” It’s a classic and a tribute to one of our most beloved public intellectuals. Read “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” if you want to experience the transformation of a man who — had he not been gunned down in his prime — would now be 97. What a loss for both statesmanship and race reconciliation. If you want a “trifecta” for at least three commemorative months — Black, women and LGBTQ+ — may I introduce you to the late Rev. Pauli Murray? If you read about her, you can cover a lot of ground! The Ruth Bader Ginsberg biopic “On the Basis of Sex” had Ms. Murray in a cameo that few people would recognize. She was one of the peers invited to hold a “mock” court with RBG in her living room before her big breakthrough
gender case. Ms. Murray was many things: a scholar, an author, a lawyer and, finally, the first African American and female priest in the Episcopal Church. She’s even been declared a saint by that church! Murray was a walking, talking example of a justice missionary for her race, her sex and any downtrodden people. She was instrumental and uncredited in creating the winning argument that finally brought Brown v. Board of Education into ending the “separate but equal” ideas that had held sway for what seemed like forever. There’s a new documentary about her on Amazon, “I Am Pauli Murray,” as well as a new book, “The Life of a Pioneering Feminist and Civil Rights Activist” by Terry Catasus Jennings and the Rev. Murray’s niece, Rosita Stevens-Holsey. As a nation, we have much to atone for. Meanwhile, take the baby steps of watching movies and reading books. Those actions can and do make a difference. Ellen Snortland has written “Consider This…” for a heckuva long time, and she also coaches first-time book authors! Contact her at ellen@ beautybitesbeast.com.
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