Revolution, revolution, revolution, but it never came. It did little more than leave the people waiting for change, confused and feeling abused by the refrain from protest and action. In its wake it left disgust and destruction hovering over a people that were already downtrodden and disenfranchised. What moral fabric did we lose when we had to choose between life and liberty or the dogs they bared their teeth and attacked us as we challenged the status quo back in 1968? What happened when the gunshot rang out and the bullet lodged in Martin and took the prince of peace from the race? The consternation, the elimination and the procrastination that prevents us from moving ahead lays heavy on our souls. But many of us have had our heads filled with stories about what a revolution would look like and what it might change. I chose to go and visit the man who wrote The Spook Who Sat by the Door and hear his story of what was really going on and more. He would tell me the truth when I sat with him face-to-face. Author Sam Greenlee did just that, and he continues to encourage us to explore the possibilities that change can bring.
The reigning champions of illusion and smoke and mirror tricks to paint a picture of change, are paraded across our television screens daily. They are too often being paid by someone other than those they are supposed to represent, so their integrity is just as often compromised or at least called into question. But Greenlee tells us what black people should do in a moving way. He says they too have a responsibility to implore African American youth to challenge those notions that may land them in a permanent six-foot bed.
They are unaware of who Sam Greenlee is or who Franklin Frazier is, or pardon the pun, frankly who any author of substance is. It is disappointing and disheartening that in a time when historic facts can be so easily Googled, that we are not making the effort to uncover what can be found on those sites that lead to critical thinking and long term understanding.
No the revolution will not be televised, but neither will the true life story of Gil Scott Herron. His tragedy is in the fact that he knows that he has been beaten by the system that he chose to expose. He subjected himself to the degradation of addiction to drugs and alcohol, but it is a common peril for artists that evolved during the time of uprising and political action of that time of civil unrest. Any man that said, “Fight the power” or “Say it loud, I’m black and I’m proud,” was not allowed to say it for too long or with too much force.
We’re uneasy when we talk about our heritage, and whisper the accomplishments of leaders as if we are unsure about whether or not we should be proud. We spend more time telling ourselves how to erase our history and get it out of the way. We are unaccustomed to standing up and rising to the occasion, and all of the social, economic and political indicators say we’re losing ground in a significant way. But in talking with Sam Greenlee he expressed his concern that we would never call for a revolution or feel moved to take action again. I thought about him and Langston and others who tried to motivate us, and recognized that there are things we should innately know. Like there are corporate people who grin and lie. They convince us that their lack of ethical behavior is okay and we should turn and look the other way. We shouldn’t want to rise up and demand that they market and advertise in a responsible manner. But still our dollars pour out of our pockets and into their profit centers, but when you look inside of their companies you won’t see anybody that looks like you or me.
The thing that we don’t understand about revolution is that it means evolution each and every day. It means we first understand that there are those who are motivated to keep us in our place, but we can’t let that reality make us the lazy race. We are required to read and learn from those geniuses like Greenlee who offer another perspective on our past and our future.
Meet a famous person like an accomplished author and hear what he has to say. Take the time to find out who’s writing those books intended to motivate you and move you toward progress in a significant way. Take the time to make it happen.
Peace.
