The speaker gives an account of racism events that occurred 50 years ago. She believes that those events were very significant to her life since she experienced love and hate coming from white Americans. She learned these events, when her friend and colleague Jonathan was murdered by Tom Coleman-something that sent her into total silence for six months. Even after all these tragic events which occurred 50 years ago, the speaker still feels that as a country, they are still mired down in the quicksand of racism. Many individuals all around the nation, especially people of color, remain hurt. Both the black and brown individuals remain hurt since they are still feeling the vicious volley of racism every single day. They do not fully enjoy their right since most including civil and human rights, have been stripped away.
In an attempt to find out the answer to the question, “Where does it really hurt, and what is the exact source of this hurt?” the speaker insists that the problem lies in the culture of whiteness and not the white people. She goes ahead and defines the culture of whiteness as a universal and structured set of values, belief, sanctified knowledge and even religion with the purpose of maintaining a hierarchical, over-and-against the power structure which is based on skin color against POC. This culture has presented the white people as both the necessary existence and friendly insiders.
At the same time, it has portrayed the people of color, particularly the black people, as dangerous and threatening outsiders who pose a danger to the safety and the efficacy of the culture of whiteness. This danger, they believe, can erupt in any given time. The speaker goes further to caution the audience against the culture of whiteness which she would like them to view as a dehumanizing process which melts away the entire individual’s multiple and interlocking identities. This she says, include gender, race, class and sexualities in order for unity to be maintained for power.
Moreover, the speaker comes up with the solutions on how the powerful and overwhelming nature of the color of whiteness can be fixed. She warns about being complicit with this culture as she believes that doing so will only serve to dehumanize the future of individuals. Thus, she maintains that every individualist therefore connect with their authentic ethnic selves. They must connect with the other aspects of their identities. She goes ahead to assert that individuals must move out of the constructs of whiteness, brownness and blackness in order to become who they really are to their fullest. This, according to her, can only be done through individual’s collective narratives which she believes must contain individual stories, the arts, spiritual reflections, literature, and even drumming. It should be something more of a collective telling since individual stories is known to create a paradigm whereby one story is pitted against another story.
The speaker explains that movements on social justice must be redemptive in nature rather than punitive and that punitive and that the possibility of redemption must be provided for everyone. Individuals will only be free if they are redeemed from their un-redemptive anger. She summarizes by saying that she believes that every individual would like to live to their full potential. Thus, everyone should apply what has been shared as this will provide a redemptive pathway which will serve in humanizing both the future for everyone and the democracy of the nation. She expresses her belief in America and its people and believe they will put whatever has been shared into practice.
In my own considered opinion, the talk was interesting since it equips the listener with skills on how they can chart their footsteps towards a society that is racial-free. It also serves as a wakeup call for individuals to collectively fight the culture of whiteness. The talk made me have a different perspective about racism. The issue of discrimination against the people of color has been attributed to the culture of whiteness and not the white people. This makes a lot of sense because it is the culture, that has been seen as superior, that makes white people feel that others especially the black people, are dangerous and posing a threat to the safety and the efficacy of the culture of whiteness.
In summary, from a performance and public speaking perspective, the talk is very effective as it provides for redemptive pathways for a better and secured future of humanity. The talk acts as a unifying factor which brings people from various races, religion, color; white, brown, and black to come together and foster towards a democratic nation where every individual is allowed to dream. I can therefore recommend the talk to everyone including my peers, classmates, neighbors, and any other individual who believes in equality and universal sovereignty.
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