12:15 p.m., Nov. 19, 2002--Poet, critic and playwright Jabari Asim advocated the power of words for black Americans when reclaiming their patriotism at a speech to more than 75 listeners Thursday, Nov. 14, in the Multipurpose Room of the Trabant University Center.
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| Jabari Asim |
Asim, senior editor of the Washington Post Book World, edited “Twelve Black Men Speak Out on the Law, Justice and Life.” The book features essays ranging from encounters with the police to historical examinations of race relations in the United States.
Asim framed his speech, “We, Too, Sing America: Black Protest, Black Patriotism,” with a quote from poet Langston Hughes: “I wonder as I wander.”
“My wanderings often begin with language, which never fails to fascinate me,” he said. “It carries echoes of all human struggles—just as a river carries with it everything it has touched since it began to flow.”
Because black Americans have a special relationship with discourse, Asim said, they can be relied upon to reinvigorate the language of patriotism.
“We rock the funky joint of everyday grammar,” he said. “[Whites] might be lending us their ears, but are they really listening? Without flavorful contributions of black and Latino discourse, English becomes just another language.”
Asim cited several historical examples of black patriotism that used language as a powerful tool, including:
- “Freedom’s Journal,” a black activist newspaper first published in 1827,
- “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” an essay by Frederick Douglass that examined black Americans’ struggle to stake a place in America and
- “War Is Not the Answer,” a Marvin Gaye song from the Vietnam War era that pleaded for black soldiers to be sent home.
Asim said one of the most important duties of black Americans today is to become involved in politics in an effort to increase patriotism and change the language of discourse.
“It’s true that everybody doesn’t have a view, but everybody needs one,” he said. “The issues of today involve ballots, battlefields and body bags.
“The world is at stake. Our fate is the fate of the globe.”
Asim is also the author of “The Road to Freedom,” and his work has appeared in “Step into a World: A Global Anthology of New Black Literature,” “The Salon Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literature” and “Brown Sugar: A Collection of Erotic Black Fiction.”
The Center for Black Culture and the Cultural Programming Advisory Board sponsored the event. For information on future events, call 831-2991.
Article by Amie Voith
Photo by Maurice Meredith
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