Why We Are Stuck: Deconstructing British Black History (part V)

This workshop seeks to examine key moments in British history, exploring authentic sites of resistance to ongoing patterns of erasure
About this Event

Part of a short series, this workshop seeks to examine key moments in British history, exploring authentic sites of resistance to erasure, and the continued rejection of ongoing patterns marginalization. Geared towards political education, it aims to familiarize attendees with concepts they might otherwise have been denied by the British system's white power curriculum.

During this interactive presentation, group discussion and digital media will be utilized to trigger important interventions countering the modern myth making machinery of colonial violence i.e. "wokism," "political correctness," and other slogans currently exploited by those both clinging to and chasing power

note: this event is exclusively for BLACK POC people. For the sake of safety and wellbeing, people who do not meet and fit this description will have their tickets returned and will be turned away at the door . Future events and spaces will accomodate them.

Please email any questions and concerns to: [email protected]

Event is in association with "Men's Walk n Talk".

In response to a frequent question of “what constitutes blackness”, those who ask are encouraged to reflect upon why they want to be in this space. This space is not for those who want to be “on Safari” visiting the slave quarters, the colonial museum, or the human zoo to listen to what the savages are up to. We are not currently engaging with “political blackness” – whereby everyone ‘nonwhite’ is coded as black – or “conceptual blackness” – whereby everyone non-western is framed as such – even if we appreciate the Cuban intervention in places such as colonial Azania, Congo etc. When we are talking about “blackness” the question is: “do others see me as black?” and “do others experience me as black?”, or better yet, when the captives are debating freedom, do they change the subject or go quiet when you enter the room?

Ian Haney sometimes leaves his “latin” surname, ‘Lopez’ out of the mix, and notes how the conversations change. Rather than engaging in these shenanigans and trying to pose as “black”, we would prefer if you “passed” in these white spaces and reported back on what they talk about when we are not in the room. (In “Two Faced Racism” (2007) Joe Feagin and Leslie Picca advocate this.) Although we are not going to be at the door with a paper bag, we ask, “what is your proximity to death?” Are people running with you or from you? Are you merely “black when it is convenient?”, or better, do you have an enduring commitment to black identity?

“Racial suspect” Noel Ignatiev insisted he does not celebrate having black friends, but rather, white enemies. Although this space is not to isolate whiteness as the source of original sin, it does accept the idea that proximity to this aesthetic is readily embraced by a system of “white supremacy” which rewards the abuse and marginalisation of black-POC people i.e. we are the least likely to be employed in institutions “teaching” our history, despite these same systems promoting the extraction and exploitation of the varying forms of labour, intellectual, emotional, other. Further, we are not a “science project” where people should come to get closer to “Tarzan” i.e. “my black side.” We are not a theoretical sounding board but a space designed for “representation” as the goal is “liberation.”

We are not buying Fanon to have a “diverse” bookshelf, or to be the “awesome” ally at the BLM march, or to complete the Cambridge theology PHD, or to curate the current Black Music exhibition. We are coming together to interrogate systems intent on our death, and do not welcome people who are deeply invested in and practicing them. Although we appreciate the complexities of race, such as having “non-white” parents, our emphasis is upon people with black parentage, however that is interpreted in a meaningful way: we don’t want “educators” who are here to sound “radical” in their WhatsApp group chat; we want people who see the need to undo these platforms. What do you desire?

Agenda

🕑: 05:45 PM - 06:00 PM
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