Facebook Publication Date: 8/20/2019 10:08

There is so much going on in this article. So much history. So much poetry.

A quote that I pulled here speaks to the burden of history and telling history and being given correct and complete context and being respected for the work that one does to preserve and affirm and amplify a people and a heritage.

Our story is considered ancillary, our pain is considered only when for entertainment or appropriation, and the slave roots of daring to survive, and then be seen, not only by those who would enslave and later exploit us, but *by ourselves as well* speaks to a strength of character and resilience that can only be copied by others, but that is grounded in our black bodies.

The distortion of our history has been nothing short of violent.

Not only because of the (so many) omissions, but also because of the Trope that we all know is wrong, but that is still part of American history that we contributed nothing but brute labor.

The LIE is kept in order to dehumanize us to short change us to devalue us, but we all know now it is a lie.

Even as white people lock their purses except for their own, even as the appropriation and outright theft is apparent.

The LIE is as much of an economic one as it is a sociological one and it is no less violent than a shiv the heart.

American culture is Black Culture. Black Culture is American culture.

And it doesn’t matter how diluted and watered down it became by those who once owned us and then and now still subjugate us.

Denial and minimization of our import does not erase the importance and the durability of the contribution we have made and still make.

To see and deeply acknowledge our history as foundational to this country and, for this reason, deserving of recognition for the storytellers and the griots and the historians, (who have more value than the reporter allows them as she made sure that she continue to devalue them by saying they are ‘self-taught’ and ‘so-called’) and yes for them, *for us*, to be paid and supported is seen frankly uppity, as grandiose, and as an imposition of those who have, since 1619, monetized our stories our histories our food while claiming that we ourselves are not valuable enough for full consideration into full humanity.

I want you to read this with all of the above in mind.

I want you to listen to the reporter’s problematic ways of being with these people.

I want you to ask yourself why they didn’t find a black journalist in the first place.

I want you to really think about the fact that she made sure that we knew that our protagonist was a failure before he became a success. Why she decided that his ‘flunking’ out of gamer school was relevant to his work. Why she had to throw red meat to her Bon Appetit readers.

And consider how that informs the rest of his story *as she tells it*.

I want you to think about how our protagonist might feel as he reads her finished product on his life’s work.

Comments only please.

This is a deep dive.

This article is not just for skimming.

And we are going to start looking at some of the resources the reporter thoughtfully provided because to talk about Heritage is to also talk about the way forward for the future.

All of us in this community of Lace on Race needs to be steeped in history not before told, not commonly told, and for white people almost never believed or respected.

If you can’t believe me about my path, if you can’t believe me about my past and my history, how can you possibly walk forward with me?

Read for gain. And for long game.

Edited to add: people are sharing this. It’s in the pinned posts, but apparently it bears repeating: You can share from this page only if you include Lace on Race as attribution; if I am taking the time to curate resources for your benefit the Page deserves mention. As well, include my commentary when I provide it, as I did here. If you feel my. That is not optional. You may have to take a few extra keystrokes/seconds to do so. Please do so anyway.

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