Don’t Call Me Nigga!

Hodari Davis & Macheo Payne

Lincoln Child Center

2011

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The “N” Word•Carries heavy cultural and historical symbolism

•Is the same no matter the dialect (‘a’ vs. ‘er’)

•There is NO double standard, but good reason

•It is NOT a term of endearment but a signal of how oppressed someone is

• The word also represents a form of destructive resistance

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Flipside•Worldwide fascination & appreciation of the culture

• Is blended with powerful, creative manifestations of culture (jazz, hip hop, dance)

•Serves as creative outlet and source of survival, expression and livelihood

•Serves as a significant part of American culture

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Teaching subjects or information rather than

teaching youth.

Notes on a Youth Centered Approach

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ManifestationsFoundati

on

Aspects

Begin with 3 Levels of Culture – Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III

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ManifestationsFoundati

on

Aspects

Manifestations on the outer level

Aspects in the inner level Foundation at center.

Today we will try to take it to

another level, not yet at the

foundation, by focusing in on the values that serve as the platform

for these manifestations of

racism in our youth.

We often focus on the manifestations of

institutional Oppression, focusing

on the symptoms rather than tracing

these symptoms to the source.

Manifestations What are the products of institutional

oppression?

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The Gaps of Institutional Oppression•The Achievement Gap (test scores, dropout rates, higher ed)

•The Discipline Gap (suspension and expulsion)

•The Health (mortality) Gap (life expectancy, excess death)

•The Prison Gap (incarceration rates, sentencing, profiling)

•The Employment Gap (unemployment and underemployment) rate)

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Safety Health Education

HomicidePrisonEnvironmental hazardsProfiling

DiseaseIllnessLow quality of lifeDiscrimination is psychological warfare

Suspension/ExpulsionDrop outLow graduationSpecial Ed/ ADHDRemedial/ Tracking

Outcomes of Oppression

Attribution of DisparitiesDominant public paradigms explaining disparities: “bad apples”

Defective cultureIndividual faultsPersonal racism

Overlooks policies and arrangements:“diseased tree”

Structures InstitutionsCumulative causation

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Aspects of Institutional Oppression

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Afro Phobia

you don’t have to be a racist in this workshop, but you must acknowledge the afrophobic nature of American Society

White SupremacyInstitutions were designed to maintain white supremacy and reinforce

Afro Phobia

Historic Examples Pre American Revolution

Post American Revolution

Pre Civil War

Reconstruction

Jim Crow and the Black Codes

Post Civil Rights

Cointelpro

America Today …..

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Afrophobic OriginsThe first “police officers” in the U.S. were fugitive slave catchers, employed to maintain an economic system based on the exploitation of free labor.

In support of an economy built on the idea of White Supremacy the laws they were charged to enforce were also written with the same goal in mind. There are many other examples throughout the various eras of American history where afro phobia played a role in the development of institutions.

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Then: Lynching

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Now: Police Brutality

Then: Slave Dungeons

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Now: Prison

Then: Minstrel Show “..there were multiple songs in which a black man accidentally put out a black woman's eyes.”

Lott, Eric. Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class, New York: Oxford University Press

Now: Popular Artists“Bitches ain’t shit but hoes and tricks…” -Dr. Dre & Snoop

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Cultural Distortion as Justification of

ViolenceMinstrel, Jim Crow 1876, Birth of a Nation 1915 &

Lynchings mostly targeting urban Black males

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Slide 13

Negative StereotypesNothing New?

demonized/criminalized aspects of culture

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Big, Black, Dangerous, Savage, Animal, Vicious, Beast, Immoral, Lazy, Ignorant, Careless,

Indiscriminate, Lustful, Crazed, Deranged, Lowly, Simple, Stupid, Inferior, Subhuman

Current Maintenance of

Afrophobia & White Supremacy

Most Institutions have been established on the same historical principals, and have not been redefined, reformed or

reorganized to deliberately undermine Afro phobia or Oppression. In fact many

of these institutions are the cultural machines maintaining these inequalities. In most American learning environments

open dialogue about race, oppression, identity and culture does not happen. While the institutions themselves still

operate along an Afrophobic framework, there is no educational counter balance or narrative even to serve as spotlight or as

beacon for progress. Its no wonder Afrophobia remains a powerful narrative

that is hard to break.

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Critical Race Theory

Manifestations of Afro-Phobia in American Culture –

The Superpredator - Imprisonment and Increased Policing

Advertising Industry Capitalizes on Afro Phobia (lebron, 50 cent, etc.)

Entertainment Industry (Music, Film, Television, …)

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Modern Criminalization/Dehumanization

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The myth of the juvenile Superpredator, John Dilulio, Princeton 1990’s

Crack baby myth, immoral and beastly violent

“Tough on crime” laws target urban Black Males

3- strikes, juveniles as adults, crack laws, gang laws

Are these the youth in your institutions? (schools, classrooms, centers,

…etc)

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Superficial ApproachTreating the outer layer (manifestations) as core culture

This is the Layman Approach to Multicultural Education –

Its like serving tacos to teach about Mexico, or Strawberry Soup to teach about Poland. Its as if using Italian words makes it possible for you to relate to Italian youth and therefore qualifies you as a better teacher.

It disregards the aspects and foundations of American culture that serve this narrative and make it possible, in fact likely for a new generation to manifest these racist associations in language.

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The story of the teacher who heard his students use the word “Nigga” so much throughout his time teaching, that he became desensitized to the word and its use. In fact, in time he came to believe that in an effort to relate to his students he could and should incorporate elements of their language. As a result he referred to one of his own students as “Nigga”, and justified it by saying “… they use the word all the time. Its confusing,..”

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“It’s Confusing!”

Manifestations In Our Institutions

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Manifestations of Afro-Phobia in Schools

Detention, Expulsion and Campus Security

Mono-cultural Education (staffing and curriculum)

Teacher Centered Classrooms

Removal of Art and Physical Education

Eyewitness Manifestations

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Manifestations of Afro- phobia in your Institution?

How To Combat Afrophobia

Choose Critical Resistance

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1 – Examine your institutions – Are the practices and processes reinforcing the values you want to see in the world?

Critical thinking

Eurocentricity / Afrocentricy (in schools)

2 – Acknowledge and Examine your own Afro Phobia – How does fear color your perspective? What are you afraid of? How does this fear manifest?

3 – Affirm you role as an agent for change – complacency and resignation that keep the system functional. Resistance like Afro phobia is a process not an outcome. The requirement of overcoming these challenges is courage, conviction and a focus on both tactics and strategy.

What kind of Anti-Racist Are You?Perpetrators- Offended by most discussions of inequity, especially race.

Denier- Uncomfortable seeing racism as an issue.

Collaborator- Passive observers of racism. Know it exists and know it’s wrong but won’t do much.

Resistor- Critically challenges most forms of oppression.

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Cultural

Consultation

Lincoln Monthly TrainingJust a few individuals to consult about Black males in Oakland

Shawn Ginwright, Ph.D. Professor SFSU

Darrick Smith, M.A. Director, June Jordan School for Equity

Tacuma King, Artistic Director, Malonga Center

Hodari Davis, M.A. National Director Youth Speaks

Arnold Perkins, Retired Health Director, AC

Afriye Quamina, Ed.D. Equity Institute

Chris Chatmon, AAMAO, OUSD

Baayan Bakari, Filmmaker

Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Ph.D. Professor SFSU, OUSD teacher

Jason Seals, M.A. Professor Merritt College

Wade Nobles, Ph.D. Professor SFSU, Black Family & Life Institute

Saleem Shakir, Executive Director, Leadership Excellence

Ronald Muhammad, FOI

David Muhammad, AC Probation Chief

Michael Gibson, AC EMS

Jerome Gourdine, Principal Frick Middle

Greg Hodge, Former School Board Member

OrganizationsLeadership ExcellenceMentoring Center100 Black Men of East BayUrban Strategies CenterPolicy LinkChildren’s Defense Fund,

OaklandAlameda County ACLU Bay Area chapterNAACP, Oakland ChapterUrban League, Northern

California

Thank You

Presenter Contact Info:Hodari Davis hdavis@youthspeaks.org

Macheo Payne macheopayne@lincolnchildcenter.org

Thank you!

To find out about upcoming trainings, email:

training@lincolncc.org