Between Bad Bunnies and Dead Presidents
- Vernon C. Lindsay, PhD
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Dear Student Leader,
Did you watch the Super Bowl? During the first half, I played basketball with my son, but I managed to catch Bad Bunny’s performance and the last quarters. I loved the overt display of Latinx culture in Bad Bunny’s show, and I expected the Seahawks to win.
I couldn’t tell you the name of Bad Bunny’s songs before the Super Bowl. Now, I know “Tití Me Pregunto,” “NuevaYoL,” and “Café con Ron” are the titles of some of his popular tracks. The Spanish language, the plethora of brown bodies dancing, and the meaningful messages made me smile.
Bad Bunny represented the warmth of a community being attacked by ignorance and ICE.
While Puerto Ricans lack voting representation in Congress, their island’s territorial status grants them US citizenship. When Bunny said, “God Bless America,” he responded to conservative critics who questioned his fit to perform at an “American” sporting event. It’s unfortunate that he needed to say anything on the eve of a president’s birthday who many associate with freedom.
Abraham Lincoln is often referenced as “the Great Emancipator” or “the President who freed the slaves.” Some schools and businesses closed in honor of his birthday this week.
On Sunday after the Super Bowl, my son asked me, “Why are we celebrating Abraham Lincoln?”
Although born in the US, he spent eight of his formative years abroad and missed American history classes in school.
I replied, “We recognize Abraham Lincoln because he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This started the process of ending the legal institution of slavery. But listen, son, he didn’t sign it out of compassion. He signed it, because his army was losing the war.”
“What war?” he asked.
Our conversation continued for a moment before digressing to something he saw on TikTok.
John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln because he threatened the racial foundation of the United States. By signing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln violated a crucial component for maintaining white supremacy and the reign of the Confederacy. Lincoln didn't liberate the enslaved Africans, but while he watched a play, Booth killed him.
While the United States has evolved from some of its backward ways, the legacy of slavery continues today. Emancipation happened after the Civil War and the passage of the 13th Amendment, but bondage remains.
Human trafficking, unjust incarceration, ICE’s immigrant arrests with illegal federal holdings, and the nuance of mental slavery persist.
Pause here and add Douglas A. Blackmon’s book, Slavery by Another Name, to your list of books to read.
When February became the month to recognize Black history, some speculated that Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’s birthdays motivated the decision. The Association for the Study of African American Life (ASALH) states, “Though he admired both men, Woodson had never been fond of the celebrations in their honor.” Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s vision for Black History Month has always represented more than the lives of two men.
Black History Month puts the diaspora on display like Bad Bunny did for Puerto Rican culture on Sunday.
Ideal Black History celebrations last longer than the fifteen minutes between halves of a football game. In recent commentaries published with the PsychDiscourse and Edu Ledger, I emphasize the importance of extending Woodson’s legacy beyond February.
On Monday, the federal government will celebrate Presidents’ Day. Most schools and businesses will close to honor the presidencies of the past and present. However, you choose to recognize the holiday, start with the truth.
More than ever, we need people with courage to lead from places of honesty and humility.
Is this leadership easy? Nope. But leaders embrace every challenge as an opportunity for growth and improvement.
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In solidarity,
Dr. V
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