Literal Liberation and Figurative Prisons

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How do you define liberation? Is it the ability to do whatever you choose? Perhaps you see this question through a spiritual lens and contemplate life after death.

Angela Davis writes, “We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society.” Freedom of thought must coincide with the liberation of our community.

We also can’t forget the importance of our bodies, spirits, and souls.

Given the Trump administration’s latest disastrous decision to authorize missile strikes against Iran, death has crossed my mind on multiple fronts. I thought about the lives lost in Iran, Israel, Palestine, and the United States.

Last week, I shared Emile Suotonye DeWeaver’s story about how he wrote himself out of prison. I failed to discuss his ideas about liberation. Current events reminded me to revisit them.

Liberation requires

Emile says liberation requires clarity, courage, and integrity. We must establish clear goals, be willing to challenge opposition, and hone reliability. In any endeavor, humility, and awareness of our strengths and weaknesses play crucial roles in achieving any form of freedom.  

While listening to Sutonye’s ideas about liberation, I jogged on Tuesday morning. As I made my way under streetlights and alongside trails, I added creativity to the formula he proposes to foster freedom. We must push ourselves to develop unconventional ideas and explore concepts that transcend the limits of our identities.

However, you choose to define yourself is cool. It’s enough. As expressed in the previous post, our identities and the communities we surround ourselves with meet the human needs for security and feelings of belonging.

Many of us have or can find others like us to help manage life’s necessities. However, if we want to excel and live differently, we must redefine ourselves.

An African example

At my previous job, I worked with a brother from a country in Africa. We often talked about politics and identity. During one discussion, he said, “I’m not Black.”

Although aware of the social and historical construct of race, I acknowledged his dark skin and origins on the continent as indicators of Blackness. His comment confused me. He explained how he identified as African, but associated race with colonization.

We continued our conversation, and he shared more about his refusal to accept Black as a component of his identity. I considered how the environment and culture shaped his perspective.  

Growing up in America, where, as Cornel West once said and others repeated, “Race Matters,” I couldn’t fully comprehend my coworker’s ideas. My colleague had pushed beyond a racial marker that had significantly influenced my worldview. I respected his views and maintained my position about the importance of seeing beauty and tragedy in Blackness.

I remembered the accomplishments of Black Americans and the implications of the Dred Scott decision.

Blackness and liberation

Despite race’s origins in separation and justification for the enslavement of African people in the United States, I understand Black identity differently.

Blackness informs viewpoints and challenges the concept of white supremacy. It forms coalitions inside and across racial boundaries. Blackness can inspire relevant learning objectives in classrooms and assessments in communities.

And

The thesaurus indicates liberation is synonymous with freedom, release, discharge, and emancipation. In this definition, shouldn’t we, as a "free nation," have the right to liberate ourselves from the labels of race, gender, age, ability, religion, and sexual identity, among others?

In James Baldwin’s book, “Nothing Personal, ” he writes, “The terror within is far truer and far more powerful than any of our labels: the labels change, the terror is constant.” Our internalized identity markers pose a more serious threat than others.

Liberation from labels may prevent wars. Unfortunately, we live in societies where our identities influence all aspects of human life. See the latest international and local conflicts for evidence.

True liberation only occurs after death, but while we remain here, let’s strive to improve our existence. We must take actions aligned with clarity, courage, integrity, and creativity. Our progress can lead to freeing ourselves and helping others escape the literal and figurative prisons of their lives.

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