Author and poet Elizabeth Alexander joins Stephen to talk about the content and goals of her new book, “The Trayvon Generation,” which features works of art inspired by the struggle against racism. #Colbert #TheTrayvonGeneration #ElizabethAlexander
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Author and poet Elizabeth Alexander joins Stephen to talk about the content and goals of her new book, “The Trayvon Generation,” which features works of art inspired by the struggle against racism. #Colbert #TheTrayvonGeneration #ElizabethAlexander
Thank you, Elizabeth, for creating this book. I was in 8th grade when Trayvon Martin was murdered, and I still distinctly remember sitting in my U.S. history class talking amongst the students about how disturbing and wrong it was. Out of around 25 of us, almost everyone was contributing and of the same opinion, in a rural Texas town/school that was 98% white and in a grade that hadn’t had any black students in four years. BUT THEN the history teacher/football coach came in the classroom and started saying, “He shouldn’t have been wearing a hoodie,” “He shouldn’t have been walking around,” and “People have to be able to defend their neighborhoods.” I will never, ever forget how–one by one–students changed their stances as they listened to what he was telling us, as he was not-so-subtly instructing us to see black kids as inherent threats and to justify the use of deadly force against them for something as commonplace as wearing a hoodie. I remember being so overwhelmed with frustration at not being able to articulate an argument in response, even though I and a few other classmates knew his words didn’t make sense. All we could say was, “It’s not right to shoot someone who hasn’t even done anything.” We just didn’t have the knowledge to explain why, we didn’t have people around us who were teaching anything relevant, useful, or accurate about racism, we didn’t have black peers to communicate with or forge friendships with. Most of us had limited internet access, and what access we did have was heavily influenced or even monitored by parents and teachers who were of the same mind as the history teacher.
ReplyLooking back on that moment now, it’s such a painfully clear representation of how racism is taught to children — it’s not something we’re born with and have to grow out of, it’s passed down from one generation to the next. Every 13-14 year old identified the event as undeniably wrong, until an adult in a position of leadership taught us in ten minutes how to justify murder with racism. We have to equip kids with knowledge so that they have the tools to protect their minds in these situations. All of my textbooks only ever offered “Slaves were a thing. Slaves were no longer a thing. Martin Luther King, Jr.” What are we supposed to do with that except fall into the same pattern of racism as soon as an adult starts redirecting our conversations??
For a funnyman, you’re a deep well. Thanks for spending your life doing this Stephen.
ReplyTreyvon was a tragedy. But the 12 year old who was shot in the park stillhaunts me the most. Those cops drove onto the grass of a public park and shot a kid before he could turn around. Why? He was playing with a toy gun at a park.
ReplyGov funded schools…they teach lies is all. I’ve opted out of this collapsing system and will keep preparing for what’s to come. The dollar is the biggest scam of all too! Bye fiat, buy bitcoin or go homeless with the rest of the world. Only bitcoin can save us now…good luck in the dystopian future ahead
ReplyBeautiful, true, sad, challenging.
ReplyIt’s not Travon generation It’s Generation X.
ReplyWow brilliant woman. Such compassion and wisdom in how she expresses herself and teaches all of us.
ReplyThis isn’t as eloquent as this deserves, but..i love love love this.
ReplyI think this pandemic has taught people the importance of multiple streams of income, unfortunately having a job doesn’t mean security rather having different investments is the real deal……
ReplyWhat’s ALSO different about the Trayvon generation, is that now, #republiKKKLans are disgustingly OPEN about their racism, and, have inspired other racist politicians, all from the rightwing, across the Western world, and also Putin.
ReplyGreat Guest.
ReplyMy brother was declared genius, unused common sense, then his genius faltered. It is very difficult to get off that self directed high column of presence, to find self amist all commoners. Through a lie of omission he lost all. Now he lives like a hermit in the mountains.
ReplyWhen they turn the pages of history
ReplyWhen these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow?
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance
Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of truth
Ancient nobles showering
Their bitterness on youth
Can’t we find
The minds that made us strong?
Oh, can’t we learn
To feel what’s right and what’s wrong? What’s wrong
Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
Whoa, can’t we raise our eyes
And make a start?
Can’t we find the minds
To lead us closer to the heart?
until we do, history is full of lies, which makes it fiction and not historical, the world needs to know the location of many unmarked mass graves, full of victims from the frontier wars against the indigenous nations, until then every human that identified with those inhumane POS, are just as guilty, no treaty no peace, no justice NO PEACE!!!
ReplyI know when I turned my back on misogyny, it was in large part because I found out how big of an issue it actually was, it wasn’t ‘funny’ or ‘clever’, it was awful and women were literally dying because they aren’t treated as equals. I had less issues with viewing people of different races (an entirely artificial concept btw) as equals/interchangeable, but women seem so objectively different in my ignorance, so I thought Feminism was not only unnecessary, I thought it was actively stupid/wrong-headed. If we don’t tell kids the truth, they’ll just cling to the dumb-shit beliefs of previous generations, and it will be ugly. There is (nothing other than) endless propaganda in US popular culture, why not mix in some truth for once?
ReplyWhen you grow out of that mentality, you want to learn and absorb every thing that you don’t know. It may make you feel small, but that’s part of the awe, there’s so much possibility. But there is shame in ignorance, especially for cis white men.
Reply