No office hours today, as you saw. Full disclosure: I had a minor surgical procedure so I am in bed recovering. All is well. Yesterday was the anniversary of Toni Cade Bambara’s transition to ancestor. I told a dear sista friend about my surgery and she sent me this.
What a blessing to be loved by Black women who care and share words of wisdom by other Black women!!!
So I paused to rest. But I didn’t want to leave hump day with nothing.
Please enjoy this late night office hours kitchen table session just for y’all. Meet Catharina, who fought Étienne de Boré for her freedom and won in 1770s Louisiana. This audio is part of a talk I gave at SUGAR, an event organized by the Puerto Rican Organization for the Performing Arts (PROPRA) led by Melanie Maldonado at the Orlando Museum of Art in honor of Dawoud Bey’s exhibition Evergreen. Thank you Melanie for the invitation and opportunity.
To me, Catharina's message is clear: Be clever, be brave, and be present. To the rumors of freedom. To the strategies for resistance. To the joy (labeled licentiousness) that will keep you sane enough to fight back. Be present. Be HERE.
Catharina's story is available here.
What is she saying to you?
This talk has a few erratum. Boré, for example, is of French descent, but born in the Americas and Dr. Ashby works on Barbados not Jamaica. I am sure there are more errors, feel feee to point them out and please forgive a fast speaking historian her fumbles.
Enjoy the story and see you live next week! I promise!
