Reflection #7: Who

March 5

This week we’re looking at “Who” in broader context, historically and politically. To my understanding, who is a clause/introduction to a person or group of people. So with that in mind I'm looking for what groups the poets define in the work. Fair warning, Poetry and Protest is discussed heavily because it's my favorite book and the first one I read while note taking. I came back in later with other comments after reading BB and CS.


On continuing to struggle
I'm curious about whether the words in italics are taken from headlines. But in this work I'm not exactly sure what Major is doing. I first the poem, the following lines in particular like The Who is black vs supremacy/discrimination, then I read it again as if the there is one who, Mumia, who is the voice of the people and the visionary and the other who as others within the Black community who may be important to the movement, but wouldn't be able to physically or mentally hold it down like Mumia.

“a man who could see through cells
without windows
who could speak though bound and
gagged
who could lead under chain behind
bars
from isolated chambers
while penned in a land where”

“who of us could hold their heart intact
who of us could keep the vision so
strong
that others become bright in its glow”

I feel that Major is present in this moment where Mumia is in prison and this is her speech to the people. The voice is fed up, and while I know it was written for a specific person, it has a timeless I too sing America feel. Like the name could be replaced with a hashtag because of what we’re enduring today.

This poem has a steady rhythm, but invents its own line breaks - sometimes at the last word, sometimes not.

The 10 Race Koans as presented to Charles Johnson on the morning of July 13, 2008

“How come our ears are always open but we can’t hear the sound of freedom?
Who is white people, blackness.
When a black fist causes a black eye
is this Black Power?”

The Who is black against black and with the year being 2008 this makes me think of world star hip hop and the less progressive side of blackness that people know exists but don't like to talk about in front of “mixed company.”

I also see this in the Breakbeats poems (which I would love to hear performed to embody their true essence). The “who” is more complex than white and Black it's between the race. With mentions of Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco I can see why the poets are interested in this area. Blacks in America have problems within the race that need to be addressed as deeply as those that we have with America and/or non-blacks. In Grown men in Coiled Serpent, Rodriquez also talks to different groups within the race. It's hard to project what clearly separates each group to draw their who distinction, but it's usually along the lines of crime vs legal.

Mullen
The “who” here seems more recent, like in this “post-racial” state that we’re in where discrimination is microaggressions and folks that don't see color. She's speaking from the side of the other, instead of being immersed in her blackness she's immersed in otherness and although I read the poem as bullshit, it's almost like we're supposed to empathize with the irony of the other side.

“We are not responsible for your lost or stolen relatives. We cannot guarantee your safety if you disobey our instructions.

It’s not our fault you were born wearing a gang color.

Step aside, please, while our officer inspects your bad attitude.”

Cells and Windows after work by neogeo painter Peter Halley

Craft wise this is one of my favorites and I'm interested in how this creative/writing process came about. We go from facts/figures throughout time to ask thoughtful questions which make the “who” quite obvious here.

X Marks The Spot,
While I'm not sure yet what this piece is talking about, I think it's worth noting that it should be read horizontal, vertical, diagonal, and maybe even backwards.