Happy James Baldwin Day
Make this happen: Let’s turn Independence Day into James Baldwin Day, and spend that time calling America on its unfulfilled promises.
An altered American flag in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone, June 12, 2020
Much of the United States finally seems interested in learning how to be anti-racist, or at least interested in books about it. Why not keep the momentum going? Let’s have a federally-recognized holiday when Americans evaluate their anti-racist growth and make concrete plans and policy changes that would help us do even better. Think of it as love in action.
We’d also be honoring author James Baldwin’s lifelong dedication to holding this country accountable for its racism. It seems right that we follow up on the nationwide protests against police brutality by using Baldwin’s searing criticism as an action guide.
Don’t worry — we’ll still party for Freedom-with-a-capital-F with flags and hot dogs and raisin-free potato salad. We’ll just do it on Juneteenth — a celebration of actual enslaved people leaving bondage.
Getting free on Juneteenth
I’ve seen a few interesting art developments connected to the idea of freedom, this Juneteenth. And though I hadn’t realized it until now, I’ve also been making small works about freedom and its absence.
These collages all have something to do with walls, most of the pieces featuring an enslaved person. Coincidentally, another enslaved person — Aunt Jemima — is finally free. After 131 years, Quaker Oats is retiring the syrup logo and the brand. This is especially great news to one of my favorite artists, Betye Saar, who’s best known for recasting Aunt Jemima as a revolutionary warrior.
Once you’ve liberated yourself, though… then what? Maybe you spend some time recovering from your trauma. Today Black artists are staging a “black out” of the CHOP [Capitol Hill Occupied Protest]. They’re offering a day of art and healing activities specifically for other Black people.
More importantly, these actions are meant to refocus attention on the Black Lives Matter movement. The art drawing people’s attention is still valid and restorative on its own. But this weekend is a reminder the art is also a means to the end: freeing people from constant assault on our existence.