From a young age, I've been fascinated by storytellers and their strong hold over history. The first book to ever completely change my life was "The Diary of Anne Frank." Her diary was a combination of all of the themes I subconsciously looked for in books such as what it means to survive and hold onto your humanity even in the midst of oppression and genocide. Now that I am older, many books have changed me, including "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf," poems by Maya Angelou and Warsan Shire, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," and "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." These books have taught me the importance of personal narrative and the responsibility that comes with it.
Darren Wilson's non-indictment was crippling for most blacks in America. We saw ourselves in every picture of Michael Brown.There was no denying the myth of a so-called "post-racial society." It was clearer than ever before that we lived in the midst of anti-blackness. Some have the privilege of dying of old age while others die of genocide. That same day, my classmate called Michael Brown a thug and said, “He deserved what he got.” It felt like someone had blasphemed my name. I realized how easy it is to be demonized. How one's aspirations and dreams could be extinguished with one headline.
There is an African proverb that states, “Until the lion learns to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” When someone else has the power to tell your story for you, they can easily make an erasure of your life. They can wipe away parts, present a version they wish to tell and assert themselves as the heroine of your story. In this day of biased media outlets and social media journalism, it is increasingly difficult to know who to trust. The stories that you hear on the news about events like protests and war tend to share no resemblance with what's happening on the ground. It is more crucial than ever that we seek out first-person perspectives from those being affected.
First-person narratives like "The Diary of Anne Frank" are important because they tell a broader story. They humanize those that are being oppressed by giving them the power to create their own stories. It is fascinating to me that in the midst of so much oppression, Anne Frank was able to reclaim herself and find strength through a recounting of her daily life. In the midst of fear, she was able to find joy. She was able to find love, transform herself from a young girl into a woman and find the meaning of life while cramped in an annex. She was able to create beauty amongst a wreckage. In the midst of what felt to many like a black genocide and blatant disregard for black and brown bodies, many that felt that weight also felt guilty for "surviving." For posting something silly on social media. Even in war, joy still exists, a nuance the oppressor would never reveal.
We must continue to tell our stories. It holds the world accountable.
