Special Report: Spoken Black

Spoken Black
How Black Youths Are Redefining Black History

               --by: Ashley Gallagher

Students from Universities around the country are speaking out: From Left to Right: Vinson Fraley - 18 - New York University,

Rae Lesperance - 18 - Agnes Scott College,

Center: Bronte Velez - 19 - Brandeis University, Adam Tolliver - 25 - Graduated from Florida State University,

Raven Gibson - 19 - University of Georgia, Natalie Cook - 20 - University of Wisconsin-Madison

Bottom Photo R, Bronte Velez Takes on Django: Unchained 

Photographer: Ashley Gallagher

(ATLANTA) Young black artists take on black history, their culture and the controversial Quentin Tarantino film, Django: Unchained.

Appreciating the heroic Jamie Foxx’s depiction of a black man who rescues the woman he loves, with help from his German partner a few years ahead of the Civil War, students like Bronte Valez, 19, of Brandeis University are saying, “Tarantino can't tell my history and he is not supposed to.”

In a recent Facebook blog post, Velez stated while she praised the creativity of the film, she’s aware of the criticism Tarantino received noting his “intentions were not to depict our people’s Holocaust.” Instead it was created for “comedy and shock value,” things Tarantino is known for.  She goes on to say she is disappointed black artists in today’s culture are not producing work which reflects a deeper and more honest discussion of slavery’s ramifications.

She calls the years of slavery on African Americans a “holocaust” because she says there was a great destruction of life – rape, murder, and torture and though over a slower period of time, unlike the mass ethnic cleansing during World War II of the Jewish population, she says it’s important to recognize the reality of history.

Her blog fired a discussion among a number of young black students who chimed in critiques of the depiction of Black America by their own community– namely screenwriters such as Tyler Perry. 

According to Adam Tolliver, 25, a graduate from Florida State University, Perry recycles “poorly thought story-lines” and creates “shallow characters.” For Tolliver, he finds it appalling Perry is thought of as a “De-facto voice for Black America.” He would like to see Perry produce less material and take on more challenging topics in the black community rather than acquire a “climbing net-worth” while creating less than average characters.

Velez stated in her blog, Tyler Perry perpetuates “stereotypes of the forlorn black woman and the ‘in the wrong’ black male.” She says she wants to see more roles where “black people are protagonists.” But she does think students can learn from Perry’s success and realizes they can’t “discredit his ambition.”

Tyler Perry could not be reached for comment.

But I sat down with the group of students to try and understand a little more.

Developing respective art goes beyond Perry’s work and should supersede the current status among black Americans, believes Velez.  Current stereotypes and “constructs” need to be broken down and made more relevant for the coming generations.

But Velez’s position isn’t without opposition. LaDonna Spivey of Pensacola, FL and Fitness Entrepreneur says young people may be missing something in their perception of the two generations ahead of them. She states one of the greatest contributions from both Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers “has been the breaking down of ‘glass ceilings.” She goes on to say these generations produced many of the Black “firsts” like becoming CEO’s and holding political offices.  Spivey said, “Even now, the most virulent racist can blather about black people on welfare, black people are victims...then he stuffs his gullet with a McRib from McDonald's which has a black CEO.”

While Tolliver states that someone like Tyler Perry is an “example of principle and passion and hard work,” he feels the older audience is missing the point. Young black students voice their frustration of what they say is a lack of education. As a result, they are not encouraged to improve on what has already been done. Raven Gibson, 19, from the University of Georgia says Black History is taught in a “passive” voice, “in a way that denies responsibility,” as though “it were not part of the human story.” Tolliver adds that students are given four key figures including Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X, who specifically, is portrayed as the "bad guy" in Civil Rights history.

They believe men like Reverend Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, media representatives and former Civil Rights leaders are muddling the picture of black America as it is today. Tolliver said, “They’re inciting emotion, not disseminating messages.” He says these men are “purposely provocative” and it causes “deep racial conflict.”

Students agree they struggle with their Black identity and their elders don’t have the discussions they feel are vital. Ironically, they told me, Tupac Shakur was a revolutionary. For them, despite his lifestyle not being one of example, his music bred new conversation, controversy and shined a light on the problems and the reality of the black community. They say their generation looks to him much like others saw Malcolm X during the 1950s and 60s. They believe people were not “hearing what he was saying,”  putting him in a box. Tolliver adds, “people are complex beings” and notes later interviews of Tupac where the rapper admitted to regrettable decisions.

While discussing how hip hop and rap are relevant in their generation; students were asked their opinion about the use of the “N-Word,” among popular artists. Their response was mixed. Gibson said, “I use it a lot,” believing it’s a way for her generation to reinvent themselves. She stated she did not have a problem with others using it toward her as long as she felt there was no malice intended by its use. Tolliver noted he wasn’t sure how he felt, “It’s there,” he said, “I acknowledge its context” and doesn’t have a problem using the word among peers. But Natalie Cook, 20, University of Wisconsin-Madison, retorted - she is no longer comfortable with the ‘N-Word,’ after experiencing a double standard in college she found herself dissuaded from using it, saying, “It’s a word so powerful, it’s different wherever you go” and it can be “confused.” Velez chimed in to say, “how much can you take it back?” referring to others who are trying to redefine the word.

The question is, then, how do they want to change what they despise?

They all agreed, Spoken Word and Hip Hop can open up doors for change.

Spoken word, students say, is stemmed from hip hop and rap, it’s the “art of talking to people” and allows for inter-generational conversation. They are trying create what the black person is about. They believe, as a generation, slavery isn't what affects them, Velez says, “our minds are enslaved,” believing the black community is mentally stuck and they are not able to experience inner-freedom. She believes Spoken Word is an art form which can bring healing and help others reduce negative thinking. 

“It brings hope for a common humanity.” says Rae Lesperance, 18, a student at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Toliver said the reason rap is often “more popular” over Spoken Word is because “it is easier to commercialize,” but Cook states, “rap revolution is a method necessary to be saved” and Spoken word is another participant of the “rap culture.”

Cook says “Hip hop and Spoken word are paying for my tuition.” She was a recipient of  the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Learning Community through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. First Wave is a program which collaborates education with the arts and encourages students to go after their passion through participation in “hip-hop culture.”

Each of the students attend “poetry slams,” nights advertised for local communities to come out and recite Spoken Word, frequently at an open mic night at coffee shops or small venues. Black college students use the opportunity to speak out and educate their audience about the current state of the black community.

In a recent piece, entitled Blackbirds by Bronte Velez, she recites, “And see how our mindsets are still being lynched /The faint leftovers of rope and friction..." she continues, "That birds born in cages/Think flying is impossible...Just because someone opens the cage/Doesn’t mean the birds will suddenly/Know how to fly out.” 

Velez believes it is possible for the black community to live up to their full potential as a society, if they are willing to be honest about their history, if they’re willing to open discussion and improve the state of their culture, which she says, is trapped.  

Cook, who is attending school for poetic arts, wrote in one of her pieces, “Don't fall into the trap of a barrel /I know it masks itself to be dark like the night /But don't mistake a gun's black face for your skin,” noting the influence of violence and guns among black youth, her hope is to encourage her peers to pursue better lifestyle.

While the new generation of college-black youth steps up to voice their concerns about black culture in America, they also want to create a message of positive identity, an appreciation for black history and help contribute a sense of freedom - from what they consider is a mental breakdown - in the spirit of the black community.