Columns by Frieda Ekotto

We can talk about genealogies of violence from crossing borders that have produced trauma, chaos, loss, and death. It is possible to examine the devastating impact of migration on the physical and psychic lives of the people in specific parts of the world. Can we confront the disturbing ways that violence and oppression are repeated in the cultural imaginary despite efforts by Black subjects to speak out against this oppression and the invisible violence done to citizens by nation-states?

These two Black women paved the way for so many of us in the world of letters. Hurston and Larsen challenged systemic racism and sexism, and for their courage to dare, their boldness to insist, they must be celebrated over and over again. They show us how to celebrate love and sexuality. Moreover, we can still learn from their truly radical acts of joy.

The moment Lorde articulated who she was as a queer Black woman, she existed for herself and for others outside the American dream and American narratives. She opened possibilities for a queer Black woman to be represented as such. The power to shape our stories lies in becoming conscious of our history. Let us never underestimate what that can create.

As we grapple with a seemingly endless list of forms of violence (sexual and reproductive violence, violence against Indigenous people, transphobia, systemic racism, ongoing gun violence, anti-Asian violence, and the ever-present, daily violence against Black people) in this country, it is crucial once again to consider how the issue of race is at the root of each of these ills.