by Tommy Curry
Ladies and gentleman, Tommy Curry has not left the building. In a futile attempt to abandon the only life he knows, he returns amidst the hate of strangers. He returns to the comfort of their presence in order to fuel their anger and alienate their sympathies for humanity in blind fits of ignorance. Now that we have become acquainted for the third semester in a row, what else can I say to shock you? What else can ignite such rage and spite, causing letters to pour in weeks at a time about my mere opinion? I don't know.
I am not a journalist and sensationalism never really appealed to me, but there is my one "unchanging theme;" my Jezebel that calls to me, in my lonely nights, her voice asking me to unveil the loci of power and racist domination. She speaks of my name. The name "Tommy Curry" that has become synonymous with ideas of black nationalism, separatism and some would say unpatriotic racism and hate. But let's ask ourselves something, shall we? What is it about this "race problem" I speak of what matters so much that the social structures and identities of hundreds of students and citizens are fundamentally bothered?
Who am I that makes you uncomfortable with yourself? I am not uncomfortable with you. In the last two years, I have seen the Daily Egyptian transformed into a means of political and ideological resistance. I have seen students advocate platforms of political interest, some in support of the racist status quo and some against it. I have seen a Southern Illinois community express fear at the thought of an African daring to identify himself as different.
An African who says that the ideas and behaviors of a group of people who support the normative racist practices of this country are infantile and deserving of critical examination, especially in light of the retaliation of a certain nation at odds with America for its imperialism. At the end of the day, does anything change for Africans? Does the transfer of power and legitimacy of a marginal people change?
Do teachers incorporate Tommy Curry into the curricula, or does he become a conversation, only before the lecture of the day starts? Mars Bigby and Joseph Johnson both display critical points about issues affecting people in this country, but with fewer accusations and indictments of their character. Why? What is about my opinion that bothers so many? We live in a racist society, and I want to know why it is that the individuals who directly contribute to the perpetuation of this problem seem to shun the accusation.
Professors, administrators, students, women and patriotic Americans all fuel some marginal quality towards Africans. What can Africans do about this? We don't want our dirty laundry aired in the Daily Egyptian, but we also don't make the political decisions necessary to defend any identity we may have about ourselves or our people. Yet, we are polemical towards anything that represents white nationalism.
We know most Europeans do not get it. Maybe they're racist, so what? The structures of America and their prior causation support this racist ideology. Maybe our resistance should be more than the embodiment of a name and its misconstrued ideas. African people represent change, not the name which only seeks to inform and contribute to what we already know. More has to happen for change to occur. Let's not live in the thrill of revolution without revolutionary ideas.
My Nommo appears on Wednesday. Tommy is a senior in philosophy and political science. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Egyptian.
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
