[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Applause]
thank thank you thank you thank you very
much I wanted to test the acoustics of
the room the acoustics are both such a
very good Kaku sticks thank you for
having me at the dead X Buffalo talk I
want to talk to you about the African
and the african-american the blacks
studies it is very important to talk
about the african-american studies yes
all right I don’t really talk like that
why did I do that
why do I do that every semester why do I
do that in addition to a bunch of other
skits and impersonations and personas
every single semester to illustrate how
we prejudge the essence of prejudiced
prejudging people you think you know
what someone knows based on what they
look like black white brown gay straight
short wheelchair Syrian Bosnian most
people can’t point these places out on a
map as a brown man teaching African
American Studies I get my authenticity
and legitimacy questioned every single
semester every single day what you know
about African American Studies what you
know about hip-hop what you know about
chemistry professors don’t have to deal
with that mic drop chemistry professors
don’t have to deal with that you don’t
see Asians roll up on a physics
professor what you know about physics
let me crack the ice right now you don’t
have to be black to learn about African
American Studies any more than you had
to be from England to learn English you
don’t have to be from Mexico to eat at
Taco Bell I call my students Jedi’s
might be some in the audience I call
them Jedi’s not because I fashioned
myself as a little brown Yoda though the
height comparisons persist but we’re
learning about the force the
socio-political the socio-cultural force
that impacts our lives that we don’t see
but it affects our lives every day I
come to you to ask you does
african-american studies matter if so
why if not why not
let me just say it flat out if you think
that black lives matter means black
lives matter more chances are you don’t
get it
if you think black lives matter means
black lives matter more you don’t get it
it’s black lives matter – black lives
matter
also black lives matter so if you think
that way you’re going to probably think
that african-american studies matters
more than psychology sociology and all
the other social sciences and humanities
know they matter – we are a product of
our teachers one of my mentors the late
scholar Manning Marable said the
african-american studies to be effective
must be three things
descriptive corrective and prescriptive
descriptive it must describe what has
happened and is happening to Africans
throughout the Diaspora notice how I
didn’t say African Americans Africans
throughout the Diaspora the what
diaspora that’s the scattering of
Africans all around the globe this idea
of listening to primary voices I don’t
care what Bill O’Reilly thinks about
Malcolm X I want to know what Malcolm
said about Malcolm X I want to know what
Malcolm said what Malcolm wrote
descriptive and then there’s corrective
we have a lot to correct don’t we the
image of Africans in our mind throughout
the Diaspora Africa afro-caribbeans
african-americans afro-brazilians you
name it there’s a lot of correcting that
needs to happen and that correcting
comes in three forms distortions
misrepresentations and omissions
distortions a good example of that is
the Sambo or the contented slave yes sir
we’re here to wipe your floor sir
shuffling the idea that Africans were
waiting on the coast in grass skirts
waiting to be enslaved or civilized
depending on the Eurocentric education
system that you were raised in
distortions misrepresentations
misrepresentations the false
accreditation with non Africans for what
Africans
invented discovered and originating and
the most ubiquitous omissions that’s so
ubiquitous how ubiquitous that we have a
Black History Month start out as Black
History Week from Carter Jay Woodson
it’s the smallest month of the year
twenty eight days can’t even get a full
thirty days dang distortions
misrepresentations omissions and then
Manning Marable got rest his soul order
he was so brilliant but he was so cool
he didn’t let his ego get in the way of
his intellect that’s who I aspire to be
that’s why I called my students Jedi’s
the idea that Yoda wants you to be
better than Yoda you have to also be
prescriptive descriptive corrected
pre-scripted prescriptive to take the
ills of society and formulate what
prescriptions like your doctor does to
remedy the ills of America racism which
is in our DNA
it’s in our double stranded helix sexism
ageism I think I saw a couple of people
over the age of 40 in the audience
nobody likes to be back in the job
market after 45 50 right this idea of
ageism sexism racism homophobia
Islamophobia they are alive and well
agreed descriptive corrective
prescriptive African American Studies
heals the illnesses of society your
educational system and media are failing
you I’m not going to talk about the
media lord knows there’s enough about
that but let’s talk about education wvb
dboys said by its very definition
education should challenge power
structures not replicate them schooling
replicates him everybody in this room
has been schooled but are you educated
if you know your Latin II do carry to be
led out of darkness to be led to light
to be led to freedom W EBD boy said it
but Frederick Douglass flipped it on
some other stuff Frederick Douglass said
the pathway from slavery to freedom is
literacy is education but the functional
unit of education is literacy the
ability to read can you read and write
if we really know about Buffalo and
poverty and classism the biggest ISM of
the world raise your hand if you know
someone who can’t read or write
hands down what are you doing about that
this idea of being functional in your
literacy is important Frederick Douglass
saw that 1865 I’m trying to ask you what
does it mean to be socially literate are
you socially illiterate do you know
about other cultures other than your own
do you have to only know about your own
people Buffalo is so polish so Italian
so black can you learn about each other
that’s the question I’m asking does
african-american studies matter yes if
you can understand the broader picture
this idea of we can be as separate as
the hand I mean we could be as separate
as the fingers but as one is the hand
and all things essential to mutual
progress Booker T Washington said that
and he was criticized as being a house
negro
or compromising Negro but guess who he
inspired Bob Marley how black is Bob
Marley for you we do this we question we
judge each other’s down us how conscious
we are would you know about this what
you know about that rather than having
conversations social literacy is about
having conversations Jedi’s are you out
there for those you who don’t know for
over two decades going on three my
classes are about making connections I
banged my fists together about 7,000
times it’s a miracle I have knuckles my
classes are about making my class is
about making everybody in the TEDx talk
my classes are about making connect what
you’re learning to what you already know
white people imagine if you didn’t have
chosen migration but forced migration
where you had your name your religion
your culture your God your history
stolen from
and this idea that you did not get
taught in the educational system in
media about who you were and people had
perceptions about you fast-forward to
2017 white people and imagine the only
way people learned about you was Jerry
Springer
oh that’s problematic isn’t it oh uh oh
uh for african-american studies to be
effective to be important
we must not just look at Africans in
America but we must go to the African
Diaspora the African what Oh what
okay somebody knows what that means old
people in the room seek a young person
that would be little job this is a st.
Kofa bird
it comes from Ghana more specifically
the akan people of Ghana most
specifically it’s an and incra symbol
return to the source and fetch a bird
turning onto itself return to the source
and fetch hollaback return to the source
and know who you are who are your people
I know I got a lot of Polish friends do
you know Polish culture religion
clothing dance art do you know Polish
culture when you see it Sankofa return
to the source and fetch Chinese culture
Irish culture African culture this
history that were in this 2017 history
it’s far more advanced than this history
that were presented with in the
education media system Paris one the
most important rapper in my lifetime
taught me more than most professors from
boogie down bronx Boogie Down
Productions said black history starts
with slavery African history starts with
civilization for set for nine centuries
for decades I’ve taught your name is
your cultural compass let’s really make
connections with that my talk is about
making
this whole TEDx is about making
connections I’ve been doing that before
I was invited here I swear to god let’s
do a social experiment right now don’t
be afraid
raise your hand I’m gonna save the name
of a black person if you know a black
person who has that name or you’ve heard
of a black person with that name raise
your hand ready
Johnson Jackson Jefferson Johnson
Jackson Jefferson Smith Jones how many
black people do you know named Green
named the white hands down for those you
named O’Malley oh Henry Chang Jing all
these other names your name is your
cultural compass you don’t think about
that you don’t think about how lucky you
are to have they religion a culture of
God a history Jane Elliott said you know
what’s happened to black people you know
what’s happening to black people Jane
Ellen it’s a white lady she said you
know what’s happening with them and you
know you don’t want it for yourself but
you don’t do anything about it
African American Studies is a mirror for
America to look into African American
Studies says you can’t hate the tree but
love the fruit the idea that we love how
black people run and dunk and rap and
sing and do all these things but we
don’t love black people this is the
hypocrisy of America African American
Studies is a flame it’s a fire that can
heat America in the world or it can burn
it down to neglect African American
Studies is to play with fire I’m asking
you everyone to think about how you’ve
been trained to think I say again to
think about how you’ve been trained to
think about how you’ve been trained to
think the myth that media and the
educational system is failing you
African American Studies is not
something you grow up in elementary
middle and high school saying oh it
wouldn’t be an effort American studies
professor no it’s something you find in
college I always say don’t let four
years of college stop you from getting
an education you leave as stupid as the
day you came in but you got your receipt
or a diploma
no no but I say don’t let not going to
college stop you from getting an
education we are products of our
teachers the late Gregory Dimitri
artists taught me to ask generative
questions it’s not about showing off
what you know it’s about asking
questions
it’s not about answering the questions
it’s about asking generative questions
questions that generate other questions
can you agree to disagree
it’s easy to have racial conversations
with people in your own community but
can you do it and disagree and see where
you can actually come to a common ground
is your popular culture making you
smarter or dumber some people in this
room know the power of folk music now it
makes sense but you don’t listen to
hip-hop you don’t understand how
Kendrick Lamar no God is about to say
Drake well I love my wife Drake J Cole
I’m a product to care us one Rock him
and Chuck D is your popular culture
making you smarter or dumber I don’t
think anyone would deny that Bob Dylan
made us smarter and if you do what
century are you living in another deep
question and thought in my class we call
them DQ T’s DQ what and we actually take
notes we write them down and we actually
DQ t number they’re like seven and they
write it down here’s one why is black
music so welcome in places that black
people aren’t raise your hand high if
you’ve ever been to a club or black
music’s pumping but black people aren’t
welcome so that drives to the question
how does America like its black folk
answer passive silent complicit
non-resistant I got a news flash for you
black people are not here for your
entertainment they’re not here for your
dancing your rap your dunking into all
these things they’re not here for the
boxes that you’ve circumscribed for them
and this cause by making it’s not Indian
people are not just supposed to be
working in 7-eleven and cab drivers
either
how do you feel about african-american
studies reflects how you’ve been trained
to think I ask you to think about how
you’ve been trained to think
african-american studies can heal the
wounds of America or they can deepen
them when neglected african-american
studies can heal the world but it’s not
part of our curriculum so I’ll leave you
with this concept I’ll leave you with
this idea I’ll leave you with this
spiritual mission if what you learned is
that we’re sharing it wasn’t worth being
learned I asked you to learn about
someone other than yourself and then God
willing share it with somebody
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Applause]
thank thank you thank you thank you very
much I wanted to test the acoustics of
the room the acoustics are both such a
very good Kaku sticks thank you for
having me at the dead X Buffalo talk I
want to talk to you about the African
and the african-american the blacks
studies it is very important to talk
about the african-american studies yes
all right I don’t really talk like that
why did I do that
why do I do that every semester why do I
do that in addition to a bunch of other
skits and impersonations and personas
every single semester to illustrate how
we prejudge the essence of prejudiced
prejudging people you think you know
what someone knows based on what they
look like black white brown gay straight
short wheelchair Syrian Bosnian most
people can’t point these places out on a
map as a brown man teaching African
American Studies I get my authenticity
and legitimacy questioned every single
semester every single day what you know
about African American Studies what you
know about hip-hop what you know about
chemistry professors don’t have to deal
with that mic drop chemistry professors
don’t have to deal with that you don’t
see Asians roll up on a physics
professor what you know about physics
let me crack the ice right now you don’t
have to be black to learn about African
American Studies any more than you had
to be from England to learn English you
don’t have to be from Mexico to eat at
Taco Bell I call my students Jedi’s
might be some in the audience I call
them Jedi’s not because I fashioned
myself as a little brown Yoda though the
height comparisons persist but we’re
learning about the force the
socio-political the socio-cultural force
that impacts our lives that we don’t see
but it affects our lives every day I
come to you to ask you does
african-american studies matter if so
why if not why not
let me just say it flat out if you think
that black lives matter means black
lives matter more chances are you don’t
get it
if you think black lives matter means
black lives matter more you don’t get it
it’s black lives matter – black lives
matter
also black lives matter so if you think
that way you’re going to probably think
that african-american studies matters
more than psychology sociology and all
the other social sciences and humanities
know they matter – we are a product of
our teachers one of my mentors the late
scholar Manning Marable said the
african-american studies to be effective
must be three things
descriptive corrective and prescriptive
descriptive it must describe what has
happened and is happening to Africans
throughout the Diaspora notice how I
didn’t say African Americans Africans
throughout the Diaspora the what
diaspora that’s the scattering of
Africans all around the globe this idea
of listening to primary voices I don’t
care what Bill O’Reilly thinks about
Malcolm X I want to know what Malcolm
said about Malcolm X I want to know what
Malcolm said what Malcolm wrote
descriptive and then there’s corrective
we have a lot to correct don’t we the
image of Africans in our mind throughout
the Diaspora Africa afro-caribbeans
african-americans afro-brazilians you
name it there’s a lot of correcting that
needs to happen and that correcting
comes in three forms distortions
misrepresentations and omissions
distortions a good example of that is
the Sambo or the contented slave yes sir
we’re here to wipe your floor sir
shuffling the idea that Africans were
waiting on the coast in grass skirts
waiting to be enslaved or civilized
depending on the Eurocentric education
system that you were raised in
distortions misrepresentations
misrepresentations the false
accreditation with non Africans for what
Africans
invented discovered and originating and
the most ubiquitous omissions that’s so
ubiquitous how ubiquitous that we have a
Black History Month start out as Black
History Week from Carter Jay Woodson
it’s the smallest month of the year
twenty eight days can’t even get a full
thirty days dang distortions
misrepresentations omissions and then
Manning Marable got rest his soul order
he was so brilliant but he was so cool
he didn’t let his ego get in the way of
his intellect that’s who I aspire to be
that’s why I called my students Jedi’s
the idea that Yoda wants you to be
better than Yoda you have to also be
prescriptive descriptive corrected
pre-scripted prescriptive to take the
ills of society and formulate what
prescriptions like your doctor does to
remedy the ills of America racism which
is in our DNA
it’s in our double stranded helix sexism
ageism I think I saw a couple of people
over the age of 40 in the audience
nobody likes to be back in the job
market after 45 50 right this idea of
ageism sexism racism homophobia
Islamophobia they are alive and well
agreed descriptive corrective
prescriptive African American Studies
heals the illnesses of society your
educational system and media are failing
you I’m not going to talk about the
media lord knows there’s enough about
that but let’s talk about education wvb
dboys said by its very definition
education should challenge power
structures not replicate them schooling
replicates him everybody in this room
has been schooled but are you educated
if you know your Latin II do carry to be
led out of darkness to be led to light
to be led to freedom W EBD boy said it
but Frederick Douglass flipped it on
some other stuff Frederick Douglass said
the pathway from slavery to freedom is
literacy is education but the functional
unit of education is literacy the
ability to read can you read and write
if we really know about Buffalo and
poverty and classism the biggest ISM of
the world raise your hand if you know
someone who can’t read or write
hands down what are you doing about that
this idea of being functional in your
literacy is important Frederick Douglass
saw that 1865 I’m trying to ask you what
does it mean to be socially literate are
you socially illiterate do you know
about other cultures other than your own
do you have to only know about your own
people Buffalo is so polish so Italian
so black can you learn about each other
that’s the question I’m asking does
african-american studies matter yes if
you can understand the broader picture
this idea of we can be as separate as
the hand I mean we could be as separate
as the fingers but as one is the hand
and all things essential to mutual
progress Booker T Washington said that
and he was criticized as being a house
negro
or compromising Negro but guess who he
inspired Bob Marley how black is Bob
Marley for you we do this we question we
judge each other’s down us how conscious
we are would you know about this what
you know about that rather than having
conversations social literacy is about
having conversations Jedi’s are you out
there for those you who don’t know for
over two decades going on three my
classes are about making connections I
banged my fists together about 7,000
times it’s a miracle I have knuckles my
classes are about making my class is
about making everybody in the TEDx talk
my classes are about making connect what
you’re learning to what you already know
white people imagine if you didn’t have
chosen migration but forced migration
where you had your name your religion
your culture your God your history
stolen from
and this idea that you did not get
taught in the educational system in
media about who you were and people had
perceptions about you fast-forward to
2017 white people and imagine the only
way people learned about you was Jerry
Springer
oh that’s problematic isn’t it oh uh oh
uh for african-american studies to be
effective to be important
we must not just look at Africans in
America but we must go to the African
Diaspora the African what Oh what
okay somebody knows what that means old
people in the room seek a young person
that would be little job this is a st.
Kofa bird
it comes from Ghana more specifically
the akan people of Ghana most
specifically it’s an and incra symbol
return to the source and fetch a bird
turning onto itself return to the source
and fetch hollaback return to the source
and know who you are who are your people
I know I got a lot of Polish friends do
you know Polish culture religion
clothing dance art do you know Polish
culture when you see it Sankofa return
to the source and fetch Chinese culture
Irish culture African culture this
history that were in this 2017 history
it’s far more advanced than this history
that were presented with in the
education media system Paris one the
most important rapper in my lifetime
taught me more than most professors from
boogie down bronx Boogie Down
Productions said black history starts
with slavery African history starts with
civilization for set for nine centuries
for decades I’ve taught your name is
your cultural compass let’s really make
connections with that my talk is about
making
this whole TEDx is about making
connections I’ve been doing that before
I was invited here I swear to god let’s
do a social experiment right now don’t
be afraid
raise your hand I’m gonna save the name
of a black person if you know a black
person who has that name or you’ve heard
of a black person with that name raise
your hand ready
Johnson Jackson Jefferson Johnson
Jackson Jefferson Smith Jones how many
black people do you know named Green
named the white hands down for those you
named O’Malley oh Henry Chang Jing all
these other names your name is your
cultural compass you don’t think about
that you don’t think about how lucky you
are to have they religion a culture of
God a history Jane Elliott said you know
what’s happened to black people you know
what’s happening to black people Jane
Ellen it’s a white lady she said you
know what’s happening with them and you
know you don’t want it for yourself but
you don’t do anything about it
African American Studies is a mirror for
America to look into African American
Studies says you can’t hate the tree but
love the fruit the idea that we love how
black people run and dunk and rap and
sing and do all these things but we
don’t love black people this is the
hypocrisy of America African American
Studies is a flame it’s a fire that can
heat America in the world or it can burn
it down to neglect African American
Studies is to play with fire I’m asking
you everyone to think about how you’ve
been trained to think I say again to
think about how you’ve been trained to
think about how you’ve been trained to
think the myth that media and the
educational system is failing you
African American Studies is not
something you grow up in elementary
middle and high school saying oh it
wouldn’t be an effort American studies
professor no it’s something you find in
college I always say don’t let four
years of college stop you from getting
an education you leave as stupid as the
day you came in but you got your receipt
or a diploma
no no but I say don’t let not going to
college stop you from getting an
education we are products of our
teachers the late Gregory Dimitri
artists taught me to ask generative
questions it’s not about showing off
what you know it’s about asking
questions
it’s not about answering the questions
it’s about asking generative questions
questions that generate other questions
can you agree to disagree
it’s easy to have racial conversations
with people in your own community but
can you do it and disagree and see where
you can actually come to a common ground
is your popular culture making you
smarter or dumber some people in this
room know the power of folk music now it
makes sense but you don’t listen to
hip-hop you don’t understand how
Kendrick Lamar no God is about to say
Drake well I love my wife Drake J Cole
I’m a product to care us one Rock him
and Chuck D is your popular culture
making you smarter or dumber I don’t
think anyone would deny that Bob Dylan
made us smarter and if you do what
century are you living in another deep
question and thought in my class we call
them DQ T’s DQ what and we actually take
notes we write them down and we actually
DQ t number they’re like seven and they
write it down here’s one why is black
music so welcome in places that black
people aren’t raise your hand high if
you’ve ever been to a club or black
music’s pumping but black people aren’t
welcome so that drives to the question
how does America like its black folk
answer passive silent complicit
non-resistant I got a news flash for you
black people are not here for your
entertainment they’re not here for your
dancing your rap your dunking into all
these things they’re not here for the
boxes that you’ve circumscribed for them
and this cause by making it’s not Indian
people are not just supposed to be
working in 7-eleven and cab drivers
either
how do you feel about african-american
studies reflects how you’ve been trained
to think I ask you to think about how
you’ve been trained to think
african-american studies can heal the
wounds of America or they can deepen
them when neglected african-american
studies can heal the world but it’s not
part of our curriculum so I’ll leave you
with this concept I’ll leave you with
this idea I’ll leave you with this
spiritual mission if what you learned is
that we’re sharing it wasn’t worth being
learned I asked you to learn about
someone other than yourself and then God
willing share it with somebody
[Applause]
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