The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, contrary to the brutal reality that it memorializes, is a beautiful sculpture garden. It is ironically simultaneously ascetically pleasing to the eye and deeply offensive to the heart.
Oklahoma -
The Deep and Strange History of African Slaves and Native Americans
Black Slaves, Red Masters Part 2 - YouTube
Complex human relations is nothing new for the United States. This is particularly true with regard to Native Americans and people of African decent. Relations between these two groups of people have been nothing short of a twisted "game" within a "game". The subjugated becoming the subjugators, then both being cast aside as bothersome impediments to “progress” or, as it came to be called, US "manifest destiny".
It had always puzzled me how so many “Black” people came to live just west of the Mississippi River; particularly in the lands that became Kansas and Oklahoma. I also puzzled by why so many "African Americans" calmed to be "Indians" as well. Ass it turns out, it's all a part of the untold story of American development. And it’s a very big story, dismissed by the victors then by their children who found it convenient, if not easy, to turn a blind eye to that history.
There is nothing to be gained by pointing this out merely to assign blame. Nothing is to be gained by that. However, it is important for the blended family that has become the US population to take such blinders off, understand and embrace how we came to be this big nation of diversity. It is important to face squarely that we are a society born of complex bad and good that has, I hope, evolved into a unique something better. I say, "I hope" because the jury is still out. This moment many of us are trying to figure out whether we're the throw back followers of "Make America Great Again" or a nation committed and determined to "Build Back Better".
Did You Also Know…
I continue to encourage all to visit Montgomery, Alabama and to visit The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration sponsored by Equal Justice Initiative. EJI is an initiative dedicated “to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial end economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people of American society”.
Shows and Events
Ongoing since November of 2017 at the Smithsonian Hirshorn Museum of Modern Art in Washington, D. C. is Mark Bradford ’s: Picket’s Charge exhibition Inspired by the work of French Artist Paul Philippoteaux’s Cycloramas depicting the battle of Gettysburg, Bradford’s work is an illusion and abstraction of Philippoteaux’s. If you’re in DC be sure to stop by and check it out. And, if you’re in Pennsylvania and can take the time to travel to Gettysburg, experience the original at the Gettysburg National Military Park.
Reading: Articles and Books From My Library:
Books:
It seems ridiculous to me that for the past couple of years I have felt the need to help people understand that there is no substantive difference in people (human beings) because of their skin color. It seems like such a silly thing to even have to address in 2021. But, sadly, it isn’t. All over this country, and many others, there are people that still hold this backwards belief. American mythology regarding race has perhaps been the most pernicious. For centuries the US has continually perpetuated false and negative narratives about descendants of Africans and those of other dark skin races. These narratives have influenced the attitudes of cultures around the world toward people of color, particularly Africans and those of African descent.
In this edition of Betton Standard Time I’ve turned to works of Science fiction to make the point one more time about how ridiculous ultimately universally harmful this kind of ignorance and prejudice can be. I have focused on the works of the late scientist and writer Isaac Asimov and some of his friends and admirers. These are all works of fiction but speak, more or less, directly to the need to question and examine the origins of myth, disinformation and the narrow minded foolishness of fear based prejudice and ideas about difference.
A quick side note: Much has been made of the Apple+ TV series Foundation. While it’s a fine piece to TV science fiction action, and has been made with a clear nod to race and gender equity, I find that it has almost complete missed the central point of Asimov’s many Robot/Foundation works which point directly to the limitations of human oppression, overlords, subjugation, and slavery, and how societies build on such foundations stagnate and are ultimately doomed to decay and failure. In short: What is presented on Apple+ is not Isaac Asimov’s Foundation, nor does it reflect many of the ideas and core principles that he and his fellow writers adhered to religiously in their writings. This is particularly true with regard to robots.
I invite you to start by reading the second series of books in the list below to get a sense of how Asimov arrived at the Foundation Series of books. And, as you do so, keep in mind that the word “robot" is drawn from an old Church Slavonic word “robota, for “servitude,” “forced labor” or drudgery. You might find this segment of Science Friday interesting: Origen of Robot.
The compilation of short stories that make up the last work on the list complements and extends the ideas of Isaac Asimov’s classic Foundation Series. There are so many nuggets for thought about differences, change, and prejudices in these select stories that, even if you are not a science fiction fan, I think you’ll find them interesting and worth the read. For those of you that have read the Foundation Series the stories will be a special treat. The references and linkages are fun and brilliant.
Foundation (Unabridged) - Isaac Asimov (Audiobook) For those like me that prefer to read and have the uninterrupted time, the print version is also available.
The Robot Series (4 Book Set) - Isaac Asimov
Foundation’s Friends: Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov - Martin H. Greenberg and Isaac Asimov
Articles:
Science and science fiction have always been a tug of war. Science at its best is evidence based. Science fiction on the other hand is very dependent upon an active imagination. Interestingly though the best science fiction and, I would argue, the best science are produced when the two qualities are blended. I think most scientist would argue that an hypothesis is an evidence based "speculation”. Upon examination though I think a fair review of scientific discovery has resulted from science fiction like evidence based imaginings or, every now and then, even in spite of evidence wild ass guesses. It is for these latter reasons that I found this article interesting. Without going off the rails it's an honest blend of fact and speculation that opens the mind to a new way of imagining the universe in a way that can be tested. (Note: As this is a fairly long article I recommend putting your browser into “Reader View” to read it. To do this on a Mac look for the the little “page” icon in the URL box. On a PC, at least if you’re using Crome as your browser, you’ll have to enable “Reader Mode”. It’s pretty easy to do. This link will walk you through the steps: https://www.howtogeek.com/423643/how-to-use-google-chromes-hidden-reader-mode/)