2020 Taught Us: For Black Boys When Losing Heroes Becomes Too Much

Subject

Kiese Laymon; Author; Black Heroism

Description

BLACK SOUTHERN WRITER KIESE LAYMON EXPLORES RADICAL BLACK HEROISM, WHAT IT MEANS TO KEEP TRYING UNTIL THE DAY YOU CAN’T.

When Bernie Mac died, I wrote, “Not so deep down, we all know that safety is an illusion, that only character melds us together. That’s why most of us do everything we can (healthy and unhealthy) to ward off that real feeling of standing alone so close to the edge of the world.”

In 2020, we have lost so many familial heroes to complications of COVID-19—while also losing four distinct Black men who made sure we knew, and know, that we are never alone in our fear, though the edge of the world seems higher and falling feels more inevitable than ever.

Congressman John Lewis lived a life of direct action, modeling how formative grassroots organizing can be in the making of an American politician and global political force. He died as he lived, fighting reactionary, right wing policy with political symbolism and vigor.

Chadwick Boseman assessed the world Rep. Lewis navigated and dedicated his life to activating narratives and characters we’d yet to imagine. The actor and producer reminded us that while the personal is political, the personal and the political often rely on imaginative precision driven by a love of expansive notions of Blackness.

Creator

BY KIESE LAYMON 

Source

https://www.essence.com/news/black-boys-heroes-2020/

Publisher

essence.com

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