(1) The Mecca? Why does Coates refer to Howard University as his Mecca? What does he mean by “the crossroads of the black diaspora” (40)? In your explanation, be sure to include a quote from Coates.
- Throughout this whole excerpt, my printed version was full of questions about his reference to Mecca. This is because I didn’t know, historically, what Mecca is. Mecca is the spiritual center and heart of Islam. It is a holy city in western Saudi Arabia, where Prophet Mohammed was born. Only Muslims are allowed here. It is sometimes used as a noun to refer to a place regarded as a center for a specified group. However, I feel that this definition is not informative enough of Mecca’s origin. Howard University is a Historically Black College. Coates refers to his childhood numerous times throughout this excerpt, and his negative experiences growing up colored in America. He also refers to his various experiences speaking to his colored peers on campus. He speaks of their diverse backgrounds, and the mental and physical beauty that he observes upon looking unto The Yard where like-minded people relax and be. In his words, he puts it like this:
“Because we have all we need out on the Yard. We are dazed here because we still remember the hot cities in which we were born, where the first days of springs were laced with fear. And now, here at The Mecca, we are without fear, we are the dark spectrum on parade.”
Coates, p.57
- In other words, he refers to Howard University because it is symbolic of the togetherness in which colored students at the University feel. Because of their understanding of each other’s struggles, their understanding of what it took for them to pursue this postsecondary education. I can’t speak personally on this, because I am white. But, from my understanding, it is a place where these black individuals feel welcome, non-judged, and safe. The outside America does a poor job at offering this same atmosphere to people of color. That should make you angry.
- A diaspora is defined as a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale. Historically, the word diaspora was used to refer to the involuntary mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous territories; in particular, the dispersion of the Jewish people. Another example, relevant to this text, is the involuntary dispersion of Africans from their homeland during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Since this horrible period of time and diaspora, and when they were finally freed of enslavement (but not horrific discrimination), African Americans have inhabited all parts of the country. However, they are still discriminated against as a minority. They are also treated as lesser in many situations, which is unacceptable. He refers to The Mecca (Howard University) as the crossroads of diaspora because this idea of diaspora means that it is less likely for these African Americans to meet each other in large numbers from diverse backgrounds, but similar experiences, cultural expectations, and discrimination. The crossroads are where all of these unequally dispersed African American individuals get to meet, discuss, learn, and feel safe while doing so – without fear of being discriminated against. Again, I have no place to speak on this fully, as I am white and have experienced no discrimination for my color, but this is what I gathered from the excerpt from Coates.
(2) We’ve talked a lot about the value of liberal education. In what ways is Coates’s college experience a liberating one? What does it free him from, or free him to do or be? You might draw from his reflections on the classroom, the library, and/or the Yard (among others).
- Among our discussions of the liberal arts, we have discussed many values. Among the most prominent are the significance of critical thinking skills, critical inquiry, and active reading; engaging with texts. We also discussed the roots of the liberal arts, stemming from the Latin “liberalis,” meaning free, and an indirect translation of the two words meaning “freeing of the mind.” Coates pursues this in multiple ways. Howard University allowed him to access a seemingly limitless amount of knowledge through its vast selection of books on black history. As Coates himself puts it:
“At Howard University, one of the greatest collections of books could be found in the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. … [It] held archives, papers, collections, and virtually any book ever written by or about black people.”
Coates, p.46
- The University freed him to learn about black history, and to uncover the truth that was not taught to him in the History classes of grade school. The library gave him the opportunity to explore his own curiosities, beyond what he describes as the confinements of the classroom. This expansion of his knowledge of black history and literature written by brilliant black individuals allowed him to further admire the beauty of his peers that he observed on The Yard. It allowed him to formulate his own opinion, and be free of the generalized American Dream that is so often spoken of. It also allowed him to be free to find himself in terms of what he is good at and admires most, poetry. The University allowed him to be in a safe environment where he could extend his knowledge beyond the perimeters of the typical Dream and generalizations the American society instills in all its individuals, regardless of their individual backgrounds and curiosities.
(3) Coates writes of having a “working theory” (46) and “imagining history to be a unified narrative” (47). Why might proving this theory or maintaining this narrative have been important for Coates? What did he find/realize in his investigation? In your response, be sure to provide textual evidence from Coates.
- Coates’ working theory “then held all black people as kings in exile, a nation of original man severed from our original names and our majestic Nubian culture” (46). This workin theory directly correlates with the diaspora that he mentions previously on page 40, which refers to the involuntary separation of a population from their traditional location and scattering them amongst a new geographical locale. Proving this theory would have allowed him to examine the historical proof of individuality and success that black people had in their own locations before being unrightfully separated by them and relocated, forced to work under the hand of an evil stranger. He might have been able to examine how history may have ended up going quite differently, and how the discrimination that is upon America today might have instead been admiration of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Black people did not arrive in America by free will, and thus did not get to express themselves until much later on. Even today, it is hard for black Americans to express themselves without facing some racial injustice – hence the riots against police brutality that occurred over this summer, 2020.
- As for maintaining this unified narrative, he may have been able to distinguish what is true and unbiased, allowing him to formulate an actual image of the phases of history rather than the many conflicts that are faced upon studying history books. What he realized upon his investigation was that there were factions within factions. As he put it, “Things I believed merely a week earlier, ideas I had taken from one book, could be smashed to splinters by another” (Coates 47). He said he was “left with a brawl of ancestors, a herd of dissenters, sometimes marching together but just as often marching away from each other” (Coates 48). He realized that he was on his own search, and discovered poetry written by black individuals as his favorable source of information. He argues that it omits the nonsense, and gets straight to the facts. So, upon investigating, Coates realized that he was on his own hunt for truth, and that truth lied in literature of black authors, especially poets. He realized that on the outside, black people controlled nothing. But in places of sanctuary and gatherings of like-minded individuals, black people are able to express themselves. They are free from the horrible enslavement that African Americans of history faced, yet they do not feel fully comfortable, fully free enough, to live their own Dream. Unless they are at a place that serves as Howard University does for Coates.
(4) Explain what’s problematic about the idea of there being a “Tolstoy of the Zulus.” What does the response “Tolstoy is the Tolstoy of the Zulus” suggest?
- The first result that popped up upon researching Tolstoy was Leo Tolstoy, described as one of the greatest authors of all time. The second part was the Zulus. The Zulu people are a Bantu ethnic group of Southern Africa. The problem with the idea of there being a “Tolstoy of the Zulus” is that the Zulus do not need to model themselves after a white, Russian author. It is putting a generalized name over someone from the Zulu ethnic group who may be an amazing author. Instead of referencing their name and making it known, there is a reference to Tolstoy. It is essential that authors from South Africa such as the Zulu ethnic group have their voice and authors be given a name that is utilized and made known, rather than using a white man’s name to reference one of their brilliant writers. It is a direct insult, and undermines the credit that these names should be given. This relates to the response, “Tolstoy is the Tolstoy of the Zulus,” meaning that, unfortunately, if someone hears of a scholar from a Zulu tribe, people will not care as much. It doesn’t hold the same weight as does the name Tolstoy. American exposure is limited only to what history classes teach us, and they will be less likely to teach of a scholar from the Zulu tribe than Tolstoy. So, this suggests that there is no knowledge of scholars from the Zulu tribe, that the only information that we as Americans know is that of popular names such as Tolstoy, who is a white, Russian male. What if there is a member, or multiple members, of the Zulu tribe who are brilliant scholars, writers, poets. We will never hear about them in our history books because they are not as accredited or heard or even distributed as that of the works of bigger names like Tolstoy. That is why, upon reading this sentence, although I didn’t know exactly who Tolstoy was, I had heard of him. But I was never familiarized with the Zulu tribe, or scholars that have come from it. There is no way for their names to be put out if they are simply labeled by names such as Tolstoy, to try and credit their work, but in the process undermining the name that lies behind it.
(5) Help us examine some specific part of Coates’ text by offering a Quotation, providing a 3-4 sentence Comment on it, and asking a Question that flows from the quote and/or comment.
“On the outside black people controlled nothing, least of all the fate of their bodies, which could be commandeered by the police; which could be erased by the guns, which were so profligate; which could be raped, beaten, jailed.”
Coates, p.62
- This quote stood out to me because its a glaring representation of the discrimination that has rightfully begun to be publicly and urgently addressed in recent months. What moved me was when he said that black bodies are erased by guns. It made me so sad, because I have never feared for my life due to my race. I have never feared that someone would kill me because I’m white. But this is all too real for black Americans, and it’s happening in real time, with media footage. There’s police brutality. There are protests. Another comment I’d like to make is Coates repeated reference to his “body.” I believe that this is purposeful, because we all have bodies. Every one of us inhabits a body. We are all human, and using the term “body” yields reason for there to be no discrimination regardless of the color of someones skin. What did other people think of his reference to his “body” and other peoples “bodies” throughout the text? Is the American society holding black Americans as captures of the generalized American Dream?
