What I fear most is power with impunity. I fear abuse of power and the power to abuse. Isabel Allende
The setting is Broadway, January 26th, 2022.
The longest running show, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ made history on this day. Chicago native, Emilie Kouatchou would be the first Black actress to play the lead role of Christine Daae. Ironically, it was the first play the talented singer attended on Broadway. She knew just sitting in the audience that she, too, was capable of singing those same songs. A stage director having been with the show 34 years had tears in his eyes when interviewed by a reporter. He was so proud. It had been a long time coming. The audience rose to their feet when she appeared on stage.
Kouatchou’s good friend, Joseph Hayes, a Black casting associate, is pushing for more diversity on stage and screen that better reflects the audience. He told the Today Show reporter that he found it hard to understand the thinking. “It’s like we’re taking something away from ‘them’ if we start getting major roles and other industry opportunities. I think there’s room for a lot more talent and a lot more openings for more people to be entertained,” he said.
It’s called ‘sharing’ power, says Dr. Bravada Garrett Akinsanya, founder and CEO of the African American Child Wellness Institute (AACWI) and co-host of The Healing Circle, the regular Conversations with Al McFarlane Friday webcast on Facebook and YouTube
“I want to help those who are in power learn how to share, Garret-Akinsanya said.
Dr. B, as we call her, said it’s imperative that we understand the socio-cultural factors associated with abuse. “Many of our children, colleagues, and families suffer from isolation. But for 400 years plus, people of color have been isolated away from freedom, opportunity, and privilege. I often use the example of a herd of gazelles who begin to move, leaving behind the animals that limp. That’s who becomes the lions’ dinner.”
Explaining the emotional abuse perpetrated by the white privilege doctrine and practice against people of color, Dr. B. reflected on the song young Black children used to jump double-dutch rope singing, “‘Fly’s in the buttermilk, skip to my Lou.” The ditty reflected the feeling of a Black person in a white environment where they were not welcomed, and subjected to often hostile and oppressive vibes. I don’t know if that’s the case with the millennials of color today. They tend to make their presence known.
Enslaved Black women were sexually and physically abused by white men. Many perished after multiple child births. Some jumped off ships during the Trans- Atlantic Slave Passage, Dr. B. said.
Not until recently, would Black women be viewed in their natural beauty – stunning, elegant, gifted, and confident
Those of us who have spent most of our career in education know all too well how African American and other BIPOC school-aged children have been abused by the system. Take a minute to examine the Black vs. white disparities in special education, incarceration rates (males and females), school suspensions, and graduation rates.
Dr. B. says shared power means respect for sexuality and diversity; honesty and accountability, restorative justice and restitution; shared responsibility for our children; equal opportunity including dismantling privilege through fairness and equity; non-threatening behavior; and economic empowerment.
According to Dr. Oliver Williams, professor of social work at University of Minnesota, “Historically, change is incremental. But in current times, people of color must be brave. Our children need us to step up and be heroes, driven by conviction, embracing humanity, and learning from leaders of the past how they endured and succeeded despite the most horrendous abuse and barriers. And then there’s this racist ideology that appears to be permanent for some because ‘that’s the way it’s always been’” he said.”
The former executive director for the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Communities, Williams says he has witnessed many cases of spousal abuse and control that are not adequately addressed. There has been a steep surge in domestic violence created by two years of a pandemic, and children in and out of person-to-person learning.
The Healing Circle on Conversations with Al McFarlane is 1pm Fridays at https://www.facebook.com/Insight-News
