Happy Holidays
While vacationing in Maui, I realized that the area is extremely multiethnic and multicultural so I looked up the history of the state. It was an example of a colonial power grab. Also I reread “White Fragility” by Criss Crass.
“All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Mathew Johnson. has been frequently challenged and banned in many U.S. schools and libraries, primarily for its LGBTQ+ themes, profanity, and sexually explicit content, making it one of the most challenged books in recent years. The Crass book shows how white people can lead white people to action on racism and try to make the world a better place for those at the margins.
This leads me to this series of short articles/podcasts. This is an homage to both a young and an old queer.
I will try to outline the Johnson book in terms of homophobia and racism and relate my history and coming out as an older gay cis gender white man. I will compare and contrast the two books and my (unpublished) life. The concept is to show that homophobia and racism and response to these two evils are important to us all.
Before I continue, I recognize my white privilege, and cannot fully walk in the shoes of George but have made effort to understand and to inform, particularly white folks on these ideas.
George was brought up in New Jersey with strong family bonds which helped him weather the bullying in school. His first realization of his identity comes when he realizes that the name he was using (Mathew) was a middle name and his first name was known to all his family, but not him. This angered him, but later he adopted George, then turned back to Mathew. He realized his power and identity in his name as a Black boy. This may appear trivial to a white person but Black history tells us that Black names were determined by slave owners!
My birth certificate shows Kenneth as my first name and I shorten it to Ken and my forefathers could change my surname at will as they moved. Our name may or may not denote being wealthy or tell the world where we come from, but a Black name could. Black names are identity and family.
Here in Hawaii names have a rich history deeply connected to nature, spirituality, and ancestry. Traditionally, names held mana (spiritual energy) and were often unisex. A 1860 law later mandated Western naming conventions, which were repealed in 1967.
And so, Black and Indigenous names were forced on enslaved or colonized people but names are identity to be preserved.
