BANNED

a justice driven, bookish newsletter by Austin Channing Brown

Footnotes

Whose 4th of July?

I wasn't sure I was going to post anything about July 4th this year, but as I lay in bed at 3am I become inspired by Frederick Douglass's speech What to the Slave is the 4th of July? I usually repost an excerpt of his speech, but this year I tried something different, and I wanted to share it with you all:

-what to the immigrant is the 4th of July, kidnapped off street corners and exiled away?

-what to the Palestinian is the 4th of July, forced to give tax dollars to pay for the destruction, of their friends and families lives?

-what to the sick is the 4th of July, who cannot access life saving medicine, who is free to die?

-what to the incarcerated is the 4th of July, used as slave labor with very few rights?

-what to Black folks is the 4th of July, in a nation systematically dismantling our work to end discrimination?

-what to the Indigenous is the 4th of July, in a nation that committed genocide?

-what to the hungry is the 4th of July, in a land of plenty but chooses scarcity?

-what to the poor is the 4th of July, as food, medicine, education and a liveable income become more difficult to attain?

-In the words of Frederick Douglass in is speech titled what to the slave is the 4th of July, “The Fourth of July is yours not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.”

-I'll celebrate July 4th as soon as we are all treated equally and given unalienable rights. Until then it's just gonna be Black family bbqs for me.

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Essence Fest Recap

Earlier this week I had the absolute joy of attending my very first Essence Fest down on New Orleans. This is an annual event, celebrating Black women and it was a dream come true to speak there! While I was there, I basically stalked Kennedy Ryan, because who wouldn't? And sure enough we met in the lobby of our hotel and kiki-ed like our lives depended on it.

I also had dinner with the incomparable Erika Alexander. When I arrived at her hotel, she insisted on giving us a tour of the place, and it was the cutest thing ever. I love when folks who are well known, know the names of every person who offers them hospitality. Erika is one of those people. From the building engineers to the receptionists, she knew them and they knew her. It was beautiful to witness.

The next day I was able to join my good friend Latasha Morrison on a panel in the authors section of Essence Fest. First let me tell you that whoever designed this space did an excellent job. It was cute and calm and a true celebration of Black storytelling. But I also got to watch the author talk before mine and it was brilliant, featuring Daniel Black, Natalie Guerrero, and LaDarrion Williams. You should check out the books of all three!

After my panel, I had the opportunity to sign Im Still Here and the young readers version of Im Still Here. And if that wasnt fun enough, my publisher sent early copies of Full of Myself to the venue and let me give them away for free! It was so much fun to hand multiple Black women a free book and wish them a wonderful Essence Fest.