BANNED

where the words equality, equity, and inclusion are our love language

by Austin Channing Brown

Footnotes

A Riotous Beginning

Ask any of my paternal family members about the summer of 1968, and they will surely talk about the riot. But my family was not in LA or NYC, Chicago or Newark. They were in Akron, OH.

The last time I walked the neighborhood with my father, he pointed up a hill. "There," he said, "that's where me and my friends threw rocks over the tops of those trees every time we saw a car with a white driver coming through." He was proud that at only twelve, he and his friends did what they could to stick it to The Man. But he also remembered that the next day, the national guard placed a machine gun at the bottom of that same hill, prepared to shoot whoever was throwing rocks.

I wanted to know more about the riots. What was happening in the neighborhood? How did the police react? Did the mayor respond? Did the riot change anything? I wanted to know because I have often heard the refrain that, "Black people destroyed their own neighborhoods" as the one sentence explanation for the riots and the results- abandoned neighborhoods.

But the more I scoured newspapers and archives, testimonials and interviews- a much more complex story began to emerge. One that involved welfare mothers and number runners. One that brought together the issues of housing, education, jobs and segregation. I found militancy but also common sense, passion but also nonviolence, fires but also generosity.

And I'd love to tell you more about the riots in the midwest- a place often overlooked for moments in Black history. I believe these places have much to teach us, still. And if you're interested in pushing back on the violent erasure of Black history, you can support this project now.

I am creating a web series, which will be free to access on YouTube, sharing the discoveries, the stories, the places where the Black Freedom Struggle took place in the North.

I already have a producer, illustrator, and operations manager. I would love to be able to pay them generously for their time and skill. Our other two biggest needs are for a video editor and help with travel funds for me and a research assistant.

While funds are wonderful, we are also accepting hotel gift cards, sky miles donations, big box store gift cards (especially to Office Max or Best Buy), and introductions. Introductions could make a world of difference to us.

Perhaps you know a foundation that would love to support a project like this. Or maybe you work at an educational institution that can't support something with the word "diversity" but can support something with the words "history" and "midwest". Or maybe you know of a corporation eager to defy the administration. Some of you may have friends willing to donate their time for video editing or marketing or just raising awareness about this campaign. The possibilities are endless.

It is a scary thing to be a Black girl asking for support right now. There is so much evidence in the world that says this is a fools errand. But I am always in your inbox preaching about "Hope is a duty." so Im being brave and pushing forward for this project that I believe could have a real impact on Black communities in small midwest cities that would rather sweep the riots under the rug.

If you'd like to learn more or if you're ready to give, click the button below.

Take me there

I plan on getting in big trouble with this project. And I hope you'll join me, if you can.

PS: More updates coming soon, but I promise not to flood your inbox. I have to give this campaign my best shot, and then we'll get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Promise.