Where do I even start? I wore a camo bandana in anticipation of any necessary militancy towards ensuring we (me, Malaika and Marly) occupy the necessary space. I say this because a lot of Black intellectual spaces I’ve attended here in Europe tend to have a majority white audience who take up space in ways that dilute the conversation instead of taking it into the beyond we have labored for. So, best believe Marly, Malaika and I came READY. On the journey there I wrote so many notes, I came with 5 questions and the moment they opened the space to the audience, I shot my hand up being the first to ask my question. Whewww, I was nervous. I’ve never felt dis giddy meeting anyone b4. Saidiya Hartman is someone my pen looks up to. I honor and value her because as Arthur Jafa said “Saidiya is great at naming shit”! And indeed she is. Anyways I asked my question but first prefaced it by naming our ancestor Assata Olugbala Shakur. By the end of my ask, the audience actually clapped for me… and whewww, before answering they asked me for my name and as I said it, I just had to re-emphasize jus how much this moment meant to me, how this to me was like how Beyoncé fans feel attending her concert. lol! So yes, by the first break/intermission, professor Hartman walked up to me and said, I wanna introduce you to someone, that someone was Arthur Jafa who I got to share much thoughts with. She heard something in me that she had heard in him, he told me my question made him turn around. Like wow! I felt so seen in the space. Marly, Malaika and I all got our questions in and by the end of the event, many came to thank us. They said our questions set a standard and a rigour and it was evident, our labor of love. Chai, ancestors thank you. There was sooo many beautyful Black artists, thinkers, creators and comrades in the space. It felt HISTORICAL. It was history. It is an honor and a privilege and I carry my unseen collective with even more pride for all that is to come. There was this amazing artist/set designer that was speaking alongside Hartman and AJ, turns out our fathers come from the same village in Nigeria, we didn’t find out till after exchanging contacts that we are practically family. F-A-M-I-L-Y. THIS TREE IS BIG. I am so proud of my people. WE KEEP ON KEEPING ON.
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