To liberate means to be free from oppression. Oppression is power enacted on an individual that strips them of their singular human existence. It flattens them into a tool, something economically, socially, and politically useful for maintaining the existing hegemony. To celebrate means to affirm one’s existence, one’s singularity in all its differences (difference as a purely positive phenomena). For Black Lives in the U.S., oppression comes from a white supremacy that is at the foundation of the nation’s institutions, an oppression that pre-dates the founding of the U.S.A. in the late-18th century, yet can be found under every historical root and vein of this nation. With White Supremacy so inextricably linked to the institutions of power & culture in the United States, every affirmation of Black existence is always a pro-test: a test against the oppressors which proves the inherent humanity of the black person; a test which is provoked by the oppressors who profoundly disdain a politics of liberation; a test of how much liberation one is willing to take for oneself.
The Black Liberation Celebration was no different. Held on Saturday, August 8th, 2020 outside the McLean County Law & (In)Justice Center (which is both the courthouse and jail for the area), the Celebration’s goal was to have a Fine Arts centered Black Lives Matter1 event that would showcase artistic expressions of Black existence in the backdrop of the injustices happening at the building right next to them. The criminal justice system, mass incarceration system, and law enforcement agencies are racist to their core through & through. These three intersect with lethal efficacy in the Law & (In)Justice system.
Before the event even began, McLean County Sheriff’s deputies (under the command of Sheriff Jon Sandage) attempted to disrupt this peaceful celebration of Black existence. We had originally planned to make our stage right between the two entrances to the courthouse. The courthouse is closed on Saturday, so certainly we wouldn’t be disrupting any business. But deputies quickly chased us off our original staging ground, requiring us to set up behind the flower pots in the plaza. To add insult to injury, the many lightposts in the plaza which all have AC outlets were zip tied shut (something which they weren’t the previous day on inspection). This was, of course, merely to rub it in our faces, because once the zip ties were removed, the outlets themselves had been turned off. The deputies wasted plastic zip ties just because they could.
I’ll admit, I was the naive & foolish one for thinking we might utilize electricity paid by the people for a celebration of black lives. I underestimated the pettiness of the Sheriff, and I take full responsibility for my lapse of judgment. Without electricity, we couldn’t utilize the sound system provided by County Board candidate for District 3 R.J. McKraken. We carried on anyways, refusing to let the Sheriff’s trifling attitude dampen our joy. We utilized a portable sound system provided by local activist Robert Garcia, and successfully brought to light the program of the Black Liberation Celebration.
Trevin Gaffney, one of the organizers of the event, began with a speech to center the performances towards our goals. “We are at the McLean County Law & Injustice Center where our local jail is. There are currently 228 people in our jail during a global pandemic, 88% have not been convicted of any crime and are innocent until proven guilty. Most of them are in there because they simply cannot afford their cash bail while they await trial. 53% are black even though we make up only 9% of the local population. 27% are in there for nonviolent drug offenses. At least 3 have tested positive for the coronavirus. There is one pregnant woman in there, who cannot afford her bail.”
Trevin reminded the audience about Black Lives Matter BloNo’s recent demands:
1. Defund the police.
2. Defund the jail and end profiting off of mass incarceration.
3. Police-free & anti-racist schooling that teaches Black History as American history and actively cultivates anti-racist students.
4. Take the money from the police & jail, and invest that into the success of Black people.
5. Continue to expand access to the vote.
The event was opened by an incredible chorus of Zoomers who we affectionately refer to as the Black Liberation Chorus. The chorus was made up of four members: Ashya Watson, Justin Turner, Aniya Thompson, & Takira Jones. They began the celebration by singing the Black National Anthem.
This was followed by a performance by Ms. Chynna Dee. Dee performed abolitionist Sojourner Truth’s famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” This speech was originally given by Truth in 1851 at the Women’s Rights Convention, in Akron, Ohio. Ms. Dee also performed several poems by queer, revolutionary poet Audre Lorde. Poems included: “Harriet”, “The Women of Dan Dance with Swords in their Hands to Mark the Time When They Were Warriors”, & “A Woman Speaks”.
Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about?
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what’s this they call it? [member of audience whispers, “intellect”] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say.
“Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth
After this riveting performance, the next actor to perform was Gregory D. Hicks. He performed an abridged version of famous abolitionist Fredrick Douglass speech “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” Douglass delivered this speech on July 5, 1852, in Corinthian Hall, Rochester, New York, while addressing the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society. For nearly 20 minutes, Hicks breathed to life the passionate entreaty of Douglass, an entreaty which is no less relevant today than it was a hundred and seventy years ago. “Once I actually was reading what it was about, like so many things, this was written in the 1800s and stuff that was said in that is prevalent today in 2020,” Hicks said.
Following these two amazing actors was a poetry session. It included spoken word by Ezra Collum, MacNTosh, & musical artist V8 Vast Change.
Mac N Tosh, performed a song entitled “Black Boy,” which brought attention to the hardships he and others have faced throughout daily life. He said to WGLT:
“As Black men we’re taught to not be emotional. If something happens we’re taught to be hardcore and not to let the white man see us cry, so in this song I talked about the struggles I’ve endured as a Black man in America. From anxiety and depression to dealing with how the world views me, even if I think a certain way about myself, America has a contradiction to it. It’s like yeah I’m strong, but America’s like, ‘You’re strong but not really strong because of this, this, and that,’ so I talked about how that feels and at the end of the song I reclaimed strength.”
V8 Vast Change had this to say: “Black liberation is us having access to equality. Us being liberated means everyone gets paid equally, people get hired for the jobs they deserve, and people are not getting overlooked. It’s a long list but equality is what liberation means to me.”
This event, unlike many others, incorporated the audience into the celebration/protest as well. During the intermission, chalk was distributed to audience members, and people were instructed to write Liberation & anti-fascist messages over the whole plaza, keeping in mind BLM’s demands and only writing from a place of love. Children, seniors, performers, candidates, and bystanders all partook in this artistic demonstration.
This, of course, was too much for the Sheriffs to bear. People were writing mean things about the racist police in water-soluble chalk. How dare they?! Some triggered deputies even threatened to arrest children drawing, they were so threatened by free speech. However, the cowardly, snowflake deputies who felt threatened by children, retreated back to their lair in the courthouse.
After the intermission, came a march. Led by an amazing group of talented musicians, the Drummadtik Talent drumline showed off Black excellence. Led by conductor Jeff Adams, the drumline of about 12 musicians proudly marched from the Plaza on Front Street down to the Jail off of Center Street. The last half of the Celebration was specifically addressed to the inmates in McLean County Jail languishing in solitary confinement with the threat of COVID-19 over their heads. The march took control of Olive Street while the drumline performed for the inmates as they banged on their windows in solidarity.
Next, the Black Liberation Chorus returned to sing “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round” to the inmates with the hope of uplifting their spirits. The audience stomped, sang, and danced with the performances, showing their solidarity with jail inmates.
Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around
Turn me around, turn me around
Ain’t gonna let nobody turn me around
I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’
Marchin’ down to freedom land
Ain’t gonna let jailhouse turn me around
Turn me around, turn me around
Ain’t gonna let jailhouse turn me around
I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’
Marchin’ up to freedom’s land
Ain’t gonna let no Sheriff turn me around
Turn me around, turn me around
Ain’t gonna let no Sheriff turn me around
I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’
Marchin’ up to freedom’s landAin’t gonna let injustice turn me around
Turn me around, turn me around
Ain’t gonna let injustice turn me around
I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’
Marchin’ up to freedom’s landAin’t gonna let no jail cell turn me around
Turn me around, turn me around
Ain’t gonna let no jail cell turn me around
I’m gonna keep on a-walkin’, keep on a-talkin’
Marchin’ up to freedom’s land
Also presenting artwork, were artists Quinton Thomas & Alexander Martin.2 Martin’s piece was entitled “You Simply Must Go to Heaven on the Weekend.” You can find more of their work here.
When the Celebration was finally over, the cowardly Sheriff deputies returned with threats of fines because of all the artwork that had been chalked on the plaza by children hurt their delicate feelings. At this point, their power was anemic at best, and all they could really do was take pictures of all the free speech, no doubt to fume in rage of Black artistic expression of existence. (It rained two days later, washing the chalk away.)
In an interview with WGLT Illinois State University seniors Diana Bender and Kharisma Thomas said the celebration allowed African Americans to tap into their roots.
“It’s us using our voice and creative arts to express the knowledge of our history in how we decided to embody the crafts that were passed down to us throughout generations,” Bender said.
“It’s a re-ownership of our history and having our story told from us instead of taking the word of people who tell us what we should be, and what we’re limited to. It’s us being in control of our own narrative,” said Thomas.
The organizers of this event raised over $1,300, all of which was given to the performers.
