By DALTON ANTHONY JONES
On this day in history. There is so much chatter going on around the passing of this monumental icon of black liberation, anti-imperialism, spiritual freedom and resistance to state violence that I find myself playing spectator to the outpouring of collective grief.
I am always curious about, and to be quite honest deeply suspicious of, mass expressions of praise and sympathy for radical figures who, if they were fighting for the principles we claim to honor in them today, would be banished and ridiculed by civil society. MLK, Malcolm, Arthur Ashe, the Panthers, Muhammad Ali….one is left with the impression that they would be welcomed with open arms and flowers if they were to return to us.
Has our society really become that more progressive? Has a critique of U.S. intervention abroad really become the emotional norm? Have black people really developed a more radical critique about their position vis-a-vis, the American war machine, the American police state, the American system of finance capitalism and the exploitation of our communities?
Please don’t get me wrong, we still have our warriors of social justice, people who are devoting themselves to preserving and furthering the legacy of those who fought to expose the hypocrisies of nationalism and make this world a more safe and just place to be. But taken as a whole, I see more faux sentimentalism than genuine identification in these mourning rituals, these pageants of lamentation and nostalgia.
I have a narrative of identification with Ali, of the family huddled around the radio listening to his bouts before the days of internet and cable, of my grandfather meeting Ali and bringing me back his autograph on the conference program….and, of course, so much more.
He meant a lot to us. But I hope to honor his passing by being a voice that is willing to accept sanctions to defend and speak my truth. Today, I want to make a recommitment to say “no” to racist oppression, to say “no” to patriarchal oppression, to say “no” to the apparatus of state violence, to say “no” to the bigotry of gender and queer phobia, to say “no” to the exploitation of our land, animals and air for the accumulation of a surplus profit that will end up in the hands of a minuscule percent of the global population.
Muhammad Ali, I offer you this in honor of your life. You will not be forgotten, I promise you that.
