Bringing the Red Table to Black-Ass Excellence Brunch
Calling out the chelsea boot felt hat community.
Welcome to This Black-Ass Life! We’re bringing ourselves, and likely you, too, to the red table.
l. The Facts
Kamala is in, and she might even win! The Black Excellence Brunch Squad is having the very best week ever.
The “Black Excellence Brunch” is a term coined by the Thinkpiece Tribe and expanded upon by others. It essentially speaks to the behaviors of the Black elite, the bourgeoisie (aspirational and actualized), and those of us who have access to white power structures. That access is granted through elite parentage (Jack & Jill), class, and education attainment, or a combination of all three.
Are you in the Black Excellence Brunch Squad (BEBS)? Probably! We are. The call is coming from inside the house! Y’all, I (Jumoke) even have an LLC! 🫢
If you are unsure, think Congressional Black Caucus/National Association of Black Journalists event attendees (and the people who attend a million parties connected to these events), millennial/Gen X Black transplants living in a Black enclave that formerly housed poor Black people (e.g., Bed Stuy in NY, Georgia Ave in D.C., Wynwood in Miami); HBCU professionals with a lil’ bit of money in their pocket; we summer in Martha’s Vineyard girlies; etc.
Although not a monolith, a core ideological staple of BEBS is the love of seeing Black faces in high places. This is why Obama’s run in 2008 is so foundational to us as a collective, and this is why BEBS is organizing en masse and opening up their pocketbooks for Harris 2024.
Why does it matter?
The BEBS is what Black liberation is reduced to under capitalism. It’s the veneer of liberation because some of us have a lil’ bit of money in our pockets.
This is simply not the state of Blackness in America because, collectively, we are not alright:
Black children under 18 have a poverty rate of 22.3%; Black men are still imprisoned at 5.5 times the rate of white men; Black disabled people are overpoliced, and their behavior is often blamed as a threat to law enforcement, leading to imprisonment and death; In 2022, nearly 23% of Black people in the U.S. experienced food insecurity, almost two-and-a-half times the rate of white people. Between 2011 and 2020, college enrollment for Black men dropped by 39%; Black people represent 40% of the homeless population, despite being only 13% of the general population; and on and on and on.
So when BEBS win, we use it as an example of advancement for all Black-ass people, and that is simply not the case. It can also be dangerous because many wins for BEBS mean harming other Black people (we’re looking at you, people who buy up poor neighborhoods to flip houses into rental properties!).
What can my Black ass do?
First, don’t rain on people’s parades! It has come to my attention that I (Jumoke) can sometimes be a leftist sourpuss. You come to me and say, “Wahoo! Kamala is going to be President!” My instinct is to say, “Great, did you know that Black students are less likely to have access to the full range of math and science courses necessary for college readiness, with only 57% having access to these courses?” I’m working hard not to be a popper of people’s hopeful balloons.
With that, it is important for us to honor people’s hope while holding the understanding that some magical Black (or otherwise) political Messiah is not what will save us. Barack Obama did not eliminate systemic racism and class hierarchy in his presidency, and Kamala Harris absolutely won’t either.
Especially because the system that American politicians work within is specifically designed to subjugate Black people. The American capitalist imperialist patriarchal system of governing necessitate a perpetual underclass to function. That underclass is Black people.
Unless they want to completely re-envision both our political and economic system, politicians can’t save us from that. They are in fact crucial to maintaining this system. You end up with representational wins that end up harming more than helping. See:
So where does that leave us? First, we must understand that we are all we got, which is so beautiful and actionable. To quote SisterSong co-founder Loretta Ross, “Your liberation lies in what work you do with the people in your neighborhood.”
What does that look like? Contribute to mutual aid. Organize with renters and tenants. Support sex work and drug decriminalization movements. Help fight against dangerous school choice/voucher programs. Volunteer as a big sibling to mentor a young person. Support after-school programs. If you have money to spare, keep some bills in your pocket to give to people who ask for them. Take a community class on the history of your neighborhood or on how to take inclusive political action.
II. Other Things
Black-ass Olympics happenings.
The GOLDEN GIRLS are winners once again, with Simone Biles becoming the most decorated (and fun-petty) U.S. Olympic gymnast.
Love to Coco Gauff.
Have you heard of one of the best soccer defenders in the world, Ethiopian American Naomi Girma?
How Frederick Richards rocked the house, and helped the U.S. win its first medal in Men’s Gymnastics since 2008.
Shout out to the Mawuli sisters on Japan’s basketball team and the whole roster of the dominating U.S. Women’s Basketball team.
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Jumoke):
The perfect word for late July is languid, and Dream State by Kamasi Washington and Andre 3000 exemplifies the feeling.
Things we look forward to / Things we recommend:
I (Jumoke) look forward to all the James Baldwin centennial events. Check out the NMAAHC conversation on his legacy, the AFI in Silver Spring is doing a free screening of a new documentary this Friday, and the National Portrait Gallery has a beautiful exhibit on the joyful friendships of Mr. Baldwin.
I (Mitu) recommend Devious Maids. I’d never seen it before, and it is so juicy and fun!
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Parent
My (Jumoke’s) parents are retired and are trying new fruits!
Stay Black, have a snack, and take a nap today.