The Simplicity of Equality
In this issue: Editor’s Letter, “Barbie, Star Wars, and Why Revolutions Happen,” “Cadavers of the Poor and Black Dissected without Consent,” and a quote by Quincy Jones.
Editor’s Letter
In the Beginning
As a forty-eight-inch tall, black man, who is gay, Christian, and living in the south (yes, that bit of geography is still a thing), I am well-acquainted with what it means to be different in some ways, but at the same time just like everyone else in others. Let me be clear, in no way am I now nor have I ever played the role of the victim.
I realize that I’ve been blessed with advantages others have not. I was raised by both parents in a middle-class home; I received my college degree from a small liberal arts college; my worldview was shaped by a Christian faith that did not traumatize me; and I’ve been endowed with other stuff including giftedness in arts and letters. My height, personality, and abilities have opened many doors for me, but at the same time, people’s perceptions about my skin color and height have been a deterrent to opening others.
The one thing I learned early on in my all-Black elementary school was that despite my height, my classmates and I all wanted the same things. In seventh grade, at a local private school where I was one of two students of color and the only Black male student, that seminal lesson was reinforced. My white classmates and I had more in common than I first thought. It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I learned that while different denominations worship differently, God loved them all equally. And in my late thirties, I learned that God was more concerned with my relationship with him than with what others had to say about my sexuality.
What I’m saying is that we all want the same things. Regardless of our race, gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, physical ability, or age, we all want the same things: to be accepted, understood, and loved. That truth transcends any -ism, -phobia, or factor that would divide our human family.
As someone who’s a bit of a shapeshifter and is never really thought of as a part of any one demographic, some might say my intersectionality Bingo card is maxed out. Maybe. I prefer to think I have a unique vantage point from which to speak about matters related to equality.
I know people can move away from racism’s (racial prejudice + power) places of fear, ignorance, and degradation and into more loving, informed, and affirming spaces. I can hear you skeptics now, Dude. That’s a pretty bold statement. Why do you say that?
Because I’ve seen it happen and I’ve seen it happen more than once or twice. I have witnessed this, talked with people who have experienced it, and they’ve shared the stories of their journeys out of prejudice with me enough times that consistent and recognizable patterns have appeared.
Into Equality
The journey to equality is simple, but it’s never easy. All who embark upon it, whether they’re aware or not, follow the same principle much like a north star when charting a course. This premise enables a person to understand that the humanity they see in someone else is identical to that which resides within themselves, and thus changes the “other” to a brother or sister. As siblings of equal standing, our brother/sister is deserving of no less than the full range of rights, benefits, and privileges afforded to us. So what’s this principle?
Christ’s command to love one another.
What’s simple about loving one another is that it’s a choice — a choice we have the opportunity to make innumerable times a day. To choose to love is as easy as falling off a log, but to actually enact it, takes a bit more willpower.
Read the complete article at Our Human Family.
New This Week
Barbie, Star Wars, and Why Revolutions Happen
Barbie dolls and Star Wars movies and toys have entertained generations of American children — in many cases, well into adulthood. But these brands’ influence stretches beyond a penchant for hot pink and lightsaber battles.
In particular, both the Barbie movie, released in July 2023, and a Star Warsfranchise television series called Andor offer important lessons about revolutions.
Hollywood has long been obsessed with revolutions. There are uprisings in other popular movie franchises like The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Avatar.
In each fictional universe, an oppressed group stages a revolution that fights for political and economic freedom.
As experts in violence and democratization, we have written about how popular culture allows people to better understand real-life political movements and crises.
We also use films and shows in our classes to help students learn about why revolutions happen.
Both Barbie and Andor are useful for those who want to understand why revolutions happen and what it takes for them to happen.
Their fundamental point: Before the start of any revolution, the oppressed have to first recognize their oppression.
Read the complete article at Our Human Family.
Cadavers of the Poor and Black Dissected without Consent
Every year, first-year medical students approach their human cadavers with a mixture of awe and trepidation. They will come to know their assigned cadaver intimately. During the course of their studies, they will carefully pull back layers of skin, muscle and tissue as they learn the fundamentals of human anatomy.
When the long process of dissection is complete, the cadavers are cremated, with the remains returned to family, interred in a dedicated plot, scattered in a memorial garden, or sometimes buried at sea.
Historically, anatomy laboratories relied on unclaimed bodies or executed prisoners, and even resorted to grave-robbing to meet the growing demand for cadavers. Today, while we’d like to believe every cadaver on the slab has been donated knowingly — and indeed, thousands of Americans will leave their bodies to science every year — the reality is more complicated.
In the United States, when a deceased person’s assets are insufficient to cover the cost of burial or cremation, and next of kin are unable or unwilling to shoulder the financial burden, it falls to the state or county in which the person died to arrange for the disposal of their remains.
In most parts of the country, government officials are permitted to donate these unclaimed bodies to institutions of higher education, with no legal requirement for prior consent from the deceased or their next of kin. In 2019, 12.4 percent of surveyed U.S. medical schools indicated possible use of unclaimed bodies at their institutions.
Read the complete article at Our Human Family.
Giving Tuesday 2023
Tuesday, November 28, is Giving Tuesday, the global generosity movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity. Created in 2012, Giving Tuesday was a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.
Our Human Family, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, advocates for racial equity, allyship, and inclusion by bringing you transformative stories on these and other subjects, and we look forward to being there for you in 2024. Your funds will be used for keeping the OHF lights on, producing publications like OHF Magazine Issue №3 — which if you haven’t downloaded, you need to — prize money for writing competitions, and compensation for our writers.
Please consider being a part of this global day of giving with a tax-deductible contribution to Our Human Family. No gift is too small. Whether you donate $5 or $500, every little bit helps. We have many more things we want to do in the coming year, namely begin a lecture series.
Thank you for your support.
Final Thoughts
