What Does It Mean to Be Free?
What is the question?
This past Saturday I attended a panel discussion at the
Auburn Research Library, “The Illusion of Freedom: The Reality of Black Life in
America Since the Emancipation Proclamation”.
It was one of those panels that we could sit and engage in meaningful
conversation for days, not just hours.
What does it mean to be free in an economic system built on the
foundation of capitalism that is inherently unjust and profits off underpaying
those it uses to make profits? Can we
find true freedom in a system that is inherently oppressive? We can argue for African American entrepreneurship
and our patronizing these businesses, which I support, but in doing so are we not
right back into the trap of capitalism?
I wonder if we can talk about a mitigated freedom in the bowels of capitalism
that serves us well in the form of psychological, spiritual and emotional
freedom. While I thoroughly enjoy these
types of panels and discussions I always come away wondering if we are asking
the right questions. The brilliance on
the panel was amazing and the questions they discussed were moving. It was important to have this conversation on
the sacred ground of Sweet Auburn because it reminded us of the limitations of capitalism
and freedom as it relates to history and memory. When economic wealth is the goal and a key component
of how we understand and define freedom we have to then ask the question what
does wealth do to memory, relationship, ethics, morals and communal
freedom? How do we connect the dots to
define what freedom is and how do we work together collectively to achieve it?
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| We Are Ready to Talk About IT! |
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| What are they talking about? |
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| Really...I don't have a problem with ...well yes I do.... |
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