By Jenna Conner
Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself, (1845) Fredrick Douglass
Fredrick Douglass: slave, freeman, anti-slavery lecturer, author, political activist, scholar. Over 150 years ago, Fredrick Douglass wrote his slave narrative, a piece of literature that was no doubt influential in the abolitionist movement and the end of slavery in the United States. In his narrative, Douglass chronicles his life from slave to freeman, and highlights what he feels is one of the main things that lead him from oppression to enlightenment: Literacy. He notes his epiphany by saying,
“I now understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty- to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement, and I prized it highly. From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom”
(Douglass, chapter 21, page 410).
Fredrick Douglass valued literacy and education so highly, he recognized it as the end of his ignorance, and his way to freedom. Douglass says that the literacy that his master shunned from him only
“served to inspire [him] with a desire and determination to learn”
(Douglass, chapter 21, page 410).
Fredrick Douglass coveted education and the ability to learn so greatly, that he was willing to die in his pursuit of knowledge and literacy. This is a man who had to endure some of the most heinous acts against mankind, and through it all, his desire to learn never waned. This is what a role model is. His desire to no longer remain ignorant, and better himself, to free himself from oppressors is an inspiring narrative of triumphing blackness.
Now, after reading the inspiring narrative of Fredrick Douglass, let’s take a look at two segments of two different Kanye West songs, let’s consider the messages of these lyrics?
We Don’t Care, College Dropout (2004) Kanye West
[Chorus]
[Kanye West:]
“And all my people that’s drug dealin jus to get by stack ya money till it gets sky high
We wasn’t supposed to make it past 25 but the jokes on you we still alive
Throw your hands up in the sky and say we don’t care what people say
[Verse One:]
If this is your first time hearing this
You are about to experience something cold man
We never had nothing handed took nothing for granted
Took nothing from no man, man I’m my own man
But as a shorty I looked up to the dopeman
Only adult man I knew that wasnt a broke man
Flickin starter coats man, Man you aint no man
We don’t care what people say
This is for my niggas outside all winter
Cuz this summer they aint finna to say next summer Im finna
Sittin in the hood like community colleges
This dope money here is Lil Treys scholarship
Cause aint no to tuition for havin no ambition
And aint no loans for sittin your ass at home
So we forced to sell crack rap and get a job
You gotta do something man your ass is grown”
Dark Fantasy, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) Kanye West
“Hey, Teacher, Teacher, tell me how do you respond to students,
And refresh the page and restart the memory?
Respark the soul and rebuild the energy?
We stopped the ignorance, we killed the enemies…”
Could it be that the self-proclaimed “Number 1 Rock Star on the planet” has had a change of heart? The lyrics from “We Don’t Care” glamorize and could even be seen as encouraging the abandonment of education for a life of drug dealing in order to get by- in order to achieve the perks of a wealthy lifestyle. (Not to mention the acknowledgment that it is an achievement to reach the age of 25 without suffering a violent end, accompanied by a peppy beat…concerning to say the least). This is an alarming contrast to the motivations and epiphanies of Fredrick Douglass. The lyrics suggest a tone of mocking those that look down upon dubious life choices. This is a sad narration of modern day blackness, and urban life. The lyrics of “Dark Fantasy” are also a narration of modern day blackness, but more of a reflection of what has happened as a result of messages like “We Don’t Care” that have been perpetuated, begging the question of what has happened to our nation’s students? How do we reach them intellectually when the desire to learn seems to have been long extinguished? The disconnect is painfully clear. Could Mr. West be suggesting that the ignorance being pressed against present generations is the ignorance of the celebrated artists that bump through our speakers? There seems to be a new crop of enemies, and it is our own media that is idolizing them.
Look at the change in message. The lyrics from “We Don’t Care,” are what youths are made to believe will get them a so-called ‘fly life,’ when really the message needs to be changed. The larger question is: how do we change the message, how to we reinvigorate, how do we re-instill the message that knowledge is power and freedom, like Fredrick Douglass did?
Youths are given an opportunity now that Fredrick Douglass was willing to die fighting for, and rather than take full advantage of the many opportunities given, potential is often squandered due to the encouragement of modern media. How do we express that crime will not lead to a life of high rolling and endless possibilities, but knowledge and education will? This question is especially important at a time when role models such as Jay Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, or Lion, or whatever he is calling himself these days, Rick Ross, Lil Kim, Nikki Minaj, and so many others are perpetually shoved down youths’ preverbal throats, and role models like W.E.B. Dubois, Keise Laymon, Alex Haley, Colin Powell, Barack Obama, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and many, many more, are often overlooked or merely briefly mentioned in the classroom, struggling to be heard over the blaring ear buds bombarding student eardrums with lyrics like, “pop molly, smoke a blunt, that mean I’m a high roller,” (Lil Wayne, Roman Reloaded).
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that these songs, and albums are not entertaining and that they should be abandoned, I own many of them, and thoroughly enjoy listening to them. However, what I am saying is that perhaps, the message glamorizing the abandonment of knowledge, thought, education and ultimately enlightenment is greatly damaging, and instead, there must be a societal shift that rather than encouraging aggression, crime, drug use, etc., we encourage a reexamination of what education, literacy, and critical thought can really contribute to one’s ultimate freedom, and celebration of blackness.
We must find a way to revere the messages of scholars and positive black role models, to get back to the message of Fredrick Douglass, if one chooses to live in ignorance, then one is abandoning the fight of the oppressed and ultimately, the fight for one’s own freedom. Literacy and education were once worth fighting for for many African Americans, shouldn’t it still be?