Symposium- Politics of Black Identity of the Age of Obama

This week I went to the symposium for A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller. Along with discussing his play there were panelists there to interpret the meaning of many complex ideas that the play addresses. The people on the panel included Jules Harrell, Lorenzo Morris, and Greg Carr. Among the many topics that each panelist brought up, all were centered on the idea of the play which was defining black identity. As described by Charles Fuller, the theme of the play was how blacks and others who have been enslaved or oppressed behave like their oppressor. This expression made me think how in today’s society this is still a recurring theme. Not to say that there is anything wrong in wanting what’s best but without historical memory we allow racism and white supremacy to shape our identities. In Dr. Carr’s speech he brought up how the challenge for Africans is defining us as a group. Once we answer the question of group identity then we should think about how we as blacks move forward as group. I agree with this because today many blacks question their identity and make the mistake of disconnecting themselves to the African race. Instead of trying to succeed as individuals, blacks need to acquire a group mentality meaning that not only are they representing themselves but representing a whole race. This can be achieved by blacks reeducating themselves on their origins and gaining historical memory in order to move towards the future.