Thoughts on the day Prince died
Are we as Black people only awarded eulogies when fame shadows our name? I’ve seen tons of Black people’s names mentioned in headlines because they died & rarely, if ever, do we get to see their humanity in death. Media & society is quick to dehumanize us or legitimize the reasons we were killed. And all life is precious. But only when we are famous are we given full examinations into our own humanity. And even still we are loved for what heights we’ve reached, not for simply being. This def doesn’t take away from the imperial purple royalty that is Prince, by any means. But it is unfortunate that when Black & death are mentioned together in a headline, the summary is brief, is not holistic & mostly minimizes the life that is gone down to a digit. regardless of how one dies.
I just wonder what it means for Black psyche when the only time you see your death respected is when you have entertained enough of America & Yet simultaneously how paradoxical it is that even if you are not famous, your death still becomes a spectacle & is entertainment for news, for the world…
Questions to ponder… How many people that look like Prince or Phite Dawg do we love or mourn over?
How many people who look like Prince or Michael Jackson or Chyna or David Bowie do we judge everyday for not fitting into normative standards?
Are we, as Black people, or queer people or marginalized people, or different people, or people unable to assimilate to be pristine… only awarded eulogies when fame shadows our name?
Zzzzzzzzz
