Between the World and Me

In the beginning, we must understand that the black body is not merely flesh and bone, but a vessel historically marked by pain and resilience. Race, far from being a biological truth, is a construct born out of racism, designed to justify the subjugation and exploitation of black bodies. This invention created a hierarchy where whiteness was elevated through violence and exclusion. Imagine the early days of America, where the wealth of a nation was literally built on the backs of enslaved people, their bodies commodified, their lives subjected to brutal control. The physical destruction of these bodies was not incidental; it was the foundation of an economic empire.

Consider how this legacy of violence has not vanished but transformed. The police forces today, with their disproportionate use of force against black communities, are the inheritors of this history. They carry the weight of centuries of oppression, enforcing a system that still views black bodies as objects to be controlled and policed.

Reflect on the visceral reality of this oppression: racism is not an abstract idea but a lived experience that assaults the body—dislodging breath, cracking bones, breaking teeth. Every statistic about incarceration, every news story of police violence is a chapter in this ongoing narrative. Understanding this helps us see that the struggle for black dignity is inseparable from the physical reality of the body.

This recognition is not meant to defeat us but to arm us with clarity. To know the weight of history is to begin the journey toward freedom. The black body, though scarred, is also a site of resistance and profound beauty. As we move forward, keep this in mind: the story of the body is the story of survival and the foundation of the fight for justice.

Let us now turn from this broad historical canvas to the intimate personal journey of growing up within this reality, learning the codes of survival, and seeking knowledge that can illuminate the path ahead.