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Writer's pictureTori Leggard

My Black Sun

I have been challenged, and I am uncomfortable. While in the barber shop the other day the stylist behind me overheard a discussion among myself, my son and his barber. As Black barbers do, despite a two-year hiatus, he eased baby boy into an unbroken conversation of care noting his growth spurt and sudden attention to his appearance. When catching up on lost time, the topic of us having visited Egypt was broached.


I entered the conversation noting the brilliant professional’s pivot to Black consciousness while directing my son’s attention to Malcolm, Jackie and other historical figures that adorned the walls. We first chatted about our improved capacity to withstand the very manifestation of the divine in the omnipresence of Amun Ra (sun-tolerance on a thousand, y’all). I then began sharing how we were able to note the continuity among global Africans dating back to antiquity, not only culturally, but linguistically. We discussed how reading glyphs and experiencing southern Egypt, or Nubia, firsthand was so important in my son’s development.



As the conversation unfolded, the beautiful Nigerian British stylist leaned back from her braiding station and asked me, 


“What’s your IG?”


“Ha! Yea - I’m a whole dinosaur. Sorry. I’m not really social media active.”


“You don’t have a YouTube channel either?”


“Um… no.”


I giggled as I admitted my work is largely inaccessible due to its ‘academic’ nature. The types of outputs that will ensure my employment tend to be behind paywalls which means the folks I most want to impact cannot engage directly with my research. I have been feeling the pull to create more media rich content, but lacking the confidence to do so. As a teacher, I have had to lean into that discomfort to keep up with my students. Making websites, joining social media and more was a part of my annual self-assigned professional development.


I realized that I have since let go of that sense of urgency in my move to higher education. Now - typically, I take a more ‘give grace’ approach to the shifts over time I experience professionally. Still, something about this direct conviction from this sister gave me pause. She continued


“Well, you need something. I need this for my son. He’s two. I will need to answer his questions. He’s Nigerian and African American and I want him to know who he is.”


When I think about what I want my legacy to be and the brevity of our time in the bodies we inhabit, it grounds me in facing the discomfort of starting to explore media-rich knowledge distribution for the sake of accessibility. For me, a mother’s plea for her Black sun, simply cannot go unanswered. So this is my public commitment to enter the world of IG? YouTube? Something! What is the point of all this work if it doesn’t help communities fundamentally shift through their own agency as well as the way the next generation understands their cultural inheritance?


Sis, if you’re reading this - I got you! Hold me to it. Video content to come sharing work on Blackness, language, culture and education. Nerves be damned! My sun (and ancestor daughter) as my guiding lights, and I will no longer hide their shine and what they inspire me to do under a bushel.







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