Double Consciousness
Reading Vincent W. Lloyd’s book, Black Dignity, I couldn’t help reflecting on faces, images, and events that reminded me of what black dignity looks like. I wanted to find an image that everyone would recognize, and I was able to locate a picture from the JL Zwane Memorial Church we visited in South Africa. It is a picture of the ladies in the choir singing. Lloyd speaks of the dignity one can observe while listening to Black singing. This is dignity personified. I’m sure many of you thought about the juxtaposition of the abject poverty and squalor in the neighborhood against the fine, brightly colored African garb they wore that day. But did anyone think about what it must take to keep such delicate garments in a ‘home’ that may not even have running water, a closet, or even something as small as an iron? Yet these women had a sense of dignity that spoke to their innermost being to say, “I am not defined by my circumstance” – my identity is in Christ. I can hear them speaking life to their ears to say, “I shall declare the works of the Lord forevermore. If the Lord is for us, who can stand against us?” Another image that stood out for me that day was of a young adult female who came smartly dressed – I remember her because her attire was more contemporary. I remember noticing her during service, but the end of the service seared an image in my mind. As I sat on the bus, waiting for everyone to embark so we could leave, I noticed the same young female walking down the street, going away from the building, apparently back to her home. I wanted to run and put my arms around her. I felt sorry that she had to return to the poverty-stricken area she called home. Then again, I could see that her head was held high, her shoulders were straight and back, and that spoke to a resilience and quiet Black dignity that enabled her to put one foot in front of the other. At that point, I no longer felt sorry for her. Instead, I identified with her dignity and humanity; in my heart, I knew the Lord would keep her.
Lloyd argues that “dignity is something you do, a practice, a performance, a way of engaging with the world.”[1] He goes on to write on page 2 that in a “world that denies Black humanity and embraces racial domination, dignity names an affirmation of that humanity, which necessarily means struggle against domination.” Lloyd continues his argument by stating that we can see clear evidence of Black dignity in various artists, particularly Paul Robeson, and other athletes, poets, and writers; and, along the way he weaves in their stories to help build his case. He makes a robust case for fighting against a system of domination, which is defined as a system where one can “arbitrarily exercise their will on another”[2] – versus fighting against the symptoms of domination such as oppression, racial injustice, and exploitation. These systems (oppression, racial injustice, and exploitation) require an ontic struggle, which is to struggle against an object controlled by the master. And as such, these systems are not going away. Lloyd suggests that an ontological struggle is needed. An ontological struggle is against the master of domination – likening this to a particular incident in Frederick Douglass’ life where he contended with an enslaver and won. After Douglass won, he saw that the enslaver was not invincible. For the first time, Douglass saw himself as more than just a cut above an animal only suitable for heavy, back-breaking labor.[3]
Lloyd writes about so many ideas and new concepts. But, for the sake of time, I will only highlight his discourse regarding the Black Lives Matter Movement in the remainder of the essay. Briefly, Lloyd attempts to build a case that the BLM movement now encapsulates the activism and vocabulary of where Blacks are in the fight for racial justice. He writes that the movement affirms Blackness, has developed a consensus around a shared vision, and urges activism surrounding political power.[4] According to Lloyd, the BLM political organizing movement brought about a cultural shift that affirms Black love, Black rage, Black girl magic, Black excellence, and Black bodies.[5]
It is Lloyd’s concept of Black dignity and assertion of the now overarching role or status of the BLM movement that put me in a conundrum. If I were summarizing the book for someone who noticed it on a table, here’s what I’d say. First, let me speak about the idea of “double consciousness” that W.E.B. DuBois wrote about to provide some context for Lloyd’s work. In The Souls of Black Folk, DuBois writes on page 5, “it is a peculiar sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at oneself through the eyes of others, measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness – an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn under…this longing…to merge his double self into a better and truer self.” One of the ideals expressed in this quote and one that I believe is the quintessential problem that plagues Blacks in America is how to shape our identity into that truer self. It is a complex endeavor that has eluded Black Americans because of the Middle Passage. Then, the decimation of the slave families was further emaciated through welfare rules, and all this overlaid with the idea that there are classifications of humans based on the artificial racialized contrivance of skin color. I think Lloyd is unwittingly attempting to create a mold for defining Black identity by trying to merge a supersized definition of Black dignity with the BLM pillars. It doesn’t work for me. It feels too contrived. When I read DuBois’ explanation of double consciousness, it resonates and not just with me. When I read Lloyd’s definition of Black dignity, I struggled to understand and correlate it to my lived experiences because of his attempt to delineate the master from the overseer.
Lastly, the BLM movement has decidedly cut off the Christian faith. Our faith is the one thing that has sustained Blacks through the centuries and provided the dignity Lloyd tries to write about in his book. It has been the Black church that provided the life-giving spirit to walk through the struggle against domination thus far. This Christian theological foundation cannot be dismissed or replaced by ancestor worship or new ageism as BLM members subscribe. However, I am concerned that Lloyd has captured the essence of what is a problem for many young Black adults – they are dissatisfied with the Christian church. I’ll end with two things. First, in his book Divided by Faith, Michael O. Emerson discusses racialized religion and how it has missed vital opportunities to help heal the racial divide. Emerson writes on page 2 that the work is long overdue in terms of understanding the connection between religion and race relations. “Protestant evangelical Christianity and a major fault line of American racial division- is the black-white divide.” Secondly, in the book Smart Suits, Tattered Boots, the case is made for the continued relevance of the Black Church and how it contributes to political movements.[6] However, I gathered that there are some disconcerting positions that BLM supporters have taken that are problematic for some of the Black clergy. But the biggest issue, according to Lloyd’s book, is that the BLM movement thinks that the church’s idea of respectability is outdated.[7] Also, the idea of hope is too far in the future and nebulous for BLM subscribers.
To conclude, I will end with another quote from W.E.B. DuBois, “the strange meaning of being black here at the dawning of the Twentieth Century. This meaning is not without interest to you, Gentle Reader; for the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color line.”[8]
(Not to be included in my word count – this is for Daron and David – and anyone else who is interested. There’s a story here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtnGTAsuTg0 )
[1] Vincent W. Lloyd, Black Dignity: The struggle Against Domination (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2022), 2.
[2] Ibid., 10.
[3] Ibid., 9.
[4] Ibid., 21.
[5] Ibid., 22.
[6] Korie Little Edwards and Michelle Oyakawa, Smart Suits, Tattered Boots: Black Ministers Mobilizing the Black Church in the Twenty-First Century (New York: New York University Press, 2022), 9.
[7] Vincent W. Lloyd, Black Dignity: The struggle Against Domination (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2022), 93.
[8] W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (Atlanta: Millennium Publications, 2014), 3.
About the Author
Audrey Robinson
14 responses to “Double Consciousness”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Outstanding post, Audrey. One of your best. I was looking forward to reading your blog this week because you have so much expertise in this area and you did not disappoint. Thank you for shedding light on the BLM movement and also for your personal reflection from Cape Town.
In your teaching career, was Black Dignity an issue and if so, how did it change as our culture seems to have changed in the past few decades?
Thanks.
Michael, thanks for reading. What a great question.
Let me answer from a corporate perspective first because my first 20+ years was spent in that environment. Two things stick out, my generation valued education and a commitment to carry the torch of civil rights even further. We were determined to trailblaze in the corporate spaces that we only read about in our business textbooks. These were areas that our Black dignity was most emboldened and flourished (in part).
My second career has been in education. The young adults I’ve taught over the past 15 years have little regard for education (the bare minimum), lack in-depth knowledge about Black culture except what was taught during Black history month, and we are now in the 3rd generation (estimate) of young people who lack a Biblical foundation. Their dignity seems to be derived from more outward accoutrements. I know I’m dating myself with this response.
As we have discussed in our Zoom chats – capitalism has co-opted culture and the church and I see a direct correlation into the Black community. The BLM movement sounds good to younger adults but I see another form of “co-opting” taking place – and Black dignity is somehow in the cross-hairs.
Audrey
Great post Audrey, Like Michael, I was looking forward to reading your blog this week!
You spoke about the double consciousness…
“One of the ideals expressed in this quote and one that I believe is the quintessential problem that plagues Blacks in America is how to shape our identity into that truer self.”
This jumped out at me. I am curious if you would have more to say on this? What does it take to create a truer self?
You write:
“Lastly, the BLM movement has decidedly cut off the Christian faith. Our faith is the one thing that has sustained Blacks through the centuries and provided the dignity Lloyd tries to write about in his book.”
I am glad you made this assessment as well. This confirms my thoughts in my blog post. Thank you.
I agree with you.
Some of the best Christian songs are those that are sung in the south…I love the songs of Heaven.
Hey Kristy, thanks for reading and as always thanks for the thought provoking questions/comments.
I’ve thought quite a bit about what it would take for Blacks to become more of their truer self (myself included). Here’s where I am, but it is a work-in-progress.
As with all of God’s human creation to rise to the level of our truer self we must see ourselves as He sees us. For Blacks in America, only then can we throw off the grave clothes of shame, throw off being told and feeling less than, throw off the veil of invisibility that is worn from birth, and heal from generations of racial trauma – which is putting on the new creation image/identity in Christ. It is imperative during this process that Blacks return to their ‘community,’ whether that’s physically or in spirit. It is taking care of one another and typically the Black church is the focal point. Inherent in this is for Blacks as a whole to begin to see the Lord not just as a deliverer but also as Lord. This is difficult for many because the image of the ‘blue-eyed white Jesus” is too much of a reminder of the slave-master.
The second part of the equation is that anti-racist whites must help dismantle the systemic and institutionalized racism that exists. The systems are forms of invisible slave chains around our neck that dominate everyday life for Blacks in one form or another. (Think about the true potential of Black children in urban and rural areas that are already being stifled because of poverty and unequal access to basic services.) How can Blacks reach their full potential or true self with the weight of these racial institutions?
Interested in your feedback.
A truer self is found in Jesus being Lord and Savior-I agree. This is often best experienced in the life of the Church (loving one another)-I agree!
I am pondering the difference between Deliverance and Lordship:
Psalm 18:2
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliver; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 119:168
I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.
I hope people can know Jesus…. something different from being a white caricature…”blue eyed” white man.
He is more than this …so much more
I am sure you are embodying someone who has experienced Jesus to be her LOrd and Savior. I am sure this example has blessed/encouraged others in your sphere of influence.
I like this emphasis:
” It is taking care of one another and typically the Black church is the focal point”
Audrey,
First off, after our discussion on Wednesday I was so eager to read your reflections on Lloyd’s work! I am so glad you called out Lloyd’s capitulation to, rather than Biblically reflective critique of, black magic. He doesn’t give the Black Church a voice, which is a major oversight. Henry Louis Gates’ book “The Black Church” points out that the Black Church provided for the black community a place to belong, to be safe, to be themselves, and to cry out to God together. So it is deeply unfortunate that Lloyd does not devote a chapter to the Black Church.
Secondly, thank you for sharing “Pieces of a Man” by Gil Scott-Heron! I listened to it, read the lyrics, and reflected “What would dignity – struggling against the domination of losing one’s job along with nine others via a letter – look like for this man in the song? Would ways could the pieces be picked up and put back together?”
Great post Audrey!
Thanks for reading and for listening to Gil Scott-Heron.
I choose that song rather than the Revolution will not be televised because Gil died several years ago. He struggled with hard core drugs a good part of his life. The song Pieces of a Man expresses a deep hurt and I sometimes wonder if this is what fractured his dignity as well – no matter the fame he reached.
David and Audrey
I love these thoughts on the Black Church
How beautiful it would have been… if Lloyd would have recognized this is his book. I believe this would have been a stronger message than Black Magic
Audrey – This post (and all of the comments) are captivating. You have taught me so much. Your voice on this topic deserves to be heard and I pray your doctoral project and continued work on your blog will be a conduit for that to occur.
Thank you so much, Laura. I really appreciate your comments.
Oh wow, Audrey, what an amazing post. Thank you. You brought so many voices into the discussion and made numerous points that I reread and want to remember. What a great idea to start with the story of the women from the church in South Africa. Also, I really appreciated your insightful discussion of the BLM movement. Thank you for your challenge in your closing quote.
Were there any points you would also want to make if you had more space in this blog? I think you indicated so, and would love to hear more of your wisdom, though I realize it’s Sunday night and that’s a big question! Thank you, Audrey!
Jenny, thank you for reading and your comments.
The additional story has to do with the artist Gil Scott-Heron. During our 60 minute interview, Daron, David and I discussed the Black Dignity post and somehow the artist’s name came up.
I went to undergraduate school with him. He was a few years ahead of me. He was somewhat successful and actually appeared on SNL as the musical guest – this was a long time ago. He was a poet, singer, and some might say a precursor to rap.
One song that was especially famous is, The Revolution will Not Be Televised. I was going to include that in the link but choose a different song, Pieces of a Man.
As I mention in the reply to David, Gil Scott-Heron, died several years ago. The life he lived started out filled with dignity (I use to watch him and his group talk, write, and perform on campus) and he died ravaged by drugs. He never lived to his fullest potential and I believe he saw too much and felt too deeply for his people.
Audrey, Thanks so much for getting back to me and answering my question. That is such a tragic ending for Gil Scott-Heron. It seems like he impacted the world powerfully and still had much to say and do. Sometimes our world just feels so sad…
Audrey-
When I saw how many comments were on this post I knew you had something that I could not scroll past. Your comments and thoughts are so captivating.
I am thankful for the experience that you talked about in South Africa. With your vivid recollection of the events it felt as if I was experiencing it all over again.
Thank you for being a trailblazer. Thank you for being fearless. Thank you for keeping the conversation going!