Emmett Till, Wakanda, Black Trauma, and Black Joy

The experience of Black people from the moment we arrived in the United States was one steeped in trauma. Our ancestors were forced to suffer through a level of inhumane treatment that I could not even fathom, even as their very humanity was questioned.

Yet, our trauma did not end with the abolishment of slavery.

At every turn, we have continued to face systems and beliefs that have not only benefitted from oppressing us, but were often designed for that purpose.

Black people know trauma.

We have not only had the stories of brutality passed down to us in both words and DNA, but have also found ourselves in current positions of bearing witness to the same

Often being forced to film our own deaths to prove we were justified in living

And to memorialize the atrocities faced by those who looked like us

Just like Mamie Till did

So the world could witness what was done to (our) her Son(s)

Black people know trauma

And yet, one begins to wonder when sharing our traumas is enough

When we will be able to focus on Black joy.

In the same day, I saw the trailer for the Emmett Till movie and the newest installment of Black Panther

Within that moment, I wrestled with choosing to watch them

There are pieces of me that are tired of movies about horrors inflicted on Black people

Knowing that they are sometimes rooted in this belief that, if we share them enough, those who need to see them will suddenly begin to care

Because we do not need to see them

We live them

Or somehow thinking that we need to “remind” people of what we have been through

Like we could forget something we are still going through

Or that those who deny its existence will somehow “see the light”

Although thy thrive in the darkness of white supremacy

I am still unsure if I will watch the Emmett Till story as I grapple with what failing to make it a hit at the box office will mean

But also being concerned about what making it a box office hit will mean

And although the Black Panther trailer had a melancholic tone

There remained those hints of Wakanda

This place of Black excellence

Black Joy

Black triumph

And don’t we deserve that and much more?

Dr. Tyffani is a licensed psychologist who centers the needs of Black Women and Girls in her work. She fully acknowledges that the lives of Emmett Till, Ruby Bridges, and others are not “ancient history” and that those who harmed them are not only still alive, but are the parents and grandparents of those who continue to not only benefit from but engage in the brutality of white supremacists beliefs. She is the co-founder of Centering Sisters and co-hosts its podcast. Subscribe to the Centering Sisters podcast on Youtube. Like both the Centering Sisters and the Dr. Tyffani Facebook pages

#EmmettTill #MamieTill #Wakanda #BlackPanther #BlackTrauma #BlackJoy

Emmett Till Photo: Bettmann archives via Google search