Morrison’s New Gods and Afro-Futurism

“…Grant Morrison came very close to writing one of the best stories about the black experience. I can’t speak to whether it was on purpose or not. My gut says ‘Yes, to an extent,’ so I’ll go with that.

“Looking back, in most things I’ve read, most advice I’ve been given, and most stories I’ve heard, the one theme that’s almost universal among black people is ‘elevation.’ You are more than what you appear to be, you will be more than you are, what you are now is only the beginning, and so on.

“If you put some thought on it, it makes sense. Slavery stripped blacks of almost every possible form of identity. National, familial, religious, and tribal identity were completely wiped due to the slave trade. At that point, what history do you have left? Not much of one, right? What do you do when you don’t have a past?

“You embrace the future.”

[Thanks to Pam for the link.]