Michelle Bonton

Acclaimed Nigerian Novelist Chinua Achebe once said, "util the lion learns to write, the story will always be told to glorify the hunter."  Well, in Florida and other places across the country, including our own beloved state,  there is an effort to make sure that not only does the lion not know how to write, but that there is no mention of the lion at all.  It started with concerns about protecting children's innocence from subject matter too mature for them.  We're all on board with that, right?  Next, it was books the right wing felt had the potential to invoke "white guilt." We don’t want to make anyone feel bad, do we? Now, there is a crescendo of angry, screaming voices demanding the exclusion of more and more books that tell the truth, not just about America, but about US, Black Americans, and how we have lived and thrived and continue to do so through the trauma of being Black in a country that wants to rape us of our gifts while at the same time denying that we even have them.  The spectre of the time when it was illegal for Black people to even be taught how to read and write looms large and weighs heavily as I watch the efforts to erase us from the record gain increasing power and breadth.  There is a lesson for today in yesteryear and Achebe was wise to point out the need for the Lion to write, but he stopped too soon.  Not only must Black people (the Lion) learn to write, we have to have the means to record what we write and then publish it as a record for history.  That is the power of Black creatives and black centered organizations.  Through their art, their music, their dance, their films, and their books and poems, they tell the story of who we are, who we have the potential to be, and in so doing, they preserve, create, share, and celebrate, and carry forward  Black history and culture.  So, if you've ever wondered why there HAS to be a Buffalo Soldiers Museum, a Gregory School, a Houston Artist Collective, A Harris County Cultural Arts Council, an Urban Souls Dance Company, a Nia's Daughters Movement Collective, a Houston Museum of African American Culture,  a Kindred Stories, an Ensemble Theater, or a Houston Ebony Opera Guild, now you know.  These are they who "hold the pen" and record the facts that say We were there.... We ARE here... AND if you refuse to write the record, that's okay, because WE HAVE OUR OWN pens, and paper, and publishers and WE REFUSE TO LET OUR STORY DIE. Michelle L. Bonton is founder and Executive Director of Harris County Cultural Arts Council (HCCAC), a multi-discipline arts organization that supports Black creatives through free studio space, stipends, mentoring and training, and exhibition opportunities.