MFP Voices
Opinion | Addressing Kwanzaa and the Karenga Controversy—Again
C. Liegh McInnis shares his thoughts on Bruce Dixon’s recent article, “Why I Can’t Celebrate Kwanzaa,” and the controversy surrounding Malanga Karenga.
December 27, 2023
MFP Contributor
C. Liegh McInnis shares his thoughts on Bruce Dixon’s recent article, “Why I Can’t Celebrate Kwanzaa,” and the controversy surrounding Malanga Karenga.
“White supremacy only succeeds because of Negro ineptitude. But we cannot ignore the U.S. government’s rooted history of actively destroying or stealing Black wealth. Thus, I’d like Thomas Sowell to be more balanced in his factual presentation of why African Americans continue to be second-class citizens.”
Sidney Poitier was dignity personified, which allowed him to portray every type of existing Black man on American terrain that was stolen from indigenous people and worked by the children of the sun. Poitier was not concerned about the paycheck he might lose from his act of artistic and political defiance; he was concerned about his art aiding in the uplift and liberation of African peoples.
I am eternally blessed that my parents, my entire family, and my community taught me that there is not merely one way to be Black and that Black excellence manifests itself in a multitude of ways. Thus, while I’m sad to be commemorating two local giants, it’s only fitting that I honor them together as they are bookends of Black excellence. Al Stamps Sr. represents the Marcus Garvey/Booker T. Washington notion of the self-made, industrial man who uses his business not just to earn a profit but to feed thousands of Jackson State University students and all of West Jackson while being a blueprint of the benefits of Black ownership.
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