-A reflection submitted by Terry L. Watson
Tonight, as the Pennsylvania State University Restorative Justice Initiative wrapped up Justice Education Month, I was honored to attend the final program, "Beyond Incarceration: Education, Activism, and Social Justice in PA." with Dr. Cornel West speaking. My ears and heart received the rousing words of our dear brother, Dr. Cornel West. He, as only we know him to be, poetically and enthusiastically shared a message of truth and justice through the lens of love, courageous love. At the end of his talk, I reached into my bag, took out a copy of my book, and signed it with a message from one brother to another with a purpose of love, which I am happy he accepted.
Love! A word that is used with significant meaning because it holds within it a greater purpose. As I reflect on the speech given by Dr. West and his message, which challenges us all to be courageous as we seek love and justice, I cannot help but think of where we are in higher education and the general world today. Young activists are working to reroute the school-to-prison pipeline by recognizing systemic injustices and taking responsibility for wholeness, mainly through the perspectives of those who have been impacted. Currently, our young people are protesting for liberation and freedom for our connected brothers and sisters in a foreign land, soliciting their government through how they were told- the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Yet still, we, seasoned adults, need to listen. We must remember our purpose of leaving the planet better for the new generation than when we arrived. We are doing what older generations have done to us by not listening and instilling a sense of lost love — a love for truth, freedom, and justice.
Sometimes, it feels as if love or the quest for love is unattainable, lacking only because we find it necessary to continue a status quo vs. break the molds that hold us from critical thinking about a more just future. Love is transformative, West reminded us, yet few of us are dedicated to its internal transformation. Justice is our responsibility, yet few will accept it as so. But with so few brave enough to take on such responsibility, primed through purpose, not power, fixated on love, not greed, we must recognize those with courageous love amongst our mist.
I appreciated the reflection by Dr. West on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Proud to be maladjusted” in a world of injustice. It’s our connection to the people, no matter their earthly affiliation, to see the dignity and the right to self-determination in us all. Dr. West reminds us that to do this, we must “check ourselves” to see how we will sustain ourselves, especially through turbulence and trying times. Or, as I have put it in my book, ‘how to play your 5th note brilliantly’.
Consider this: Freedom fighters are not born but forged through a potent blend of intentions, commitment, and courage. It’s easy to find those with good intentions, but without the courage to act or the commitment to persevere, these intentions remain hollow. Among us, many are courageous but lack the intent to commit to the cause of justice, freedom, or liberation. In the rarity of this perfect blend, we often isolate and distance ourselves from those who challenge the norm. But as Dr. West reminds us, ‘Truth allows suffering to speak.’ Let us not forget this bitter truth.
Notice that I did not use the all-so-popular D.E.I.B. in this reflection. Dr. West reminded us that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (D.E.I.B.) were not the hills our ancestors died upon or for, nor will it be his hill. It was the hills of truth, justice, and freedom. In 63', they Marched for Jobs and FREEDOM. Exodus was the liberation, the FREEDOM of the people of Isreal from slavery in Egypt, and as our brother Bob Marley cried out to us…
“Open your eyes (and look within)
Are you satisfied (with the life you’re living)? Uh!
We know where we’re going, uh!
We know where we’re from
We’re leaving Babylon
We’re going to our Fatherland.”
So let us not be complacent with a watered-down, or as our brother Dr. West puts it, a ‘deodorized version,’ covering up the funk that injustices oppose upon us all. No, no, no, we must get deep, dig up that funk, and face it as our ancestors, elders, spirit-led lovers of freedom and truth did. We must invoke the Akan proverb of Sankofa, Dr. West reminds us and go back to dig up what it means to be a person with a purpose for the downtrodden and to seek a just future for the next generation. We must continue to be the freedom fighting, the leading liberators, the entrenched educators for justice, the funk in a deodorized land. We must commit, be intentional, and show courage. Brothers and sisters, let us share a sense of that courageous love.
In conclusion, we must remain steadfast in our fight for freedom and remain the leading liberators and educators for justice. It is imperative that we stay committed, act with intention, and show unwavering courage. Brothers and sisters, let us boldly embrace that courageous love and inject some much-needed funk into this “deodorized land.”
Terry Watson is a professional speaker, author, and trainer specializing in disability equity in education, racial justice, and law enforcement. Mr. Watson has more than 15 years of working in higher education. He is the founder of Strategies for Justice, the host of Moses' People Speak, and the author of the award-winning book Welcome to the Sick Mind of a Sane Person: Deconstructing Racism and White Supremacy.