Ep. 43 | Honoring Black August: Reflecting on History, Justice, and Cultural Resilience

How do pivotal moments in Black history continue to shape our present and future? Join us as we honor Black August, a time of reflection on significant events that have profoundly impacted the Black community. We commemorate the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl's anniversary, exploring its powerful symbolism of justice and solidarity. We also trace Black August's roots back to the California prisons of the 1970s, highlighting key historical markers that have taken place during the month of August over the years, from the highs of significant wins to the lows of police violence.

- Read the blog post!
- Watch this episode on YouTube!

Resources:

• Reflect on Black August.
• What Is Black August And Why Is It Such A Significant Time?
• How the Montgomery Riverfront brawl sparked an unofficial holiday

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Theme Music:
She No Dull Beat by Nana Kwabena
Festivities in Belize by RAGE Productions

Transcript

Aliya Cheyanne: 2:22

Hey friend, welcome back to the show. So today is going to be short, maybe not so sweet, but real short, real quick. I am just popping in today to say happy Black August, happy anniversary of the Montgomery River. Fudgel. You're listening on the actual day that this drops, it's the actual anniversary, like August 5th. But if you're listening the same week, the same month, the same year, you know, hey, happy anniversary of that day, but in all seriousness it is also Black August.

Aliya Cheyanne: 3:00

It is a time of year, the month of August, so many things have happened in the month of August, but Black August originated in the California prisons in the 1970s following the deaths of George Jackson and Jonathan Jackson. Jackson was a Black Panther who was killed by prison guards in San Quentin, california, on August 21st 1971 amid a revolt. And it is also a month where a lot of historic and significant things have happened over the course of time. So I actually pulled up this Forbes article that was talking about specific events that have happened in August. Per records that we have, in late August 1619 is when the first group of enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia. Many people have heard of the book and the project 1619, largely associated with Nicole Hannah-Jones who wrote the book. So many people have heard of the 1619 Project created and led by Nicole Hannah-Jones, but it is also a very significant year when the first enslaved people that we have on record from that time actually made landfall, like you know, survived the transatlantic slave trade and touched down on US soil, obviously against their consent. So that's one significant thing that has happened in August. Historically, august 1833 is when the Slavery Abolition Act was first put in place, abolishing slavery in many British colonies. In August 1963 is when Dr Martin Luther King Jr gave his I have a Dream speech, which is also a significant historical marker. A significant historical marker.

Aliya Cheyanne: 5:13

Tragically, emmett Till was a victim of racial terror and violence and was murdered in August in 1955. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in late August in 2005. And a lot of us remember that and in many ways, parts of Louisiana, particularly around the Ninth Ward, have never been the same for a lot of the local people who are still there. In August in 2014, many folks remember there In August in 2014,. Many folks remember that unarmed teenager, michael Brown, was shot by Darren Wilson and killed. And, of course, a lot of us remember the Montgomery Riverfront brawl on August 5th 2023, because the folding chair, the memes, everything that came out of that after was just a time. But also, you know, there was a collective feeling of just victory and relief and revenge. But for a lot of people when that happened and yeah, I actually want to play a tiny little flashback to a previous episode of the show where we spoke about it, because at that time it was still very fresh, so I'm going to plug that in right here.

Tasia Marie: 6:47

That's wild as shit. Great segue into the Montgomery Brawl though.

Aliya Cheyanne: 6:53

That part. Y'all have seen the clips. Listen that chair. Let me tell you I've been you know, I've only been paying attention to what Black people have been saying about it, and only the Black people that fully supported what happened. Only been paying attention to what black people have been saying about it and only the black people that fully supported what happened. Because, like I said in the previous episode, the space I'm in, especially after watching they clone tyrone, it's about time we start fucking up and fighting back. So everybody who said that that shit like watching the video was cath. I agree.

Tasia Marie: 7:31

I feel like a lot of our ancestors sighed and rejoiced and we're very happy word, word I so now like the signal for nigga I need help is throwing your cap. Throwing your cap up, okay. So around the world, if we ever see one of our black or brown people throwing our caps up, we gotta respond. Yep, try to find a cure too on the way and that's not the bat signal, that's the black signal hey, I like that so hey, listen.

Aliya Cheyanne: 8:10

So um so by now, most of you have already heard about what this was a black security guard and dock worker was trying to declare co-captain.

Tasia Marie: 8:22

They keep trying to downplay who he is, his role.

Aliya Cheyanne: 8:25

He was co-captain of that ship, not security co-captain of that ship, I've been corrected was trying to clear a space for a boat a large boat to dock or a large ferry to dock. And yeah, the small boat of white people that were there didn't want to be told what to do, didn't like being told by told what to do by this black man. We couldn't obviously hear clear audio from the distance of like what exactly was being said verbally. But you, when you watch the video, you can see that tensions were flaring in that moment and yeah, these white people dog piled on that man and tried to jump him and black people said fuck all that, right, fuck all that fuck around and find out for real. Yeah, they went to support that man and get all the white people off of him. The black women was going after them, white women that was trying to interfere in men's business and fight with the men.

Tasia Marie: 9:28

Hey, black women were clearing them out so the brothers didn't have to put hands on them. It was my man that jumped off the ship and swam.

Aliya Cheyanne: 9:38

Listen, black people can swim.

Tasia Marie: 9:40

Like you knew it was serious when he swam, like yo.

Aliya Cheyanne: 9:46

It was serious.

Tasia Marie: 9:46

He came off the water like an Avenger and was fucking shit up Like off breaks Facts. Alright, right, don't fuck with our people, just don't like yeah, stop thinking that it's okay to gang up. Like it's that privilege, man, it's that privilege. I was in a professional development last week and you know she was like they asked the question what is the first word that comes to mind when you think of a white person? And the first word that came to my mind was privilege. Immediately, like I was just like privilege, that's it. Like your skin is your privilege. Like we don't get that privilege because we can't hide who we are. Like you walk into a room and you're automatically acknowledged and smiled at. We walk into a room and it's just like hi, like it was privilege.

Tasia Marie: 10:47

But that Montgomery brawl, like was amazing. And then it was another situation in Detroit where another white man was hurling off some racist words to a black man and he picked up a chair and defended himself as well. So I don't know, I feel like tensions are starting to rise again because it's that time of the year for presidential campaigns to start and then, with Trump being, you know, indicted for like the 50 millionth time and all this other stuff going on His supporters because I'm not going to say all white people, I'm going to say his supporters and his peoples, because if you believe in what he's feeding, you're his people. They just trying to rise up now, like in just getting really bold. So this is when we really got to stick together.

Aliya Cheyanne: 11:45

Yeah, I think the other thing specifically about the montgomery brawl that was pretty significant is I learned after the fact that it's the same like dock and riverfront that a lot of enslaved people were shipped to and delivered to for alabama. So there's just a lot of historical significance. And apparently earlier that very same day a bunch of women and femmes got together to do like an ancestral veneration to honor ancestors from that same day, earlier that day and I'm just like listen thank God, they did that that day, because those ancestors showed up and showed out through our people in the flesh.

Aliya Cheyanne: 12:33

So, anyway, all that to say. In all seriousness, though, the young man who did swim to the co-captain's aid for a long time like his name wasn't initially released because his parents and other people were really concerned about his safety in fear of retaliation. And, yeah, like people are just trying to be mindful of that, because the reality is, although we got our lick back in that moment, we know what white fragility and white violence and white rage and white racial terror looks like in retaliation for certain things. So there are a lot of concerns around that, and I saw recently that the man who did bop the person over the head with the chair really hard and himself he turned himself in. And yeah, people are raising funds to you know, go fund me, bail and everything else. So, listen, if you got a little extra to support our people, um, make a little donation to a go fund me or any other way, like, do that, because mutual aid will set us free, especially moments like this.

Aliya Cheyanne: 13:49

Okay, and the other thing I just wanted to flag really quick was it is black august y'all. So the fact that this happened on august 5th in black august is very interesting and low-key exciting to me. So for anyone who doesn't know what black august is, I'm just to read a very quick Wikipedia description. So Black August is an annual commemoration and prison-based holiday to remember Black political prisoners, black freedom struggles in the United States and beyond and to highlight Black resistance against racial, colonial and imperialist oppression. It takes place during the entire calendar month of August. So, with that brawl, what a the entire calendar month of August. So with that bra, what a way to set off Black August. Okay.

Tasia Marie: 14:34

Definitely. And what a way to set off the August calendar for the Shade Room. Right, we know this is going to be in there. You know it, babe. You know it did.

Aliya Cheyanne: 14:47

And we're back. That was just a teeny little excerpt from episode of the show called that's not the bat signal, that's the black signal and yeah, that episode. We talked about a lot of things that were happening at the time. Anyway, I just wanted to honor and commemorate black august. I wanted to acknowledge the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl.

Aliya Cheyanne: 15:12

So in the aftermath of that brawl, it appears as though two folks were sentenced Richard Roberts and Mary Todd. Richard pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault, spent 32 days in jail, had 100 hours of community service plus court costs. Mary Todd pleaded guilty to harassment and was sentenced to anger management classes with 90 days of court cases you know were identified and deemed involved. Most of them, you know, made their appearances in court but had charges dismissed, including the COCAP. Definitely not our proudest moment as a culture, but also one of our proudest moments as a culture. So I'm going to end there with that, anyway.

Aliya Cheyanne: 16:30

So if you enjoyed hearing that flashback to an old episode and tuning in to Tasia and I, you know speaking and doing our listening from the very beginning, or maybe you're someone who's a new listener and you started, you know, binging the catalog. Whatever the case may be, I'm excited to share that Tasia will actually be on next week's episode and we'll be diving into everything related to her brand and her creative journey and talking more about Wacor XVIII, and I'm so excited about that. So thanks for tuning in to this short episode, and I will catch you on the next one, where we will be back into our creative bag and talking about all things creativity and entrepreneurship, and life, life, life in y'all. All right, have a good rest of your week and I will talk to you soon. Bye.