Brooklyn Museum: IN OPEN CONTEMPT with Irvin Weathersby Jr. and Robert Jones, Jr.
Brothas in Artful Conversation
Four days before the inauguration of incoming horrors (an inauguration that, maybe not so ironically, takes place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day), my homie/brother/friend Irvin Weathersby, Jr. and I will be in conversation at the Brooklyn Museum to discuss his debut essay collection/memoir, In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space, which hits shelves on January 7, 2024.
There’s so much to confront, talk about, and consider at this perilous moment. I’m terribly worried about the continued survival of marginalized peoples and communities in this country and around the world. And, of course, I’m very nervous about how the arts might or might not endure the machinations of people without imaginations who wish to wipe imagination from the face of the Earth and replace it with submission.
Thus:
How do we reckon with ongoing anti-Black racism in the United States, as represented by monuments, street signs, and schools named after slaveowners, segregationists, and white supremacists? In this debut book, cultural commentator Irvin Weathersby Jr. engages curators, city planners, and artists—including Brooklyn Museum collection artists Titus Kaphar and Kara Walker—whose work considers the specter of white supremacy in public spaces. From his hometown in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, Weathersby takes us to the graffitied pedestals of Confederate statues in Virginia, the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota, and a former sugar factory here in Brooklyn.
The program will include readings from the book, a conversation between Irvin and me, and book signings. Both In Open Contempt and The Prophets will be available for purchase onsite.
I invite you to join us.
Thursday, January 16, 2024
7-9 p.m.
Brooklyn Museum
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor
200 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052
Purchase tickets: HERE
As I tally the events that have occurred in 2024 to make it one of the worst years of my life, I feel compelled, too, to make note of where it was soft and kind.
I realize that Black men are permitted to neither express softness and kindness nor be the recipients of it without being subjected to extreme cruelty, judgment, and hostility from every corner; this is the shape, form, and feature of patriarchy. For those reasons, I would like to shout out some of my Substack brothers who have been balms despite the risks:
Mr. Caraballo writes the newsletter , which focuses on restoration of the soul though something we don’t have enough of in this world: deep self-reflection. He wrote a book called Meditations for Black Men: Ten Guided Meditations for the Body, Mind, and Spirit, which played a very large role in me surviving this tumultuous year.
Mr. Joseph writes the newsletter , which is a righteous noise in the tradition of his many literary achievements. But beyond that, he also walks the walk via the fundraising and nonprofit labor he does for those most in need in marginalized communities. He teaches me a great deal about generosity, trust, my own humanity, and, of course, brotherly love.
Mr. Leon writes the newsletter , which is beautiful ode to inherent human value. And he also hosts extraordinary gatherings of some of our most blessed thinkers to strategize ways to survive, build functioning community across identities, and maybe even defeat the empire (not the Star Wars empire. Well, actually, maybe the Star Wars empire).
Mr. Lewis writes the newsletter , which never fails to be a north star in a hostile wilderness. He helps me to understand that, as a Black man, brotherhood is one of the most vital and revolutionary forces imaginable and can be the restorative answer to so many of the difficult questions we face.
The soon-to-be Dr. Monson, Robert writes the newsletter , which recognizes that, despite what we’ve been conditioned to believe, the strongest and most healing act a Black man can engage in is vulnerability. His is the necessary work.
Please subscribe to their Substacks—paid subscriptions if you are able. Thank you.
I would also like to thank editor Donna Coonan for giving me the opportunity to write the forward for the latest edition of one of my favorite novels of all time: Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day.
Editing is a lost art. It’s golden when you have that great editor who sees the potential in what you’re writing and cares enough to give their advice on how to take it to its next level. Ms. Coonan is one of those old-skool editors who got down in the trenches with me and I’m a better writer for it.
Sincerely wishing you and your loved ones a safe, peaceful, and prosperous new year. May the Ancestors protect you from all external (and heal you of all internal) hatred, foolishness, and menace. See you on the other side.
Blessings upon blessings,
Robert