Journal of a Black Teacher

Fanon (Franz) would argue that the struggle extends beyond mere access to another's system of meaning; it encompasses the pursuit of entirely new systems. In this light, the absence of Black bodies at No Kings Day is not merely a void; it serves as a silent manifesto. By Don Allen for Journal of A Black Teacher (2025) When we explore these photos from the so-called "No Kings Day" festival, lit with parades, costume wear, and street festivals, what becomes noteworthy is not only the massive number of white participants, but also that this spectacle contrives to reinforce a sense of monarchy and nobility aesthetic that was historically denied to black people. It is therefore no surprise that to many black people on these shores, this festival feels peripheral, even alienating. Fanon declares that "the colonial world is a world cut in two" - an exclusion that moves well beyond the material, to the structural and psychic levels. In other words, African people in Ame...

By Don Allen for Journal of A Black Teacher The First Amendment has always been America's shield and its sword. But recently, its shield has begun to bend at the pretense of selective outrage, and its sword is only brought out when it is convenient to do so. Take two recent controversies. Jimmy Kimmel is a satirist who has pushed the boundaries of his comedy and has been canceled, losing his late-night show. What did he do to become intolerable? Did he tell a joke a little bit too close to home? Or was it merely that when comedy attacks the wrong power structure, it shifts from being simply entertainment to being seen as a "threat"? While the why is relevant, what really hits is the chilling effect: comedians are left wondering whether being funny is now a liability. At the same time, an employee of Hennepin County joked about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on her Facebook page and went further to issue a dangerous call to violence. In my opinion, her lan...