Black Girl Times' staff did a deep dive into Walter Mosley’s nonfiction book, “Life Out of Context.” The book explores the precarious nature of African American life and how we all (Black folks in America) live our lives "out of context." We have been here for more than 400 years, but our own nation makes us feel like we still don’t quite belong. The author proposes we address this by highlighting three critical aspects of Black life in the United States.
Cultural Dislocation
We are physically in this country, but culturally, we’re systemically dislocated from our roots and deep African heritage.
Injustice
Not only are we “out of context,” but we’re wrought with social injustices that leave us poor, under-educated and victims of physical violence.
Politics
Because of the previous two points, Mosley suggests we rethink our political approach. Most notably, we need to break our historic ties with the Democratic Party to form a party more consistently representative of our interests.
Our staff touched on the following questions in a group discussion. Feel free to test them in your own group discussions with friends, loved ones, or colleagues.
1. What exactly is our “context”?
2. Where did the ability to determine where Black people should “be” come from?
3. Mosley claims Black people are “never innocent, just not guilty this time.” Why is guilt necessary for Black people?
4. Who determines who is the arbiter of justice on a global level?
5. Why is capitalism commonly dressed in egalitarian clothes?
6. If “Revolution is an academic endeavor,” as Moseley writes, who serves as the vanguard of the revolution?
7. What is the unifying battle cry of this society?
8. Who deploys the forces against revolutionary activity?
9. What’s the value of “Blackness” if the label has yet to show it can improve the material conditions of Black people?
10. If “no one wants to be known as the poor” and “poverty is sin in capitalism,” how do we begin to change the system?
11. If Black people are 14% of the U.S. population, why do those numbers impact the Democratic Party so greatly?
12. What is the real value of the Black vote?
13. How do we simultaneously engage our expectations and our community?
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