I was so happy to celebrate Black Solidarity Day at Medgar Evers College here in Brooklyn. The college hosted a conference, called “The African Presence and Influence on the Cultures of the Americas,” and I was on the literature panel. Dean Mwalimu Shujaa moderated, and Professors Jennifer Sparrow and Hyo Kim were my co-panelists.

Professor Sparrow spoke about Black authors who revisit the canon and provide a critical analysis of colonialism and slavery in their work. She talked about Elizabeth Nunez’s latest novel, Prospero’s Daughter. Nunez’s wonderful book retells Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and her main character, Carlos, voices an articulate challenge to colonialism in Trinidad and Tobago. It’s a terrific read, and Professor Sparrow’s presentation had me thinking about the novel in new ways.

Professor Kim identified himself as Asian American and talked about language and identity. During the Q&A he questioned the idea that race and culture determine identity. His statement celebrated individuality and challenged the formation of preconceived misconceptions about individuals based on things like outward appearance and language or accent.

Dean Shujaa asked everyone in the audience to draw a graph to help summarize the content of all three presentations. One of the most powerful questions he asked everyone to consider was: “In whose culture am I thinking?”

So many great questions came from the audience. One woman, a student, asked the non-Black panelists how they do such a great job of teaching Black literature without expressing the colonialst view. Her provocative question essentially asked how they could dismantle what Audre Lorde called “the master’s house” when “the master’s house” is the place where they grew up.

Another question, from a professor in the audience, asked the Dean to link his comments to the Hamidic Hypothesis, which twisted religion to justify slavery and, as Dean Shujaa said, “negates the role of Africa as the mother of civilization.”

What an amazing conference!