A Black Woman in Handcuffs For Climbing The Statue of Liberty on Independence Day is a Perfect Metap

[sheshe2]

Michael Harriot



The Statue of Liberty is a metaphor.

One cannot carve a statue out of liberty any more than one can take a photograph of freedom or hold a jarful of justice. Liberty is not a thing, it is a concept. And, while it is the bedrock foundation upon on which white America as always rested, for black people, liberty has always been an invisible, untouchable illusion. For us, liberty is whimsy. Like freedom. Like Justice. Like America.

When Okoumou was arrested for climbing the base of the Statue of Liberty on the 4th of July, she wasn’t just a metaphor scaling a metaphor on a holiday celebrating America’s metaphorical independence. She was liberty enlightening the world. She was just another black woman shoving a mirror in America’s face, forcing this country to see itself as it truly is...

Like black women have always done.



snip

I have been fascinated with this story, not because of the incredible audacity of Okoumou’s feat, but because every photograph looks like an illustration of a black woman. Tell me if this picture of Okoumou eluding the law on the symbol of freedom and justice isn’t a metaphor for Harriet Tubman:



snip

Isn’t this a metaphor for every black woman ever who finally got a chance to sit down for a minute after beating her knuckles bloody fighting for a place in this country?



She was a metaphor. Like Rosa. Like Ruby. Like Therese. Like black women, their liberty constantly enlightening the world.

And at the base of the metaphor of liberty, it describes her:

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
MOTHER OF EXILES.

Read More: https://www.theroot.com/a-black-woman-in-handcuffs-for-climbing-the-statue-of-l-1827417539

Very good read.

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
MOTHER OF EXILES.

[Gothmog]

1. On last night's TRMS, Joy Reid interviewed this hero

Link to tweet

[sheshe2]

2. Thank you for the link, Gothmog.

I missed that!

Awesome.

[Gothmog]

5. It was a great interview

This young lady makes me smile

[sheshe2]

7. Yep.

Me too!

[BigmanPigman]

6. She presents herself so well....

....courage, strength, intelligence. None of the deplorables possess any of those qualities and she isn't even from this country but knows about US civics, the govt and laws as well as human rights. She is one Hell of an activist and resister!

[brer cat]

3. Harriot at his finest.

A beautiful read. Thank you, sheshe.

[sheshe2]

4. Thanks brer.

A brilliant and beautiful read. What a tribute to all black women.

[virgogal]

8. Sorry,but she spoiled the holiday for thousands of "just plain folks",especially kids.

There had to have been a better way to get her point across.

[heaven05]

10. awww

really....been trying to get the point across for 300 years, it still falls on deaf ears and most turn a blind eye. That's why injustice and racism lasts. The holiday for "plain folks" ruined? I am glad she did this. The whole world could experience this woman's and by virtue, the continuing to this very minute pain of every child snatched from their parents, every lynched persons pain, every blind eye turned, every deaf ear tuned out to minority pain. Lady Liberty did not EVER mean freedom, justice or equality for POC in amerika, especially AA.

I'm glad plain folks had to face reality again and need to everyday until amerika lives up to it's promises for and to ALL citizens.

Bravo to her and millions of others sick of ameriKKKan hypocrisy and just plain hate for non whites, perfectly personified by this fool called the potus of white supremacist ameriKKKans and white nationalist, racist hateful wypipo...keep americans uncomfortable is my counsel when asked, what to do. Too many been too damn comfortable while basking in privileged and entitled sunshine.

[sheshe2]

11. Sorry

Sorry,but she spoiled the holiday for thousands of "just plain folks",especially kids.

Their holiday spoiled "just plain folks, especially kids." Sorry, but trump spoiled the lives of 'just plain folks, especially kids' 3K of them when he had them ripped from their mothers arms, thrown into camps and warehouses treated worse than animals, forced toddlers, TODDLERS, into court alone to face an immigration hearing. Then, THEN we find out that all the paper work of who belonged to whom was mysteriously lost or maliciously destroyed.

So sorry just plain folks were so viciously abused when Okoumou protested the kidnapping of 3K children by the US of A.

There had to have been a better way to get her point across.

No. I don't think there was a better way.

[SamKnause]

13. Seriously ???

[EffieBlack]

14. Oh, please

You're insisting that people protest in ways that don't inconvenience anyone?

You know what a protest is, right?

You might want to read this: https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

[heaven05]

9. yes, this

a metaphor for all seeking peace on these shores and never finding peace or justice.

[sheshe2]

12. Yep...

sigh...