Nyoka Foster Discussion 7

For my Institutional Artifact Draft, the artifact I will utilize is the movie, “The Color Purple.” The three concepts I would like to cover are Intersectionality, Social learning, and multiple masculinities. As I progress, I may add a few more concepts to showcase the complexity of intersectionality within the black household (family) and the impact/constraint of religion. Choosing an artifact was a challenge because I wanted the institution to align and also wanted to have lived through the experience as well. I would consider myself as the outlier in my family. I’ve always been the one to challenge old/toxic generational theories and concepts. I remember getting in trouble for whistling and how furious my father was when he heard me. He said it was an abomination for women to whistle and I couldn’t understand why… I wanted to know why. So later that day, 8 years old me, went to God in prayer and asked why “he” (God is masculine, according to the bible and tradition and maybe patriarchy) (I also wondered why.. but that’s a different story) … had given me the ability to whistle and why was it wrong for women to do it.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever gotten the answer. However, the next day I challenged my father’s masculinity and his authority/belief and whistled. Of course, there were repercussions but, I never regretted it. In my opinion, when I think of men and whistling, I think of catcalling. So how dear I, a child, a black girl, utilize this tool that is often used by men and meant to dehumanize women, so freely? When I think of whistling and Black men specifically, I think of Emit Till and his cause of death. I also think about how Black men were easily prosecuted and lynched just by looking at white women. I am also aware of the generational trauma/theories and concepts that have dispersed across the African diaspora. These ongoing traumas without treatment have led to oppression among the oppressed. Throughout the years, the desire to regain the generational control /power they have lost to white owners/abusers have led to Black men exerting their masculinity unto their families and within their communities. This idea of what it means to be a man, a husband, a friend, and a human being to himself is compromised and crammed with white patriotism.