'You Are Ahead by a Century...'

 

The Two Fridas c. 1939 by Frida Kahlo


A few thoughts for if you're the F.O.D. (thank you, Shonda).


If you are a pioneer and outlier, there is no one to compare yourself to, and no one to compete with. So where do you position yourself if your work is singular, sui generis, even? A practitioner who has preceded a movement can find it difficult to either assimilate, or remain outside of it.

from Sonic Seasonings: The Genius of Wendy Carlos by Sinéad Gleeson in This Woman's Work: Essays on Music edited by Sinéad Gleeson and Kim Gordon


"If we know ourselves, we are always home, anywhere." That's what Horne's angelic Glinda the Good Witch says sings to Diana Ross's Dorothy in the film version of The Wiz. But what if we don't know ourselves? Or can't? What if our time in history doesn't allow it?

from Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop by Danyel Smith


In the early '40s, when Sun Ra was on trial for his conscientious objection to serving in World War 2, a judge declared that he was fit to serve and would be at risk of being inducted into the military. HE replied that if he had to serve, he would use whatever training he learned to kill the first military officer possible. When the judged exclaimed, "I've never seen a --- like you before," Sun Ra quickly shot back, "No, and you never will again."

from Nine Considerations of Black People in Space by Hanif Abdurraqib in his book A Little Devil in America: In Praise of Black Performance

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