EPISODE 4: BEFORE ROSA PARKS, THERE WAS CLAUDETTE COLVIN

In this episode of ‘Decolonised Minds,’ we explore the story of Claudette Colvin, a name often overshadowed in the annals of history. She played a crucial role in challenging the racist segregation laws in the United States.

At just 15 years old, she made a bold stand nine months before Rosa Parks, refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger in March 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. Her courageous act of defiance led to her arrest, igniting the flame for a legal battle that would ultimately dismantle bus segregation.

Despite her pivotal role, the public largely forgot Colvin’s role, perhaps buried under the weight of time and overshadowed by the more widely recognised figures of the US Civil Rights Movement.

Continued……. Yet, her bravery as a teenager helped lay the groundwork for the historic Montgomery bus boycott and a Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation on public buses unconstitutional.

Her story is a powerful testament to the importance of every voice—no matter how young or marginalised—in the fight for justice.

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WHY NIGERIA SHOULD JOIN BRICS

In this recent clip by @channels television network, renowned Nigerian lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana argued that Nigeria’s economic future hinges on breaking free from the restrictive prenoscriptions of institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Falana said these bodies have long advocated for policies, such as subsidy removal, currency floating and austerity measures, which have led to economic instability, increased poverty and a loss of sovereignty over national economic policies.

Continued…. In contrast, he urged the Nigerian government to join the BRICS group, which offers a compelling alternative. Countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (each of their initials comprise BRICS) have prioritised economic independence by reducing reliance on the US dollar and fostering trade in their own currencies.

This approach allows them to retain greater control over their economies, ensuring that development strategies align with their unique needs and aspirations. BRICS now accounts for 36 per cent of global GDP in purchasing power parity. With nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Egypt joining BRICS, Nigeria’s absence is glaring. 

Video credit: @channelstelevision (YouTube) @channelstv_ent (IG) @channelstv (X)

MARLEY ‘MOTIVATED’ ZIMBABWE FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Bob Marley’s music championed social justice, human rights, and the fight against oppression. His son, Ziggy, remembers the time they were in Zimbabwe to celebrate the end of colonial rule. While in their hotel room, resistance fighters who’d fought for their country’s freedom, came to thank him. They said his music had helped motivate them in their armed struggle.

Ziggy told the story during an interview with CNN while speaking about the newly released film Bob Marley: One Love. The music legend’s song ‘Zimbabwe’ became an anthem for the African country’s liberation movement. Marley and his band, The Wailers, were invited by the country’s new leader, Robert Mugabe, to perform during independence celebrations. They headlined at the Rufaro Stadium in Harare on April 18, 1980. An iconic moment that marked the birth of a new nation. Ziggy says that was when he realised how powerful music can be.

Continued….. One has to wonder how his father would have viewed the politics of his eldest son Ziggy Marley today, who is a big supporter of Israel and even attends the Israel Defence Forces’ annual fundraiser gala dinner in New York. In 2018, Israeli security forces killed 290 Palestinians, including 55 minors, and in that same year, Ziggy Marley and other Hollywood celebrities helped to raise more than $60 million for the IDF. In October 2023, when Israel began its genocidal onslaught on Gaza, which has seen schools and hospitals targeted by the IDF, Ziggy signed an open letter affirming his support of Israel amid the war.

A far cry from the liberation music his father was famous for.

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Today marks the 8th anniversary of American football player-turned-civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick taking the knee as the US national anthem was playing before a preseason game. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback was protesting police brutality against people of colour. Prior to this, Kaepernick had already been protesting - but by sitting down during the national anthem. He was advised by Nate Boyer - a former Green Beret who had seen an image of Martin Luther King Jr. kneeling in a civil-rights protest in 1965 - that kneeling would be more respectful. On that fateful September 1st, 2016, Kaepernick was joined by teammate Eric Reid, who also took the knee. The act divided opinion. Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump accused Kaepernick of being unpatriotic. Others praised him for courageously drawing attention to police racism and violence against Black people.

Continued……But his career took a dive as no team wanted to sign him because of the controversy. Kneeling protests became widespread in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd by a White police officer, who knelt on the unarmed Black man’s neck until he suffocated to death. Players in other sports began to take the knee in solidarity with anti-police brutality movements around the world. Though it’s largely petered out now, taking the knee is still seen as a gesture of solidarity and sorrow for the many victims of institutionalised violence.

ONCE-MIGRATORY AFRICANS OBEY COLONIAL BORDERS

Much debate has occurred over whether Chidimma Adetshina, a finalist in the Miss South Africa competition, was South African enough to compete for the noscript and move on to the Miss Universe competition.

While it’s true her father is from Nigeria, and her mother is partly Mozambican, people may be arguing outside of what our history reveals about African identity.

Mozambique and South Africa have been home to the Shona, Nguni and Zulu peoples. Records also show the Bantu people began migrating thousands of years ago from the Nigeria-Cameroon border, spreading out in a few waves toward eastern, central and southern Africa.

Then, in the late 19th century, Europeans violently imposed colonial borders, criminalising migration.

Continued….. In this clip from African Stream’s weekly livestream collaboration with @authentic_african, Inemesit Richardson asked why Africans validate borders drawn by Europeans, cutting Africa into sections that have nothing to do with our pre-colonial conceptions of self.

If you are interested in hearing more of this conversation, check out ‘Is South Africa Falling for Xenophobia? Miss South Africa Competition Stirs Global Controversy’ in the ‘This Week in Africa’ playlist on our YouTube channel.

POLICE ARREST BLACK MAN LOOKING FOR HIS CHILD

A father has lost his job after a video went viral showing police arresting him after he reported his ex-girlfriend had kidnapped his 4-year-old daughter.

After police officers appeared on the morning of 6 August, things took a dark turn for Darnay Cockrell. As seen in this viral video making rounds online, police apprehended Cockrell by forcing him to lie on the ground, despite saying he had just had shoulder surgery. He reportedly also has bad knees. In the video, he said, ‘How y’all going to sit here and put me in the cage ‘cause my baby got kidnapped. I’m suing the sh*t out y’all.’

Speaking on 15 August, he explained what happened that day. ‘I was on the phone with the dispatcher, and I was like ‘she left.’ He was like, ‘Go locate and see which way she went.’

Continued….. So, I went down the stairs and the officer was walking up, and I was like, ‘My baby is gone,’ and he ran on the side of me and was like, ‘Get on the ground,’ and I’m like, ‘No, I’m not getting on the ground. My baby is gone.’ Cockrell said that’s when a second officer came, and both officers pulled him to the ground and detained him.

Cockrell filed a complaint with the Mesa Police Department. The department’s district commander responded that the officers’ actions did not violate their policy and that the officers would receive additional training.

His daughter was returned to Cockrell, and police booked his ex-girlfriend into jail for disorderly conduct under a domestic violence law.

Unfortunately, since the video went viral, Cockrell has lost his job and has been trying to make ends meet by selling snacks. A GoFundMe has been set up to help him cover the cost of food and rent. Cockrell told the media he’ll never call the police again.

Can you blame him?

Video credit: @negrotarantino (IG)

The Clinton Desegregation Crisis of 1956 unfolded on this day in Clinton, Tennessee, following the US Supreme Court's ruling mandating the desegregation of public schools. In response to this ruling, US District Court Judge Robert Taylor ordered Clinton High School to desegregate in the 1956-57 school year. As a result, 12 Black students, later known as the 'Clinton Twelve,' enrolled at the previously all-white school, making history as the first Black people to integrate a public school in Tennessee. Their enrollment, however, sparked white-segregationist opposition and violent protests a few days later.

Continued….. Tennessee Governor Frank Clement intervened by deploying the National Guard (military reservists) and the Highway Patrol (traffic-law enforcers) to restore order. Despite the violence, including cross burnings, gunfire, and dynamite attacks aimed at Black residents and supporters of desegregation, some of the Clinton Twelve continued to attend the school.

Although racial tensions persisted, Clinton High School symbolised progress in the fight for school desegregation. Bobby Cain, one of the Clinton Twelve, became the first Black student to graduate from a desegregated Southern school in 1957. Despite a bombing destroying much of the school in 1958, a national fundraising campaign helped rebuild it.