We Don't Know How Good We Had It

Boy, I long for times past.

You know. Those perfect times when everyone got along.

Those were the times when, for whatever reason, humans didn’t act…human. We were all creatures of divine descent. So they say.

My friend Flatbush and I were sitting in Izola’s on Chicago’s south side. Army & Lou’s gets all the publicity, but for good soul food at reasonable prices, travel a few blocks northeast. The atmosphere at Izola’s makes one nostalgic. In the case of Flatbush, it makes him long for those better times past.

“Part of the problem we have now,” Flat grimaced, taking a swallow of water, “is that as a people, we have no sense of community. See, we need to return to that time when we were all peaceful, supportive of each other. Together. Unified.”

When was this?

“In the days when it was just us. Think about it. Black folk have done better when it was just us.

“Take the days before this so-called integration. We all lived next to each other, looked out for each other. Black doctors lived on the same street with Black garbage men. Everyone was equal. Because we were all Black, we were forced to stick together.”

What about elite social clubs? The brown paper bag test? Wasn’t Martin Luther King considered a traitor to his class? How many Spellman Sweethearts happily married Stan the garbage man and took him home to meet Doctor Daddy?

“That’s different,” Flatbush waves his hand as he gestures for more lemonade. “We owned all of the businesses in our community.”

So E. Franklin Frazier’s book was off point? And when Dick Gregory and other old heads write of the Jews owning the stores and whatnot in their community, they were making that up?

“I mean, seriously, though. You gotta go back further. See, if we had our collective unity we had when we were put in chains, we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in today.”

I hear you. Isn’t it funny how the Portuguese and other slave runners purposely mixed tribes on the boats, to keep us from even communicating effectively with each other? I mean, what if we could have all said, “Dude, this cruise SUCKS!”, and understood each other?

“Brother Mac, you just lost. Do you realize, at one point in time, we were all kings and queens? We all lived like royalty. This man is who made us a people bent on being against each other. Before they came along, we were a classless society. WE respected each other and held our women above everything.”

Which of the kings and queens sold the other kings and queens to the devils with the boats anchored on the shores? History shows at one point, raiders were afraid to go into the villages, for fear of violent reprisal. So they waited until one group of monarchs marched the other group out and made payment thereafter. I feel the woman thing. Nothing says, “You are my goddess” like “Get back to your hut with the other five wives and the kids. I’ma be over tonight to service you and then leave. You better be pregnant soon or I’m gonna get back the goats I paid for you.” Big Love has proven polygamy is the basis of equality and respect in every relationship, Flat.

Also, I have a really dumb question: how come everybody was a king or queen? Nobody ran the Sub Saharan Starbucks? Nobody was proprietor of the braid shop in Soweto? Which king was the village drum maker? Be real. What about the world’s oldest profession? Which queen was walking the streets of Accra, tiara and all?

“No. You had rulers, but it wasn’t like royalty today. There was no separation. We were all equal.”

So, Flat, lemme get this straight: if I lived back then and decided I need the army to go jack up the dude two villages over cuz he did something to my sister, I could just say, “We all equals. I’ma command two divisions for a few days to go beat on Jerko for bein’ on some disrespect with Shanaqua.”

“You had to have a king. Someone has to be in charge. He was always benevolent, though. He was like a father figure, he always had the village’s best interest at heart. “

Man, they said that about Hitler, too, didn’t they?

“It wasn’t about power. White people invented that power thing. We all lived in love as maintained through the benevolence of the brotha in charge.”

Gotcha. So he was like the Homey King. Catch him on the street, give him some dap, compliment the queen’s derriere and keep it movin’. His family never got any perks. They lived next door to the village garbage man. Never thought, Man, if I’m gonna be king, I better get something out of it…

“That’s that European mindset. We used to do everything for the good of each other.”
I just can’t believe that brothas never tried to use force to remain in power or enrich their tribe. Or better yet, themselves. Everything I learned about Chaka Zulu was wrong! Dang. I’m wondering about that one, Flat. Homey King couldn’t have had just a touch of “Dag it feels good to be on top,” flowing through his veins? As for benevolent, did the cats he traded for guns and what not feel him on that tip? Why guns, by the way? Oh, yeah. To maintain his benevolence, of course.

The check arrived. Flat reached his hand in his jacket, then pulled it out to gesture in that way some brothas do when they want to make a point that only they, the enlightened, can make. This is meant to distract thinking people. After a minute or two of silence, I laid my bank card on top of the check.

“Man, don’t you long for the days when Black folk were just living, you know, perfectly, as one, without any disagreement, drama or strife?”

I don’t know. I wasn’t there.