The Call: Still Black

A 'koan' is a riddle or puzzle (question, statement, etc...) that is used in Zen Buddhism; koans are used to open and challenge the mind, contemplate truths and break down one's identity. It is not something that you simply 'solve', rather it is something that you allow to seep into your very being - something you sit with. 

The 10 Race Koans
          As presented to Charles Johnson on the morning of July 13, 2008 (by E. Ethelbert Miller)

RACE KOAN 1

Why is the cotton white and the hands black? 

RACE KOAN 2

How come our ears are always open but we can't hear the sound of freedom? 

RACE KOAN 3

What's the difference between the Colorline and the starting line?

RACE KOAN 4

I have a dream and you have a dream. Do we share the same dream?

RACE KOAN 5

Is sitting in the dark the best way to celebrate Blackness?

RACE KOAN 6

A blind black man boards a bus. What do you notice first his blindness or blackness?

RACE KOAN 7

Do you ever wonder what Stevie Wonder sees?

RACE KOAN 8

When DuBois called Garvey "a Negro with a hat" what was he wearing? 

RACE KOAN 9

When a black fist causes a black eye is this Black Power? 

RACE KOAN 10

Red, white and blue. Red, black and green. What do colors mean?



Check out: The Response - More than Still Black