The Damage of Monarchies - What is Freedom of Speech in the 21st Century?

As I turn on my television, as I do most mornings, there are continued remnants of the death of Queen Elizabeth II,? and the arrival of the new King, her son, Charles III. In these modern times, we have social media, platforms where others are free to express themselves and their experiences. On these platforms, I have witnessed those who admire and elevate the Queen, welcoming the new King - while others celebrate the end of a 70 years reign in which someone who had the power and authority to rewrite history, for particular populations, failed to do so and as a result, their wishes are not being so well received or eloquently displayed.?

We live in a world where we no longer get to merely read a history textbook. The internet, travel, and human-to-human interactions and exchanges have brought us closer to what some may refer to as a “woke” mentality. Globalization has brought us closer to one another by being able to compare and contrast our experiences both locally and globally, and in real-time. This glocalization of the world has connected those who have shared experiences allowing for a deeper understanding and a more compassionate and empathetic exchange? - however, we also get to experience those who are so disconnected from history, interpret history differently,? or are illusioned by other factors that a mere death becomes a shouting match over an array of things “that should have been done, but wasn’t.”

If we paid attention in school, most of us have the common sense to understand what colonization did to this world - the only thing we can say with pure certainty is that we don’t know what the world would be like today had Europeans, in particular,? not waged war on other societies through the very destructive, demeaning and dehumanizing methods in which they chose to dominate the world order. We also know with certainty, that in the modern world some people choose to continue admiring monarchies that have the power to influence the necessary changes to restore order, decency, and humanity in the places their ancestors chose to bastardize and colonize. These things we know for certain - so it begs the question, why haven’t European countries begun to repair the damage their ancestors caused and why do they feel so comfortable and complacent with perpetuating this behavior in the modern world??

My understanding would be that these people struggle with their own identity and rather than embrace the totality of the world created, they choose to fall back on what they believe to be traditions, the same traditions that exempted others from participating in society, government, and the world - they again, get to write the history without consequence to the lives they continue to traumatize and damage through their lack of understanding, compassion, and true humanity.? Of course, some will argue that some countries that colonized have begun to repair the damages - my question would then be, was this a mutually beneficial agreement, or was it again, a larger more powerful body telling a smaller much less impressionable body what they are willing to compromise with and when??

As an educator, in the American education system, it is my responsibility to allow my students to have a voice whether I agree or disagree with their opinions, realities, or versions of their truths - it is not my responsibility to acknowledge they are wrong but rather to give them insight and perspective to how others may view and experience these situations, events, and life in general. As educators, we must protect the voices of all of our students, and in return, we get to continue having our voice,? our freedom, as educators to deliver the “woke” truth - because this matters. Our children deserve to not grow up in a world of illusions but rather one where we can face the past and discuss how horrific it was for many while discussing the future where we should all have an equal and fair opportunity to live and succeed, in our own right.?

The impetus for this writing comes from the backlash received by Dr. Uju Anya, Professor of applied linguistics, critical sociolinguistics, and critical discourse studies at Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Anya, a Nigerian-born professor and esteemed member of the academic research community was ousted from her career at Carnegie Mellon University because her views and words did not settle well with that of the PWI she taught at. Dr. Anya spoke the truth from her actual experiences with the British monarch as a colonizer of her country.? By sharing her experiences, as uneloquent, as it was for some, it was not received well, possibly because the world we live in is so euro basic that fragility amongst this group is more important than someone having the safe space to share their actual experiences with decency, understanding, and respect. The European perspective allows many to live in their illusioned bubble while others still struggle to pick up and put back together the pieces of their past. As a Black professor at a PWI, I feel that I must evaluate my communication,? my ability to voice my perspectives openly, and the reality of what is possible for me. No one, in any democratic society, should ever feel silenced - yet history has already dictated this and as we’ve seen with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, even 70 years of watching the world evolve, watching people migrate and intermingle aren’t enough for any establishments to begin accepting the truth from others who populate the world as something that is valid and honored.?

We will not solve our issues in the world, we will not have peace and safety until we begin to listen to each other on the most basic levels, leaving what we think we know in the background and absorbing what other humans are telling us about their actual experiences on this planet. We will often not like what we hear, but in a democracy, we get to speak our mind, we get to state our truths - after all, everyone who isn’t considered white or caucasian has had to listen to a watered-down, insulting version of history for centuries and we never complained…Until now.?

May the Queen rest in whatever fashion her maker has designed for her and may her family return all of the things she and her ancestors stole from every corner of the planet including dignity, respect, and liberty to Bermuda, Barbados, Jamaica, Bahamas, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos, British Indian Ocean Territories, Gibraltar, Gambia colony and protectorate, British Cameroon, Grenada, Brunei, Falkland Islands,? British Togoland, British Guiana, Cape Colony, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda, East Africa protectorate, Solomon Island and Tuvalu.

At what point is freedom of speech equal for everyone and at what point should a career be compromised because someone disagrees with something that they have an actual relationship to?

G-d bless this world because, as I see it, we are heading in a really dangerous direction.?