By Julia Berkman
Funmilola Fagbamila is a lot of things. An activist, poet, artist, speaker, student, professor- and she does it all with love and admiration for her community.
Fagbamila’s upcoming play, The Intersection, focuses on the intersections of privilege within the black community.
The idea of critiquing your in-group is important to Fagbamila, who believes that calling people in your community in, rather than out, is a form of respect and love.
“Ideological differences exist within black communities within subjects of gender, sexuality, etc. When we engage in these topics, it feels divisive… There’s pressure for intraracial loyalty- you have to be accepting of everybody from your race,” she said.
“[Intraracial loyalty] has not created the room to be critical of each other as we need to be to move forward in a healthy way.”
We caught up with her ahead of her talk at Western this week. Unfortunately, the recording was corrupted, but we were able to salvage this part. This interview has been condensed and edited for readability.
How are you doing? I know you’re coming to Western next week. Do you visit a lot of colleges?
I’m doing well and I am coming to Western next week and I do visit a lot of colleges! Generally the colleges are in California, but yeah. I’m on campus a lot.
So you’re teaching at Cal State right now, correct?
Yes, I teach at Cal State LA and I did a residency with [youths] last year for some time for an entire quarter. So essentially I was there as an activist in Redmonds for a quarter to have discussions about my work with the community.
What kind of classes are you teaching at Cal State right now?
African American history; race, gender and class; black feminism and womanism which essentially is similar to a race and gender class dealing with the ways in which we understand how gender intersect as it pertains to social, political and economic relations.
What advice would you give to black students at Western?
So, what advice would I give to a black students? It would be to find your community, to find the people that are like minded. Most of the time that’s going to be students of color. Include students of color in the conversation with the people that get it about what you’re feeling on campus, so it kind of demystifies things in your mind so that you know that you are not exaggerating. You know that you’re not making anything up about the microaggressions that you hear, feel, experience on campus and the energy that you feel because it also this energetic thing that exists when you’re in space and on a campus or in an environment where you don’t feel like you are able to be your complete self without some type of judgement. Or, you feel in some way shape or form surveilled because of your identity. So, finding your identity is important. Being willing to protect your mental health but also challenge people when necessary. Whether that is your peers on campus or an administrator that is possibly engaging in problematic behavior or microaggressions. Or, whether that is the professor that is teaching something that is not accurate or that is biased or that is not a reflection of an understanding of the experience of those who are marginalized by the systems of this country.
Fagbamila speaks on Tuesday, February 6 at 6:30 p.m. in Miller Hall 138.