Chandra, the Quinquagenerian
Today is my 50th birthday and to celebrate, here's a few historic things that happened on July 2nd.
Quinquagenerian: def. A person who is between 50 and 59 years old.
July is a critical month for us in many ways. For one, this month marks the middle of the year. Those new year’s resolutions (if you still make them) are either fully abandoned, inconsistently managed, or being critically evaluated to see if they’re holding up against the strains and the monotony of living. By the time July rolls around, many people enter into a slight state of bewilderment and possibly slight anxiety as they realize that the year is halfway over. Summer is summering by July and we feel every bit of it. Around my way, we have been dealing with excessively hot days with heat indices running between 110 and 115 degrees. July is also the month of summer blockbusters when it comes to films and music.
It is also my birthday month. My special tradition is to celebrate my birthday all month long and that’s what I’ve done in previous years. But this year is different because I’ve been blessed to reach a milestone year. I am 50. As I reflect over the course of my life and most recently, thought about how I want to celebrate this birthday, it was revealed to me that there is so much Life to live. Why pack it into one day? Instead, let’s allow the 50th year to be a full twelve months of tasting life twice, three times or more. Launching this newsletter was the first gift to myself because I actually set this account up a year ago but didn’t publish the first piece until May of this year. As a wonderful surprise, my subscriber base is growing much faster than I thought it would and I’m so geeked about that. I have designated this next twelve months as my Year of Yes. I want to see how many of my heart’s desires can be fulfilled during this 50th year of existence, God willing. To be clear and realistic, I’m not committed to timelines but more so focused on the progressive moment of those things that I have set my heart on. You will be kept posted. Don’t worry.
I want to celebrate my 50 years of living by sharing some key historical moments that occurred and prominent figures that were born on July 2nd. I suggest that you find all of the notable people and things that happened on the day of your birth. It has a way of granting more clarity about your purpose and identity than you realize. Most importantly, it gives you a greater sense of confidence.
People
I share a birthday with some notable and amazing people. For one, Medgar Evers, slain civil rights leader from Mississippi (my home state) was born on July 2, 1925. Then, there is the first African American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, who was born on July 2, 1908. It’s my firm belief that this great ancestor is perhaps rolling over in his grave right about now as he witnesses the deliberate destruction of his legacy at the hands of that soulless Clarence Thomas. Last but not least, Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the newly Democratic Republic of Congo was born on July 2, 1925. The commonality that is clearly obvious here is that all of these men were crusaders for justice and they believed in championing the rights of those oppressed and underserved. I possess that same spirit and over the years, I have wondered where it came from. Perhaps it’s something in the birthday!
Now I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out two very specific commonalities between Evers and Lumumba. Both of these men were born on the same day and year but tragically both of their lives were cut short. They were murdered at the hands of others because of their power and effectiveness of advancing the cause of social justice and independence. While Marshall lived to be in his late eighties, his feat of breaking down the racial barrier at the highest court in the land and a lifetime of groundbreaking work is being dismantled at the hands of someone who would not be there at all if Marshall didn’t choose to overcome those challenges. So, in a way, Marshall is suffering a kind of posthumous death as it relates to the legal precedents that he helped pass for the benefit of marginalized groups in this society.
Films & Music
On July 2, 1986, the film Under the Cherry Moon, was released in theaters nationwide. This was Prince’s second film and it showed a comedic side of Prince, which let us all know that he was indeed human. By the way, I miss him so much. In 1986, that was my thirteenth birthday. I was probably somewhere talking on the phone and maybe going to the skating rink with my cousins.
Also, on July 2, 1991, the film, Boyz in the Hood, premiered in Los Angeles before being released nationwide ten days later. I recall seeing this film for the very first time at the theater and it is officially the first film that made me cry. Ricky!!!!!!! By this time in my life, I had already lost a good friend of mine to gun violence and knew of several boys in my hood who were going into the gang life. Yes, in Mississippi. I turned eighteen in 1991 and I was on my way to Memphis as a freshman at the University of Memphis formerly known as Memphis State University and more lovingly called Tiger High.
Last but definitely not least, De La Soul’s classic album, The Stakes is High, was released on July 2, 1996. This was my 23rd birthday and college life was winding down. The real world was looming and everything associated with that was causing some anxiety in a young woman that wasn’t sure she could truly handle being on her own, but she was fearless enough to try. Blessedly, I still had Hip Hop to motivate me and for many of us in my generation, we were experiencing the first tastes of adulthood. So, yes, the stakes were high indeed.
Of course, there’s much more than that but y’all don’t have that kind of time and I don’t either because it is still my birthday!!! Ciao for now! If you want to show some birthday love to me, please share The Literary Lightworker and ask all of your people to subscribe!
Next Up: An Inspired By set of writings dedicated to Hip Hop since the culture is celebrating 50 years. Also, there will be a series dedicated to my home state of Mississippi. Make sure you’re subscribed so all of this work can hit your inboxes as soon as it’s published! Also, don’t forget to share!
To all of my current subscribers, thank you so much! I appreciate you trusting me with your time by reading my newsletter.