as Pullman Porters were generally stripped of their own identity and called "George" in homage to the company's founder, George Pullman).
I am the Beholder
What's in a Name?
It has often been said that justice, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Well, darling, that's me ...
I am Lady Justice.
I was born into the world the brainchild of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, who wanted to present himself as the paragon of impartiality and, in doing so, created me. I am the personification of fair play for those seeking truth and a redress of their grievances. From the moment I was crowned as the Roman goddess Justitia (Lady Justice, if you will), until this very day, the world has taken note of the power I wield in temples of jurisprudence everywhere. In fact, the very mention of my name demands immediate respect and invokes a modicum of fear from even the strongest of individuals. You may not like me, but you will respect me. Of this, I have no doubt.
Having a name is the first and most important gift that each of us are given at birth, one that will generally follow us for the rest of our lives. As babies, we immediately identify with, and respond to, the sound of our names when uttered by the ones we love and those who love us. As children, we begin to build our names, our brand if you will, and start to understand that our reputations truly proceed us. As adults, we hope to cultivate a name that is integral to the legacy we will leave long after we are gone. But having no name at all, is both wounding to the spirit and debilitating to one's own sense of self, rendering that individual worthless to those that choose to see them, and all but invisible to everyone else. Just as it was intended.
For nearly one hundred years, from the collapse of slavery in the South in 1865, until the 1960's, countless Black men traded their enslavement for employment as a Pullman Porter on America's railroads. Responsible for serving as ushers for passengers along the rail lines, these men were universally referred to as "George" (in honor of the owner of the company, George Pullman), thus stripping them of their sense of self and putting them in the same conundrum that Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" experienced as an individual without his own identity. But never fear... I am here. The world may not know your names, Black men, and may refuse to see you... but I have never taken my eyes off of you.
I am Lady Justice.
The stories I will share with you in this book, hearken back to the fictional experiences of a Black man I will present to some and reintroduce to others; one without a name or an individual identity who, in many ways, did not exist, but is as real as you and I. As your narrator on this, your path to compassion and understanding, I will also introduce you to other Black men, from various walks of life who, like the "Invisible Man", have spent their lives seeking to be seen for their individual contributions, but unlike the "Invisible Man", they are real, very real, and so are their individual, yet collective, experiences. As the reader, you should note that it is where their personal experiences intersect, regardless of their income or education levels, that the truth of America is exposed. As the guardian of that truth, you should also be mindful of the fact that I have an ugly underbelly that would shock your conscience, were I to lift my gown. In theory, I’m blind. In reality, I see everything. Don't let the tipped scales fool you.
I am Lady Justice.
I am the muse that lovers seek, but only some will ever find. I’m the cream in your cup of Starbucks coffee—paying customers only, please! Everyone wants me, but I tend to play hard to get. A lady must have standards, right? And if you want my undivided attention, please know it's going to cost you, because I am no cheap thrill. In his poem, "Let America Be America Again," Langston Hughes, an African American poet who emerged during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, declared: “America was never America to me." And he was right, I must admit. Especially, Hughes observed, as it relates to her citizens of color.
"O, let my land be a land where Liberty/ Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath/ But opportunity is real, and life is free/ Equality is in the air we breathe./ There's never been equality for me/ Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free." America was never America to me". (Hughes, p. 15-21).
In eighteenth century America, when the framers of the United States Constitution embedded within the Declaration of Independence the three ideals that made its citizens quintessentially “American,” namely the rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” those inherent truths were initially guaranteed only to white men with money. Initially... What is less understood, however, is that in twenty-first century America, one can’t truly enjoy "life," and the "pursuit of happiness," without the “liberty” one needs to search for them in earnest. And that's where I come in...
I am Lady Justice.
In 1507, with the publishing of the Waldseemüller Map, which included the newly "discovered" continent that would thereafter be called "America", the country that would become the United States has been a complex ideal of one nation, theoretically indivisible, but in reality indelibly divided and perpetually angry, one side with the other. Moreover, since its organizational inception in 1776, the country has been continually locked in an epic struggle between the sociopolitical realities of those fighting for change, versus the intractable views of those urging "more of the same". And, at varying points in its history, one ideal has prevailed over the other. Throughout this time, however, as a nation established by and for "white slave holders who wanted to be free", willing to decimate an entire group of people - namely Native Americans - to take the land for themselves, America's name and reputation has been met with skepticism and wariness almost everywhere. But, to be fair, that's only one aspect of what can arguably be described as the "greatest country on earth."
Since the founding of its republic, America's brand has also been synonymous with hope, opportunity, and "generosity; of spirit"; welcoming those from around the world willing to contribute to our society, an opportunity to enter through the golden door of liberty. With that being said, however, America is also known for standing with the oppressed, responding to tragedies and natural disasters and promoting economic opportunity and free market capitalism all around the world. As a force for good, the United States has stared down the world's most scurrilous dictator, Adolph Hitler; defeating Nazism and fascism in one fell swoop. As a beacon of hope, America has held aloft the lamp of liberty for those who seek better opportunities. As a land of unending opportunity, America has been the only place on the globe that someone with nothing can make something of themselves.
Time and again, the United States has risen to the call of leadership and, in doing so, has continued to secure democracy and defeat tyranny for countless individuals "yearning to breathe free". I should know, I helped to make all of that happen. As the ultimate protector of freedom, I, too, sing America. I just pick my lyrics carefully and always put my best foot forward. After all...
I am Lady Justice.
In my America, justice is often an expensive proposition. So, "tip me now, that way I will know how to serve you!" For it is I, who stands between you and the ravenous wolves, chomping at the bit, waiting to tear you limb from limb. And whether or not I cast you into the depths of the "just us" system (as some have come to call it), has little to do with your guilt or innocence, and more to do with your pedigree. If you've got the "complexion for protection" or a mountain of money--preferably both--then by all means... let's make a deal. If not, take your chances.
It has often been said, "the more things change, the more they remain the same." I can vouch for that. Times have changed, and so have I. Sort of... You see, unlike the year 1952, when Ellison introduced us to his "Invisible Man" (what was his name again?), in today's America, freedom is no longer just black or white--but green! "It's all about the Benjamins baby!"
Now, I consider that progress!
When