Ex-black, that is what the American writer and cultural critic Thomas Chatterton Williams calls himself provocatively. Chatterton Williams argues that while there is a lot of attention for the fluidity of gender and sexuality, when it comes to race we are still stuck in binary concepts. Should we stop using racial terminology?
Growing up in the United States, son of a black father from the segregated South en and a white mother from California, Thomas Chatterton Williams never questioned his identity: he was black. This was so fundamental to his self-conception that he never rigorously reflected on its foundations. But his experience of living in France and becoming the father of two white-looking, blonde-haired children led him to question long-held convictions about race and identity. During Vrijdenkersfestival we invite Thomas Chatterton Williams to discuss his quest to unlearn race. Did we bring in the Trojan horse with racial terminology, or is thinking in ‘black’ and ‘white’ the only way to address and fight racism?
About Vrijdenkersfestival
In honnor of the 750th anniversary of Amsterdam, we reflect on our understanding of freedom and what it means to us. Freedom is inextricably linked to Amsterdam; in the 17th century, the city already served as a safe haven for freethinkers and dissenters. In collaboration with the Municipality of Amsterdam, BIMHUIS, and Podium Mozaïek, De Balie is organizing Vrijdenkersfestival for the fifth consecutive time. Between October 31 and November 3, various programs will be presented exploring this theme through debates, theater, and other art forms.
Twenty years ago, Theo van Gogh was murdered. His last words were, ‘Mercy, mercy. Can’t we talk about it?’ Although the Netherlands was deeply divided after the murder, Van Gogh’s plea can be seen as a call to action. How do you keep the conversation going in a country where people seem to be finished talking with each other?
Sprekers
Sunny Bergman is a Dutch filmmaker, writer, and activist whose work critically examines identity, race and gender. In the documentary Zwart als Roet (2014) she examined the Dutch traditions Black Pete, and in Wit is ook een Kleur (2016), she explored white privilege. Her latest book, Mijn Nazi Opa, explores intergenerational trauma. It is a quest to uncover the story of her father’s father, a German Nazi, while also addressing the British background of her mother and the influence of these family lines have on Bergman.
Ikenna Azuike (1979) is a Nigerian British broadcaster living in The Netherlands. Ikenna Azuike began his career as a lawyer and is now a prominent journalist, presenter, speaker, and filmmaker. His documentary series The Afro-European (VPRO) is currently airing on NPO, exploring Afro-European communities. Known for his satirical news show What’s Up Africa on BBC World News, Ikenna also runs Jollof Rice Productions and has created documentaries like Planeet Nigeria (BNNVARA) and Tegenlicht: De Post-Racistische Planeet (VPRO).
Stephan Sanders (1961, Haarlem) is a columnist, presenter, essayist and writer. He has published essays, travel stories, a novel and memoirs. He studied philosophy and political science and has published in various daily and weekly newspapers. Sanders is adopted by Dutch parents. In his book Zon, zee en oorlog (Sun, Sea and War) from 2007, he describes experiences in Cape Town, among other places, where he discovered that his biological father was South African.
Thomas Chatterton Williams (1981, New Jersey) is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Losing My Cool and Self-Portrait in Black and White. He is a visiting professor of humanities and senior fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, a 2022 Guggenheim fellow, and a visiting fellow at AEI. In 2020, Williams led the effort to write the notorious “Harper’s letter” (A Letter on Justice and Open Debate), an open letter in Harper’s Magazine signed by 152 public figures that criticized a culture of “intolerance of opposing views”.
Sprekers
Hoe hou je het gesprek gaande in een land dat met elkaar lijkt uitgepraat? O.a. met Ahmed Marcouch, Dilara Bilgiç, Stephan Sanders, Sunny Bergman, Ikenna Azuike, Katja Schuurman en David de Jongh
Is the UvA a bastion of wokeness? Does the VU let both its Palestinian and its Jewish students down? Were the blockades of Amsterdam University College an expression of academic freedom?
Twintig jaar geleden werd Theo van Gogh op straat in Amsterdam vermoord. Een gebeurtenis die Nederland voorgoed veranderde.
