The Wiz
Hey Sunnies,
When I was in high school, I had the pleasure of seeing The Wiz at Carnegie Mellon University. At the time, that was my dream school and I could not wait to attend. (Looking back at my HOWARD degree, I could not imagine any other collegiate experience. It’s HBCUs or buss around this mf lol.) But at the time, Carnegie was my dream school! Honestly, in my high school we were told if you didn’t go to a conservatory, you would be nothing. So, if you were smart and talented, you went to Carnegie. You can imagine the excitement on the 17-year-old Mikaela’s face as my theatre company and I got to watch the production up close. It was giving very exclusive.
I grew up watching The Wiz with my cousin Taylor every time we visited our grandparents in New York. (Emphasis on every time y’all!) My dad and his sisters loved the movie growing up, it was their THING. So it was inevitable that it would be passed down to the next generation. We would dance around on Saturday morning singing every song to the top of our lungs. Anyway, when I saw the production I walked away with a completely different understanding. For the first time I realized each character Dorothy picked up was an ailing black man. The scarecrow wants brains. The Tinman wants a heart. The Lion wants courage. Brains, heart and courage, all things systemic racism still targets our brothers for.
The Tinman’s whole existence is used to scare off other things. Doesn’t that sound familiar? How many Black man aren’t allowed to be their full selves because they are afraid people will be scared of them. How many Black men wear suits, cut off their beards and place glasses on their faces just to be perceived as less scary. How many Black men are hired in roles as security guards or club bouncers just because they look intimidating. But all he really wants is to be given a chance to be intelligent.
The Tinman wanted a heart. He was cursed to feel nothing. Doesn’t that sound familiar? The Black man is told not to feel. Boys don’t cry, from as early as they can remember. They are taught to be cold, that if they are too gentle or too kind it will be seen as weakness. That if their masculinity or the appearance to be heartless doesn’t enter the room first, they will be forced to defend themselves. Society won’t allow Black men to be multi-dimensional. The lion wants courage. He is supposed to be the King of the Jungle but he’s really afraid of everything. Doesn’t that remind you of the anxiety and paranoia Black men often face because of what they’re supposed to be and how they’re supposed to act. If you ever talk to Black men, they’ll share the pressure they feel to look and act a certain way to be accepted.
As me and my Reader’s Theatre cohort walked back to our director’s car in the parking structure, these thoughts wouldn’t let go of me. When we got in the car, I shared it. They listened and life went on, but I never let go of how that play opened my eyes. This past week was Men’s Mental Health Week. I read an alarming statistic that men are 75% more likely to die by suicide. I can’t help but hypothesize it’s because they suffer in silence. I mean, watch the Wiz. By the end of it they realized everything they wanted was already inside of them.
What are you psyching yourself out of?
Now ladies, PLEASE don’t be Dorothy! I am begging you! Forgetting your own problem to help a brother. Forgetting you just want to get home and instead helping someone else get what they need. Surely don’t be the “Wizard”, the structural racism convincing us that if we get there, maybe through financial and/or social status, all of our desires will be fulfilled. Support those you love how you can, it’s okay if you can’t go on the full journey to the Wizard with them. Sometimes they just need a little yellow brick Sunflower to show them the way.
I love y’all so deep. Take good care of yourself.
forever blooming,
Mikaela Amira
