The illuminating absence of Donald Trump
Much has already been said and much will continue to surface on our media feeds in the future about Dave Chappelle’s “Sticks & Stones” Netflix special. The commentary ranges from admiration and surprise to shock and outrage. We won’t dwell on those feelings here, for they are better kept in the intimate and ongoing dialogue between performer and audience.
The only two really important aspects about the performance are this: on October 2018, Mr. Chappelle was honored with the W. E. B. Du Bois Medal, Harvard University’s highest honor in the field of African and African American studies.
In his acceptance speech, embedded below, Mr. Chappelle once again expounded on the multiple issues of class and race that are often featured in his work — highlighting the current expectation of audiences and the general public that comedians “speak with the precision of politicians or attorneys”, which they are not. He then proceeded to announce his next Netflix special, referencing the author James Baldwin and indicating that this coming performance would be, to paraphrase, fiery.
The speech is incredibly moving and should be watched in full.
