Dear Dean Magazine: September 2023

M Y R O N J . C L I F T O N
D R . M Y R O N J . C L I F T O N
And America would be much better off it it adopted the
ability that the Black community has to be introspective
and find the humor in difficult times and tough situations.
And judging by the environment the country now finds
itself in — an insurrection, a felonius former president on
trial in multiple states, the rise of fascism, and an aging
white population that will need Black and other non-white
citizens to maintain the country and its place on the world
stage, white America would be so much better off to
emulate Black folk’s ability to laugh.
Because we cannot go forward into a better and happier
future unless and until white people learn to laugh and
express joy the way Black people do.
They can start by not trying to stop us from laughing
because it has never and will never work.
DEAR DEAN MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2023 | p.13