The Prophets

by Robert Jones, Jr.

  Seeing you on screens and stages, as well as behind them, gave me self-esteem and the gift of daring to follow a dream: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Adepero Adoye, Kofi Agyemang, Erika Alexander, Alana Arenas, Nicholas L. Ashe, Reginald L. Barnes, Angela Bassett, Nicole Behari, Asante Blackk, Nahum Bromfield, Yvette Nicole Brown, Roscoe Lee Browne, Jade Bryan, Dyllón Burnside, LeVar Burton, Rosalind Cash, Diahann Carroll, Rashan Castro, Rodney Chester, Denzel Chisholm, Stanley Bennett Clay, Michaela Coel, Ryan Coogler, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Laverne Cox, Julie Dash, Loretta Devine, Aunjanue Ellis, Yance Ford, Dawn Lyen Gardner, Marla Gibbs, Rashad E. Greene, Danai Gurira, Lisa Gay Hamiton, dream hampton, Winnie Harlow, Jackeé Harry, Brian Tyree Henry, Monique Angela Hicks, José Hollywood, Gwen Ifill, Dominique Jackson, Michael R. Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Jharrel Jerome, Christopher Jirau, Mustapha Khan, Regina King, Eartha Kitt, Kasi Lemmons, Deondray & Quincy LeNear-Gossett, Donja Love, Moms Mabley, Tina Mabry, Rajendra R. Maharaj, Sara’o Maozac, Sonequa Martin-Green, Sampson McCormick, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Akili McDowell, Edgar Mendez, S. Epatha Merkerson, Janet Mock, Indya Moore, Stacey Muhammad, Terrence Nance, Niecy Nash, Adaora Nwandu, Lupita Nyong’o, LaWanda Page, Keke Palmer, Tammy Peay, Numa Perrier, Tonya Pinkins, Patrik-Ian Polk, Billy Porter, Aamer Rahman, Naima Ramos-Chapman, Dee Rees, Della Reese, Shonda Rhimes, Beah Richards, J. August Richard, Bobby Rivers, MJ Rodriguez, Anika Noni Rose, Angelica Ross, Shaun Ross, Aston Sanders, Narubi Selah, Gabourey Sidibe, Justin Simien, Madge Sinclair, Brian Michael Smith, Justice Smith, Jussie Smollett, Doug Spearman, Darryl Stephens, Tika Sumpter, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Andre Leon Talley, Regina Taylor, Lorraine Toussaint, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Gabrielle Union, Alok Vaid-Menon, Pernell Walker, Kerry Washington, Benjamin Charles Watson, Jr., Alek Wek, Rutina Wesley, Emile Wilbekin, Paul Winfield, Oprah Winfrey, George C. Wolfe, Charlayne Woodard, Tyquane Wright, and Bradford Young.

  Your unmatchable skill and enviable diligence are wonders to behold. Thank you: Simone Biles, DeWanna Bonner, Elena Delle Donne, Gabby Douglas, Candice Dupree, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Natasha Howard, Mae Jemison, Allie Quigley, Caster Semenya, Courtney Vandersloot, Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams.

  Thank you for the beauty of aesthetic truth: Derrick Adams, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jamal Campbell, Olivier Coipel, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Jermaine Curtis Dickerson, Bilquis Evely, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Ramona Fradon, Paul Gagner, Vashti Harrison, Phil Jiménez, Kerry James Marshall, Jamie McKelvie, Kadir Nelson, Mikael Owunna, Jennifer Packer, Gordon Parks, Aaron Radney, Khary Randolph, Trina Robbins, Roger Robinson, Will Rosado, Jacolby Satterwhite, Augusta Savage, Ashleigh Shackelford, Liam Sharp, Alma Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Alberto Vargas, Kara Walker, Kara Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley, and Ashley A. Woods.

  Your vision helps me to navigate unkind terrain. Thank you: Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Ella Baker, Joseph Beam, Derrick Bell, Charles M. Blow, Tarana Burke, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Angela Davis, Joy DeGruy, Mona Eltahawy, bell hooks, Barbara Jordan, Barbara Lee, Audre Lorde, Manning Marable, Marlon Riggs, Assata Shakur, Harriet Tubman, Desmond Tutu, and Malcolm X.

  Your courage is a balm, but also a shield. Thank you for service and sacrifices: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Phillip Agnew, John Amaechi, Robert Bailey, Dee Barnes, Jesse Ray Beard, Mychal Bell, Richard Blanco, Lanisha Bratcher, Robyn Crawford, Wade Davis II, Anita Hill, Rachel Jeantel, Marsha P. Johnson, Carwin Jones, Gia Marie Love, Erica Malunguinho da Silva, Erica Malunguinho da Silva, Antron McCray, Michel’le, Wes Moore, Bree Newsome, Stella Nyanzi, Bryant Purvis, Raz-B, Kevin Richardson, Sylvia Rivera, Yusef Salaam, Karol Sanchez, Raymond Santana, Theo Shaw, Bryan Stevenson, William Dorsey Swann, Ciara Taylor, Zaya Wade, Jewel Thais-Williams, Korey Wise.

  I learned at the altar of your boundless wisdom. Thank you for being my teachers: Moustafa Bayoumi, Prudence Cumberbatch, Michael Cunningham, Stacy D’Erasmo, Wendy Fairey, Howard Firestone, Pamela Grace, Irene Horowitz, Rosamond King, Jerome Krase, Laura Mattiga, Jenny Offil, Laurie Pea, Alexis Emilia Pierre-Louis, Madelon Rand (RIP), Joan Reale, Dorothy Rompalske, Ramsey Scott, Robyn C. Spencer, Ellen Tremper, Brooke Watkins, Salim Washington, and Kee Yong.

  Thank you for your gifts, and your commitments to the word and the truth: Ashley Akunna, Zaheer Ali, Michael Arcenaux, Eroc Arroyo-Montano, Kenyette Barnes, Regina N. Bradley, Yaba Blay, Richard Brookshire, Jericho Brown, Clay Cane, Jasmyne Cannick, Maisy Card, Rebecca Carroll, Cody K. Charles, Roger Cipo, Hillary, Lemu, and King Kinti Crosley-Coker, Brittney Cooper, Timothy DuWhite, Chana Ginelle Ewing, Ayesha K. Faines, Kimberly N. Foster, Donte Gibson, Kieron Gillen, Jenn Jackson, Fatima Jamal, George M. Johnson, Myles E. Johnson, Kimberly Jones, Sarah Karim, Ibram X. Kendi, R.O. Kwon, Angel Laws, Creighton Lee, Inigo Leguda, Jamilah Lemieux, Felice León, Maurice Lucas, Tamika Mallory, Shane McCrae, Tiq Milan, Darnell L. Moore, Isabelle Mosado, Frank Mugisha, Eddie Ndopu, Mark Anthony Neal, Tambay Obenson, Oronike Odeleye, Josh Odom, Nnedi Okorafor, Daniel Jose Older, José Guadalupe Olivarez, LaSha Patterson-Verona, Brontez Purnell, Imani Perry, Tony Puryear, Helen Phillips, Ayanna Pressley, Donovan X. Ramsey, Franchesca Ramsey, Kiley Reid, Sonya Renee, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Namwali Serpell, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, Danez Smith, Kaila Adia Story, Rebecca Theodore-Vachon, Steven Thrasher, Ezinne Ukoha, Ocean Vuong, Imani J. Walker, Lawrence Ware, Kirsten West-Savali, G. Willow Wilson, De’Shawn Charles Winslow, Ravyn Wngz, Ashley Yates, Damon Young, and Hari Ziyad.

  Thank you, squad, for lifting me up, having my back, and “holding me down”: Clinton Adams, Irva Adams, Robert Agyemang, Trey Alexander, Yasmin Ali, Henry Anderson, Keisha-Gaye Anderson, Torrese Arquee, John Avelluto, Ivan Baptiste, Monique Baylor-McCall and family, Marie-Helene Bertino, Lemmie Blakemore, Karen Blitz, Jonathan Lee Bowles (you got next!), D’Ambrose Boyd, Jason Boston, Beqi Brinkhorst, Daniela Brown, Zedrick Brown, Aishah Bruno, Quonnetta Calhoun, Horace & Bryant Campbell-Coleman and family, Tyrone H. Cannon, Bernadette Canty, Ray Caspio, Seve Chambers, Madonna Charles, Sandra Clarke, Don “DJ” Davis, Kiev Davis and family, Camille DeBose, Lisa Del Sol, Gwen Devoe, Gerado “Gee” DiFeo, Robert Finley, Jr., Zinga A. Fraser, Erika Frierson, Steven G. Fullwood, Stephen Funches, Tungi Fussell, Alyssa Gargiulo, Tanisha Green, Natalia Guarin-Klein, Feargal Halligan, Justin LaRocca Hansen, Mobina Hasmi, Addie Hopes, Reginald Idlett, Lacy D. Jamison, Loretta Jenkins, James W. Jennings, Tasha Jones, Vondia “Peaches” Jones, Thomas Jordan, Greg Jurick-Blackshear, Meghan Keane, Jennifer Kikoler, David Kim, Amy Klopert, Kevel C. Lindsay, Katy Maslow, Dina Maugeri, Shayne McGregor, Kristen Meinzer, Kamela Mohabeer, Cristina Moracho, Cynthia Naughton-Goodman and family, Doreen Naughton, Michelle Naughton and family, Natalie Naughton and family, Nicole Naughton-Lincoln and family, Pamela Naughton-Allen and family, Barry Nelson, Kevin Dwayne Nelson, Karen Parker, Bernadette Parker-Canty, Lucille Pascall, Bones Patterson, Audrey Peterson, Anthonine Pierre, Alexzia Plummer, Temika Polk, Cory Provost, Anthony Punt, Rhea Rahman, Shais Rison, Carrie Roberts (RIP), Maya Rock, Marlene Saez, Michael Santana, Crystal Schloss, Jeffrey Severe, Nichole Simon, Mark Simpson, Jared Shuler, Kevin Smith, Moraima Smith, Nicole St. Clair, Tyrone “Flyronee” Stevens, Aimee Stevland, Renee Straker and family, Bernard Tarver; Mammen, Betsy, Saramma and Suma Thomas; Lealand Thompson, Randi Vegh (RIP), Melissa Velez, Stanley Walker, Raina Washington, Darryl “The Griot” Watson, Zora Wells, Jackie Williams, Trina Yearwood, and Keith Zackowitz.

  To the entire Son of Baldwin community: Thank you for the discussions, the disagreements, the laughs, the tears, the love, and the pain. You have elevated me and provided sanctuary. You educated and enlightened me. Y’all are so, so dope. Thank you so very much.

  To my JanFam, my Rhythm Nation: You are all black diamonds: Shawn Arnold, Vincent Bernard, Roger Brown, Elgin “Emperor” Charles, Michaela Harrison, Lamont Hicks, Harold Jacobs, Gray Lappin, Jordan Listenbee, J. C. and Mike Litherland-Neilson, Ify “Angie” Olie, Denise P. Oliver, Ralphie Scarborough, Robert Snowden, and Thomas “Trey” Simpson.

  To my Marlboro Projects family: Through all the ups and all the downs
—and those downs were ROUGH!—we found community. Thank you.

  To the booksellers, libraries, readers, and all makers and lovers of books: Thank you. A special thank you to Sarah McGrath at Riverhead, Peter Blackstock at Grove, Kate Medina at Random House, Alison Lorentzen at Viking, Erin Wicks at HarperCollins, and Barbara Jones at Henry Holt.

  To oppressed peoples caught up in the prison industrial complex: May true justice, rehabilitation, and reconciliation prevail.

  Shout out to sex workers and to every House of every Ball. May you all be Safe.

  Halsey Street: You are forever in my heart.

  We speak your names: Tanisha Anderson, Ahmaud Arbery, Ricky Beeks, Sean Bell, Sandra Bland, Muhlaysia Booker, Rekia Boyd, Rashawn Brazell, Kalief Browder, Venida Browder, Michael Brown, Eleanor Bumpurs, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, Coobah, John Crawford III, Kaladaa Crowell, Michelle Cusseaux, Amadou Diallo, Jamie Doxtator, Henry Dumas, George Floyd, Janisha Fonville, Ezell Ford, Korryn Gaines, Eric Garner, Erica Garner, Pearlie Golden, Ramarley Graham, Oscar Grant, Freddie Gray, the Grenfell Fire victims, Sakia Gunn, Akai Gurley, Latasha Harlins; Markis, Hannah, Jeremiah, Devonte, Abigail, and Ciera Hart; Yusuf Hawkins, Stephen Hicks, Tony Hughes, Kyra Inglett, Malik Jackson, Botham Jean, Atatiana Jefferson, Marquis Jefferson, Duanna Johnson, Kendrick Johnson, Kathryn Johnston, Bettie Jones, India Kager, Oliver Lacy, Stephen Lawrence, Errol Lindsey, Renisha McBride, Tony McDade, Laquan McDonald, Natasha McKenna, Brandi Mells, Ernest Miller, Margaret LaVerne Mitchell, Kayla Moore, Shanta, Jeremiah, and Shanise Myers, Yahira Nesby, Islan Nettles, the New Cross house fire victims, Sean Reed, Bailey Reeves, Tamir Rice, Aura Rosser, Relisha Rudd, Walter Scott, Anthony Sears, Konerak Sinthasomphone, Eddie Smith, Raymond Smith, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Curtis Straughter, Breonna Taylor, David Thomas, Emmett Till, Tituba, Mary Turner, Matt Turner, Nia Wilson, and too, too many others.

  To the Native, Indigenous, First Nation People whose land I was born and natured on: Thank you.

  To the entire African diaspora and all marginalized peoples everywhere: Together we can create a movement. Together we can smash injustice. Love makes us capable of both things.

  About the Author

  Robert Jones, Jr., was born and raised in New York City. He received his BFA in creative writing with honors and MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Essence, OkayAfrica, The Feminist Wire, and The Grio. He is the creator of the social justice social media community Son of Baldwin. Jones was recently featured in T Magazine's cover story, "Black Male Writers of Our Time." The Prophets is his debut novel.

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