There were many parts of the last section of the book that I found myself highlighting and re-reading. But there was one quote in particular that I felt added to the reflection of the course. The passage was, "The warmth of dark energies that drew me to The Mecca, that drew out Prince Jones, the warmth of our particular world, is beautiful, no matter how brief and breakable"(p. 147). This section in the text comes after the conversation with Dr. Jones, Prince Jones’ mother. I felt like this moment encompassed the larger picture of the history of the Black community in America. The conversation of struggle has been a major topic in this course, but also the art and the beauty in the community.

When he returns to Howard for the reunion in the paragraph following he talks about what it felt like to return to his community and states, “I felt myself disappearing into all of their bodies” (p. 147). This references not only the importance of the body, but also the importance of community and consenting to the sharing of his body. The body is mentioned so many times in this text and other mediums and the question of ownership and manipulation is debated thoroughly.

In this last section of the text the major themes of the course and the book converge: struggle, beauty and body. The third section demonstrates how they are all separate but how they also all relate to and influence each other.

-Ashley