Danez Smith on Individuality

This does not hit close to home. It’s dead-on, right to the face.

Smith confirms the “value of community for the marginalised” before letting slip: “You don’t have the luxury of being an individual.” That seems a hell of a thing to say… “I mean it. To be black, queer or poor – to be an individual has always meant death for us. To be a woman alone is dangerous – we teach our daughters that, we teach black people that. Our liberation comes through community, organising, collectivising. Individuality has meant death. Individuality has meant being marooned. Individuality is a privilege, right? The only people who can think of themselves as separate from the other people who have made their lives possible are straight white dudes.”

—The Guardian, Interview with Danez Smith. January 28, 2018