Brotherhood, Place and Identity: The Meeting of the Rivers in Lucille Clifton's All Us Come Cross the Water (1989)

Brotherhood, Place and Identity: The Meeting of the Rivers in Lucille Clifton's All Us Come Cross the Water by Dlanne Johnson The elements of place, social relationships, and Identity come together quite dramatically 1n Ludlle Clifton's marvelous All Us Come Cross the Water, her most explicit statement on "brotherhood," on the meeting of the rivers 1n the African diaspora. The most obvious message of All Us Come Cross the Water 1s that most Black peoples of the New World all arrived there together on slave ships. To a great degree then, CHfton acknowledges a bond between Black peoples based solely on their common place of origin 1n Africa. It 1s this assumption, at once simplistic and problematic, that Instigates the story's movement. The main character and narrator, Ujamaa (or J1m), describes the opening episode 1n this way: I got this teacher name Miss Wills. TMs day she come asking everybody to tell where they people come from. Everybody from over 1n the same place suppose to stand up by thelrselves. (pages unnumbered) When Ujamaa neither says anything nor stands up, the teacher reproaches Mm: "We must not be ashamed of ourselves, J 1m," she say. "You are from a great heritage. ... Now you know you are from Africa, don't you?" (pages unnumbered) Ujamaa gives the pol 1 te retort, "Yes, mam," and walks out 1n disgust stemming from the fact that he knows Africa 1s a continent rather than a country. As throughout Clifton's canon, there 1s no recoiling here from situations of conflicts and d1 sharmony—the teacher and student (perhaps Identified more accurately as elder and youth) are at a complete Impasse. The teacher lacks any Insight Into the source of Ujamaa's distress, even to the point that she Improperly defines his actual feelings. His actions stem from the fact that he 1s Indeed proud of Ms heritage rather than ashamed. And though he 1s not completely knowledgeable about Ms origins, he 1s appalled and disappointed that his elder 1s even less Informed. Thus, Ujamaa's quest becomes one of search for Information and education. Ujamaa Mmself assumes the role of researcher and teacher. Ujamaa's Investigation Into Ms past begins by questioning Ms sister, Rose, a nursing student much older than Mmself. Her reply Is that their deceased mother was from Rome, Georgia and their father from Birmingham. "Before that," Ujamaa Implores. She answers that their grandfather was from Georgia also. When Ujamaa presses the question she laughs, "They wasn't no way back before that. Before that we was a slave." Thinking that Rose sickens Mm, he walks away to try with Ms next Informant, Ms father. After thinking back as far as Birmingham, he mumbles, "Boy, I'm too tired to fool with you. Go ask B1g Mama them questions." B1g Mama 1s Ujamaa's "Mama's Mama's Mama." "She real old and she don't say much, but she see things cause she was born with a veil over her face." Not surprisingly, H 1s she who gives Ujamaa the most penetrating yet most elusive reply. First, she tells Mm that her mother and grandmother came from Dahomey 1n Whydah 1n 1855. When Ujamaa responds too quickly with, "That 32 mean I'm from Whydah?" She continues, telling Mm that Ms father's "people look Hke Ashantl people. They come from south 1n Ghana." The remainder of the conversation 1s, for the moment, no more enlightening for Mm: "That mean I'm from Ashantl people?" She say, "Who are you, boy?" I say, "I'm Ujamaa." Shoot, she know who I am, H was her give me my name. She say, "Go on now then. I'm through." (pages unnumbered) Making a much more complex statement than the brevity of her words suggest, 1n a manner akin to the West African proverbial tradition to which she 1s heir, B1g Mama 1s confident 1n her clarity. Ujamaa, though, 1s not yet quite sure about the Implications of what she has said to Mm. The one part of the reply that he does Identify as being significant 1s her focus on "name" as a crucial and telling point. When...