It was the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 that sparked radicalness in a young Arthur Flowers.

“It personalized the Civil Rights Movement for me,” said Flowers, now an associate professor of English and textual studies at Syracuse University. “Before that I’d been on picket lines, but after, we charged the police and got into all kinds of riots.”

Flowers can recall standing beside his mother during King’s final speech and leading his high school class out into the streets after King’s assassination. Flowers said Martin Luther King Jr. Day is considered a day to look back on not only King’s journey to success, but also his own.

Flowers, who grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, has gone through various phases in his life, he said. For a while, he held the same eager and somewhat impatient attitude he says many student protesters have today. When looking back on his own life, Flowers admitted it took him a long time to move beyond the adrenaline rush of protesting to figuring out how to leave a lasting legacy.

He says he was at his lowest point when he battled homelessness, a cocaine addiction and fear for his future. But around the late 1980s when he picked up a church pamphlet, the words on that piece of paper, Flowers said, inspired him to change his life. After years of being an angry, power-obsessed activist, Flowers said he realized that he was meant to be a prophet, not a protester.

“All these things that I’m trying to do now — be a prophet, make an impact beyond my time — came from being stripped of everything,” Flowers said. “It’s like those classic hero quest things. You go out, you get broken, you bring back power.”

Flowers said the pamphlet helped him learn the best way to spread one’s own beliefs is through written scripture because it can endure the test of time.

Applying this lesson to his own life, Flowers shifted from being a physical activist to a prophetic one. He realized he would have a long-term effect through his passion and talent for writing, while events like sit-ins and riots only got him temporary attention, Flowers said. He now feels his job is to teach to others the discoveries he has made throughout his life.

From an early age, Flowers said he was expected to do something special. His two high school nicknames — “Bullet,” because of the 50 caliber machine gun bullet he always wore around his neck, and “Mr. Brain,” because he was at the top of his class — confirmed he had the guts and the smarts to do so.

The radicalness sparked by King’s assassination carried on through his college career and inspired his decision to join the Army. Throughout the Vietnam War, Flowers continued to defy authority so much that he was almost kicked out of the Army on three separate occasions, he said.

For the next 10 years after the war, Flowers was determined to speak for angry black veterans. But his angry, “I want it now” attitude, Flowers admitted, did not get him very far.

The novelist, essayist and performance poet said he has been invested in “improving humanity” since his childhood days in Memphis, Tennessee.

“This man got knocked down enough times to not get back up,” said Elise Flowers, his younger sister. “The average person would’ve quit, but he persevered throughout his life.”

The professor’s activist attitude is still with him now at SU, though his view on activism has evolved. Flowers is no longer the defiant fighter he was 30 years ago, but describes himself as “an arm chair revolutionary” who is active through his writing and teaching.

Flowers sees a lot of his young self in the SU students involved in recent campus protests, which is why he wrote a statement of support for THE General Body last semester. But Flowers said he also worries that the students are just “in love with the grease paint and excitement” and in need of a plan.

George Saunders, English and textual studies professor at SU and an old friend of Flowers, learned some of his greatest life lessons from him.

“Arthur showed me that we aren’t just trying to get over or enhance our own situation. Rather, we are participating in a long tradition of giving,” Saunders said.

One thing Flowers emphasizes to his students is the importance of thinking generationally, and one way he encourages this is through art. Whether it is through literature, music or painting, a legacy is left and it is the artists’ responsibility to make sure their legacy will strengthen future generations, Flowers said.

Rod Jackman, a former student of Flowers when he taught in New York City, said he meets many decisions in his professional and personal life with one question.

“What would Arthur do?”

Published on January 20, 2015 at 12:03 am

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