The Folding Chair: A Symbol of Resistance and Community 

empty white wooden folding chairs
Alyssa Guzik
January 21, 2025

Ah, the folding chair. It's such a simple, everyday household item. It is brought to every barbecue and game of spades. How did it become such a Black staple?

First things first, the folding chair has been Black. Patented by Nathaniel Alexander in 1911, he took an existing design and did what Black folks do—put some stank on it. He made the folding chair more convenient, portable, and accessible.

Rep. Shirley Chisholm was not to be messed with.  As the First Black woman in Congress and to run for President for a major party, the unbought and unbossed Chisholm didn't play. She knew the political power of the folding chair: "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair."

The Alabama Brawl, or Cinco De Negro as it's affectionately called, became a moment of Black solidarity and resistance. When a Black riverboat captain was attacked, brothers and sisters in arms came to the rescue. The defining item of this moment? The all-purpose white folding chair.

We may change song lyrics and make skits online. But when it comes to resistance, we will use anything we can grab, to stand up for ourselves and our brothers and sisters. Then we’ll have a good laugh at ourselves later.

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