Rex Stuart (T.2s) had made a pile as the star of the soap opera Sorrows and Trials. He’d set up his film company to cater to the streaming market. Right now, Afro-Futurism is hot. He asked his agents to name a Black writer who could write a series for his company. Secretariat’s name came up. Someone said he’d read his novel Yellow Back Radio Broke Down (1969), and it ended with AI running things. Before the end of the day, Secretariat received a call from Rex Stuart. He said that he had a proposition for Secretariat. It could be a rewarding trip for him to come to Los Angeles. Secretariat picked up his ticket at United. A limousine was waiting for him at LAX. He checked in at the Beverly Hills Hotel. This would be his third stay at the hotel. He remembered that his rooms had fireplaces. Stuart met him in the restaurant. He wasn’t the matinee idol who’d thrilled millions by portraying the polo-playing playboy of Sorrows. Jowly. A paunch. Otherwise, he’d aged gracefully. Something was different about him. He had a beard. Secretariat spotted him and joined him at his table. He had a copy of Yellow Back that he wanted Secretariat to sign.
“Interesting work. I can see why the critics call you Sun Ra and George Clinton, Afro-Futurism’s fathers. Artificial intelligence is running things, leading to the elimination of 9-to-5 drudgery. You had that in your novel that was published in 1969.”
Yes, Secretariat thought, that was before my idealism went sour.
Stuart then said, “Well, it’s upon us. This Afro-Futurist stuff is trending. What do you think of it?”
Secretariat saw it as another academic scam—an excuse for professors to lure students into empty classrooms by offering something snappy to those who grew up on Star Wars. They could write long papers with the usual obscure references. Professors could attend conferences, sample good food, sightsee, and make dates.
“It’s popular, but the Afro-Futurists are missing an opportunity,” Secretariat said.
“How is that?”
“They could use the popularity of space-travel films and art to introduce Black and Brown kids to sciences like astrophysics. After a Black astrophysicist lectured, he was surrounded by Black and Brown kids. They hadn’t been taught that such a field was open to them. They were told that the football field, the basketball court, and the criminal court were the only areas open to them.”
Stuart gave Secretariat an odd look. “Something to think about. I don’t know whether you have seen—” Stuart mentioned a spate of films that carried the Afro-Futurist label. “We’d like you to try your hand at writing one for us.” Stuart mentioned an amount of money that would pay his family’s bills for a couple of years. All Secretariat had to do was write a treatment. Others would develop the story; he could withdraw his name from the production if he didn’t like the result.
Their drinks arrived, followed by a gorgeous meal. The next morning, he returned to Oakland.
Read the full excerpt from Ishmael Reed’s forthcoming novel The Terrible Fives at the Evergreen Review.
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