An Attempt To Learn And Better Understand, So That I May Be A More Useful White Ally To POC
As spring gives way to the summer of 2020, and an aggressively contagious virus keeps us more isolated from the rest of the world than we've ever been, many unresolved racial issues which were bubbling up for a very long time, have suddenly reached a boiling point. Having taken some time to put a pause on everything to do some research, brush up on history, and form a clearer picture, I've written down my thoughts on all of this in the form of an essay. It has become clear that this is one the most crucial moments of our lifetime, and that what we do with this moment may ultimately define our generation most significantly in regards to social justice. We must be steadfast and painstaking in our effort to ascertain what is right and take the necessary action to ensure that our mark on history is one we will be proud of. This blogging site has an edit button and I intend to use it; I encourage anyone who feels they might be able to teach me something to enlighten me. I've taken good care to be diligent in my research and site solely credible sources, but I'm not claiming my fact-checking is indisputable. If there are any dates or numbers I may've gotten wrong, any other discrepancies to refute in general, or things I've written that may be short-sighted, irresponsible, or potentially offensive, I would appreciate for you to reach out to me personally so I may consider that input to amend and/or add to the following:
We were all taught by Thumper’s parents in the classic Disney movie Bambi that “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” As an adult, I realize the “Thumperian Law” may not apply to everything. Perhaps, the world is too complicated to break down how we should or shouldn’t use our voices to that degree of simplicity. However, that simple idealistic principle does seem to apply to us white people in the current state of affairs. If we have nothing nice to say, we really should just shut up for a little while, regarding any emotional reactions to what is going on right now. It’s time to take a step back and just listen. We need to humble ourselves and be willing and open to learn something from all of this that might not be what we expect. There are countless black voices that clearly haven’t been heard by white people, no matter how loud they’ve screamed. Although we may feel like we’ve heard them, they don't. So, at the very least, as in any relationship, we should to try to understand why this is, and learn how we can support the people of color in this country (and abroad, for that matter).
The hard fact that we must accept, despite how tough a pill it may be to swallow, is that our non-action has been a choice by our own volition. Its our complicity and ignorance that is the biggest disgrace in the eyes of those that are critical. I now see that, too. I’m not talking about every white person in the world, of course, (there are some brave activists who have done a lot of good for the cause, ) but I am talking about most of us; I am guilty of this myself. Without much consideration, many of us have been selective of what we deem deserves our attention at any given moment. So often we’ve said things like, “I can’t even rn with this, its just too upsetting.” We, at times, drown out the cries we hear from black people with noise when it is inconvenient to us. We clamor and clog each other's feeds with things, like, how tragic it is that Coachella has been cancelled. As we occupy our minds with our own interests, we often shy away from acknowledging the truly marginalized. We let the moment pass to express empathy for them. We talk endless sh*t about things of absolutely no consequence. We declare that our voices are better suited to speak to things we’ve experienced ourselves, as if the ongoing prejudice and persecution that people of color endure on a daily basis is confusing. Can you imagine how insulting that would be?
Sure, now we’re finally all talking, but we should be ashamed that’s only because it has become a “trending topic.” We should be sickened not only by the atrocities of our law enforcement, but also by how it’s taken such graphic images and video of them, repeatedly, for us to finally open our eyes and no longer feel able to turn away. We should be appalled that we’ve continued to say we’re “shocked” by things that are as old, or older, than this country— especially when our generation, in the grand scheme of things, has done next to nothing to stop it. We should consider critically how we’ve cherry-picked the things we’ve chosen to speak out against publicly. We should be embarrassed that our fear of what other people may think about us on social media has overshadowed our values. We should feel humiliated that we’ve had to be “influenced” to say or do anything at all. We should be contrite with our lack of common sense. We should be conscience-stricken that it’s taken a global pandemic and quarantine for us to even have the “bandwidth” to do anything to prove we actually care. We should be abashed by our narrow attention-span. We should be disgusted not to realize that when we simply say, “we’re disgusted,” without taking any other action, what we’re truly practicing is apathy, veiled in superficial righteousness. When we did realize this, we should feel guilt-ridden that we’ve been too prideful to take responsibility for that apathy, to call it for what it really is: racism. We should be sorry for not owning up to this racism, simply because we cannot admit to our own selves that we’re capable of such a thing— there a so many forms of latent racism, and every one of us has been guilty of it, at times, one way or another. Finally, we should be mortified with how late we are… it has taken ALL of these things combined for most of us to even consider the word “change,” not just as a noun, but as a verb.
I hear people say things like, “We have to do better!” or “a change must come!” While I do agree, I've also come to realize that for us to actually “do better” and/or for any change to come, WE must change, WE must act, and WE must adjust our thinking. We must do our own research and ask how we can help when we cannot figure it all out ourselves, and then take some time to do what we can. There are so many things we can do. Just ask. To start, do a simple google search. Sign petitions, call phone numbers listed online of lawmakers and city council members and state representatives. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There is no excuse for how long we’ve looked away. There is no excuse for how long we’ve silenced black peoples’ voices.
Make no mistake, our society has always given white people a bullhorn, while forcing a muzzle on its’ people of color. We must use our bullhorn to remove that muzzle. When we do achieve this, we must continue to forever exercise our voices together in chorus to prevent things from ever going to back to the way they are currently. We must strive to see things through, while keeping in mind there is no end when it comes to preservation. Until we realize that and change, we will continue a pace of "two-steps-forward-one-step-back," at best. We must maintain an "all-steps-forward" pace as it pertains to fighting racial inequality, because if it is true that all lives matter, black lives must remain included. It's been OVER 400 YEARS since white people on this continent first stole black people from their families, with impunity. Still, to this day, after everything that has happened and been fought for, this problem persists. History has proven that our lack of continued perseverance has failed black people time and time again.
In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, freeing all black slaves who had escaped North, to the Union, from the Confederacy in the South; a place where slave masters could torture, rape, and murder them, all within the law. This initiative implied to runaway slaves, “This Land Is Your Land”; an invitation of sorts to join a club that no one on the continent of Africa had ever asked for. Nevertheless, in a better-late-than-never kind of way, it was, at least, the beginning to the end to something very evil. Just two years later, the 13th Amendment passed and slavery was abolished on American soil. Three more years, and the 14th passed, granting all former slaves US Citizenship. Two years following, the 15th amendment passed, stating no one should be denied the right to vote based on race or color. Now, that is what I call progress. I find myself wondering: how were black people suddenly able to gain so much ground, so quickly, at that time? The answer is actually quite simple (but that doesn’t mean it was easy): progressive people literally put their lives on the line, fighting against the "rebels", for what they knew, in their heart of hearts, to be right for their fellow man, despite the color of their skin. 360,222 people died for this cause in the North. 258,000 from the South were killed to achieve this progress. New studies show that even those devastating numbers are probably low for what the actual death toll was. That said, although more lives were lost in the Union, good prevailed over the wicked, and, as we all know, the Union “won” the American Civil War. Real progress was achieved for the African Americans that this country had so horrifically wronged.
Progressiveness at that time was not about being a Republican or Democrat. In fact, it was the Democratic Party that first supported slavery in its early inception and, let’s not forget, Abraham Lincoln himself was actually a Republican. For that matter, so was Frederick Douglas. But these republicans dreamed of a future far greater than the past. For a time, things seemed to be looking up for African Americans; they were voting and even starting to hold political office, receiving top-level educations, and, later, pursuing admirable top-tier professions. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it appeared, was beginning to apply to them, too, finally. However, as black people slowly became even remotely able to start fighting for themselves, it could be said that white people largely took a one-way ticket from continuing to fight for them, to a permanent vacation from that fight. Soon, the country slipped back in retrograde, and the rights of African Americans rapidly starting being deprived from them once again. Discrimination pushed black people to the back of the bus, figuratively and literally, under "Jim Crow" (new laws which circumvented the equal rights promised by the 14th Amendment and disenfranchised black people of suffrage ratified in the 15th Amendment.) Among these, some states required "negroes" to own property in order to vote, neighborhoods and schools were racially segregated, businesses displayed "Whites Only" signs, as did public restrooms and drinking fountains. We had proven our complacency by not protecting the second two amendments of Reformation. This ineffectiveness fueled the fire of those that were still stuck in their racist ways, yearning for "the good ol' days." Violence, lynching, cross burning, and murder of African Americans by white people became more and more prevalent, going largely unpunished, and ignored. In favor of white privilege, all that progress in equality was being reversed, just as quickly as it had been made. It wasn’t until around 70 years after the Reformation that the Civil Rights Movement began. This time, albeit in more peaceful methods, it took about three times as long as the Civil War lasted to weaken and put a stop to Jim Crow laws and for African Americans to begin gaining back the rights that had already supposedly been promised by our Constitution.
After all of that, you’d think people would’ve woken up and realized we all need to continue to fight for racial minorities' voices to be heard. Why shouldn’t things have just kept getting better? Well, we white people as a whole, in what seems to be our natural way, slowly slid back into inaction. We went back on vacation. We got wrapped up in BS. Our white privilege caused us, once again, to become complacent.
--
In my adulthood, I witnessed the presidential election of Barack Obama. Maybe we liberals presumed that when we finally elected a black President we had made it to the finish line. “Go us!” we thought, “Racism must be on its way to extinction!” Meanwhile, we stopped paying attention to what should have been obvious: There was still a huge portion of the country who were outraged with the progress that had been made, unhappy with the change Obama and those before him had inspired. We wrote off and ignored those people that were still looking to the past, along with the clear and present danger their refusal to evolve presented. We thought we had won; we thought we had beat them. We assumed we were better than them at taking control. However, by resting on our laurels, and not continuing the fight against those that were so close-minded, we only validated them more. Then, when a celebrity bully with billions of dollars came along and acknowledged them, making them feel seen and heard, we were shocked when they put him into office. There was a promise to “Make America Great Again,” but it was never defined exactly when this "great" time was or what exactly was so great about it. It was left up to interpretation, to which anyone could derive their own meaning. In its ambiguity, this served as a dangerous rallying call to all those still stuck in their old ways, yearning for "the good 'ol days." Sound familiar? In this antiquated thinking, an illusion was instilled that "progress" had stripped them of their jobs, creature comforts, and myriad other nonsensical attributes. We have to accept that, once again, it was our complacency that allowed these people the utility of their bullhorns to amplify the voices propagating these ignorant ideas to a growing legion of like-minded thinkers. As a result, we've let hatred bud, blossom, and bloom in the heartless.
In recent years, I've observed a lot of self-righteousness from people refusing to take responsibility for any part in this, instead taking to Facebook or Instagram to make vapid social media posts; things like, “F Donald Trump.” or, "#NotMyPresident" or “Everyone who supports Trump is an idiot and a bad person, so if you are one of those people, please go F yourself and unfollow me.” or my new personal favorite, “ACAB” (all cops are bastards). This only divides us more, which is exactly what Trump wants. Instead of screaming into an echo chamber we need to use our voices to fight for the people that are being hurt. We need to rejoin the cause. We need to follow and listen to the voices of every anti-discriminatory movement we can subscribe to. Making calls, using your signature, and donating what you can to non-profits like the ones i've listed at the bottom of this post is a good place to start, but also, besides demanding justice and signing petitions as retribution for those that've been hurt or killed, we need to be better to those that are still here, being discriminated against, while trying to just live their lives.
We’ve now seen over-and-over our police force treating POC like rabid dogs. But we also saw white people get outraged when an athlete took a knee, silently and peacefully, protesting “The Star Spangled Banner,” which, in his opinion, was a symbol of this country's ideals and values that our law enforcement and leadership were not honoring. The President, Police, and many of the white people in this country not only ignored Kaepernick's "Come to Jesus" expression, and the proof that we weren’t living up to our own national anthem, but became enraged and defensive that someone, and not just any someone, but a black someone, would dishonor this tradition. "How un-American!" the haters proclaimed. How could people say this? The entire impetus behind this protest was that the executive branch of this country's government was not living up to his standards of Patriotism. The officers that swore to "protect and serve" were killing his people, innocent African Americans, over and over, without being held accountable. How could anyone call it un-American that, to him, this didn't seem to align with the promise of "the land of the free and the home of the brave" the lyrics in that song affirm. I remember getting so angry about those people, thinking that at the very least, for heaven’s sake, even if they saw black people as dogs, why couldn’t they just let sleeping dogs lie?! After seeing video of a white officer of the law, using his knee (the very symbol of Kaepernick's peaceful protest) to kill a black man, how can it come as any surprise that, suddenly, the law might've lost some of its legitimacy to African Americans? How can white people lay claim to what is the “right” way to protest when the alternatives being suggested have already been tried and met with outrage and inaction? This is why I believe white people need to hold their tongues right now about these riots. If you treat people like animals and then get upset when they respond impolitely, you are the problem. People, more than animals, should be able to bite back when they've been made victims of cruelty. Whether or not you condone it, if that means that these “thugs” feel pissed off enough and wronged enough to steal some Yeezy’s from a streetwear store on Melrose, we should be thankful that’s the level of action being taken.*
Consider this: you’re watching X-Men: The Last Stand, and it makes you feel a little weird, at the end, when you almost see the side of Magneto and his “thugs” wanting to literally kill everyone on Earth because everyone on Earth is afraid of mutants and wants them dead. Obviously, I understand it's safer to root for an anti-hero in fiction, but it's no wonder why “black" movie theaters get rowdy for that kind of sh*t. I think we are lucky this hasn’t already become way more violent. Black people have remained mainly non-violent in their protests for many years. They have been tolerant of so much pervasive racial injustice for so long. People generally do not want to resort to violence. The fact that it's arrived at a point where black people have resorted to this approach should prove to everyone that desperate times have called for desperate measures. Our first reaction to that should be, "What can we do that we haven't been doing? What action can we take to make these people feel safe enough not to resort to such extreme tactics? How can we make this world a better place for all?" I've witnessed white people, our President included, react without any consideration, essentially saying, simply, "Looting is bad. These 'thugs' are bad." That is plainly racist and narrow-minded. It's simply not that simple.**
I saw a meme today that reads, "This is NOT what America is about. America is about... *opens history book* ...Uh oh. *Frantically starts flipping through the pages* Oh no. Uh oh. No no no. Noooo!" While there is humor in that, take a minute to reflect on the NON-peaceful retaliation tactics America has actually taken over the years that have included tough calls to make for "the greater good." *cough, cough* Hiroshima and Nagasaki *cough* 250,000 innocent Japanese civilians killed by 2 A-bombs dropped by the USA *cough, cough*— I know what you're thinking: 'But we were at war! We had been attacked unjustly!" To that I say, "Exactly." Are you starting to get the point, yet?
We were all taught by Thumper’s parents in the classic Disney movie Bambi that “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” As an adult, I realize the “Thumperian Law” may not apply to everything. Perhaps, the world is too complicated to break down how we should or shouldn’t use our voices to that degree of simplicity. However, that simple idealistic principle does seem to apply to us white people in the current state of affairs. If we have nothing nice to say, we really should just shut up for a little while, regarding any emotional reactions to what is going on right now. It’s time to take a step back and just listen. We need to humble ourselves and be willing and open to learn something from all of this that might not be what we expect. There are countless black voices that clearly haven’t been heard by white people, no matter how loud they’ve screamed. Although we may feel like we’ve heard them, they don't. So, at the very least, as in any relationship, we should to try to understand why this is, and learn how we can support the people of color in this country (and abroad, for that matter).
The hard fact that we must accept, despite how tough a pill it may be to swallow, is that our non-action has been a choice by our own volition. Its our complicity and ignorance that is the biggest disgrace in the eyes of those that are critical. I now see that, too. I’m not talking about every white person in the world, of course, (there are some brave activists who have done a lot of good for the cause, ) but I am talking about most of us; I am guilty of this myself. Without much consideration, many of us have been selective of what we deem deserves our attention at any given moment. So often we’ve said things like, “I can’t even rn with this, its just too upsetting.” We, at times, drown out the cries we hear from black people with noise when it is inconvenient to us. We clamor and clog each other's feeds with things, like, how tragic it is that Coachella has been cancelled. As we occupy our minds with our own interests, we often shy away from acknowledging the truly marginalized. We let the moment pass to express empathy for them. We talk endless sh*t about things of absolutely no consequence. We declare that our voices are better suited to speak to things we’ve experienced ourselves, as if the ongoing prejudice and persecution that people of color endure on a daily basis is confusing. Can you imagine how insulting that would be?
Sure, now we’re finally all talking, but we should be ashamed that’s only because it has become a “trending topic.” We should be sickened not only by the atrocities of our law enforcement, but also by how it’s taken such graphic images and video of them, repeatedly, for us to finally open our eyes and no longer feel able to turn away. We should be appalled that we’ve continued to say we’re “shocked” by things that are as old, or older, than this country— especially when our generation, in the grand scheme of things, has done next to nothing to stop it. We should consider critically how we’ve cherry-picked the things we’ve chosen to speak out against publicly. We should be embarrassed that our fear of what other people may think about us on social media has overshadowed our values. We should feel humiliated that we’ve had to be “influenced” to say or do anything at all. We should be contrite with our lack of common sense. We should be conscience-stricken that it’s taken a global pandemic and quarantine for us to even have the “bandwidth” to do anything to prove we actually care. We should be abashed by our narrow attention-span. We should be disgusted not to realize that when we simply say, “we’re disgusted,” without taking any other action, what we’re truly practicing is apathy, veiled in superficial righteousness. When we did realize this, we should feel guilt-ridden that we’ve been too prideful to take responsibility for that apathy, to call it for what it really is: racism. We should be sorry for not owning up to this racism, simply because we cannot admit to our own selves that we’re capable of such a thing— there a so many forms of latent racism, and every one of us has been guilty of it, at times, one way or another. Finally, we should be mortified with how late we are… it has taken ALL of these things combined for most of us to even consider the word “change,” not just as a noun, but as a verb.
I hear people say things like, “We have to do better!” or “a change must come!” While I do agree, I've also come to realize that for us to actually “do better” and/or for any change to come, WE must change, WE must act, and WE must adjust our thinking. We must do our own research and ask how we can help when we cannot figure it all out ourselves, and then take some time to do what we can. There are so many things we can do. Just ask. To start, do a simple google search. Sign petitions, call phone numbers listed online of lawmakers and city council members and state representatives. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There is no excuse for how long we’ve looked away. There is no excuse for how long we’ve silenced black peoples’ voices.
Make no mistake, our society has always given white people a bullhorn, while forcing a muzzle on its’ people of color. We must use our bullhorn to remove that muzzle. When we do achieve this, we must continue to forever exercise our voices together in chorus to prevent things from ever going to back to the way they are currently. We must strive to see things through, while keeping in mind there is no end when it comes to preservation. Until we realize that and change, we will continue a pace of "two-steps-forward-one-step-back," at best. We must maintain an "all-steps-forward" pace as it pertains to fighting racial inequality, because if it is true that all lives matter, black lives must remain included. It's been OVER 400 YEARS since white people on this continent first stole black people from their families, with impunity. Still, to this day, after everything that has happened and been fought for, this problem persists. History has proven that our lack of continued perseverance has failed black people time and time again.
In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, freeing all black slaves who had escaped North, to the Union, from the Confederacy in the South; a place where slave masters could torture, rape, and murder them, all within the law. This initiative implied to runaway slaves, “This Land Is Your Land”; an invitation of sorts to join a club that no one on the continent of Africa had ever asked for. Nevertheless, in a better-late-than-never kind of way, it was, at least, the beginning to the end to something very evil. Just two years later, the 13th Amendment passed and slavery was abolished on American soil. Three more years, and the 14th passed, granting all former slaves US Citizenship. Two years following, the 15th amendment passed, stating no one should be denied the right to vote based on race or color. Now, that is what I call progress. I find myself wondering: how were black people suddenly able to gain so much ground, so quickly, at that time? The answer is actually quite simple (but that doesn’t mean it was easy): progressive people literally put their lives on the line, fighting against the "rebels", for what they knew, in their heart of hearts, to be right for their fellow man, despite the color of their skin. 360,222 people died for this cause in the North. 258,000 from the South were killed to achieve this progress. New studies show that even those devastating numbers are probably low for what the actual death toll was. That said, although more lives were lost in the Union, good prevailed over the wicked, and, as we all know, the Union “won” the American Civil War. Real progress was achieved for the African Americans that this country had so horrifically wronged.
Progressiveness at that time was not about being a Republican or Democrat. In fact, it was the Democratic Party that first supported slavery in its early inception and, let’s not forget, Abraham Lincoln himself was actually a Republican. For that matter, so was Frederick Douglas. But these republicans dreamed of a future far greater than the past. For a time, things seemed to be looking up for African Americans; they were voting and even starting to hold political office, receiving top-level educations, and, later, pursuing admirable top-tier professions. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it appeared, was beginning to apply to them, too, finally. However, as black people slowly became even remotely able to start fighting for themselves, it could be said that white people largely took a one-way ticket from continuing to fight for them, to a permanent vacation from that fight. Soon, the country slipped back in retrograde, and the rights of African Americans rapidly starting being deprived from them once again. Discrimination pushed black people to the back of the bus, figuratively and literally, under "Jim Crow" (new laws which circumvented the equal rights promised by the 14th Amendment and disenfranchised black people of suffrage ratified in the 15th Amendment.) Among these, some states required "negroes" to own property in order to vote, neighborhoods and schools were racially segregated, businesses displayed "Whites Only" signs, as did public restrooms and drinking fountains. We had proven our complacency by not protecting the second two amendments of Reformation. This ineffectiveness fueled the fire of those that were still stuck in their racist ways, yearning for "the good ol' days." Violence, lynching, cross burning, and murder of African Americans by white people became more and more prevalent, going largely unpunished, and ignored. In favor of white privilege, all that progress in equality was being reversed, just as quickly as it had been made. It wasn’t until around 70 years after the Reformation that the Civil Rights Movement began. This time, albeit in more peaceful methods, it took about three times as long as the Civil War lasted to weaken and put a stop to Jim Crow laws and for African Americans to begin gaining back the rights that had already supposedly been promised by our Constitution.
After all of that, you’d think people would’ve woken up and realized we all need to continue to fight for racial minorities' voices to be heard. Why shouldn’t things have just kept getting better? Well, we white people as a whole, in what seems to be our natural way, slowly slid back into inaction. We went back on vacation. We got wrapped up in BS. Our white privilege caused us, once again, to become complacent.
--
In my adulthood, I witnessed the presidential election of Barack Obama. Maybe we liberals presumed that when we finally elected a black President we had made it to the finish line. “Go us!” we thought, “Racism must be on its way to extinction!” Meanwhile, we stopped paying attention to what should have been obvious: There was still a huge portion of the country who were outraged with the progress that had been made, unhappy with the change Obama and those before him had inspired. We wrote off and ignored those people that were still looking to the past, along with the clear and present danger their refusal to evolve presented. We thought we had won; we thought we had beat them. We assumed we were better than them at taking control. However, by resting on our laurels, and not continuing the fight against those that were so close-minded, we only validated them more. Then, when a celebrity bully with billions of dollars came along and acknowledged them, making them feel seen and heard, we were shocked when they put him into office. There was a promise to “Make America Great Again,” but it was never defined exactly when this "great" time was or what exactly was so great about it. It was left up to interpretation, to which anyone could derive their own meaning. In its ambiguity, this served as a dangerous rallying call to all those still stuck in their old ways, yearning for "the good 'ol days." Sound familiar? In this antiquated thinking, an illusion was instilled that "progress" had stripped them of their jobs, creature comforts, and myriad other nonsensical attributes. We have to accept that, once again, it was our complacency that allowed these people the utility of their bullhorns to amplify the voices propagating these ignorant ideas to a growing legion of like-minded thinkers. As a result, we've let hatred bud, blossom, and bloom in the heartless.
In recent years, I've observed a lot of self-righteousness from people refusing to take responsibility for any part in this, instead taking to Facebook or Instagram to make vapid social media posts; things like, “F Donald Trump.” or, "#NotMyPresident" or “Everyone who supports Trump is an idiot and a bad person, so if you are one of those people, please go F yourself and unfollow me.” or my new personal favorite, “ACAB” (all cops are bastards). This only divides us more, which is exactly what Trump wants. Instead of screaming into an echo chamber we need to use our voices to fight for the people that are being hurt. We need to rejoin the cause. We need to follow and listen to the voices of every anti-discriminatory movement we can subscribe to. Making calls, using your signature, and donating what you can to non-profits like the ones i've listed at the bottom of this post is a good place to start, but also, besides demanding justice and signing petitions as retribution for those that've been hurt or killed, we need to be better to those that are still here, being discriminated against, while trying to just live their lives.
We’ve now seen over-and-over our police force treating POC like rabid dogs. But we also saw white people get outraged when an athlete took a knee, silently and peacefully, protesting “The Star Spangled Banner,” which, in his opinion, was a symbol of this country's ideals and values that our law enforcement and leadership were not honoring. The President, Police, and many of the white people in this country not only ignored Kaepernick's "Come to Jesus" expression, and the proof that we weren’t living up to our own national anthem, but became enraged and defensive that someone, and not just any someone, but a black someone, would dishonor this tradition. "How un-American!" the haters proclaimed. How could people say this? The entire impetus behind this protest was that the executive branch of this country's government was not living up to his standards of Patriotism. The officers that swore to "protect and serve" were killing his people, innocent African Americans, over and over, without being held accountable. How could anyone call it un-American that, to him, this didn't seem to align with the promise of "the land of the free and the home of the brave" the lyrics in that song affirm. I remember getting so angry about those people, thinking that at the very least, for heaven’s sake, even if they saw black people as dogs, why couldn’t they just let sleeping dogs lie?! After seeing video of a white officer of the law, using his knee (the very symbol of Kaepernick's peaceful protest) to kill a black man, how can it come as any surprise that, suddenly, the law might've lost some of its legitimacy to African Americans? How can white people lay claim to what is the “right” way to protest when the alternatives being suggested have already been tried and met with outrage and inaction? This is why I believe white people need to hold their tongues right now about these riots. If you treat people like animals and then get upset when they respond impolitely, you are the problem. People, more than animals, should be able to bite back when they've been made victims of cruelty. Whether or not you condone it, if that means that these “thugs” feel pissed off enough and wronged enough to steal some Yeezy’s from a streetwear store on Melrose, we should be thankful that’s the level of action being taken.*
Consider this: you’re watching X-Men: The Last Stand, and it makes you feel a little weird, at the end, when you almost see the side of Magneto and his “thugs” wanting to literally kill everyone on Earth because everyone on Earth is afraid of mutants and wants them dead. Obviously, I understand it's safer to root for an anti-hero in fiction, but it's no wonder why “black" movie theaters get rowdy for that kind of sh*t. I think we are lucky this hasn’t already become way more violent. Black people have remained mainly non-violent in their protests for many years. They have been tolerant of so much pervasive racial injustice for so long. People generally do not want to resort to violence. The fact that it's arrived at a point where black people have resorted to this approach should prove to everyone that desperate times have called for desperate measures. Our first reaction to that should be, "What can we do that we haven't been doing? What action can we take to make these people feel safe enough not to resort to such extreme tactics? How can we make this world a better place for all?" I've witnessed white people, our President included, react without any consideration, essentially saying, simply, "Looting is bad. These 'thugs' are bad." That is plainly racist and narrow-minded. It's simply not that simple.**
I saw a meme today that reads, "This is NOT what America is about. America is about... *opens history book* ...Uh oh. *Frantically starts flipping through the pages* Oh no. Uh oh. No no no. Noooo!" While there is humor in that, take a minute to reflect on the NON-peaceful retaliation tactics America has actually taken over the years that have included tough calls to make for "the greater good." *cough, cough* Hiroshima and Nagasaki *cough* 250,000 innocent Japanese civilians killed by 2 A-bombs dropped by the USA *cough, cough*— I know what you're thinking: 'But we were at war! We had been attacked unjustly!" To that I say, "Exactly." Are you starting to get the point, yet?
When it comes to progress, the war is never really over. I wish conservatives could "conserve" the progress we’ve made and also be open to progressing further, like the fundamentals the Republican Party was built on. I wish modern Republicans would realize what President Lincoln and Frederick Douglass could, and what the Confederacy could not; THERE IS NO FINISH LINE. We can always do better. To strive to “Make America Great Again” is so short-sighted when the alternative could be to make America greater than it's ever been. Or, how about: "Make Other Countries Look Up To Us Again"
Perhaps, if you've read up to this point, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the length of time between the Reformation and the Civil Rights Movement was roughly the same as that between the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement. The biggest problem we face today is that the efforts made to combat systemic racism and police brutality have failed. To that point, it’s simply not white peoples’ turn to say anything, unless we have something constructive to say. I've seen an outpouring this week of positive information being shared, support being given, and questions being asked about how we can help. This is all positive and constructive. It is not constructive to condemn the slogans and hashtags of anti-racist organizations. It is not constructive to completely write off new ideas as alternatives to failed ones, before even hearing them out or understanding what is actually meant by them, like "defunding" the police. It is constructive to learn more about what "systemic racism" actually is, how we've allowed it to happen, sometimes without even realizing it, and how it is perpetuated. Perhaps then we wouldn't be so rash to write off new programs to re-allocate funds to, from reform programs that have proven ineffective, within city and state budgets. We need to realize that sometimes things aren't what they initially seem. To that point, its not constructive to criticize looting, or peaceful protests turning violent, regardless of your moral stance. How can we criticize the response to something we still seem to know so little about, something we have never had to endure ourselves? How can we condemn the reaction to something that WE’VE caused and perpetuated? How can we say anything on the matter without taking a long hard look at our own selves? It is not our place to say whether or not the current state of affairs is helping this cause or not. It’s impossible, based on history, to make a call on that yet, one way or another, anyway. Only time will tell. What I do know, at the very least, is that what's happening now has raised more awareness for the cause than any previous peaceful attempts. We also know that the archetype for peaceful resistance, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered, and, though I'm aware of how powerful of an effect being made a martyr can have and did in that case, I think it's unfair to hold everyone to MLK's standards. If you believe the price of justice and equality for black people should be more lives, then, just as the Union decided in 1861, you should be ready and willing to lay down your own life for their cause. Would you be willing to do that, if that's what it came to? Would that be your preference? It certainly would not be mine. Some people out there are willing to die for this cause and there's nothing more admirable than that, but also, you can't blame people for not wanting to die.
Finally, on that note, it can be said that The American Civil War was a protest itself. It was obviously not a peaceful one. It was brutally violent, and, very successful by all accounts. More progress was made for African Americans in those few years than in all of the rest of time, before and thereafter. I truly hope it doesn’t come to that again. So, I will do what I can, and now, I will also take my own advice; to shut up, listen, and maybe learn a thing or two.
#BlackLivesMatter
*To my liberal friends that have been criticizing the looting of small businesses or shops owned by POC: consider that these are RIOTS; the actual definition of chaos and destruction. Are you suggesting everyone should have been running around in the madness simultaneously researching on their phone which shops were black owned, while flaming mailboxes were being hurled through windows of the Adidas store? Are you saying you think all people looting should know that HUF (a somewhat niche skateboarding/streetwear retailer) has been supportive to many anti-racist organizations? That seems a little presumptuous, no? Are you insinuating that, in all the mayhem and pandemonium, some kind of "riot messiah" should emerge from the mob prophesizing “Everyone listen here! Skip this one, burn that one!" I know some of the small businesses owners whose shops have been looted and ransacked. Although they’re saddened, mainly, many seem to understand that fighting for human lives is more important than their shop fronts and merchandise. Some of this merchandise is irreplaceable, found and curated vintage. But, in the end, thats all it is: stuff. It should be said, also that many of these shops have insurance that will cover the losses. Lastly, it should be said that I do not generally condone theft, looting, or violence. I also concede the possibility that a considerable portion of the looters' motives may not have been in support of BLM, but rather more opportunistic. I do also accept the argument that perhaps a more planned and calculated approach, focusing on specific targets, could have possibly proven more effective. However, riots, by nature are usually a reaction to a pain that has suddenly become to great to further tolerate, and for this reason, it is not hard for me to understand the spontaneity in it. My stance here is one closer to that of Devil's Advocate, based on the undeniable heightened awareness that has come as a result of the rioting and looting, regardless of motives, and the fact that it is yet to be seen what effect, negative or positive, these things ultimately prove to have had on the cause.
**It should also be mentioned that the most prominent peaceful protesters of the civil rights movement, such as Rosa Parks and James Farmer were thought of as "thugs" in the minds of many in their time. This includes Dr. King, who was arrested nearly 30 times, despite becoming a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at just 35 years old. Furthermore, the Civil Rights Movement was aided in achieving their goals by groups like the Black Panther Party, who took a less peaceful approach, calling for an immediate end to police brutality; employment for African Americans; and land, housing, and justice for all. Regarding brutality, Malcom X famously spoke: "...as long as a white man does it, it’s alright, a black man is supposed to have no feelings. But when a black man strikes back he’s an 'extremist,' he’s supposed to sit passively and have no feelings, be nonviolent, and love his enemy. No matter what kind of attack, verbal or otherwise, he’s supposed to take it. But if he stands up in any way and tries to defend himself, well then he’s an extremist."
#JusticeForFloyd Sign the Petition
Visit Change.org to sign the petition for Justice for George Floyd which aims to "reach the attention of Mayor Jacob Frey and DA Mike Freeman to beg to have the officers involved in this disgusting situation fired and for charges to be filed immediately.”
Call County Attorney Mike Freeman at 612-348-5550 to demand justice, accountability and/or policing changes. Call Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison at 651-296-3353. Call Gov. Walz at 651-201-3400
Other Resources/Non-Profits Accepting Donations:
Black Visions Collective BlackVisionsMN.org
Reclaim The Block ReclaimTheBlock.org
#FreeBlackMamas NationalBailout.org
Perhaps, if you've read up to this point, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the length of time between the Reformation and the Civil Rights Movement was roughly the same as that between the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement. The biggest problem we face today is that the efforts made to combat systemic racism and police brutality have failed. To that point, it’s simply not white peoples’ turn to say anything, unless we have something constructive to say. I've seen an outpouring this week of positive information being shared, support being given, and questions being asked about how we can help. This is all positive and constructive. It is not constructive to condemn the slogans and hashtags of anti-racist organizations. It is not constructive to completely write off new ideas as alternatives to failed ones, before even hearing them out or understanding what is actually meant by them, like "defunding" the police. It is constructive to learn more about what "systemic racism" actually is, how we've allowed it to happen, sometimes without even realizing it, and how it is perpetuated. Perhaps then we wouldn't be so rash to write off new programs to re-allocate funds to, from reform programs that have proven ineffective, within city and state budgets. We need to realize that sometimes things aren't what they initially seem. To that point, its not constructive to criticize looting, or peaceful protests turning violent, regardless of your moral stance. How can we criticize the response to something we still seem to know so little about, something we have never had to endure ourselves? How can we condemn the reaction to something that WE’VE caused and perpetuated? How can we say anything on the matter without taking a long hard look at our own selves? It is not our place to say whether or not the current state of affairs is helping this cause or not. It’s impossible, based on history, to make a call on that yet, one way or another, anyway. Only time will tell. What I do know, at the very least, is that what's happening now has raised more awareness for the cause than any previous peaceful attempts. We also know that the archetype for peaceful resistance, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered, and, though I'm aware of how powerful of an effect being made a martyr can have and did in that case, I think it's unfair to hold everyone to MLK's standards. If you believe the price of justice and equality for black people should be more lives, then, just as the Union decided in 1861, you should be ready and willing to lay down your own life for their cause. Would you be willing to do that, if that's what it came to? Would that be your preference? It certainly would not be mine. Some people out there are willing to die for this cause and there's nothing more admirable than that, but also, you can't blame people for not wanting to die.
Finally, on that note, it can be said that The American Civil War was a protest itself. It was obviously not a peaceful one. It was brutally violent, and, very successful by all accounts. More progress was made for African Americans in those few years than in all of the rest of time, before and thereafter. I truly hope it doesn’t come to that again. So, I will do what I can, and now, I will also take my own advice; to shut up, listen, and maybe learn a thing or two.
#BlackLivesMatter
*To my liberal friends that have been criticizing the looting of small businesses or shops owned by POC: consider that these are RIOTS; the actual definition of chaos and destruction. Are you suggesting everyone should have been running around in the madness simultaneously researching on their phone which shops were black owned, while flaming mailboxes were being hurled through windows of the Adidas store? Are you saying you think all people looting should know that HUF (a somewhat niche skateboarding/streetwear retailer) has been supportive to many anti-racist organizations? That seems a little presumptuous, no? Are you insinuating that, in all the mayhem and pandemonium, some kind of "riot messiah" should emerge from the mob prophesizing “Everyone listen here! Skip this one, burn that one!" I know some of the small businesses owners whose shops have been looted and ransacked. Although they’re saddened, mainly, many seem to understand that fighting for human lives is more important than their shop fronts and merchandise. Some of this merchandise is irreplaceable, found and curated vintage. But, in the end, thats all it is: stuff. It should be said, also that many of these shops have insurance that will cover the losses. Lastly, it should be said that I do not generally condone theft, looting, or violence. I also concede the possibility that a considerable portion of the looters' motives may not have been in support of BLM, but rather more opportunistic. I do also accept the argument that perhaps a more planned and calculated approach, focusing on specific targets, could have possibly proven more effective. However, riots, by nature are usually a reaction to a pain that has suddenly become to great to further tolerate, and for this reason, it is not hard for me to understand the spontaneity in it. My stance here is one closer to that of Devil's Advocate, based on the undeniable heightened awareness that has come as a result of the rioting and looting, regardless of motives, and the fact that it is yet to be seen what effect, negative or positive, these things ultimately prove to have had on the cause.
**It should also be mentioned that the most prominent peaceful protesters of the civil rights movement, such as Rosa Parks and James Farmer were thought of as "thugs" in the minds of many in their time. This includes Dr. King, who was arrested nearly 30 times, despite becoming a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize at just 35 years old. Furthermore, the Civil Rights Movement was aided in achieving their goals by groups like the Black Panther Party, who took a less peaceful approach, calling for an immediate end to police brutality; employment for African Americans; and land, housing, and justice for all. Regarding brutality, Malcom X famously spoke: "...as long as a white man does it, it’s alright, a black man is supposed to have no feelings. But when a black man strikes back he’s an 'extremist,' he’s supposed to sit passively and have no feelings, be nonviolent, and love his enemy. No matter what kind of attack, verbal or otherwise, he’s supposed to take it. But if he stands up in any way and tries to defend himself, well then he’s an extremist."
#JusticeForFloyd Sign the Petition
Text “FLOYD” to 55156 to petition with Color of Change to demand that all four officers involved in murder of George Floyd are charged.
Visit Change.org to sign the petition for Justice for George Floyd which aims to "reach the attention of Mayor Jacob Frey and DA Mike Freeman to beg to have the officers involved in this disgusting situation fired and for charges to be filed immediately.”
Call County Attorney Mike Freeman at 612-348-5550 to demand justice, accountability and/or policing changes. Call Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison at 651-296-3353. Call Gov. Walz at 651-201-3400
Black Visions Collective BlackVisionsMN.org
Reclaim The Block ReclaimTheBlock.org
#FreeBlackMamas NationalBailout.org
Comments
Post a Comment