Tag Archives: Racial Equality

OUR LIVES HAVE ALWAYS MATTERED OUR VOICES WILL NEVER BE SILENCED

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When a segment of a society willfully marginalizes another segment is not surprising to see unrest. It is not surprising to see the very foundation that it was built begin to crumble. It is not surprising when it starts to crumble from within; For society’s good, the masses must rise and denounce those who spew racism and bigotry. Reject what makes them different, listen, and learn about each other and embrace their diversity. A diversity that has made them stronger. Only then will society be able to say with one voice this the true spirit of our humanity; these are the thoughts, insights, and musing of an everyday African American on the state of race relations in America today.

OUR LIVES HAVE ALWAYS MATTERED
OUR VOICES WILL NEVER BE SILENCED

Available at Amazon.com in paperback or as an e-book.

Black History is American History

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Some say there should be no Black History Month, and to be honest, I wholeheartedly agree with them. Not because of the reasons they cite for its elimination but rather because you cannot neatly package the black American experience, the acomplishments, and the past and present injustices into 7.67% of the calendar year.
One of the characteristics that make America great is that it is the product of the numerous and vastly different cultures that have come together in one place to make a better life for themselves and, in the process, make this country a better place. Like so many other groups, black Americans have and continue to leave an indelible imprint on this country’s greatness. From Crispus Attucks, widely considered to be the first American casualty in the American Revolutionary War, to former President Barack Obama, to Vice President Kamala Harris, this country and what it is today would not be what it is if not for the accomplishments of the black American. Yet for all its greatness, America also bears an unpleasant stain on its resume, and we would be remiss to ignore or pretend it does not exist. This stain is not merely Black history. It is American history, and it must be taught to future generations and discussed in an honest and open dialogue. As Frederick Douglass said, “The life of a nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.” That unpleasant stain is, of course, America’s treatment of the Black American. From the stripping of our culture to the chains of bondage forced upon us; From the lash of the whip to the rape of our women: From the separation of families to the denial of even the most basic education for our young; From the countless number of non-prosecuted cases of murder to the reign of terror carried out by such terrorist organizations like the KKK; From the institutional and legalized discrimination practiced under Jim Crow to today’s use of discriminatory lending, hiring and housing practices. The black American experience has been met with countless hurdles throughout American history. Those hurdles cannot nor should they be expected to be neatly packaged into 7.67% of the calendar year. The past is not a comfortable one to remember but remember it; we must know that the suffering of millions of black Americans wasn’t in vain. So that as a country, we can learn and grow from the mistakes of our past so that it can never happen again. And so that young black Americans can grow up with the understanding that despite all we have been through as a people, not only are we are still here, but we have, and we continue to accomplish great things every day. As a nation, the only way we can continue to grow and maintain our excellence is if we move forward together as one. Black Americans still face many obstacles in this country, but it is our country. We have fought for it and died for it; we have contributed to its excellence and flaws. We are as much a part of the fabric of this country as any other group. So no, the Black experience is not just something that should be acknowledged for only 7.67% of the year because Black history is American history, and that is the history we all make every day.

The Revolution Has Begun

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“Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of man, that state is obsolete” – Rod Sterling

President Trump has repeatedly claimed that those involved in the Black Lives Matter movement want to strip America of its heritage, wants to abolish police.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The truth is that the Black Lives Matter movement is the new American revolution and it is being fought not by just people of color but by a coalition of different races and nationalities.  A coalition that looks a lot like America of the 21st century.  A coalition who reject the hatred and racism of the old guard, who have tired of America’s racial and society inequalities and who demand change. 

As with any revolution the goal is not to continue the status quo but to defeat it and replace it with a better system.  The American heritage that those on the wrong side of the revolution fight to maintain includes displaying the confederate battle flag, protecting statues honoring confederate “heroes”, maintaining the names of military bases named after traitors who fired upon and declared war on America.

The police system that they cling to has an unfortunate history, despite the many decent officers who risk their lives every day, of unfairly of targeting and punishing people of color many times with deadly consequences.

It would be foolish to believe that the hearts and minds of those who wish to continue the status quo can be changed as racism and hatred is imbedded in their soul.  It would be equally foolish to believe that a culture and systems that have been developed and nurtured by those same individuals for centuries can be changed from with-in. 

To achieve real change, it is necessary to eliminate the so-called heritage that celebrates America’s racist past.  To educate all Americans of not just the many achievements people of color have contributed to this country’s history but the truth about the oppression that America has perpetrated on people of color for over four hundred years and the advantage of white privilege it has produced.

To achieve real progress the current police and justice systems must be stripped down to the studs, and that does not mean eliminating it as some would have you believe, before it can be build  back up with meaningful reform that ensures that it treats all people equitably.  That is not an attack on police in general, it is a long overdue call for reform that ensures the end of racial profiling and makes their jobs safer

As Frederick Douglass said: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men” After 400 years it is obvious America’s treatment of people of color is beyond repair it is time to eliminated that heritage and build a new one from scratch.  

The revolution has begun and while some may cling to Donald Trump and his agenda of hatred and racism, they are about to find themselves on the wrong side of history

WE THE PEOPLE

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In an episode of Star Trek The original series, as if there is any other Star Trek, Captain Kirk once said as he read from a version of the Declaration of Independence on an alien world:

Look at these three words written larger than the rest, with a special pride never written before or since. Tall words proudly saying We the People, it was not written for the chiefs or the kings or the warriors or the rich and powerful, but for all the people! …They must apply to everyone, or they mean nothing

The just-completed Democratic National Convention embraced that concept, proudly showcasing America’s future in all its diversity. Race, Nationality, Gender, Sexual orientation, Religion, and Socio-Economic status of all types were highlighted at one point or another. It was a beautiful spectacle to watch, especially when you consider what we will probably witness in the upcoming Republican National Convention. The Republican party, which has always lacked the diversity of Democrats, has been hi-jacked by Donald Trump, a man who cannot comprehend the indisputable fact, America is great because of its diversity. He stokes the fears, racism, bigotry, misogyny, and homophobia of those in MAGA hats who would fight to see that they don’t lose “their country” as if it ever was just their country. Individuals with no desire to see Americans living in harmony as one people, no desire to be part of the coalition of the righteous that rejects their beliefs and is growing stronger every day. No desire to see America finally become the nation it was created to be. A nation in which all people are created equal. He panders to the rich at the expense of the poor and the middle class, bragging about the stock market and offering large corporations multimillion-dollar bailouts while allowing the unemployment benefits for those suffering financially to expire. To Donald Trump, it is We SOME of the People

As Americans, how can we ask someone to lead us as a people, one people, when regrettably that person doesn’t have the desire or capacity to understand the meaning of three simple words. WE THE PEOPLE.

Let’s Really Make America Great Reject Hate – Embrace Diversity

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We will never move forward as a people until we understand that the powerful who preach hate and division do so as a measure of control. Control to maintain their wealth and power at the expense of the very people they are preaching to.

No matter what you look like. No matter where you’re from. No matter what language you speak. You are a part of the beautiful fabric of diversity that made this country what it is.

Reject intolerance
Reject racism
Reject bigotry

Out of the Darkness
One People, One Love, One America

Thank You Mr. Lewis

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Thank You, Mr. Lewis

I wanted to take this opportunity on the day we lay John Lewis to rest to say thank you, Mr. Lewis, Thank You for your life dedicated to causing GOOD TROUBLE to see that America lives up to the words upon which it was created, that all men are created equal.
In 1961 at the tender age of twenty-one, he was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders. Mobs of racists beat Mr. Lewis, but that did not deter John Lewis. He would not let others’ hatred and violence stop him from fighting against the evils of segregation.

A little over a year before I was born, on March 7, 1965, a twenty-five-year-old John Lewis led the Selma to Montgomery across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a bridge named after a confederate general and KKK grand wizard, on a day that would come to be known as Bloody Sunday because of the brutal attack foisted upon Mr. Lewis and the other marchers. The actions of Mr. Lewis and those protestors led President Johnson to promise to send a voting rights bill to Congress that week. He was issuing an immediate statement “deploring the brutality with which a number of Negro citizens of Alabama were treated” On March 15, the president convened a joint session of Congress, outlined his new voting rights bill, and demanded that they pass it. In a historic presentation carried nationally on live television, making use of the most extensive media network, Johnson praised African-American activists’ courage. He called Selma “a turning point in man’s unending search for freedom” on a par with the Battle of Appomattox in the American Civil War. Johnson added that his entire Great Society program, not only the voting rights bill, was part of the Civil Rights Movement. He adopted language associated with Dr. King, declaring that “it is not just Negroes, but it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome. The bill was passed that summer and signed by Johnson as the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 1965. This is widely considered a watershed moment in the Civil Rights movement.

In 1988, the year after he was sworn into Congress, Lewis introduced a bill to create a national African American museum in Washington. The bill failed, and for 15 years, he continued to introduce it with each new Congress. Still, each time it was blocked in the Senate until finally, in 2003, President George W. Bush signed the bill to establish the museum. The National Museum of African American History and Culture held its opening ceremony on September 25, 2016.

Today as an African American, every time I freely walk-in the voting booth without the fear of being turned away because of my skin color, I owe it to the actions of Mr. Lewis.

Every time as an African American, I travel to the south without using a separate bathroom or being turned away from a restaurant because of the skin color. I owe it to the actions of John Lewis.

Every time I travel with a white friend in the south as an African American, we can ride next to each other I owe it to John Lewis.

To the day he was taken from us to his eternal life with the Lord, Mr. Lewis remained faithful to the cause, his mission, to give a voice to those who had no voice, to fight for racial equality, to cause as much GOOD TROUBLE that was needed to ensure America never forgets that all men are created equal.
Thank You, Mr. Lewis

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