As African Americans, we must remember that the plight of struggle and long-suffering which existed through resisting slavery in through many successful slave rebellions; fighting Anti-Literacy laws which prohibited us from obtaining an education; circumventing the creation of the prison system which the transfer from individualized ownership to group ownership at the institutional level; being the first to desegregate schools (Brown v. Board of Education), and all other public places and accommodations - as well as housing discrimination in the private markets (Jones v. Meyer).
We have been the equivalent to a thorn in the side for most White people as we, time and time again have fought to be seen, valued and given basic respect and human rights.
The relationship between Whites and blacks in thos country has been and remains (in many cases) one of contempt and contention. White people know this. African Americans know this. We do not name it ongoing, but we know it; at least for those who are aware and have insights into this country's history.
Thank you to all of the African American people who came before me; who continued to fight in this very evil land of Anglo/White Supremacy that we live in. This land has been the cause of many rapes and deaths of innocent African American women and men; and it is sad that not much has shifted from 1918 to 2018.
African Americans - we must continue to fight, stand in our integrity and dignity; regardless of the costs. It has taken me a lifetime of evolving and grasping a full understanding of what Malcom X. meant by his "By any means necessary" philosophy. We must continue to fight for justice with every being of our bodies; hearts, minds, spirits, physical strength.
As James Baldwin once stated, "To be Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all of the time."
Thank you to Linda Brown, who passed this week (child at the center of Brown v. Board of Education) and her father Oliver Brown, Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges (and her parents) for being courageous African Americans who fought and stood for justice. They garnered rights that all groups of color benefit from and take advantage of to this day.
We must never forget!
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/26/597154953/linda-brown-who-was-at-center-of-brown-v-board-of-education-dies
Commentaires