The Significance of Derek Chauvin’s Verdict

by with One Comment FeaturedRace RelationsSocial Issues

Guilty. The one word that signified the end of a three-week trial. The trial of Derek Chauvin on the murder of George Floyd is one that encompasses the remnants of 401 years of inhumane treatment of Black lives in America. George Floyd’s death is reminiscent of that of Emmett Till; galvanizing a new generation of Civil Rights activists to open the eyes of the world to say yes, Black Lives Matter. That we are people too, but more than anything else, we are human. 

This verdict did not come without some angst or doubt that a sliver of justice would be served.  In the cases, of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, Sandra Bland, and Eric Garner, where was the justice? It has been the Black experience that our lives remain insignificant to that of our counterparts in the eye of the police. 

As we collectively breathe a sigh of relief now that we have a verdict, I cannot help but recognize that this euphoric feeling is only temporary. The verdict leaves me to beg the question, what happens next? What happens to the other officers involved? How will they be held accountable? Would there be new policies to include accountability among fellow officers? How will this change the way policing is done? For a system where ideologies of White Supremacy and racism are inherent, these changes needed to happen yesterday.  

Police Training…

This verdict sets the tone for America to reevaluate policing. It would be wise to consider looking at the training of police forces in other countries, which results in fewer police shootings and murders. We say we need more training, yet it seems the issue is not the frequency, but the length of time, quality, and substance of the information given during training. Too many people of color have been victimized due to those inherent values, mediocre quality in training, and the lack of interest and investment in continual support of the mental health (other than passing a psychological exam) of police officers. It is apparent that the policies and training are far beyond inadequate and lacking.

There is so much work to be done, and it requires all of us to work together to bring about effective change. The only way to move is forward, all of us, together.

George Floyd’s death and the trial of Derek Chauvin will serve as a milestone in how far we have come as African-Americans. The verdict has a special place in our history’s timeline. Just as Emmet Till’s death sparked the Civil Rights Movement, George Floyd’s death is launching a new wave of activists; leading a new era when it comes to justice: accountability. We are nowhere near true justice, but the will and desire to seek and achieve it has become the goal.

This case will forever signify one simple truth that we all know; that we are people; that we are human, but most of all: BLACK LIVES MATTER

Similar Read: Chauvin Verdict

My Reaction to the Storming of Capitol Hill

by with One Comment FeaturedPolitics

One of the things I’ve found really interesting about the events of the last year is that feeling of “what now?” that seemed to be ever-present. Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse or even in those brief moments when we got the opportunity to take a deep breath or a sigh of relief, there was a consistent dark cloud figuratively looming overhead.

Now, on a day when we’re finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the impending Senate flip, we’re reminded that it ain’t over yet. It’s infuriating to see people, who had their fingers pointed during the fight for Black and Brown lives, storm the Capitol in the name of being sore losers.

I am mind boggled at the fact that they were able to enter the walls of the Capitol building without even the threat of a rubber bullet or tear gas. Where was this calm when people were genuinely and peacefully seeking justice?

I’m appalled at the lax reaction from people watching this all unfold and I hope the actions of these thugs force those who have been silent to hold up a mirror to themselves and audit their inactions that have emboldened these domestic terrorists. These hooligans have identified themselves, and we as a country have to decide how we are going to proceed.

No more standing by idle. It is time for action. It is time to make our stance clear. We cannot continue to be passive. We must continue to disempower the system of bigotry and hate that has fueled this country for so long. Enough is enough!

My Heart Bleeds for Breonna

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedRace Relations

My heart bleeds for Breonna, and every Black woman in this country. A country where Black women are betrayed at every turn. 

No justice (no peace)? 

How do you explain Breonna’s murder and a 6-month investigation that renders no charges or indictments directly related to her murder? 

A Black AG, who just spoke at the Republican Convention last month, who’s also on Trump’s shortlist to replace RBG on the Supreme Court, wants us to believe he’s sincere in his attempt to bring justice? He wants us to believe that it actually wasn’t a no-knock warrant, they just decided to do it at 12:30 am in the middle of the night? That every one of Breonna’s neighbors except 1 failed to hear them announce themselves prior to entering? Despite the officers being in plainclothes when they entered the apartment and Breonna’s boyfriend assuming it was a home invasion, he shouldn’t have acted in self-defense and opened fire with his legal firearm… and because he did, the officers were justified in returning fire? 

That’s that. “We sympathize with the family… so much that we’re going to give you $12 million dollars of your fellow neighbors hard-earned tax money.”

To make this horror story even worse, no drugs were found in the apartment, and the actual (no knock) warrant in question targeted another individual who was in police custody prior to the raid. 

Case closed. A young Black woman with dreams and aspirations… murdered by the state. No justice. 

Breonna deserved better. Black women deserve better. And until this country, specifically law enforcement and our criminal justice system, start treating Black women with basic humanity, respect, and dignity, these systems and institutions deserve hell, their budgets need to be re-examined, and distrust will only grow as more people witness the bold and corrupt state that literally gets away with cold-blooded murder. 

BLACK LIVES MATTER.

Similar Read: Breonna

Why NBA Players Shouldn’t Boycott

by with One Comment FeaturedSports

Dear NBA Teams,

Please Don’t Boycott Games. Public Awareness is not the issue right now. One would have to be living in a monastery somewhere away from all civilization to be ignorant of the current disparities in criminal justice between different races in the United States.

Also, it’s unlikely anyone will see that the Celtics and Raptors aren’t playing and suddenly change their mind about such a deep-seated issue as racial injustice.

So what does a boycott accomplish?

  • There will be no money generated for truly good people (the players particularly, but also the coaches, managers, staff, owners, and other employees who seem to be 100% all on the same page about this).
  • The world will receive none of the messaging that NBA players have so successfully brought to each game via text, video, and spoken word.
  • A gaping hole will emerge in media content that will be filled with more of the wrong voices, particularly the current RNC convention.

What does playing accomplish?

  • Playing will generate more money to help fight the system via political power, programs, education, protecting polling locations, etc.
  • More of the right messaging from the right people will be front and center on prime time television.
  • Playing games with a heavy emphasis on racial justice will prove that an industry can not only exist, but thrive taking a very firm political stand (whereas conventional wisdom is to never alienate one’s audience in pursuit of the almighty dollar).

Although boycotting might seem like an effective gesture, it will be rendered meaningless almost immediately after the moment has passed.

Political power and cultural consensus is the goal right now for anyone fighting on behalf of Black Lives Matters.

Finally, as Trump proved in the 2016 election, the loudest and most media-dominant voice will take all the oxygen. These NBA Playoff games are keeping the focus on some of the most talented, wealthy, and brilliant minds one could ask for in service of the greater good. Let’s keep it there as long as possible.

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Until the Revolution of 1776 is Complete

by with 2 Comments CultureFeaturedPolitics

U.S. Congressman and Civil Rights activist John Lewis passed away last weekend at the age of 80. He famously spoke at the Great March on Washington on August 28, 1963, the youngest of all the speakers that day, before a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people. Despite the agony of walking and standing under the scorching August Washington D.C. Sun, history would be made thanks to the speeches given by greats such as John Lewis, Roy Wilkins, and of course, the famous “I have a dream” speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

In the present tense, we claim to honor those greats by “continuing their legacy,” but that simply isn’t true. 

We are not doing enough. Period. We, meaning we as Americans as a collective, haven’t done enough to ensure the hard work of Congressman Lewis doesn’t have to be done all over again. 2020 has fully exposed our complacency for pushing for needed change in this country. From the handling of the Coronavirus pandemic to the murder of George Floyd, both expose America’s glaring need to no longer ignore systematic ills. Though the systematic ills of America are nothing new to Black people, the “ills” are sometimes not as clear as we may want to think. 

When Congressman Lewis was figurately and literally (he had his skull mashed into by a Police Officer) fighting systematic racism in the 1960s, the obstacles were more direct. Under the protection of “states rights,” states could enact systematic white supremacist measures like Jim Crow laws. The works of the 1960’s Civil Rights movement led to hallmark acts like the Civil Rights Voting Act, Voting Rights Act, and the Housing Rights Act, VISIBLY desegregated America. However, as we most certainly know, the true work resided in the post segregated America. Measures not so direct and noticeable. You do not “see” a doctor neglecting the prenatal needs of a Black woman in favor of a White woman. You do not “see” qualified Black candidates get passed over by their lesser qualified White peers in the same manner you “saw” a young John Lewis get physically assaulted by a Police Officer. 

2020 has shown the long neglect to address failures in the healthcare system, criminal justice system, and education simply cannot continue. The need to apply true pressure to elected officials to make drastic and impacting change is the legacy Congressman John Lewis wanted to create. He said it best…

“I appeal to all of you to get into this great revolution that is sweeping this nation. Get in and stay in the streets of every city, every village and hamlet of this nation until true freedom comes, until the revolution of 1776 is complete.”

We cannot allow the call for Black Lives Matter, Equality, and Justice to morph into nothing more than a bumper sticker or hashtag. The consequences are too much to allow that to happen. Let’s vote, let’s stay on the elected officials we elect to do their job of progressing the cause of all people and let’s keep doing it… until the revolution of 1776 is complete!

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An Icon on the Hill & Beyond

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedPolitics

Georgia Representative John Lewis was labeled as the humble giant on the Hill. However, his colleagues referred to him as the Conciseness of Congress. He’ll be remembered for his continuous fight for Voter’s Right, his lifetime fight for all people. 

At the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” address, Civil Rights leaders asked John Lewis to tone his speech down afraid that it would be too much and would cause controversy. Lewis was the last living speaker at the march on Washington.

On October 8, 2013, Lewis was arrested outside on Capitol Hill for civil disobedience while he was standing up with protestors for Immigration reform. Nothing new for Lewis… he had been arrested 40+ times for peacefully protesting when the stakes were just as high. On October June 12, 2016, the nation was shocked by another shooting. This time it was the Pulse Night Club, a gay night club that was personally targeted in Orlando, Florida. On June 22, Rep. Lewis held a floor sit-in on the floor of The US House of Representatives just ten days after the Shooting. The sit-in protest, which was to fight specifically for gun control, lasted for more than 12 hours with roughly 40 Democratic House Representatives by his side. 

Lewis was not just an icon on the Hill, but beyond. In fact, he was mainly known for his work and legacy off the Hill. He was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940, outside of Troy, Alabama. He was inspired by the activism surrounding the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the late Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which he heard on radio broadcasts. He made a decision at a very young age to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement. While a student at Fisk University, John Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1961, he volunteered to participate in the Freedom Rides, which challenged segregation at interstate bus terminals in the Deep South.

From 1963 to 1966, Lewis was named Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which he helped form. John Lewis led over 600 peaceful, orderly protestors across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965. The marchers were attacked on that bridge by Alabama state troopers in a brutal confrontation that became known as “Bloody Sunday.” He suffered a skull fracture and was one of 58 people treated for injuries at the local hospital. Despite more than 40 arrests, physical attacks and serious injuries, Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the nonviolence philosophy.

In 1981, he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. And in November 1986, he was elected to Congress and served as U.S. Representative of Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District since then. Earlier this year, Lewis attended the 55th-anniversary of the march in Selma, which was a surprise appearance considering his illness. One of his last public appearances was in DC on Black Lives Matter Plaza (16th Street) with Mayor Muriel Bowser. He not only was there to see the name change of 16th Street, but also to witness in person the large display of Black Lives Matter painted in yellow. Such an iconic moment for one of the original fathers of the Black Lives Matter movement to witness. 

In December 2019, Lewis presided over the House vote to restore voter’s rights. The House voted and passed this bill. The Senate never even brought the bill to the floor for a vote. That bill still remains on Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell‘s desk still today. Lewis made his transition from this earth on Friday, July 17, 2020, after his battle with pancreatic cancer. Whenever I now hear the sound of the thunder it will remind me of his thunderous voice of advocacy. His legacy will live on.

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We Are All Talked Out

by with No Comment FeaturedPoliticsRace Relations

The other week South Carolina’s Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was asked what was his opinion on chokeholds, police brutality as well as the rise of racial unrest. Sen Graham responded, “Well I think we need to learn how to start talking to each other.”  He added, “First we should start talking then look at data.” I am personally sick of people, mainly White people, telling Blacks they need to start talking about it. Black Americans have been talking and talking for years, decades and centuries. The truth is some White Americans in power have never been interested in doing anything to address the issue of race.

On Monday, June 22, 2020, the US House discussed voting on their police reform bills. The Republican bill does not address issues with police brutality but actually give them incentives if they do not do chokeholds. It explicitly states, “Give Incentives to Police Departments that Do Not Do Chokeholds, Let States Maintain the Tracking of Police Misconduct, Would Not Amend Federal Civil Rights Law, No Change in Qualified Immunity, and just Collect State Data on No-Knock Warrants.“ On the other hand, the Democrat bill says, “Ban on Chokeholds, National registry to Track Police Misconduct, Would amend Federal Civil Rights Law, Change in Qualified Immunity and Ban No-Knock Warrants in Drug Cases.“

As to expected… night and day.

Clearly, Republicans believe that just because they proposed a police reform bill that would appeal to African-Americans voters. However, African-Americans will not allow the GOP to use their community as a prop. The evidence is in their bill, that Republicans in the House of Representatives do not believe that Black Lives Matter. The Black Community has been clear that they are ALL TALKED OUT, they are ready for ACTION.

Similar Read: My Letter to John Lewis

Conversation With a Black Man

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedRace Relations

Black man, I prayed for you last night… except there weren’t many words. You see, like you I have found myself heavy and burdened with emotions due to the events of the past week… month… years… I know you’re laughing because, “Since when is a black woman at a loss for words?” We can chuckle about that together, but this time I think we both understand why. Really, I prayed because I grew weary of screaming and cussing in frustration about the loss of another brother or sister. 

George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and almost Chris Cooper in Central Park have caused everyone in the world to pause and re-examine his/her own relationship with black skin, and it’s relative treatment in America in 2020. Add to that a layers of pure racism and cowardice that can no longer be masked by a liberal white woman with a dog, racist white men in your friendly Georgia neighborhood, or an enduring system of police brutality that this time chose a knee over a gun. Well, not just any knee, but the patellofemoral joint of an adult white male supporting the full weight of his torso and body transferred through his pelvis down the length of his femur to the approximately 5.5 mm carotid artery of Mr. Floyd. For almost 9 minutes a murderer slowly stole the life of another Black man, depriving him of vital oxygen and nutrients desperately needed by his brain for survival, reportedly because he was resisting arrest even though former Ofc. Chauvin’s hands stayed in his pockets the entire time, devoid of struggle to contain Mr. Floyd. 

So, yes, I prayed for you in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep, because enough is enough and- in the words of Fannie Lou Hamer – “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” In the moans and groans of a grandmother on her knees in the middle of the night waiting for her prodigal grandson to return home. I whispered the words and melodies of songs lined out in a hymn by the mothers of the church who maybe couldn’t read or write intelligibly, but knew how to place that note so perfectly deep in your soul that every time you heard it, you got chills. I lifted up a prayer filled with the tears of a single mother who is utterly exhausted and whose true desire is for her and her children to be safe. That “arms wrapped around me” kind of protection that any man wants to give his family as a father, husband, brother, son, and provider, and that every woman wants to receive. Yet I understand that many times, Black man, you can’t because throughout countless generations you’ve been trying to survive, prevent and even run from a system that was designed to lynch or disable you by any means necessary. And while many may disagree, I suggest that safety and security are 2 of the most vital needs for a woman from a man. At home, in our communities, and even on our jobs and in places of worship. Although, Breona Taylor had just that with her boyfriend asleep beside her in their Louisville, KY apartment when the police stormed in unannounced and unloaded a hail of bullets into her body in the middle of the night, not realizing until they killed her that they were in the wrong apartment.

Whether you wanted me to or not, I prayed for you this morning to receive the strength to rise up with God’s help, wisdom and guidance to defeat this enemy of police brutality and systemic racism in America and all over the world. For you to have the courage stand upright as a Black man in your God-given power that the world is so afraid for you to possess, because they know that you would rule if only you realized it was yours. I asked God to hear my heart because no words would suffice to adequately describe the despair, rage, and gut-wrenching pain that it sometimes takes to be an African-American woman who loves and cherishes African-American men. I, hell WE, are praying for you, standing beside you and fighting with you because the security of our children, families and communities depend on it.

Love,

Your Black Woman

Similar Read: Dear Black Man  

(Colin Kaepernick) What’s Next?

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedSports

One of the last songs Tupac Shakur recorded is a little known track entitled What’s Next, in which he questions things in his past and how they’ve impacted others. To no particular entity or without any particular purpose, Pac repeatedly asks, “What’s Next?” In summary, Pac questions the purpose of his past and what is to come in the future.

It’s been exactly two months since Colin Kaepernick settled his collision lawsuit against the National Football League. Prior to the settlement, since the Fall of 2016, Colin Kaepernick and his silent protest of kneeling during the national anthem was a constant topic amongst both sports and general news outlets. Despite not being in the league for the past two seasons, both kneeling during the anthem by other players and the conversation around the awareness of the protest remained strong up until the settlement.

Then… nothing.

We haven’t heard from Colin Kaepernick. We also haven’t heard from Eric Reid, his most vocal and visible NFL player supporter. We haven’t heard anything on news outlets. And this upcoming season, I can bet dollars to doughnuts no one will kneel during the anthem. 

So what’s next?

Like Tupac questioned the purpose of his past and what was to come in the future, we, the supporters of the anthem protest wonder what’s next with player activism. A tactic that, despite backlash, has been a successful tool in beginning the conversations and actions needed to address gross the injustices taking place in this nation.

I’m sure NBA players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and countless others will continue to speak on social issues. But what about the NFL? 

The main goal of the kneeling protest was to bring awareness to the injustices within law enforcement and the criminal justice system as a whole against Black people in America.

Mission accomplished.

The protest might have only entrenched the main sides of this issue (pro-police vs Black Lives Matter); however; many in the middle listened and some like Patriots owner Robert Kraft even made steps towards supporting criminal justice reform.

There probably won’t be any more anthem protests, but there’s still a lot of room for the NFL to make an impact and create social change. We, the supporters, just need to know what’s next. 

Antwon Rose

by with 2 Comments CultureFeaturedGen Z

Black bodies, young and old, are being cut down by blue hands. This has become the American Normal, an epidemic that many have been fighting to find a cure for. Black Lives Matter is the largest movement of today, potentially since the Panthers. Their aim is to establish equality in the Land of the Free, to show that freedom belongs to Black people also.

Since the abolition of slavery, our chains aren’t visible, but that doesn’t make them any less present. Our movements are restricted through racial profiling, generalizations, and a fear of police. The police force was formed to protect people from people by people. This force is comprised of people who go above and beyond to make our neighborhoods and cities safer to reside in. Lately, I have begun to question, safe from whom? 

What determines someone is dangerous? Reaching for an ID which is being asked for? For having on a hoodie with the hood up? For demanding to know why they’re being detained? For resisting arrest? For being Black? While the reasons behind these deaths aren’t certain, in the last few years, the number of fallen Black bodies has been on the rise. Unarmed Black bodies. Unarmed Black bodies of young men and women, of fathers and mothers, of brothers and sisters.

People make mistakes of all proportions. We are all imperfectly human. What makes a person worth their salt is their ability and willingness to take responsibility for their mistakes.

We have to hold everyone to the same extent of the law, which includes law enforcement. Simply because they enforce the law does not mean that they are above it. When an officer is killed, the person or persons responsible for it are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. When a civilian is killed, sometimes the officer is fired, maybe they face jail time, but more often than not it feels as if everyone is getting off scot-free, with a slap on the wrist called an acquittal.

Antwon Rose II was seventeen when he and his friend Zaijuan Hester were pulled over for driving a car that fit the description of one that just did a drive by a mile and a half away. Why did they run after being pulled over? What Black boy in this America would sit still when they see the boys in blue in their rearview mirror? And that officer is White, which is, unfortunately, the common scenario for these wrongful deaths? Get away or die trying.

There was footage taken from an apartment window of the shooting. As discussed in court and what can be plainly seen, Rose and Hester were running. All of a sudden ex-Officer Michael Rosfeld was shooting. There was no pursuit, just three rounds echoing in the silence in East Pittsburgh. I watched this video at least twenty times, trying to see anything other than another unarmed Black body hitting the ground with injuries that proved fatal. Each time I jumped as the shots pierced through the air.

There were three people in the car that was seen in surveillance footage that fled from a drive-by shooting. When Rosfeld and his partner pulled the car over, it would make sense to wait for backup since there was no telling how the situation would unfold. It was a choice to engage the teenagers without waiting. It was a choice to not pursue Rose and Hester as they fled. It was a choice to shoot at them, and those three shots landing into Rose’s back. Rosfeld was charged with criminal homicide, which includes murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter under Pennsylvania law, according to CNN.

As of March 22nd, 2019, Rosfeld was fully acquitted of all charges that could have been upheld. The nation, and especially Rose’s loved ones, are in uproar over the fact the jury’s deliberations lasted less than four hours. Rosfeld was given the proverbial slap on the wrist for murdering a teenage boy, like many others before him.

Race relations in America gets bleaker by the day. America shouldn’t be a battleground. Lives shouldn’t be lost due to itchy trigger fingers and bad snap judgments. We are losing our young people who will make a better tomorrow. While these lives cannot be revived, we can at least in their own effect positive change so that no more bodies join theirs in the statistic of Black lives lost as a result of police violence. 

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