(Mississippi) Gun Line Boss

by with One Comment CultureFeatured

We all remember the classic movie Life starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. One of the movie’s many classic scenes is when Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence first arrive at the Mississippi prison encampment. While being lined up with other new prisoners, the warden reels off the rules of the prison camp. The warden’s hype man, another inmate, carrying a rifle on his shoulder echo’s each remark made by the warden. The most memorable remark echoed was “tell em bout the gun line boss,” which was a reference to the prison encampment not having a fence, but rather a “gun line.” The “gun line” was an imaginary line and if a prisoner ever crossed it he would be shot by the watchtower guards. Later in the movie, a scene unfolds in which a prisoner does, in fact, cross the gun line, and is shot to death in the process.

Fast forward to the real Mississippi in 2018… the recent US Senate race between Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy. 

Similar read: Major League Baseball And Mississippi Politics?

I reference the imaginary “gun line” as a comparison to the State of Mississippi’s horrid racial history, and the forever reminder that crossing that racial line will not come easy. Mississippi may not have actual watchtowers with guards; however, there are racially motivated eyes always looking down on Mississippi, especially when progress is being made against bigotry.

Mississippi, a state on the Mount Rushmore of racism, has historically treated Black people akin to the oppression placed on minority populations in dictator-led countries. And racist Mississippians sure have a lot to be proud of, they lead the nation in a lot of areas:

  • Mississippi is the second highest recipient of federal tax dollars in the nation.
  • It has the fewest dentists in the nation.
  • It’s the most obese state in the nation.
  • It’s one of the poorest states in the nation.
  • In 2004, Mississippi passed a ban on same-sex marriage with miraculous 84 percent support for the ban – Do you know how hard it is to get 84 out of 100 people to agree about anything??? 
  • It’s ranked last in academic achievement by the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Report Card on Education. 

It should come as no surprise a state that drums up the very worst in imagery for many people around the country leads the nation in the worst way economically, socially, and educationally. However, we’ve known this about Mississippi since… well, it was first called Mississippi. 

Just like Martin and Eddie in Life knew prison would be tough, even harder when serving time for a crime they didn’t commit. That’s a given… being in prison is tough, but what isn’t a given is what to do about it? Next time, how can Mississippi flip the 70,000-voter difference that will be sending Cindy Hyde-Smith to Washington and elect a Mike Espy instead? How can a state that still has the Confederate Flag become an inclusive place for all? 

Well… Martin and Eddie took decades to escape from prison. After not speaking to each other for years, Eddie Murphy’s character tried to escape time and time again. Later in the movie the two reunited and came up with a plan to escape, and succeeded!

In order to cross the “gun line” of racism, Mississippi has a lot of work to do. A few key factors… 20 percent of the state’s residents don’t have a high school diploma. And it has a 37 percent Black voting electorate, the highest in the nation. Just like Eddie and Martin in Life had to set aside their differences with the common goal of escaping prison, (with the help from around the nation) Mississippians will need to do the same… and the rest of the nation needs to take an interest in Mississippi. Politically speaking, national liberals and progressives must do more than infiltrate Mississippi 6-months before elections in an attempt to push local candidates across the finish line. Mississippi needs sustainable support, true “get out the vote” efforts, and with the help of liberal to moderate White voters, the state could change politically. 

But the racial “gun line” in Mississippi will always have its history and sadly will only conform so much. Eddie and Martin’s goal wasn’t to make prison more comfortable, but escape it entirely. The goal in Mississippi shouldn’t be to change hearts or even take down the Confederate Flag. But instead, remove the elected officials who proudly want to continue the oppression of non-White Protestant citizens, and replace them with those who want to reverse the Mississippi we know with the one it could and should be. 

Major League Baseball And Mississippi Politics?

by with 2 Comments FeaturedSports

Major League Baseball (MLB) has a Political Action Committee (PAC). PAC’s are organizations that privately raise money to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level. Most corporations have one. That’s not the real story here.

The real story is that on November 23rd, their PAC decided to make a $5,000 donation — the maximum donation allowed under the law — to Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. How can they justify such a donation AFTER the Senator made several racially charged and insensitive comments on the campaign trail? The answer is they can’t, and by 8:30 am today (11/25/18), not even 48 hours later, they’ve asked for the donation to be returned. Official MLB statement…

“The contribution was made in connection with an event that MLB lobbyists were asked to attend. MLB has requested that the contribution be returned.”

Talk about optics for a league that has struggled with integrating African-American players since day one. In 1956, which was Jackie Robinson’s last year in the Majors, African-Americans made up 6.7% of all MLB players. Seventy years later there has been virtually no difference or improvement in that figure (2017 – it was 7.7%). Lack of inner city programs, engagement, outreach, etc., the list is long and probably worth another article as to why those numbers are so low.

Similar read: A Peak Inside American Sports: Cheers & Protests

Regarding the peculiarity of Major League Baseball and Mississippi Politics… the link is hard to find since the state of Mississippi doesn’t have a Major League Baseball team. The economics are simple… Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the country and their economy can’t support a pro team. Next to Louisiana, it’s the poorest state in the country with nearly 20% of their residents living in poverty. Hard to sell premium seating and book big entertainment events when their economy is in such condition. Sure, if Cindy Hyde-Smith wins the runoff election, perhaps her vote would count towards passing legislation that would positively impact the MLB and their owners. But with the outcome of the Midterms, Democrats taking the House and Republicans picking up a few more Senate seats, her vote probably wouldn’t matter. So the question remains, why?

I think it’s also worth noting that Charles B. Johnson, billionaire and principal owner of the San Francisco Giants, also donated to her campaign AFTER her “public hanging” comment surfaced. Mr. Johnson is one of the largest Republican Party donors in the country, but why is he concerned about Mississippi politics? He’s originally from New Jersey, attended Yale University, and is the former chairman of Franklin Templeton Investments, one of the world’s largest asset management firms with $740 billion in assets under management. California, and especially the San Francisco area, is probably the most liberal state and city in the country… in comparison to Mississippi, which probably couldn’t be more different regarding issues of race, politics, and progressive views.

Sure, MLB has asked for the donation to be returned, but it should’ve never been made in the first place. In a league that is less than 8% African-American, why would they care about the optics or the pushback from the African-American community? Why… because decency, humanity, and morals still matter. Pro sports teams and leagues claim they want to stay out of politics, but they continue to make questionable decisions that put them right in the middle of political and social debates. Major League Baseball, and others like Charles B. Johnson, who unlike the MLB has not asked for his donation to be returned, need to be held accountable for their actions. If they won’t hold themselves accountable, then it’s up to the citizens to do so.

Midterms… From the Left, Center, Right

by with No Comment FeaturedPolitics
Different perspectives are important, especially regarding the 2018 Midterms. The dust has settled. We asked three of our contributors from the Left, Center, and Right, to weigh in… and here’s what they had to say…
“Midterms… we came, we saw, we partially conquered. To know so many women (particularly minority women) were elected to office for the first time in history was a bittersweet moment. Sweet because I, along with future generations, have a predecessor to look up to. Bitter because in 2018, the fact that we are still having such firsts is unacceptable.” – Left Healthcare Professional 
“A rising tide lifts all boats” is a common way of thinking when making policies. We must realize however, that although the tide will raise the boat I am on, there are some citizens not privileged enough to be on that boat and those policies can have a negative impact on them. In this election I voted for the good of people, ALL people. Although there are some policies that may benefit some tax brackets over others, we as people need to look out for our brothers and sisters (regardless of racism, sexism, and classism) and do what is good for humanity. I appreciate the campaigns that stayed away from the hate and division. Unfortunately, not enough campaigns can say they did that.”  – Center Single Mom
The Democrats now have a tool to prove their worth again to the American people or just enough rope to hang themselves. This “wave” is milder and different in character than the midterm wave of the last three presidents. If Democrats can focus around healthcare and assemble a compromise budget deal (perhaps around issues such as infrastructure), and can find a strong presidential candidate, perhaps they will be rewarded. If this turns into an army of subpeonas… if they continue to focus their entire agenda (or allow their news cycles to focus on) the president’s taxes or scandals, or if their intransigence leads to a government shutdown, they may well have just enough stake in the government to take the blame for a market correction after several years of low inflation growth. If that happens, the house may turn again in two years, and Trump will have another four years. – Right Army Veteran 

Returning to Work

by with 3 Comments FeaturedPoliticsRace Relations

The highly anticipated midterms are over… Not necessarily a “blue wave” but enough Democrats won to reclaim the House. So now the Dems can call for investigations, subpoenas, etc. We’re not sure how much success they’ll have, but if nothing else it’ll add to the circus that Washington has now become. 

If you’re a Black American, regardless of where you reside, you were hopeful Gillum and Abrams would win their Florida and Georgia Gov races respectfully. Let’s be honest, you were probably more than hopeful. You might’ve donated to their campaigns, at the very least your eyes were probably glued to CNN or MSNBC as they reported and updated the numbers. 

But while we didn’t want to admit it, the writing was on the wall when the coverage for these two big races began to fade and focus was redirected to other less historic or risky races. Gillum jumped to a lead, but Florida is Florida, and once the panhandle numbers came it was a done deal. Abrams on the other hand never appeared to have a shot. Her opponent jumped out to a big lead and held on. 

All that support, time, energy, “sweat equity,” registering new voters, younger voters, etc… wasted. Minorities including Black Americans have given a lot to this country. If Democrats can’t win elections with great candidates against opponents who blatantly traffic in racism and bigotry, then perhaps Dems aren’t the answer or the party for minorities? Or perhaps a drastic shift in leadership is the only way to get over this hump? 

Across this country, millions of Black Americans and minorities are mustering up the strength to return to mostly all-White offices and workplaces (today and the rest of the week) having suffered another moral and legislative defeat that hits them in every way possible. Where does that strength come from? Where are the safe places needed to exchange thoughts, vent, and move on? Trying to do so… after an 8-10 hour workday… year after year… election after election… can’t be healthy. 

Advice… don’t engage in political discussion, don’t take the everyday frustrations that come with any job personal, and stay close to family and friends who either know your pain, can relate, or have exemplified empathy. 

Dems should take a hard look at how they decide to campaign and strategize moving forward. Taking the “high road” sounds great, when you win. But they lost, two devastating and deflating losses. In both Florida and Georgia, their opponents made it about race. Not just race, but nasty racism… whether it was “monkey this up” or repeat overtly racist robocalls, digs at their education and fitness for office, Republicans in Florida and Georgia made up their mind that they were gonna hit low, hit hard, and hit often. That’s exactly what they did, and it carried them to victory. 

Gillum, Abrams, and Dems collectively did the exact opposite. They stayed high, and once again, to no avail. Is the solution to go just as low, probably not. But when you run two highly qualified charismatic candidates in Gillum and Abrams, and still lose, you should probably take a hard look at your playbook, strategy, and party leadership. 

Change is never easy, but it is inevitable. Since Dems expect or count Black Americans and minorities in their tent, they need to start making changes and winning the games/elections they should win, because something tells me this younger generation won’t be as patient and understanding as those that came before them. 

RACE… and the Impact of FEAR

by with 2 Comments Diversity & InclusionSocial Issues

In the popular 1997 hit, Up Jumps Da Boogie, rapper and producer Timbaland said, “See a Black man dead from a White man’s powder, see a White man scared from a Black man’s power.” The play on words is interesting when you think about the racial tension in our country today and the general fear of losing power. Individual or group power, however it’s attained, it’s usually not relinquished without a knock-down, drag-out fight… if not literally, then institutionally and policy-wise, and at the very least, rhetorically. 

With that being said, does the pigmentation of someone else persuade or alter the way you think about an entire culture or race of people?

What’s sad is that there are millions of people who won’t admit it; but in reality, their answer is yes to the aforementioned question. So why is it that people tend to find or search for fault in others that they don’t even know?

I wonder could it be that genetically some of us are embedded with a prejudice bone. Nahhhh that’s impossible. Reason being prejudice and racism is a disease that is taught… it’s a learned behavior. Young children are completely ignorant of prejudice and racism. Kids are naturally going to play with other kids because race or religion aren’t prerequisites for having fun. There should absolutely be no reason why 2 people can’t play or pray together. Unfortunately, by way of upbringing and media influence, kids are taught to recognize color in some form or fashion as their parents or community members do who uphold certain social beliefs and perspectives, which develops a pyramid of racial bias. It’s sad that the Caucasian race is perceived to be superior when, in fact, each race/ethnicity holds their own special qualities.

I believe it all boils down to fear. The fear of not knowing what one is capable of, or better yet the fear of accepting another for being different. Fear and power might be the main reasons behind the racial divide in the US, and throughout the world. Can you imagine being a slave in the Deep South and thinking about freedom, but the fear of being captured and lynched kept you from trying to escape? The daily fear of death or being separated from family, it’s hard to fathom such anguish.

My point is that as a society we’ve grown to accept people for being prejudice and racist. To make matters worst President Trump has added fuel to the fire of racial tension in our country. His inciteful rhetoric and actions impact us all, even those on the sidelines. Before we know it, we’ll be in a full blown Race War, which could set our country back hundreds of years.

As citizens, we need to come together and move beyond this Fear and Hate that looms over our country, and frankly, everywhere else as well. It’s not too late, but we’re running out of time.

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An Argument To Respect Omarosa?

by with One Comment PoliticsTrump AdministrationWomen's Rights

Should every citizen in this country be offended by the President when he calls a woman a dog?  A Black woman at that, considering the deep history of racism in this country when African-American’s were often referred to as animals in an attempt to degrade and further dehumanize them?  Minus the fringe, most would say yes… we should all be offended.

But this isn’t the first time he’s called a Black woman a dog, a female dog, aka a b***h. In the literal sense, he called hundreds of Black women dogs when he referred to NFL players as “sons of bitches” for deciding to take a knee in protest during the National Anthem.  In the ongoing debate of whether we should take Trump’s comments and tweets literally or figuratively, the media completely missed or ignored his NFL SOB comment as disrespect to their mothers, who all happen to be Black women. Perhaps it’s the American culture of sexism that seems to permeate all groups and often forgets women’s rights, especially women of color.

Despite the early morning tweet attacking Omarosa, which many would call sexist and racist, it’s hard to defend her.  Over the past two decades, she’s built a reputation on being arrogant, extremely rude, and overly confrontational toward anyone who has criticized Donald Trump.  It’s especially hard to defend her if you’re a person of color who doesn’t identify with the current Administration and their policies. In many circles, she’s considered a “sell-out”, and despite the lip service, she’s been cast away as someone who does not have the Black community’s best interest at heart.

And let’s be honest, it’s hard to believe Omarosa’s recent epiphany in realizing Trump is a racist and a bigot. Because for nearly 20 years of knowing him well, including 3 appearances on The Apprentice and her short stint in the White House, she adored him, publicly praised him, and vehemently defended him at every turn.

So for many people, regardless of how sexist, racist, or cruel the tweet might’ve been, they’ve made up their mind that Omarosa is not worth their time or effort. Can we blame them? Truly an important question considering America’s current political climate. Is it possible to remove our disdain for a person and recognize the bigger picture, which is that despite many of Omarosa’s past comments and actions proving to be detrimental and harmless, does she deserve respect and decency? After all, she’s a woman, a Black woman… just like the mothers of those NFL players Trump was referring to when he attacked them and their sons nearly a year ago.

“Every critic will have to bow down to President Trump.”  

“Is It Safe?”

by with No Comment MediaRace RelationsSocial Issues

Racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc, will always have a permanent seat at the table which is the United States. We’re reminded of that permanent seat in every facet of Americana. One of the more recent editions of the showcase of bigotry has been social media. Social media has exposed the usual suspects of bigotry; however, that’s to be expected and thankfully largely ignored. The interest in social media regarding bigotry isn’t just random rants on Twitter accompanied with the hashtag “freedomovertyranny,” it’s actual people who have actual careers who have actual consequences for their actions.

In recent news, social media remarks have surfaced from MLB pitcher Josh Hader and Baltimore Ravens reporter Lindsey Ok. The remarks… the usual… “N bombs” left and right, racial slurs, “joking” about White supremacy, homophobic remarks, and the icing… the forever classic “suck my ” insert private part” demands. Previous articles on this publication have already gone into detail regarding their remarks; however, I’m writing to explain why their remarks were made for the public to see in the first place.

Spoiler alert… no, it’s not the typical lame excuse of being young and insensitive, spare me. It’s simple. They can…

In the classic 1976 Dustin Hoffman film “Marathon Man,” there’s a famous scene in which Dustin Hoffman’s character is being tortured with dental equipment. During the scene, the villain of the movie Dr. Christian Szell, repeatedly asks Dustin Hoffman’s character Babe the cinematic famous line, “Is it safe?” Dr. Szell was asking Babe this question, for fear of being caught by the police regarding stolen diamonds.

“Is it safe?” Yes, White people in America, by and large, have the safety to make remarks of bigotry, apologize, and move on. Sure, there’s the occasional firing of a Paula Deen or shaming of Mel Gibson or removal of John Schnatter from being CEO of Papa John’s, but as soon as it no longer becomes a trending topic, things return to normal. No true loss.

Josh Hader, received a standing ovation from Milwaukee Brewers fans when he returned to the mound a few days after his tweets surfaced. Think about that. John Schnatter still has a net worth of almost a billion dollars. Lindsey Ok will eventually get a gig with Fox News… safe.

“Is it safe?” Yes, I’d say it’s pretty safe.

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A Peek Inside American Sports: Cheers & Protests

by with 3 Comments FeaturedSports

“Hahahahahah yeah too [sic] bad I’m fucking grounded nigger can’t do shit” – Josh Hader, October 20, 2011.

To be recognized as an All-Star in any profession is a high honor. To be recognized as an All-Star in any professional sport is a tremendous honor. To be recognized as a racist All-Star on the night you make your first All-Star appearance is a disgrace; depending on who you ask in Milwaukee.

Josh Hader is a 24-year-old pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers. Josh Hader is White. During last weeks MLB All-Star Game, various racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and xenophobic tweets from 2011 surfaced during the game (see above). Following the game, Hader was informed that the tweets had gone viral and with the help of his PR team delivered the usual platitudes that are given by White athletes in this scenario. By now, you know them well. The words “sorry” “ashamed” “misguided” are often carpet bombed through the statement which typically ends with a reassurance that the comments don’t reflect their current views.

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We’ve seen this scenario play out quite a few times over the last year. During the NCAA Men’s basketball championship in April, breakout star Donte DiVincenzo’s racist tweets surfaced during the game. After attesting Cam Newton’s sexist remarks at a press conference in October, Charlotte Observer reporter, Jourdan Rodrigue’s racist tweets were surfaced. To date, neither Hader, DiVincenzo, and Rodrigue have suffered any public consequence for their tweets. While the flippant tweets of teenagers are surely a glimpse into how they were parented and their mindset at the time, I fully accept that people’s ideologies can evolve from teenage years to young adulthood. Rodrigue continues her career at the Charlotte Observer, DiVincenzo recently signed a million-dollar NBA contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Hader was given a standing ovation by the Milwaukee Brewers fan’s when he entered the game this weekend. Yes, you read that correctly; the fans gave Hader a standing ovation. A visual, audible, and symbolic affirmation of his vile commentary. Don’t believe me, just watch.

In a week that included watching the sitting President of the United States bend the proverbial knee to the President of a foreign advisory, watching the Milwaukee fans rise to applaud Hader was by far the most disgusting act I saw last week. As I watched a large majority of the 36,000 fans applaud, I could only wonder what were their professions. Then I was reminded of Sterling Brown.

Sterling Brown is a 23-year-old basketball player for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Sterling Brown is Black. While standing in a handicap parking space, Mr. Brown was tased and violently arrested by the Milwaukee Police Department earlier this year. Body camera footage showed that Mr. Brown was compliant in the face of excessive force used by police. Mr. Brown is currently suing the Milwaukee Police Department for police brutality. Yep, and you guessed it, one of the arresting officers – wait for it – went on social media to boast about his arrest and make racially charged comments.

Juxtapose these events in Milwaukee and therein you’ll find a microcosm of not only sports in America but America. A White man is cheered for his racism in MLB and another receives a million-dollar NBA contract in spite of his racism. Meanwhile, a Black man in the NBA is brutalized by police for his existence and another continues to be blackballed by the NFL for exercising his right to take a knee to demand justice for it all.

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200 Strong Defend Maxine

by with One Comment Uncategorized

“As women whose ancestors have lived through the incivility of slavery, segregation, and all other forms of discrimination, racism, and sexism, as people who have historically been told to “wait” for justice, for freedom, for our turn, we consider it an insult to characterize Ms. Waters’ call for the exercise of our constitutional rights as uncivil and un-American.” 

On July 3rd a letter signed by nearly 200 Black leaders and allies was sent to Chuck Schumer and Nanci Pelosi. (The above passage is from the letter.) They expressed their “deep disappointment” in Democratic leadership for what they considered a failure to defend Rep. Maxine Waters. In fact, they’re arguing that Schumer and Pelosi did the exact opposite by publicly criticizing her and calling her actions “un-American.” In a strong defense of Rep. Maxine Waters they quickly reminded Schumer and Pelosi that Black women are the most loyal base of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Movement – at a time when millennials and many in the Black community are questioning the Democratic Party’s leadership, this is probably one reminder that they’d rather not address. While the unusual mid-week holiday might buy them some extra time, it’ll be hard to escape this critique, which seems to be growing within the Democratic Party.

When Rep. Maxine Waters was asked about Schumer’s “un-American” comment, she responded…

“Well, I’m surprised that Chuck Schumer, you know, reached to do that. I’ve not quite seen that done before, but one of the things I recognize, being an elected official, is in the final analysis, leadership like Chuck Schumer will do anything that they think is necessary to protect their leadership.” 

Below are two more passages from the 2-page letter. If you haven’t read it, we encourage you to do so. Whether you agree or not with these 200 leaders and allies, it’s safe to say the old guard in the Democratic Party might be running out of time. Either way, being publicly challenged and reprimanded by your most loyal base is not a good look.

For Black women, who are the most loyal base of the Democratic Party and the Progressive Movement, Congresswoman Waters is our shero… She continues the phenomenal legacy of leadership of Black women who paved the way for all women to break glass ceilings… Disparaging or failing to support Congresswoman Waters is an affront to her and Black women across the country and telegraphs a message that the Democratic Party can ill afford: that it does not respect Black women’s leadership and political power and discounts the impact of Black women and millennial voters.

We call on the Democratic Party leadership to step up and publicly support Congresswoman Waters… We further believe Congresswoman Waters is owed an apology for your public comments insinuating she is “uncivil” and “un- American” for challenging the Trump Administration.” 

Do you agree with them and their letter? Is there anything Schumer or Pelosi can say to calm the waters in their party? And does this signal a bigger problem within the Democratic Party – that their leadership needs to be replaced with millennials and more people of color?

Let us know what you think… your perspective matters.

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KANYE EXPOSED US

by with 3 Comments CultureFeatured

He had me at Jesus Walks.

Having grown up in an evangelical church, I began exploring my own musical palate outside of gospel music in the late 90s. Like most adolescents growing up in Brooklyn at that time, my ears immediately gravitated to the sweet sounds of hip-hop. So listening to this collision of flavors in gospel and hip-hop music almost instantaneously turned me into a massive Kanye Omari West fan. Two years later I was able to briefly work with Kanye and meet his mother, Donda, on one special evening early in my career.

Over the last fifteen years, I have defended Kanye’s contributions to American culture and interpreted his infamous rants with much aplomb. Most of the time I felt that Kanye and I were kindred spirits and I had the ability to articulate the beauty in his messages. In doing so, I felt connected to one of history’s musical geniuses. Often, I would end my defense of Kanye with a prophetic word saying, “history will view Kanye’s contribution to music more favorably than his contemporaries.”

Having closely followed his career, I know that Kanye mostly engages on social media when he is looking to push a product. So it came as no shock to me that Kanye returned to Twitter with content that would spice things up. However, before spicing things up he was tweeting overwhelmingly positive messages before folks began to pay attention. But in this climate, positivity doesn’t sell.

As is my modus operandi, I put on the full armor of Kanye defenses and prepared for battle. In full regalia I defended Kanye, that is until the salute to Candace Owens knocked off my helmet. But I pressed on, explaining that he merely said that he liked how she thinks. That is until the signed Make America Great Again hat penetrated my shield. Only left with a sword to defend myself, I battled on evangelizing to any left-leaning person that would listen about the framework of our American Democracy. That is until the sword was knocked out of my hand when Kanye basically insinuated that American slavery was a choice that our ancestors made for themselves. Defenseless and fallen to my knees in defeat, I began asking folks, “Why they thought American slavery wasn’t a choice?” The various answers that I received not only invigorated me but exposed the bedsores riddled all over America’s already brittle skin.

The response to the question, “Why wasn’t American slavery a choice?” begins with the fact that slavery was rooted in the Founding Documents of America and backed by the full power of the American legal system and military. Specifically, the iconic Supreme Court Dred Scott v. Sandford case where Chief Justice Taney basically informed Mr. Scott to leave his courtroom as he was property and therefore property had no right to adjudicate the case. American slavery was an American government-sponsored genocide and exploitations of my ancestors. Continue to research and follow that line of thinking and let me know how you feel.

There were more white people in the South than the slaves? NO

The slaves were not educated and therefore weren’t smart? NO

The slaves didn’t have the will because their master repeatedly broke their will? NO

The slaves didn’t… NO

Even when the slaves decided against slavery for themselves, like Dred Scott, it was the Rule of Law that returned them to their slave masters at best or to their deaths at worst. Remember that Amistad and 12 Years A Slave were both award-winning films where the Law is the main protagonist. Our ancestors were intellectual, intentional, and strong-willed people who would not have chosen slavery for themselves had it not been for the Law of the land that they were captured too. Any explanation that is not first rooted in a discussion around American Law is shrouded in racism and victim blaming.

As responses to my question poured in what I realized is that Kanye is uninformed and a majority of the public are also uninformed. So in effect, it was the uninformed shouting down the uninformed. This lack of understanding is a glaring indictment against the education system of one of the wealthiest empires in the history of the world. In the end, it’s imperative that we continue in a relentless pursuit of knowledge.

Thanks for exposing us Ye.

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