It’s hard to rejoice over new beginnings. Whether it’s a new child, a new school, a new marriage, or even a new job, it all seems like an exercise in futility as we consider the murders of Mr. Ahmaud Arbery, Ms. Breonna Taylor, and Mr. George Floyd. Amidst a pandemic that is already taking the lives of so many around me, I began to wonder what else could possibly go wrong. With fear wreaking havoc in my community, and riots and rebellions most imminent, this black young man has found it somewhat difficult to see the light at the end of this very dark tunnel. From slavery to Reconstruction, the Jim Crow reign, the prison-industrial complex, and now to the chants which would seem obvious — “black lives matter” — my brothers, sisters, and our allies have always considered it our responsibility to rectify injustice, and "right" the evils that have marginalized. As best touted by Karima Amin, Buffalo’s story teller and djembe extraordinaire, “if you see something wrong, do something about it…”
For many years, I struggled with the notion that we should expect black folks to fix problems that they never created — that is, before my radicalizing moment came. It came when I saw a video of Philando Castile being shot in his chest, with his baby girl and girlfriend in the car, as he reached for license. I realized you can be compliant, non-violent, and still be shot by police forces because you are black, and perceived as a threat. More importantly, I recognized that no one can fight against injustice, without those facing injustice. The white owning class must see our faces and hear our voices in order to fix our problems. Then and only then can our country, and my people in particular, hope for more from this land.
Until then, we will keep ensuring our faces are represented in every part of the culture, and that our children are not taught history through the lens of oppression. Most of all we will keep the words of Karima Amin’s mother, who said that, “all days are good days and we will have better days” — believe that.
For further reflection:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mlk-a-riot-is-the-language-of-the-unheard/