It seems that nowadays whenever Black folks what to stand up for some injustice that makes us primarily the victims some non-Black wants to distract/detract from that cause by pointing out that somehow we are responsible for the injustices. They say we have a victims mentality, they suggest that Blacks kill more Blacks then anyone else (when its known/should be known that every group as more inner crime than outer crime); its said that we have fatherless homes (when this directly related slavery, partially related to the welfare system and partially related to the criminal justice system); its said that we dont value education (when our forefathers were killed if they knew how to read/write, then they separated themselves and gave no resources for our fair education, we had outdated books and references), they say that we should work harder for economic gains (when they freed the slaves they gave them no resources to be self reliant and were left in the hands of the same racist people and systems that enslaved them and would go on to cheat them out of wages and property and otherwise abuse them). Weve gone through years of unfair and desparate treatment by law enforcement policies in the Black neighborhood and unfair and desparate sentencing guidelines and policies in the criminal justice system but they tell us itll all be alright if we were just law abiding; but tell that to the families where their loved ones were gunned down because a police officer thought that their wallet, spatula, cell phone or some other non-firearm was really a firearm and then all thats offered to the family is a oops, my bad or a well if he/she hadnt done .... These are the legacies that we are born in and that each successive generation strives to escape. The question thats presented now is that in 2015 are we too focused on what we didnt have and not focused enough on what we can have? Are we too focused on what was done to us and not enough on how we can avoid the same traps now? If we know how hard it was to not have a father then why arent more fatherless men trying to be better fathers to their own kids. Why are mothers keeping the kids from those who are trying to do better? Why do we have to go to Court for family issues that we should be able to work out on our own (btw the family court isnt for or against mothers or fathers). We have to battle the hangups that we inherited and that was instilled in a generation a century before us. If always said that there are two battle raging in our community an inner battle of ourselves and the outer battle of institutions and systems that are in place to make it harder or has previously made it harder for us to gain access to the same resources as our counterparts. These battles cannot wait on a victory from one to begin the other - they must be fought simultaneously. We have to start addressing the inner issues so that greater light can be shown on the outer issues. Its a simultaneous battle and we need fighters on both sides.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:09:01 +0000
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