Naturally, I feel compelled to give an opinion tonight. I see the black men in my life that I adore with all my heart, and I am touched, moved, involved, and concerned in a very specific way. I am the potential wife of a black man, I am the prospective future mother of a man of color, and I am the sister of a black man. I am a black woman.Im young, and my opinions and perspectives are still being influenced, developed, and formed. I see the many articles, the many points brought forth, the predictions for future events and the presentation of historic ones. I wasnt necessarily planning on saying anything...but I must.This is heartbreaking for many reasons. Im speaking beyond the verdict. Im reading another article about a 12 year old kid with a fake gun. Whether by police or those who take justice into their own hands, black men are being killed by those who feel threatened and are affected by disgusting realities in the real American story. At the same time, my black men are just as easily and more frequently be killed by the hand of other black men (WHICH IS IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, A SENSIBLE DEFENSE FOR ANYONE ELSE TO TAKE A HUMAN LIFE, BLACK OR OTHERWISE). I want to acknowledge that many people do not understand reality. History and the reality of modern times, partnered with the societal psychological damage that plagues the mind of America as a whole, as well as structural implements weaved into the government of the nation, all play a part in the reality of black men being killed in America. STOP ACTING LIKE THIS IS SIMPLE WHEN YOU HAVE NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THE TRUE, MUCH MORE COMPLEX STORY. After you do, it is much easy to simplify the many truths that exist, but I ask that you refrain from all forms of ignorance. White people who see nothing but a case of a police officer doing his job and black being radical: there is a backstory that I can assure you is not told on the news because it would take months to present. You would already know it if the education system wanted you to understand the entire story of black people in America besides before MLK - slavery/civil war, after MLK - free, voting, equal!. I tell you it is not as simple as you think. Now, the facts of the case are the facts of the case, whatever those facts may be. RIP to Michael Brown. Im speaking beyond this heart breaking case, but I am speaking directly to the bigger picture of the widespread heartbreak. The evidence can say what it wants, and it can be disputed or not...shot in the back, not, there was a struggle, or not, Micheal Brown was wrong in the moment, or not, the officer himself was racist, or not.... etc, etc, etc. I see something that goes beyond one man spending his life in jail, or not. Perhaps something happened and he followed protocol, but it looked like a unarmed black man being shot for no reason. Perhaps he was just an unarmed man shot for no reason. The way the case was handled in the media somehow separates the LEGAL CASE from Trayvon Martin and Michael Dunn, as well as Tamir Rice. Where I see NO separation is this: Im so glad that #blacklivesmatter is a hashtag, because that is what people are missing. That is what is missing in the police, in society, and in general. It is much too easy to shoot and kill a black man. If Mike Brown had been white, we must ask how this may have turned out different. Say he would have still gotten shot, would he have been shot fatally? Say he had stolen from the drug store, would that have been used to say that he was worth killing? (You know white people steal too, right?). Just some food for thought. The verdict matters,I suppose, but the length of the story goes on. The whole city of Ferguson is upside down. All over the country we are paying attention. The looting, the protests...Are the protestors really that violent? Are they provoked? Can we look beyond the mainstream media to understand that? Is that used to decrease the credibility of the community and the case in the media? If the protests are that crazy, why is there looting? That just harms the community in general. That is not a proper response. The community needs to be uplifted. Mike Browns deaths legacy and how it effected should be the destruction of the morale and overall wellbeing of the a community. The legacy should be for positive changes to be made and for better communication and cooperation to take place between the police and the people they are paid to protect. Protests in other places should take place appropriately if the people know what they want to see change. If youre protesting, whats the plan? What are your ideal expectations? Or are you just protesting? How about you put that energy into raising awareness? Gathering facts about the bigger issue at hand, and educating both sides to bring about a more cohesive blended America? #BlackLivesMatter .Im educating myself. Im reading. Im learning. Im listening. I will speak. I will spread love. I will educate. When the time comes. Lets change. Lets be better. #NotThatSimple
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 07:19:00 +0000
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