Don’t go kidding yourself when you say you’re not
racist. We are all somewhat racist. As soon as we meet someone new, we begin discriminating
by sizing them up. And weather we want
to admit it or not, from the color of one’s skin, to the way someone wears
their hair, their tattoos or lack of, their make-up, their clothes, their shoes
. . . we begin making our judgments on appearances alone. All humans do this; it isn’t just a white
people thing, black people, Asian people, Native Americans, we all do it to an
extent. Shit, I’ve even been racist
towards people of my own color.
I have caught myself saying things like, “You won’t see me
living in Alabama or Mississippi! Forget those bigoted racist!” That is a racist statement; it’s a proclamation
of intolerance. Regardless if I’m white
and I’m referring to people of my own race, I am targeting an entire two states
as being racist. Have you ever caught
yourself doing just that?
But in reality, not all people who live in the Deep South are
racist, and racism isn’t contained in only one area of the country, or within
one race of people. But I am going to
take a minute and address white people.
As a white woman, I do not feel guilty for the behaviors of
others. Nor am I responsible for the
actions of other humans throughout history.
But as a human being, in the here and now, I am greatly saddened by the
images I see on television, in regards to the treatment of black people by the
police.
I understand, when you say that you have been treated
unfairly by the police too. I have been
pulled over by some fat head cops in my time, but I have lived to talk about
it. And I understand that it may not be
a problem where you live, therefore you find it hard to comprehend the
injustice, yet it screams into our living rooms in the form of video of actions
that cannot be defended. And time and
again these so called officers of the peace are cleared of all wrong
doing.
I was singled out once and pulled over by a State Highway
patrol woman, who insisted on searching my vehicle because I had a Grateful
Dead bumper sticker in the back window of my pickup truck. It was rainbow colored teddy bears holding
hands, and I had no idea that it was a Dead Head thing. Her words were, “I always find marijuana in
cars of Grateful Dead fans.” From there
it only escalated. I was told by a
second little fatheaded cop that “We can do what we want when we want.”
I removed the sticker from my vehicle when I returned home,
but just imagine having black or brown skin.
It cannot be removed. And if the
police are profiling bumper stickers, imagine what they do to people of color.
Why are people upset about a Mexican border wall? What, you don’t think white people in Canada
bring drugs across the border? Look at
the high crime in Ann Arbor and Detroit.
I know of (white) people who use to run up there, from Central Ohio to
buy drugs in bulk. But you don’t see
anyone complaining about Canadians. And
you don’t see them executed on the nightly news, by some freighted uneducated quick
on the draw cop. Just face it,
statistically we white people are not held suspect in the same manner as those
of color.
As one police officer put it, “Regardless of the color of the
officer, in the vast majority of those cases of abuse that citizen will be
black or brown. That is what is
allowed.”
It’s like a bad cigarette habit that is hard to shake, if the
person is black or brown, the police think it’s ok to physically abuse them and
their rights.
The U.S. Constitution guarantees equal rights under the
law. Amendment Fourteen states, “. . . nor shall any State deprive any
person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of the law, nor deny
to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
It is against the law to treat one race of people differently
than another. This is why a Black Lives
Matter movement began. It isn’t that
your life doesn’t matter, as a white person, but instead it is a need to focus
on why the police feel it is ok to neglect equal and fair treatment of all of the citizens it serves.
So you see, by supporting Black Lives Matter, you are saying that all lives matter. Because truthfully it is an issue of
authority, and I think that at one time or another in our lives, we have all
been victimized by the government in one form or another. To protect the rights of any individual is
to stand in protection of your liberty as well.
And when we see a football player or an entire football team
take a knee during the National Anthem, it is not a disgraceful act, but a
privilege that has been celebrated and defended by countless American’s who
sacrificed their lives to protect that freedom.
So before you go flying off the handle over a football player
taking a knee in an attempt to bring attention to Black Lives Matter, realize
that you are feeding a behavior that is contrary to the U.S. Constitution.
You are basically labeling yourself as a communist, if you
think it’s ok to limit one’s freedom of speech.
Go live in China and tell me how life is without Facebook. Or go live in North Korea and tell me how it
feels to whisper out of fear of some flag waving Korean overhearing you
speaking out against Kim Jong-un and turn you in. Fear makes prisons, and that’s exactly where
you will wind up in a communist country if you express an opinion that is not
favorable with the government.
So ask yourself this question, “Do Black Lives Matter?”
It is a yes or no question; it’s that simple. There are no, “Yes, but(s) . . .” The word but
implies resistance.
I’ve heard the excuses, “Yeah, but they’re (the football players) doing it at work. They’re
getting paid.” LOL! I hate to tell you this, but every time you
call in work sick, when you’re not sick, you are protesting work. And
some of you receive sick pay, which means you’re getting paid to protest work
for the entire day.
Here’s another excuse I hear often, “It makes me sick to my
stomach!” Like what? Watching Rodney King get beat half to death
with billy-clubs, by countless police officers, while he’s on the ground doesn’t
make you sick to your stomach? Oh, but
watching some dude take a knee during the National Anthem makes you want to
barf. Hmmm?
“Yeah, but it’s a
disgrace,” is the other excuse I have been hearing. What’s disgraceful is watching countless acts
of murder, where the evidence is video tapped, beyond a shadow of a doubt, yet
no one (the police) is ever convicted.
That’s just unbelievable and shameful; then we wonder why people refer to
American’s as stupid.
Step back and look at yourself and listen to what you’re
saying. Think! We have got to change the way we think,
because we are headed down a dangerous road as a nation. We have become very fear driven regardless of
political affiliation, and fearful decisions reek with stupidity.
We live in America – the melting pot, the united, home of the
brave. Not the home of the fearful and
divided. What makes America great is
that all the people from all around the world gather here. We’re like the United Nations of Humans. It’s not the black race, or the white race,
red or yellow, it’s the human race. You
are more than a color.
Be regal and brave.
Stand up and be counted where there’s injustice! I don’t know about you, but when I was a
little kid, I said I was going to grow up and be Superman, and make a stand
against oppression. So here we are. The Black Lives Movement is happening for a
reason; the scales are tipped, and the basic right of equality is in jeopardy. It cannot be denied!
Here in the South, we see Americans clashing over Confederate
statutes. It isn’t the statue, but what
the statue represents. It symbolizes the
fight to enslave an entire race of people; black people.
We’re seeing Native America on the rise again defending the
water and the land,
as a result of environmental racism. And at the same
time, we’re fighting to keep the brown man from the South from crossing our
borders. Face it, there’s a race problem in America,
and it’s screaming to be addressed. You can’t plug your ears and make it go
away. And you cannot say that it is not
your problem, because it is, especially if you’re a white American – remember, united we stand, divided we fall.
Freedom isn’t free! And it isn’t convenient. The cost is sacrifice, and it’s often in the form of action. Every day is a battle. How many years has America had to deal with this issue of racism? See what I mean Vern?
Peace ~
Freedom isn’t free! And it isn’t convenient. The cost is sacrifice, and it’s often in the form of action. Every day is a battle. How many years has America had to deal with this issue of racism? See what I mean Vern?
Every day, your freedom, my freedom, our liberties are challenged.
We have to be vigil and participate in
the defense of those rights we hold so dearly. Freedom knows no color, but its enemies do. Keep that in mind.
Peace ~
