Social Justice

What can I say in regards to the many injustices and especially deaths that members of the Black community have suffered? I could simplify it and say that this has been going on for decades, nay hundreds of years and it is nothing new. However, I don’t think that would be 100% true, not this specific type of evil. True enough there is no new way to attack and/or kill a body, however aside from times when our bodies were made a spectacle of (i.e. lynchings, whippings, arson, etc at a town square) most acts of violence against us were either done in a semi-secretive manner or locally and you wouldn’t find out about it unless you knew someone from that area or it was deemed significant enough be put in the news.

Actions have remained the same, yet times have changed and now, since the first phone with video capabilities hit the market, we have been getting our news in a very different way. Images are sent directly to us, as fast as someone can finish recording and hit share, whether we asked for them or not. Images of cats playing, dads taking softballs to the groin, food in beautiful lighting, pornography, flash mobs surprising fiancées, kids taking their first steps and learning words, movie leaks from sets, COVID-19 victims being disposed of improperly and yes, Black bodies being attacked and killed by the very hands that are supposed to be in power “to protect and to serve.”

I don’t know how long I’ll leave this post up but on May 25th, 2020, the world bore witness to what I consider a new evil that is in the hearts of many men; when a police officer knelt on George Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46. I call it a “new” evil because these men knew that they were being recorded and yet those that were serving as a lookout, did nothing to stop it and the man that knelt on his neck did not stop either; despite bystanders practically pleading with them to set George free. Despite the knowledge that his face was likely being zoomed in on and would be shared in perpetuity. This is the type of evil that says IDGAF whether you are taping me or not, I am going to see my intentions come to fruition. And my intent is to end this Black person’s life in plain view, with my face unobstructed by a sheet or hood or even the cover of night. However, sadly, even this “new” type of evil is not new. Just six years ago, the world witnessed a smartphone video of Eric Garner saying “I can’t breathe” while he choked to death by the hands of the NYPD. George Floyd’s death had nearly the same actions involved as Eric Garner’s (and many other’s that have not been captured on video) but what has changed is that the world was not busy when George Floyd’s death happened. Most of the world was on lockdown, due to COVID-19 self quarantine provisions and as fast as someone can copy a link and share it over the information super highway, everyone bore witness to the ugliness and evil that has become a common infestation within our police force and the hearts of many regular-degular men (and women) that lurk like predators, in plain sight, waiting for their chance to pounce on their prey.

Depending on when you are reading this, you may or may not know that thousands, dare I say, millions of people were enraged because of the slayings of not just George Floyd, but also Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless, countless others before them. These people took to the streets in rallies, protests and looting around the world, to call for the arrests of those involved in their murders. However even in the midst of our cries for justice for these few, more innocent lives were struck down by the hands of police officers. Frankly, I am literally sick to my stomach right now, just thinking of that fact alone. Even in the midst of our battle cry for retribution for the deaths of those that have already happened, more continue.

I shouldn’t have to write this but as an aside, I am not against all police. My cousin was a State Trooper who flew emergency response helicopters in New Jersey. My great grandfather was the first Black officer in South Orange. I’m sure you might feel the same way; that there are decent men and women in our police force that do indeed want to protect and serve. But here’s the problem. Too often during times like this, we get the analogy that the disruptive officers, the killers of innocent people, are “just a few bad apples.” That might be true but let’s be real and finish the full statement of the analogy: a few bad apples does what….spoils the bunch. The bunch in this case is the entire police force and the bad apples are not just these bad actors over the past year or decade but they have been pervasive since the system’s inception. Fact: Policing in America itself, was created to catch slaves. (BTW did you notice that source? - if you didn’t click on it, it was from the Law Enforcement Museum!) So, if the seeds of the organization germinated in the soil of Black oppression, what else could possibly take root and bloom besides hatred and a subsequent need to feed that hatred by any means necessary?

Perhaps you are reading this and you don’t understand why I am sharing or what the big deal is. Well, the big deal is this: imagine if one day you woke up and everyone in your town that had a vague resemblance to you, started dying randomly, for no discernible reason. You’d be a little nervous, even more so, you’d be paranoid because there was no perceptible reason as to why this was happening and it was only happening to people that vaguely resembled you. Then imagine, the following week, it wasn’t just happening in your town but the next town over. Then the following week, it was discovered that people in all towns, all over your state, that vaguely look like you, were randomly dying. Then the following week, you discover it’s not just your state but it’s your region, all the while you and your family are still unscathed, even though this thing is specifically attacking people that vaguely resembles you. The following week, yup, you guessed it, this thing is nationwide….no wait contin…no henisph…no it’s been confirmed that it’s world wide. All people around the world that vaguely resemble you, old or young, sick or healthy, rich or poor are just randomly dying. There’s no cause or cure. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. Maybe one day it will be you and/or your family. And that will be it. No bargaining. You’re just never heard of again.

Now go back to the first iterations of this event’s happening and instead of not knowing why people who vaguely look like you are randomly dying, you do actually know who or what the thing is that is laying waste to “your people.” So, like any rational person, you try to find help, to prevent the happening from occurring but maybe one in one hundred people actually care enough to do something and only if it conveniently fits into their schedules. And despite the gathering of the remnant of those that vaguely resemble you and now those allies that are actually paying attention, little to no action is done to stop the thing for destroying your people. You and your remnant scream, cry, march, assemble allies (that you can find who are interested) and plead to those in office who can clearly see what is happening but still no actions, no real retribution happens. You’d go mad.

Now imagine that all of this didn’t take place just over weeks but instead it happened over generations. You and your children’s children are dead and gone, but this atrocity still continues. Your descendants and all of the descendants of those who vaguely resemble you continue to fight for some kind of justice. However instead of gaining miles because everyone knows (or at least the people who can make changes know) what or who the thing is that is wiping out your community, you only gain inches because those with power to change are in some weird incestuous relationship with the who or the what that is eliminating everyone who vaguely resembles you. So what do you do?

This has literally been the plight of, dare I say, every Black American (whether they know it or not). However, again because of the confluence of events (COVID 19 lockdown/ inescapable viewing plus brutality) real calls to action have been pushed forward over the past few weeks in June. Many people, especially in the LGBTQ community (perhaps because of the explosion of these events during Pride Month) and even companies are positioning theirselves as allies, to press our local officials to defund/divest a portion of the police budget to go towards social services, education and healthcare and away from the militarization of the police. Many of the calls that police get are social services related anyway (i.e. homeless “wrangling” or maintaining a “presences in schools”), so by putting money back into the communities to solve those issues at the root (i.e. street outreach workers that can provide housings and/or mental health hygiene options and the correct amount of counselors in schools that can address challenges of the population), the police are freed from those calls to respond and people in a community are not criminalized.

That said, let’s go back to companies positioning theirselves as allies. Time will tell whether or not those who have emerged will remain true to their statements or if they will ultimately be as Paul says in I Corinthians: “as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” The twins of Extreme had it right when they said “more than words to show you feel/ that your love for me is real.” So, now I write you, sir or madam who perhaps landed on this website because you were looking to investigate me as talent, in front of or behind the camera. Please think twice. Are you asking me to be a part of your project to serve as “proof” that you invest in people of color or because you think I am really the right person for the job and I would be an asset to your project? It’s kind of a hard question (especially assuming you are a white person) because you probably have your go to cache of folks to choose from and one day you realized “oh snap, everyone in the room looks like me and basically has the same ideas/perspective I have….and that’s not good.” You know you need to do something about it but you don’t want to just hire someone to fulfill that need alone. I get it and I don’t have any answers to give you. Black people (and other POCs) have been giving answers for a long time and I think it’s time to let you guys start to do some soul searching and figure things out. Here’s a hint for free though: it’s not just about the projects you hire us on. It’s about you applying equity to every aspect of your life. You can’t compartmentalize social justice and think “well I did my part at my job” and not have it penetrate your life with your family, friends and strangers. This is how phrases like “you’re one of the good ones” gets thrown around towards us because you haven’t immersed yourself enough to know that there’s more than “one” of the “good ones.”

I’ve said a lot and who knows who will read this. (I stayed up all night because I am a night owl and then had a sudden urge to write at 4am - it is now 7:30am)

Before I go, here are some questions to consider if you are white:

During pre-COVID days, how often did you ask a person of color to be a part of anything in your life (work projects, brunch, camping, vacations, just regular chit-chats)?

 if you asked POCs to be on your projects was it because you genuinely felt that the project would benefit from then being a part of it

   - or was it because you low-key thought everyone was going to give you a pat on the back for having a diverse project. 

How much did you really know about that person of color. I mean, really knew them.

Did you know what drives them? Did you know what scares them? Did you know what their favorite color is or what they wanted to be when they were little? 

Did you know if they ever had any interactions with the police (negative or positive)? 

How often did you ask them to do a show in some remote part of the City OR they had to travel from some remote part of the City to get to you and you had zero idea as to whether or not they got home safe and frankly could really care less? 

Questions to consider if you are hesitant to participate in a tangible way (other than marches and rallies) in social justice:

Is it because of work? Surely everyone has one hour (a lunch break?) to offer towards the cause. That lunch tomorrow can be rescheduled. The person will understand. 

Is it because  you don't want to get involved? Not to be rude but news flash (especially if you work in education, housing or food security, other social services, banking, or anything that you can imagine that touches a community) YOU’RE INVOLVED ALREADY. What good is having your outreach programs or job, if the people that you service cannot participate in them because they were detained (and possibly injured or killed) by the police on their way to you?

If you are a person of faith and your natural inclination is to “let go and let God” - buddy, I gotta ask you to please read and meditate on James 1: 21-25 and the better half of James 2.

Ultimately, I am not here to argue with anyone and honestly, I have no interest in it. My philosophy is simple: you’re either for or against injustice. You can either affirm out loud that Black Lives Matter (without justifying that All Lives Matter) or you can’t. I don’t condemn anyone for their beliefs or lack their of. I just want my nieces and nephew and any future children I have, to inherit a world where their lifespan is not determined by the color of their skin.

You know, probably just like you.