The past month has weighed heavy on my spirit. 9 Black folks in Charleston are now buried in the ground, due to white terrorism nurtured right in this country. 7 historically Black churches lay in ashes in the South. Police continue to routinely execute Black people without hesitation, leaving Black bodies to rot for hours in the street, while the legal system in turn excuses said crimes, thus also being complicit in the cycle of state terrorism. I’m weary of continually having discussions with white people as to why the massacre in South Carolina is not about mental illness (which in itself is an argument rooted in ableism that negatively affects people of color) or gun control (which ignores the history of armed defense Black folks and people in Civil Rights Movement utilized against white supremacists), but is the result of systematic vitriolic anti-Blackness. I’m not interested in trying to speak to people about the dark history of church burnings in the 1960s, the 1990s, and why it relates to the recent cases at the present time. I’m numb to the intellectual run-around of white people trying to center themselves in conversations on racism, demanding that I and other Black people freely educate them about our oppression, without committing fully to sacrifice their own privilege when it comes to eradicating white supremacy, outside offering me verbal sympathy. What I am ready to discuss is reparations. The US and European economy, founded on the exploitation of slave labor, created the foundation for a Black political and economic underclass system in America. A system that led to the creation of subpar high-rise apartments that led to gang wars, unequal education, lack of resources, and dilapidated facilities that keeps our community in deep peril. The socio-economic consequences of the human chattel system allowed whites to benefit greatly from the labor and oppression of Black folks, setting the stage for years to come. This is why no amount of simply discussing anti-Blackness in the United States will produce fruitful results in a political and economic system that is intent on privileging whiteness at the expense of people of color. The time is now to fight for reparations. It is only right. There are numerous debates on this I could expand upon, but I won’t because I’m tired. The payment’s long overdue—it’s time. Thug Scholar is a Black queer feminist living in Chicago. Connect with her @Thug_Scholar on Twitter.
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I was talking with a friend a while back and she told me that she believed that Pride was a distraction from current events affecting the Black community across the country--the Charleston shooting, the recent string of fires at southern Black churches, arguments that persist that Obama apologize for slavery, etc. Of course, out of pure cynicism and frustration, I agreed with her and thought,"We CAN'T be distracted by these corporate clowns shadowing the turmoil, bloodshed, and fear effecting our people!" While my friend and I both are ecstatic about everyone now having the right to love (marry) freely, it's hard to be jovial when a significant portion of the LGBTQ community can't even walk down the street in peace.
MIA said it best:
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ATS MagAgainst the Stream Magazine is an urban platform. We edify our readers by finding noble, pure, and true talent and giving it a stage to flourish. While we love bragging about the folks around us, we also tackle urban issues by giving real world solutions. Archives
October 2015
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