Blackness is a Threat in Itself

Michael Brown’s murder calls the question of how a young Black man could be unarmed, hands up in a position of absolute surrender and still be gunned down by police, his lifeless body left in the street for hours while police decide their next move? The answer is connected to a long historical context of institutional racism and genocide of Black people in America. It’s the same reason why hundreds of African-American people could be lynched, their lifeless bodies left to hang for all to see as a way to strike fear in the hearts of Black people, to keep White supremacy in it’s place and to ensure that an uprising would never occur. White people have been taught to hate us. We have been trained to hate ourselves.The trauma keeps on traumatizing and the psychological warfare waged on our community through the serial killings of Black men at the hands of the police, reminds us that the threat is not just against our bodies but our minds. In this country, we have been trained to see Blackness in itself as the ultimate crime and when murders like the one in Ferguson take place, that is what is highlighted in the media.

There are moments when the pot boils over and people are awakened by an injustice big enough to leave your soul shaking. Perhaps this is one of those times. Black people have been told to stand down when injustice happens and for a long time we haven’t had the infrastructure it takes to create real change. Most of our generation has not felt a movement or experienced authentic Black leadership in our lifetime. But change is possible. It is clear that something is shifting. The people of Ferguson are outraged right now. The people in Oakland were outraged when Oscar Grant was murdered. There was an opportunity then and there is an opportunity now to use the national attention of this case to make significant demands.

The national guard is in Ferguson right now. Each night, riot police come out to stop crowds of peaceful protestors. They come to amplify the scene, create tension and give the people of Ferguson a reason to act in a way that will later be demonized. We have to remember that their tactics don’t control us. There will be attempts to divide and discredit. There will be attempts to pacify the people with celebrities and discredit so called “radicals” in favor of more moderate voices. There will be questions about outside agitators and who has a right to speak for our people. This is the predictable pattern of squashing a movement and the media will eventually turn in that direction. Long after the tear gas clears we must continue the momentum.

The people in Ferguson are demonstrating a challenge to all of us across the country. The battle is not waged through permission and it’s goal is not to gain mainstream approval. It is bigger than reforms and even accountability. It is a fight for ourselves, for our liberation, dignity and self determination. In every local community we need to do whatever it takes to be organized and united with our hands down and our heads up.