In America, every time Black people try to do something to uplift and support other Black people is characterized as a hate crime, bad, violence, or any negative term that has been assumed to befit Black culture. Many of these schemes have been established by white supremacists and enforced by white people with power. For a very long time as could be remembered Black people have been prevented from attaining power. Their oppressors have found many ways to describe Black activism and advocacy as having bad intentions. Many Black activists who began a resistance to white supremacy were killed or assassinated.
The term “Black power,” used by Stokely Carmichael, who was a leader and one of the activists for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was a slogan to champion a movement which arise after Malcolm X was assassinated. Malcolm X was killed all because he was against Black oppression and suffering. When Stokely and others rise and organized students to protest white supremacy by making Black people aware that the only way forward for Black people was to take forms of powers in political and business sectors. The goal was to create Black wealth in the process so Black people won’t have to depend on or work for white people to survive. The interesting thing is that white supremacists worked so hard to criticized and labeled these nonviolent protesters as violent activist groups. Black people were being lynched almost every day. People were using lynched postal stamps with pictures of dead Black people but that was seen as nothing was wrong.
These systemic injustices have continued into the 21st century. When Black people stood up to protest against police brutality and used the slogan “Black Lives Matter” many white supremacists continue to see these protestors as a violent group. Many Black people are been murdered every day in America and there seems to be nothing bad is happening. The sad part is that when other individuals can not take it any longer and takes the laws into their hands and murders a police officer then it becomes a national discourse. Thanks to the media, which managed and operated to favor one group at a time. Through their medium, they continue to provide mainly the bias reporting and misinformation that leads to the tension between Black folks and the rest.
Many a time, when a Black person chant “Black Lives Matter” many supremacists turns to protest against it by shouting: All Lives Matter.” All lives matter indeed but what is suffering at the moment? who is fighting every day for their presence to be acknowledged? Why do Black people reach the point that they can not stay home any longer and listen on the news to hear another Black person is shot at the back whiles running.
This is very unfortunate for a group of people to live in their country and always watching over their shoulders because they find themselves in a neighborhood of white people. Everything and every time Black people stand up against any actions and hatred they are told to shut up. Until when can we live in a country knowing well we are safe wherever we find ourselves. That our American folks are not misinterpreting our cry as violently motivated.
Reference
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Power_movement
I liked reading your post. Very interesting. Even to this day when you think about it, black people are treated different and to me that is not okay. But also the riots and burnings due to everything happening are destroying our communities. I understand why they are protesting, but sometimes it gets out of hand. I think we should all be treated equally, so we can all get along. Everyone should have a right to stand up and say what they believe in. Thank you for bringing this to our attention!
Reading this post I felt I was educated on a lot of things that I have not been told about. As far as White supremacy, I do feel it is a form of terrorism, with the aggressiveness and usage of President Trumps “Make America Great Again” as a means of acting the way they are. In a previous Context Presentation, I read a post that said White Supremists were not denounced by the President. But I could argue that he has refuted it in serval videos and interviews. not only was this taken out of context, but I feel it is completely irrational. Being a white middle class women, I have never experienced what a person of color has to go through, I was never taught to be very nice to police officer to use my manners when in a situation where I am in front of officers. So that right there is an example of a white person not understanding the trauma and situations that people of color go through. That is something in the system that needs to be changed, and I think it is the entire thing that needs fixing. Not simply the whites, but I feel there is corruption in every race and every system and that needs to be fixed.