As an American citizen it pains me to know how far we are from where people like to think we are. People like to think that we are making progress socially and that former oppressors truly believe that all men were created equal.
Being black, I can't even pretend to be surprised at how far that is from reality.
Let's be clear: AMERIKKKA IS NOT SET UP FOR BLACK PEOPLE TO WIN. Yes, the country does occasionally make room for the few blessed enough to be over qualified for the highest positions to have a seat at the table, but Amerikkka is only okay with black people being successful when it comes in a form of entertainment. Amerikka does not want black politicians, attorneys, scientists, or doctors. They just like having our music on their radios and our athletic abilities on their sports teams.
The majority of Americans are a part of Amerikkka; as we can clearly see from our last presidential election. Yes, it is a separate nation all on its on. Before I get people emailing me with the whole "all white people aren't racist" crap, understand that I do not sympathize. If you are so closed minded that you feel like a college educated woman like myself goes around hating every member of an entire race and justifying it because I somehow feel victimized or powerless by their presence then you are probably a part of the problem, and you can take your white tears elsewhere. Yes, I am aware that not every white person on the planet is racist. And I am even more aware (if possible) that the few that are not know that most are.
Now that I have made my position clear, I am writing today to share a story very close to my heart.
Yesterday I read an article on the New York Times titled "Black Man Beaten During Charlottesville Rally Charged With Felony". The writer, Daniel Victor, told readers that the two men being charged for the beating of DeAndre Harris are Alex Michael Ramos and Daniel P. Borden, but on Monday " a local magistrate in Charlottesville issued an arrest warrant for the man who was beaten accusing him of the same charges".
My initial thought after reading that was absolute disbelief. This young man was on video being beaten unconscious passing through this group of white supremacy terrorists and could lose five years of life for it to the prison system.
Victor's article goes on to express how the right-wing bullies are trying to make Mr. Harris out to be the instigator, and the men who cost him thousands in hospital bills by beating him to sleep, victims. It is really sad to look at the facts and know how ridiculous this entire case is and still feel like it has a good chance of making it to trial for the same reason that white police officers do not get convicted for killing unarmed black men. Racist white men make up not only most of the national population, but most of the judicial system. That is why the system fails us every single time. The rioters in Charlottesville were never looked at as thugs or terrorists. The men in that crowd were in fact future lawyers, senators, and mayors. These people were law enforcement, tax collectors, med school students.
They want black people to believe that the only way we can make it out of our struggles is with a ball or a mic. They do not want us to be a part of the system that decides whose life is thrown away and forgotten about, or who actually deserves it. These people build their legacies on their triumphs over minority groups. Stories like this are the reason I want to be a criminal defense lawyer. People of minority groups are wrongfully convicted every single day in this country, and this is something that plays a major role in systemic racism. I would be honored spending majority of my adult life fighting this.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/us/deandre-harris-charlottesville-charged.html
https://youtu.be/-IgpUF6cC0g - video of DeAndre Harris