Today, I not only write as a human,
or a man, or even an American. This subject that I address today must be
written through the eyes of me being a Black American man. Now, before you roll
your eyes, sigh, and mutter, “here we go again…” please hear me out. I think that I, as Black American man, have a
duty to write what is presently on my mind and in my heart. It’s not that I
have more of a right to speak to this or that my point of view is more
legitimate than those that fall outside of this particular demographic category—it’s
that I have also been harassed by police before, profiled by them, followed by
them when I was breaking any law at all, told to go into my house in my own
neighborhood by them, treated with contempt by them when involved in an
incident with a White American, etc., etc. etc. I am not some White guy on Fox
News who pretends to have no idea about what goes on in terms of police
brutality against young Black Americans. I am not some blonde female news
anchor that believes America is pretty much a color blind society now that our
president is a Black man with an Arabic name. No, I speak as a person who could
have been strewn across the pavement in my own blood, draped in a hoodie--lifeless
with nothing but some snacks in my pocket and some fresh lead in my body. But,
before you stop reading this article expecting to hear the whole “angry Black
man” speech about how the whole Trayvon Martin case is about the manifestation
of racism in our society, the observation about how most young Black men are
still unfairly judged and dangerous thugs, or even how this case (like the OJ
Simpson and Rodney King cases) has again served to reveal how divided we still
are as a nation in terms of perception and reaction to race (namely the Black
race) in a post Obama America—then you are wrong. I am not going to talk to any
of those issues. My issue, my fight, my headshaking, my bone of contention, my
disgust is with the people in my category—other Black Americans who are so
caught up in this issue (and other issues of the sort) for that same reason
they claim to care so much about it—racism. Put simply, this should be about a
young Black man being killed and having his life, his potential being
tragically wasted—again. But it isn’t. It is not about Trayvon Martin being
killed—having his young candle snuffed out before it was even able to burn for
a while. Sadly, this is more about the fact that he was killed by a non-Black
person. And because of that, I am disgusted. Why does it take Trayvon Martin
being killed by a non-Black person for Black America to become enraged when,
normally, every day of the year so many more and younger Black men are killed
for even lesser reasons than this by their fellow Black men? In response, Black
America won’t even lift a finger—let alone their voices—in protest. To me this
is the epitome of hypocrisy because this manufactured anger is purely based in
race—and therefore “racist.” Why does his young life become more significant
because it was taken from him by a non-Black person? A wasted life is a wasted
life—tragedy is tragedy. However, I it is much more tragic, it should cause
much more of an outrage, it is much more sickening when Black men take the
lives of their own than if their lives are snuffed someone who stands racially outside.
To view it otherwise means that Black on Black murder has become more
acceptable than the alternative. Maybe because such is now so commonplace, in
the eyes of many, it has—that is tragic.
Yes, we won’t know all the facts of
the case. However, the way that it appears, George Zimmerman acted foolishly—rather
extremely recklessly. But I am not going to impulsively label him a “racist.”
Nonetheless, the racial composition of this incident is quite disturbing. Why is
it that a seventeen year old Black boy was deemed someone that appeared
suspicious enough for Mr. Zimmerman to approach him in a confrontational manner?
If he was just walking back to a relative’s home from a store, why does his
skin color, age, and allegedly, his apparel place him in the category of being
a suspicious person? Would Mr. Zimmerman have approached a White boy or girl in
the same situation? It’s rather doubtful. I am sure that Mr. Martin was not the
only young person to frequent that store in that neighborhood. And I seriously
doubt Mr. Zimmerman was stopping and questioning every teen-ager. If Mr. Martin
was not trying to break into a vehicle, looking into a window, hiding in some bushes,
or casing a house—why would his activities be considered strange enough to be
labeled “suspicious”? How does a hooded sweatshirt become the equivalent of a
ski mask in terms of clothing that denotes an imminent criminal act? Why did
Mr. Zimmerman not listen to police instructions that told him not to approach
Mr. Martin but remain where he was until assistance was sent?
Yes, all of these questions and
more must be asked. Yes, race and society’s and the media’s portrayal and
perception of young Black men in America have plenty to do with how this case
should be analyzed. Yet, at the end of the day—even if this case is an extreme
act of racially motivated violence—it is not the norm. The norm is far worse.
Black men killed by guns or other forms of violence are overwhelmingly victimized
by fellow Black men—young Black men—not ignorant, racist, half-cocked
neighborhood watch captains (as Mr. Zimmerman is at times being made to appear)—nor
racist police officers, Klu Klux Klansmen, or even neo-Nazi skinheads. Black
American genocide in the form of violence is most likely a case of racial
fratricide—“brothers killing brothers.” Therefore, this anger, expressed in
marches, demonstrations, speeches, etc. is manufactured. In a way I believe it’s
a tool we are subconsciously using to cover our own shame that we feel because
we are unable to get this upset at the fact that we are killing ourselves for
the most part. So, when something like this comes along, we get all worked up
emotionally because it has possible connections to racism (and we know that nothing
in America gets us all riled up like good old-fashioned racism). Nevertheless,
while young Black American men are still being disenfranchised, imprisoned on a
mass scale, excluded economically, mis-educated academically, and hamstrung
politically by racism—they are not considerably being violently murdered by it.
We’ve been doing a good job of that on our own. If we are going to get mad,
cry, scream, demonstrate, etc. it needs to be in a way that holds the true culprits
who are wasting Black lives senselessly with bullets—our fellow Black men.
What am I saying? As Black
Americans we tend to turn a blind eye to transgressions that we commit against
ourselves while we are quick want to hold others outside of our community accountable
for what they do to us—even if the frequency of such acts are for the most part
perpetrated by us. It's like we refuse to look into the mirror unless is shows us as being victims of racism. That is not only hypocritical, it is highly
counterproductive. We would be far more effective in addressing and overcoming
our communal challenges if we conducted more in-house efforts than to always exert
loads of energy being on the lookout for external (or even perceived) forms of victimization.
Yes, racism is alive and well—especially in a systematic level. It’s remains
strong underground and hides devilishly behind the smiles of “well intentioned”
White liberals or the moral rhetoric of conservatives. There are major issues
of inequalities in terms of access, representation, justice, politics, and economics.
However, we as Black Americans have proven time and again that we have the fortitude,
drive, boldness, determination, character, intelligence, and strength to overcome
whatever is placed in our way. We need to apply these social assets to tackling
our internal community issues and not just mustering such energy and action
when the threat is viewed from the outside.
In closing, the reaction to the
Trayvon Martin case is not the first time such racially motivated manufactured anger
was displayed by our community. The Don Imus incident a few years ago stands as
a similar example. Black America was up in arms because a White American talk
radio show host jokingly referred to group of young Black women on a college
basketball team as “nappy headed hoes.” Well, this should have caused outrage.
It was racist, disrespectful, and ignorant. However, White people don’t
normally even use the term “nappy headed.” We use that term—for the most part
in a negative sense to insult someone with a certain texture of hair because in
the Black American community, to have “nappy hair” is akin to having unkempt
hair or to be in the need to personal grooming. It is a term used as an insult.
Thus, it stands to reason that Mr. Imus learned this term from our usage of it.
I would even venture to say that he also picked up the term “hoes” from us too—namely
male rappers. So, why was it such a crime for him to refer to young Black women
as such, when Black American male rappers have been referring to Black women in
general as not only “nappy headed hoes” but also, “bitches, tricks, sluts, tramps,
skanks, whores, etc.” for years? Why do Black American male “artists” get a
pass and even support when they do this over and over, but the one time a White
male does it, they want his job? It’s a terrible double standard. It stinks.
And like Black on Black crime, it’s worse when a Black man employs these terms
to describe Black women than when a White man does. Why? Simple… when Mr. Imus referred to Black women
as “nappy headed hoes” he was wrong, but was still describing a segment of
American society that stood outside of his ethnic community—however, when a
Black male rapper refers to Black women in such a manner, are not his mother,
grandmother, sister, daughter, aunts, nieces, wife, girlfriend most likely
Black women too?
Let’s get it together.
