Im done answering racist comments. Im deleting them. Im done pretending that fb friends who argue and make racist comments are my friends. I am not friends with racists. And I refuse to feel guilty for unfriending you. You want to argue? Take it somewhere else. My childrens lives are at stake. My children are White and Brown and Black. My Black childrens experiences are entirely different from those of my White childrens . Entirely. Still. Today. Uncomfortable with the conversation? I dont care . Our children are being murdered in the streets and there is no justice. Left uncovered for four hours after being shot. ....like a dog. Racially profiled. Shot. Strangled. Murdered. Power is abused. It is misused in our schools, on our streets, in our county jails, in our courts, in our prisons. Our children are dying. And too many White people want to perpetuate the silence. Dont make people angry. Dont be angry. Be careful what you say. The time isnt right ...we have to wait. Tomorrow Ill go to court with a young African-American woman . Tomorrow I will call the financial aid office for one of our youth at an out of state college. Tomorrow Ill speak to a public defender in Wisconsin, in Mankato, in Rochester. .. on behalf of three different African-American young men. Why? Because the tone of the conversations changes remarkably when a middle-aged White woman calls. Because the attitude and demeanor of those in charge changes when a White woman walks into any room with a Black youth. And I am so sorry. I am not impressed with titles and offices. I am not impressed with positions of authority. If you arent working for justice, if you arent standing with the disenfranchised and the oppressed you are a part of the problem. If you arent using your privilege, power, influence and authority to create equality and change the systems, then You are part of the problem. We should ALL be outraged tonight. We should be ashamed of what we have created and what we have perpetuated. Look into the eyes of the young people I work with tonight. Can you tell them that their lives have the same value as the lives of our White children? Can you tell them that our justice system works for them the same as it does for their White peers? No. You cant. And they know it. Speak up and Act for justice. Your silence is the voice of complicity.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 03:32:13 +0000
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