Since Saturday has come and gone, I feel now is an appropriate time to voice my opinion and continue this conversation. Although there were great moments Saturday and I left feeling encouraged I was also concerned and quite bothered by 1) the lack of respect for the young people who galvanized the current movement and 2) the elitism that permeated the event with VIP badges, lists and fan fair. Everyone that really knows me knows I dont rock with Al Sharpton (for many reasons). My suspicions were confirmed Saturday. National Action Network staff threatened to call security aka the police on myself and others multiple times during the event for essentially trespassing into VIP. Only young people who were affiliated with the National Action Network were allowed to speak. These young people - although amazing - have not been integral in galvanizing the current movement, but were paraded as though they are the young people we have been waiting for. While we are having a national conversation on law enforcement and policy, we also need to have a conversation about what it means when the civil rights powers that be think the movement must be centralized and only a few voices matter.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 15:52:57 +0000
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