Its Fall.
My brothers, my sisters, my man, and my son will wear hoodies for the brisk Autumn morning air. You and your family members will don said hoodie with a favorite football team logo on the front. Autumn.
My fellow Black man is a target because he "looks like a bad guy." He is wearing a hoodie and outsiders can't see his face. Must be hiding something. Fall.
But my Black brother is not killing innocent citizens IN THEIR PLACE OF WORSHIP. And yet the person who committed such a heinous crime has his life --was escorted with a protective vest and was not demonized by the media. Autumn.
Hands up, don't shoot. "Follow [police] orders and don't do stupid shit" he said. That didn't help #TerrenceCrutcher in Tulsa. He followed the orders and did nothing "stupid." His car broke down. He was shot. Fall.
Black Americans take a stand against the violence happening to our people and are told not to protest. Loud, proud, stopping traffic, and trains. No Black People. Not that way. Stand quietly. Kneel quietly. Hold a peaceful demonstration. No Black People. Not that way either.
Seems to me America doesn't want us using our First Amendment right. Seems to me that Black people are still told what and how to feel. Seems to me that those who continue to turn a blind eye and claim ignorance are just as guilty.
My words fall on hearing ears and conscious hearts and yet I am told stop playing the race card. No need to get upset about the negativity the media spews. But wait sir, are you not the same man who watches Fox news and damns the Black people for taking a stand? Saying that this movement is rhetoric and if we hate this country so much we should leave.
Apparently, we are the foolish ones who just want to truly make this country better by opening conversations to change policies and laws so we are no longer treated differently. Is that too much to ask? We have seen that it is, so now we demand better than the system gives us. We demand equality.
Too many fathers, sons, mothers, daughters have died because the system was designed to fail us.
And just like the leaves you want to watch us fall.
No more. We won't fall. We will rise above it all because we know to whom we belong. We will wear our sweatshirts and hoodies and by the grace of God live to see tomorrow.
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ReplyDeleteBeautifully written. <3
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