It means a Lot

" Nobody's free until everybody's free" Fannie Lou Hamer.

Fannie Lou Hamer spent her entire life fighting for the freedom of her people. She bravely said the only thing they can do is kill you and they been trying to do that our whole life. She was beaten, jailed, beaten in jail, she was harassed, threatened, demonized, and still she persevered. But there was always the threat of death. And in the south death of a black person wasn't necessarily that big of a deal...until one day apparently the death of them was a huge deal. Sometimes white supremacists miscalculate. They did it when they killed four little girls inside of a church in Birmingham 1963 and they did it again in Charleston South Carolina in 2015. I say they because white supremacists don't act alone. They act together, maybe not as a singular group but they are in tune with one another. Much like bees in separate hives all work to protect their queens and make honey as a by product. They miscalculated. They tried to start a war and all they did was strike another blow at white supremacy. 

On June 17, 2015 Dylann Storm Roof (herin after refered to as “the shooter”) drove 100 miles from his home in Lexington South Carolina to Charleston South Carolina and walked into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and sat down with the members of that congregation for bible study. He sat with those congregants and he worshiped with them for a full hour. During those 60 minutes he was welcomed with love as a guest and treated with respect and kindness. 3,600 seconds after he walked through that door he had built up enough courage to carry out his original plan of action. What was was this plan? Race war.  As foolish and dated as that sounds he wanted to start a war between white people and people of color. The people of color that he despised the most were black. He may have been a stupid boy but he wasn’t without crucial knowledge as to what areas were important to the civil rights movement. He chose Emanuel African Methodist because it was a bastion of black pride and hope. It was a lighthouse of joy in a sea of struggle for African Americans who still struggle with the overt aggression of white supremacy the south is famous for. Now, we all know the north is just as racist as the south. But let’s be honest, in the north you are less likely to be called a nigger right to your face OR have your state flag be actual confederate battle flag. Additionally, you are more likely to celebrate MLK day and not Robert E Lee day and the Civil War isn’t taught as the “war of northern aggression”. In the north African Americans are more likely to see inter-generational growth and a wealth increase and are less likely to believe that the confederacy was fighting for the right to keep slaves and treat them like “one of the family”. 

So, the shooter, full of southern pride and confederate heritage decided he needed to take action.  He needed to take a stand where others coward in the shadows. Even though these people were kind to him and he allegedly had black friends and was not “raised in a racist household” he had come to the conclusion that white people were actually in grave danger. Despite the fact that most hate crimes are committed by white men and the majority of victims are people of color and people with disabilities (as reported to the FBI https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/december/latest-hate-crime-statistics-report-released ) the shooter believed that he needed to take a stand for a white underdog. 

What stand did he take? He pulled out a gun and he killed 9 people. He stood up and told them that “I have to do it. You’re raping our women and taking over the country. You have to go”. The nine people who died were, Cynthia Hurd, 54; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lance, 70; Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Hon. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; Rev. Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59.

 The shooter shot men and women, old and young, and the meek and bold.

After the shooting the shooter drove back towards his home and an image of him was plastered all over the news. He was recognized by friends and family and positively identified by a local citizen who followed him until the police were able to apprehend him (peacefully I might add). In the aftermath of the shooting  the media interviewed everyone who  knew the shooter. When asked if they were surprised by his actions his friends all gave the same answer “NOPE” or more accurately "NAH". They weren’t surprised. The shooter told everyone who would listen that he hated black people and he wanted to do something that would incite a race war. They were all very nonchalant in their responses. They all very calmly and in a matter of fact manner told the media and anyone else who would listen and the shooter hated black people and had planned on doing “something like this” for several months.

I’m floored up by the casual nature of the racism that was apparently rampant in this community.

They interviewed men and women, white and black and all of them claimed to be his friends. Like... how? I could never just sit around and hang with a fucker in a bowl cut who failed out of the 9^th grade who also had the nerve to talk mad shit about how black people were ruining America. Rumor has it that a girl he was crushing on decided not to date him and dated a black guy instead. NO ONE in his life was like hey, dude, you are unemployed, you have a stupid hair cut, your clothing choices are questionable, and you kind of come of abrasively also you don't own a bed you sleep on a mattress covered in plastic you drink all day you do drugs all night you play video games instead of looking for work and you smell because you don't like hygiene things. NOPE. They were all like yea…that nigger just has a big penis so I’m sure THAT’S why she didn't want your funky ass BITCH.  NONE of them checked his madness and so he was able to fall deeper into his lunatic self created delusions of grandeur.OOOOOKKKKAAAAAAAYYY LOSER.

All of these so called friends listened to him make overtly racially derogatory statements and talk about doing harm to black people and they shrugged it off. HOW?!?!?!?! Like did he come over and grab a beer from the fridge and say

 “Man I thought some more about fucking killing a  bunch of random niggers today”

And they were like

“Dude, calm down. You are ALWAYS talking about killing random fucking niggers. You know they just make more. Let’s just play call of duty and pop some molly”

and he was all 

"Fine, ok but I'm going to think more about killing those niggers tomorrow when this high wears off"

Is that how they spent their days? Brushing off his constant threats of violence? For months? And no one thought to alert his parents or the authorities? Even in these post Columbine Days? Oh. Ok Lexington. This is why I’m not raising my children in the fucking south. 

His black friend said he made racially derogatory jokes but this plucky octaroon was reluctant to actually label him a racist. Why? Because this boy probably wasn't taught to SEE racism as racism. I think a lot of people aren't taught to truly see racism for what it is. If black people in this country were able to TRULY see racism then all these American monuments to problematic leaders and who have actually been devoted to white supremacy including schools named after slave owners, and plantations that serve as wedding destinations and retreats would have to immediately be set on fire. Just reduced to ashes on General Principle. So, his part blackish friend was reluctant to describe him as a racist because he doesn't really know what a true racists looks like outside of klanwear. NO ONE in his life called him a racist. Do you know how incredible that is. What more would he have to do for them to actually call him a racist? Would he need to show up in a white hood and burn a cross in their living room during Christmas dinner? The sad answer is probably yes, and even then they would be like well....he is just acting out. 

So here’s the jig, when a black gang banger shoots up a black neighborhood there are certain reactions that occur. Just for the record, Black people HATE THAT SHIT.  Black people do not enjoy living in fear. Black people do not enjoy violence. However, white supremacy has created a pressure system (through the denial of wealth, benefits, title, land, and resources) that sometimes makes areas that are predominantly black more prone to violence. You have to remember that black people were brought here in violence. They were kept here in violence. Less than 60 years ago they were still openly hanging from trees in violence. The violence done to black bodies was and continues to be sanctioned by our society which had white supremacy built right into the democratic framework. White people see black children as adults. They see black people as fucking super humans, and they give our society’s peace makers the permission to treat them like animals.  To deny this reality is to be willfully ignorant of the systemic sociological issues surrounding the causes of violence in the black community.   They come in and they are disrespectful to victims and survivors. They arrest individuals who have nothing to do with the crime that has been reported. They are deaf to the pleas and concerns of the neighborhood and they become so antagonistic that eventually the communities that need them the most stop calling them all together.  In Chicago there are marches, community meetings, coalitions, discussions, panels, neighborhood watches, and summits that all seek to deal with the violence in the community. Just because you can’t be bothered to notice doesn’t mean black people aren’t trying to respond the violence that white supremacy has caused.

So when violence occurs in the black community the community mourns. They try to find answers. Some in that community are uncooperative but they are the outliers. Black mothers and fathers are just like other mothers and fathers, they want to see their children live and thrive and be better than them. But for generations the American structure has made that impossible.

Contrast this with the white supremacist who commits hate crimes against people of color. They go out and commit crimes in the black community as well. However, their victims don’t always give them forgiveness but other white people are EXTREMELY  reluctant to call out their racism and call their crimes acts of terrorism or racial violence. Let’s be clear about one thing, silence is tantamount to consent. White supremacists are terrorists but white America refuses to accept and believe this and act accordingly. This is an internal problem that white America needs to fix. Black people have been trying to address this issue for a hundred years. But we can’t fix this. We don’t have access to white Americas intimate moments and private occasions. We can’t parole your children and your parents. We can’t have those hard conversations with the love and understanding in the particular way only family members can. If white America truly believes in making this union a better place they have to start by having these conversations. They have to have the hard conversations because not having them is costing us American lives. 

If you are silent about the casual racism that you see in your everyday life you are condoning and supporting it. The white community sees racists as “quirky” or “quaint”. These racists are their old uncles or fathers. They are their crazy aunts who say inappropriate things or their weird cousins who they only see every few months. These people are slightly outcast but still a part of the community and they are allowed to participate even though they are blatantly problematic. The shooter’s family said they didn’t raise him to be a racist. That’s fine, maybe that’s even true who knows. But they knew he was racist and they knew he was mentally unstable and they gave him a got damn gun. What the entire fuck?  The shooter walked around his house wearing racist clothing and sporting confederate flag paraphernalia. He was always high and or drunk. He couldn't keep a job. He lived in squalor.  But his community didn’t do anything to stop him or warn others and 9 people are dead now because of it. The temerity of white America demanding that Muslims condemn their Islamic  brothers  who might look like they could possibly be in ISIS while inviting their klan family members to thanksgiving dinner is galling.

This brings me to the confederate battle flag. Some white southern scoff at the effort to take it down and remove it from civilized society. They say that removing that flag isn’t going to get rid of racism. This is true, however that flag, flying boldly in places where black people are required to be is a symbol of fucking gall and white supremacy of the highest order. The flag stands for the idea that black people are subordinate and inferior to white people and taking it down is the first step is dismantling white supremacy as a whole. If you scoff at that idea that this symbol has power and taking it down is a blow to that power, it’s because you are so invested in the system you can’t see a way around it, or you don’t want to see away around it. There’s a reason the klan picked that flag as their banner. It was never meant to mean anything other than a symbol of hate. It started flying in public during the civil rights movement to intimidate black people and to discourage them from challenging the white dominate social structure. Burning every single battle flag is the first step to telling white supremacy that it’s days are numbered. If you want to operate do so in the shadows because the light is no longer a safe place for your bigotry and your fucking intolerance. Men wrapped in that flag strung up black bodies from trees like strange fruit all across the south and made macabre post cards to send to their families in proud defiance of the black man demanding equal treatment.   If you had suffered under the thumb of Slavery, or the old or new Jim Crow and if you had seen your family separated and beaten just for being born black you would know what good removing that trash ass rag would do.

They used that flag as a banner when they stole away mothers from babies and fathers from wives for earl morning murder. The klan waved that flag as they killed our bright, strong, beautiful civil rights leaders. That flag was a harbinger of death. That flag is a traumatic reminder of the many of fathers and grandfathers stolen in the middle the night who turned up floating in the Mississippi days or weeks later. Of mothers and grandmother raped by their white employers and told that if they complained they would lose their jobs and never work again and possibly lose their lives. That flag is a symbol of abject oppression. What good does removing from the statehouse do? Would you dare ask a Jew if they would like you to remove a swatiska flag from a statehouse in New York? No you wouldn't, but when it comes to systems that offend black people they have to fight and justify their feelings at every turn because they aren't seen as human or worthy of basic fucking common human decency.

It’s hard for white people to talk about race. Part of the privilege in white privilege is not having to talk about race. But without these conversations it’s up to black people to continually shoulder this burden. However, if white people want to be included in this brave new world they need to be a part of it not a part from it. Look at the census. Minorities are going to be majorities soon. White isn’t going to be the controlling ethnicity for long.  White people need to be able to have these conversations with their children so that their children can participate in this global  economy  and not sound completely ignorant. A recent study showed that millennial are just as racist as their parents were( http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/23/millennials-are-just-as-racist-as-their-parents/ ) . This is because people don’t talk about tolerance and they don’t talk about race appropriately and they don’t engage people of other races. We live in our fishbowl communities and we don’t try to expand our knowledge and our kids are raised without the skills and tools they need to be global citizens. The shooter was born in 1994 for fucks sake, 40 years after the Civil Rights Act was signed and just a decade before the country would see it’s first black president. We have to do better than this. We can’t keep having kids who keep holding the same blind prejudices as their parents. Aren’t our kids supposed to be better than us? How can they be when we don’t give them the tools to succeed? 

DROP IT LIKE IT'S HOT. FUCK THAT FLAG. BREE NEWSOME THE GOAT.