It makes my heart incredibly happy to see so many people on the streets demanding accountability and seeking ways to create a new vision of a brighter future.
All people by rights of their humanity should be born in freedom or, if historical conditions make that impossible, are entitled to fight for that freedom. They are justified to do whatever they can to improve their condition–whether to pray, speak, write or protest for their freedom: they are entitled to it because they were born human beings.
That is what the Declaration of Independence states in no uncertain terms. None of the Founding Fathers at the time–or any American of good conscience today—doubted that anything less than a fundamental shift in human values was underway, for they were themselves the authors of this brave new message.
Despite the existence of slavery, they announced to the world the birth of a new nation inspired by this philosophy of natural rights. People were not given their liberty by monarchs; they were entitled to these liberties because they were born human.
It’s really a rather simple philosophy at its heart. Black people are human beings; human beings are entitled to freedom; black people are entitled to freedom. All people of conscience must join together to fight for the rights of any group being oppressed and denied their rights.
What we are seeing today in protest demonstrations across the country is a living testament to the wisdom of those who support Jefferson’s clear enunciation of the doctrine of natural rights; it is also a testament to the open-mindedness of millions of Americans who are demanding justice for all people living in our country.
No one should have to live in of fear being murdered because of the color of their skin!
It is regrettable that in the first few nights following George Floyd’s death there was so much rioting that ended each day of protest, yet for all who saw the original video that served as spark, it was hardly a surprise.
The “powder keg” of police brutality had been accumulating for years, for decades, so much so that a single incident could set off this tremendous explosion.
Some of the young people could not contain their anger and anguish; their feelings boiled over and the window-smashing began. Note, however, that in the last few days the marches have been growing larger while the amount of vandalism has dwindled away, at least during the daytime hours.
Peaceful protests are becoming the norm and likely will remain so (if no new incidents of police misconduct occur).
There are tens of thousands of demonstrators on the streets walking peacefully and holding up signs to educate those of us who could not be there; the police have begun to relax in various cities and all continues as peaceful.
People have the right to march and express themselves; this is a fundamental human right that tens of thousands of Americans are choosing to exercise in hope of reforming social values and practices.
The historic civil rights movement has always fought for equality, freedom, and justice. African-Americans deserve the liberty to exercise their constitutional rights, too. The South made it impossible for many years; the North did as well.
If the North’s reputation at times seemed “less racist”, it is only because the South sank to such levels of depravity in its oppression of Black Americans that the North could not help but look “better”. But racism struck its sharp fangs deep into the body of this country and the poisonous venom spread nearly everywhere.
One of the signs from the historic March on Washington proclaimed: “I Am A Man.” The sentiment reaches far back in time, having its origin in the abolitionist movement prior to the Civil War. Every human being on earth should be able to say as much: “I Am a Human Being.”
It’s not a complex thought although in reality it’s proven an elusive goal for humanity to achieve world-wide. Still, we know the moral purpose of its meaning and it remains a desired goal. If there are people not yet protected by its sacred power, then it remains incumbent upon people of goodwill to spread the word and engineer the desired change.
We are not forgetting GEORGE FLOYD
Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
Society as it was is never going to the same again.
That old proverb forces itself upon us: “it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Never mind the hundreds of other incidents of police misconduct in years gone by that went largely unnoticed and unpunished; the death of this one man is different from all the rest. It is this one death that has caused thousands of voices to rise up shouting “NO MORE!”
Others have given their lives in this struggle for equality. George Floyd should be counted among them—for, deep down, it’s the same sacrifice. Contributions and sacrifices come in many shapes and sizes.
The old-timers understood this point and the new generation is grasping it. Go back in time as far as you like: every person who ever said or did something to help tear down the walls of racism is here tonight with us in spirit.
The old-timers were fighters for justice who helped make possible this breakthrough—this moment when a new generation takes these huge strides forward that were once thought impossible. Those heroic fighters are not forgotten, their sacrifices are not forgotten.
From the very beginning, the selfish-greedy exploiters who perpetuated racism desperately tried to keep the races apart and at each other’s throat. With their wealth and weapons and power, they were good at it. They believed they could keep people divided forever but now their racist ideology is cracking, crumbling, and falling apart.
Old-timers like me, it does my heart a world of good to see thousands of people in the street shouting to the world: “This was a man and his life mattered! We will not be quiet any longer!” They are hopping mad—Glory Hallelujah!–and the walls of racism are crumbling!
They have found the door of equality that Dr. King and Malcolm were pounding on to open up. And the young people in the streets today have found dozens of locked doors and they are pounding on all of them and demanding the doors of equality be flung open wide to all people everywhere!
Old-timers did their best but we always knew there would come a time for a new round of coalescing, organizing, protesting and marching once more. We can be thankful that the 1960s put in quite a strong foundation for the civil rights movement. It has stood the test of time and has lasted over 60 years.
Yet, truth be told, as hard as the old-timers worked and as dedicated as they were, there was one door they never got through: the one where the most powerful social elements hid or excused police misconduct and brutality, unregulated and unpunished.
Police departments with racists working within their ranks would not allow anyone to monitor or prosecute such racism with its attendant contempt for human life—the blue wall of lies and silence would serve as permanent barrier between the people and the courts of justice.
Even after Segregation cracked and imploded upon itself, the deeply troubling unequal relationship of “communities of color” with the police continued year after year, city after city.
Now it can truly be said that these Black Lives Matter protests have achieved something that even the battle-scarred veterans of the Sixties never fully achieved: exposing police racism to the world by building a river-of-movement of hundreds of thousands of protesters in the streets with millions more rooting for them at home. A new movement has come alive!
What is happening here this week—this month, this year– may attain a place for itself in the history books alongside the 1954 Supreme Court decision ending school desegregation. In that historic case, the highest Court of the land was called upon for righteous moral thinking and they came through at long last–but here today, in the present time, the crowds couldn’t wait.
They made the decision for themselves to ratchet up the fight against police racist practices to a whole new level and conduct this fight out in the open where everyone can see it.
In 1963 Dr. King and his supporters took over Washington D.C. for a day and gave the nation a new message of hope; today the demonstrators are delivering a new message of hope to America again.
It is time for everyone to listen for the clock has not been kind to America of late. Great problems still exist; many fearsome and worrisome predictions appear to be drawing ever closer to fruition. In the words of the Bard of the Sixties (Dylan):
“There are many here among us / Who think that life is but a joke / But you and I, we’ve been through that / And this is not our fate / So let us not speak falsely now / The hour is getting late.”
The sun is rising; the dawn approaches.
We begin a new day in America with renewed energy and hope that this country will honor its pledge that all human beings are born to freedom. All people have the right to live however they choose without fear of an American police officer ending their life for “light or transient” reasons, as Jefferson so ably phrased it while pleading his cause.
Let the new day begin!
