Continuing to Stand Up & Say Black Lives Matter

Continuing to Stand Up & Say Black Lives Matter

This blog post is a revision of a speech I gave in November 2014. After hearing about the attack on a young Black girl in a classroom at Spring Valley High School by the resource officer, I felt that this post is appropriate to encourage all of us to continue to stand up and say Black Lives Matter.

“I must make two honest confessions to you, my brothers & sisters. First, I must confess that over the last few days I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can't agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a ‘more convenient season.’

"Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. In your statement you asserted that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But can this assertion be logically made? Isn't this like condemning the robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical delving precipitated the misguided popular mind to make him drink the hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because His unique God-consciousness and never-ceasing devotion to His will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see, as federal courts have consistently affirmed, that it is immoral to urge an individual to withdraw his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest precipitates violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber.

"I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth of time. I received a letter this morning from a white brother in Texas which said, ‘All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but is it possible that you are in too great of a religious hurry? It has taken Christianity almost 2000 years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth." All that is said here grows out of a tragic misconception of time. It is the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time is neutral. It can be used either destructively or constructively. I am coming to feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. We must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail (In response to eight white religious leaders of the South).

In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail in response to eight white religious leaders, that was a snippet of that letter that connects to what I would like to focus on today. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr is not only one of the most notable civil rights heroes and one of the most quoted. This text connects to how I have seen my white-identified Student Affairs colleagues, who are in solidarity or in hopes to be in solidarity with black communities in a time of Black Lives Matter and racial profiling in law enforcement, react to all the articles and media coverage. I hear from a lot of genuinely shocked people, truly disappointed and hurt. I also hear disgust and disbelief in the officer(s) involved, but mostly I hear silence. Which was not surprising to me; being a white ally brings a lot of hesitation not only for the ally but for the person or community they are with in allyship. It’s a tension filled dance in which the ally doesn’t know when to lead and when to follow. Being an ally or in solidarity with an oppressed group of people takes practice. Practice will never make perfect, but it will make sense. When you practice continually being in solidarity with a group of oppressed people you will come to realize that no matter if you are leading or following the “dance” is never about you.

When I have facilitated intergroup dialogue on race and ethnicity for faculty and staff, I would constantly tell the white-identified participants that if they truly want to end racism they need to “get their people” when they hear them say and/or do something that invokes racism. When those in solidarity are silent, they collude with those who have ill will. Communities of oppressed groups need your voices to bring a song of change.

In the text from Dr. King, he mentions the Black persons greatest stumbling block are white moderates who are more devoted to the order of justice…who constantly say I agree with the goals you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action…who lives by the myth of time. Now, I know when some people hear the word “moderate” they may think of politics. It doesn’t matter if you identify with the republicans, democrats, independents or none of the above if you believe in Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech but only think the dream happens when we look past race, look past the history of racism in this country, and think people are people then this text is for you. Ending oppression and creating a socially just community takes work. Marches, protests are not inspired coincidences. From protest for voting rights in Selma, AL in 1964 to the protest for Black Lives Matter in 2015, protests are highly organized, lowly funded, extremely emotional ways to take action against oppression. It is a showing of praxis, taking the knowledge and historical context and using it to make critical change through action. While protests are not the only way to show direct action, they are the most effective way to give voice to the voiceless. They bring faces, bodies to an issue that a signature, a Facebook status or a blog post cannot do.

At some level, I do get it. As someone who has identities that oppress others, there’s a moment when you wake up and realize that the world your parents or loved ones told you about…the one where all people are equal and color doesn’t matter and that you can be anything you want to be solely based on hard work doesn’t fully exist. You don’t know what to do; you know you want to change it for yourself, your students and for those around you but then you realize that portions of this world exist for you and your privilege identity and “giving that up” is scary. So, let me leave you with encouragement. The last few sentences of the text from Dr. King says, we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. Working towards ending racism helps all of us. It allows all of us to flourish and to do that we have to continue to be in conversation and direct action about ending racism and all oppression in this country. The time is now. What will we do next? As an ally, this is where you can lead and reflect on this and ask yourself what we will do next to show that Black Lives Matter just as much as yours.

References

King, Martin Luther (1964). Why We Can’t Wait. Harper & Row

Brandi Douglas

Coalition for Women’s Identities

Directorate Member

@bnubian