Together, Let us Weave A New Fabric for Change!
As a country in 1526, the first subjugated Africans (100) brought to the now Carolinas. At the same time, there were an estimated 17 to 20 million First Nation tribal members through this nation and over 60 million in the Americas. In 2020, there are an estimated 45 million African-Americans, and there are over seven million Native Americans in the United States, 78% of whom live outside reservations in which this nation forces them to live. Unfortunately, death by kneeling to George Floyd is not the first time by another. So many painful truths of this nation of racism, oppression, and barriers for achieving dreams of childhood. I write this blog, meant to remind, and call us to action. We can no longer kneel on the hopes of millions.
Saturday, my youngest daughter and I spoke with a colleague to address the pain in America from the eyes of my daughter and her friends' insights. One of my peers shared that maybe, today's youth may not want to hear about the slaughter of over 300 women and children at The Wounded Knee Massacre. Sadly, that 1890 domestic massacre by men in uniform led to the killing of several hundred Lakota Indians, most of whom were women and children, at this Wounded Knee. My daughter shared, "No, dad, the schools do not teach our history! We need to know of the systemic and historical inequalities. See dad, and they do not want to teach the truths of horrible treatment, only a fake version of history." Our conversation continued with this local leader and advocate as she quickly reminded me of teaching her about the Tulsa Massacre. The Oklahoma National Guard called to take the lives of Blacks in Tulsa protesting for the rights of a wrongfully accused teenage boy. My daughter can see the history and the systemic barriers for people of color and the obstacles women have based on the lack of gender equity. Today, our graphic designer, an early 20-year-old young man in Serbia who created the blog's accompanying images, wrote, "James, it's insane how people get killed, and we are in the 21st century. There’s a lot of bad people in the world right now. I don't know what to say." I believe it is clear that all over this nation, people are protesting for a change, from Serbia to Australia, Africa, Asia, and the United Kingdom.
This nation has a well-documented fabric of not dealing with racism, as well as oppression. Two fabrics created the society we now live in. One fabric was an opportunity for those leaving other countries for a better life, and that includes the tens of thousands of immigrants and different ethnicities currently locked up in immigration centers. Latino Americans in the United States make up 52 million people. We know it is well documented that hundreds of thousands of children have been part of a systemic barrier for a better life. We may have forgotten the spotlight on abuses and growth in immigrant detention centers. Maybe many do not even know all the disparities of our nation's criminal justice system. One of my professional experiences on the private networks of criminal justice was when I was told, "You see men and fathers that can change and have a better life. Well, we see dollar bills walking around here and nothing more." That was a statement made to me from a coordinator at a private prison before providing professional counseling/parent education services. If this is the mindset of law enforcement and criminal justice or other systems, how can we really achieve greatness as people? I wanted to share these realities without educating too much or highlighting the facts impacting well over one hundred million Americans on America's lack of freedom for all people from the years 1526 through 2020.
How can a group of people be slaughtered, another enslaved, another encamped, and a nation not dealing with the historical realities of racism? When racism blended with a pyrrhic victory of false privilege, it will ultimately take the fabric of opportunity in America and unravel and destroy this nation. We have to work towards continually improving the fabric of our society by welcoming the best aspects of the world and weaving them into our history. This will demand that we engage in continuous candid examinations of where we have been and how we can make America a perfect union that will embrace all people. Black America has too often endured and continues to be impacted by the hostility of racism that permeates all aspects of our society. It is at the root of all the injustice and inequality that has burdened all races and ethnic groups since the very beginning of their presence in America. Living and seeing the brutality and inhumanity of those who are selected to lead, which include legislators, legal bodies, and law enforcement authorities, should be enough to cause the whole nation to think and contemplate its future. These persons with persuasive power give cause to grieve this kind of oppression before the eyes of the world. This is not new to those of us who struggle and suffer ongoing trauma but shows a deep sickness in the soul of people in authority. Until the great wrongs are addressed, we will continue to see a country torn apart from the other fabric of weaving a legacy for our children and families.
