The backlash is real. Staunch racists and xenophobic people are coming out of the wood work because for some reason they feel it is safe to do so. I am not at all surprised about Donald Trump or his appeal; we are not living in the mythical ‘post-racial’ society they have been espousing. The arguments are disgusting when we break them down: “It is wrong to take from me what I took wrongly from someone else.” That is the broken logic we are dealing with and I am not surprised it has mass appeal right now.
I am not surprised about the vigilante violence of the white supremacist in Minnesota because it is nothing new. My heart and my condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims. Many of us knew this was a possibility, and that it was only a matter of time before nonviolence was met with violence. Everytime the Oppressed peoples of the world jump up because we are sick and tired of being sick and tired, a suppressive regime emerges.
In Seattle, white supracists are planning a march to propagate their agenda of hatred in our streets and in our neighborhoods. Their public statement levied harmful beliefs against marginalized groups based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and natonality. This is both appalling and disgusting.
I cannot help but think of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” when he argued that agitation does not create tension; it exposes t he tension that already exists within society. We do not live in a post racial society and I am not surprised, but I do see ugly times ahead as we struggle for justice.
“Power concedes nothing without a demand.”
~Frederick Douglass
Terror will not turn us away from our objectives just like it did not turn Diane Nash away from making Freedom Rides to end Jim Crow segregation.
“It is our duty to fight for our frerdom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
~Assata Shakur
Renaissance Revolutionary 