What Do the Killings in Charleston, SC mean for Black People?

The Charleston, SC shooting happened about 10 days ago and I'm still processing the pain and weight of this mass killing in light of the recent activism against systemic racism in America.  We're definitely in a moment right now with Black Lives Matter, protests and social media documenting every second of it all.  I noticed that right after the shooting and the killer's capture the focus became the immediate forgiveness by the victims for the killer and the confederate flag's influence on the mind of this maniac. 

As an adult, I know very well that forgiveness is work and it clears our spirit and minds to move on.  Holding onto hate and anger, no matter how justified, just hurts you.  But timing is everything and you can't just rush to forgive when you haven't processed the emotional state you're in whether its anger, pain, confusion, etc.   I don't want to judge these survivors rush to forgive if it helps them deal with the enormity and pain they're dealing with, but it is OK for black people to be more than angry when loved ones are sensely taken by racial violence.  And yes, I know that sometimes forgiveness needs to happen even when there's no justice, because again, forgiveness is for your mental and spiritual health.   But it's more than appropriate to have a healthy rage or anger when something like this happens, it's just not healthy to stay there.  We are human beings and need to allow ourselves to feel the full range of human emotions without judgement or need to make society feel safe from our anger. 
 
Then I got to pondering this whole confederate flag situation in South Carolina and what does it really mean to the lives of black and white people in the South.  Black people have been living with confederate flags atop their municipal buildings and universities for over 150 years.  For whites, it has been the symbol of white southern pride and rebellion.  For blacks, it has represented southern white ignorance, terror and violence.  So yes, this flag's run in public spaces needs to come to an abrupt end.  It's just time.  But how is this really going to impact the daily lives of black people in South Carolina?  They're still going to experience racism and resistance to experiencing the fullness of life that America offers so many others.  It seems to me like they could've leveraged this tragedy to improve their political power and not give the momentum of this moment to banish a symbolic relic of the South's former glory.  Laws were changed because 4 Little Girls were bombed in a church basement on Sunday morning.  They took an unspeakable tragedy, and used political strategy to move us forward with concrete civil rights legislation.  We had something tangible to show our future generations that children literally gave their lives to change the laws of this land.  They did not die in vain.  So this mass shooting, act of terrorism, will have what effect?  What will it change, really?  We need to be more concerned with what POWER (politcal and economic) is to be gained and not the demise of symbols of white supremacy.  The South is still chipping away at our voting rights and our leaders are giving energy to the confederate flag.  Somebody help me.

RIP, Kalief Browder

I had to write a tribute to this young brother who endured more than any child should have.  On a Saturday night in early June, 21 year old Kalief Browder hung himself outside of his bedroom window where his mother discovered his body in The Bronx.  The mental breakdown of his young, fragile mind could no longer withstand the abuses of our justice system.  Our criminal justice system: from the police, to the courts and the manipulations of the district attorney's office, and finally to the abuses he suffered while in the custody of the NYC Dept. of Corrections all failed this child who at 16 years old was arrested for stealing a knapsack. 

It started when he was stopped by police on a Saturday night with a friend and identified by an accuser on the street of robbing him of his knapsack.  This man who couldn't remember which day of the week he was robbed of said knapsack and later returned to his native country while the case was open and Kaliel remained in jail.  Next, the DA's office kept delaying the case violating the 30/30 motion that protects defendants from these types of abuses where the DA has 180 days to prove their case or it gets dismissed.  Problem was his case stayed on the calendar for 3 years until a visiting Judge DiMango examined this case a little closer and eventually led to his release with charges dismissed.  The DA and the various judges this case went before treated him like he was guilty until proven innocent setting his bail at $10K which his family couldn't afford.  Bail is set for flight risk, this youth was 16 at the time, attended high school lived at home with his family, he should have been a candidate for ROR (Release on his own Recognizance).  His case stayed open for 3 years keeping him in detention at Rikers Island because he refused to plea guilty to a crime he did not commit and couldn't raise the high bail amount.

This is where the height of his trauma began.  During his incarceration at Rikers Island he was physically assaulted by other inmates and officers alike.  Attempted suicide by hanging himself in his cell and again later, he was left with emotional and mental scars from being incarcerated in America's largest jail.  His release wouldnt  come until 3 years later at 20 years old, missing his high school graduation, prom, working and enjoying life as a teenager with his family.  On June 6th he succombed to the demons that haunted him because of his time in jail and his fear of being locked up again and he took his own life.  Though my heart still weeps, everytime I see his picture I'm hopeful his death will be a catalyst for solid systemic changes in the bail system, holding DA's accountable and honoring the 180 days to prove their case, incarcerating children in jail and recognizing the mental health needs of inmates and the effects of solitary confinement.  His case actually makes the argument for the overall overhaul of our current justice system.  It has to be ackowledged by our system that adolescent brains are still developing and they need to be treated differently than adults because the frontal and limbic lobes aren't fully mature.  It also needs to be said that young black boys are treated like they're older, tougher, more streetwise and invulnerable all the time without recognizing that they're still children.  They can't emotionally withstand everything this system throws at them and some will succomb to depression and more serious mental illness as a result of abuse, neglect and no support.  And sometimes support will come when it's too late and irreparable damage has been done. 

I posted the picture of Kaliel below for people who read this to see that a young man who once smiled and had a promising life is no more. A boy who had dreams, loved his family, may have wondered what true love felt like, may have told corny jokes and had a favorite food doesn't live today and we should never forget that sad truth and what injustices drove him to take his own life.

Black Girls and the Police

I was sick the first time I viewed this image a week ago when the story broke.  The crazed, reckless cop barrelling and running towards a group of teens celebrating at a pool party in a Dallas suburb. We all know the facts by now: black youth told to go back to Section 8 housing when they showed up at a community pool, a physical attack by 2 white women on a 19 yr. old black girl, crazy cop resigns and it's doubtful any criminal charges will be filed against him or the white females for assault.  We can expect this as just one more story to be filed under "2015 Edition of flagrantly racist police behavior caught on tape".  But I wanna explore something that seemed to be intentionally overlooked by the media's daily analysis of this event last week: the sexualization of this particular police brutality.

The officer came to the scene forcing teenaged black males to the ground while ignoring the white teens which didn't really shock anyone.  But when it came to this 14 year old girl he man-handled her to the ground by her braids and head and then straddled her for what is reported to have been around 15 minutes.  A petite, bikini-clad 14 year old black girl was face down in the grass with a white man on her back for 15 minutes because she was that much of a threat to public safety.  It felt like we all watched some type of violent cop-porn where she was literally under the weight of his control and state authority.  Her small adolescent frame didn't protect her from what many of us have had to learn - we aren't safe from sexual violence anywhere or by anyone.  The fact is, this happened to her because she is young, black and female.  None of us can even fathom this same scene happening to a teenage, white girl with long blonde hair in Texas or anywhere else.  We can't even imagine that scene where the shoe is on the other foot, because that shoe was never meant to be on the other foot.

We remember the video of a California Highway Patrolman beating a black woman with mental illness on the side of the highway last summer and the Oklahoma cop accused of sexually assaulting a half dozen black women last Fall, so this imagery is still fresh in our minds.  But this video was a shock to our consciousness.   The teen in the video is in full adolescence, not to be mistaken for a woman, and that made her particularly vulnerable in a sexual way that was lost in much of last week's analysis of the video.  Media pundits were quick to ask if the officer's conduct was racially motivated as if they truly thought it could be anything else, but would not tread on the dangerous terrain of sexuality because that is the true lightening rod no one wants to touch.   It was intentionally avoided because America does not confront race and racism in general, and certainly not the uncomfortable mix of sex, race and power.   

Also, it din't go unnoticed that NOW and other feminist organizations didn't voice their anger or even a little concern about what we all saw acted upon this young girl.  I suppose they've been so busy with bringing college campus rape to the forefront they just forgot.  So once again, we got crickets from the white mainstream feminist groups.  Not that it surprised me, but I'm just sayin'.  Another group that I was surprised and disappointed that did not show public outrage in defense of this child was black men.  At least not online or in the news did black men as a group, fathers and brothers, overwhemlingly show any unified voice of protectionism.  I kept waiting to hear from them in some powerful way that this violation won't be tolerated.  

We need to be careful about these occurences, their constant re-play in the media and it's affect on our collective psyche and how black girls bodies are deemed violable by white men with guns and badges.  Our girls are uniquely vulnerable in spite of the attention that police abuse on black people receives of late, because that attention has focused solely on the abuses and killings of black males. But the truth is that whether its body searches, which should be done by a female officer, women and girls need to be educated of their rights and how to handle interactions with law enforcement just as our men.  It shouldn't be necessary to keep pointing out that Black Women's Lives Matter, Too. 

Young Designer Creates Buzzzz

Let's give a big applause to 18 yr. old NJ native, Kyemah McIntyre who caused a major buzz on Instagram with this gorgeous gown she designed herself and rocked at her senior prom.  She is a true inspiration and ready to take over the fashion world as she enters Parsons this fall.  Natural, poised and regal, not to mention driven and smart, I can't wait to see what conversations her future creations will spark around beauty, stereotypes and culture.