Ibram X. Kendi ‘s book “Stamped from the Beginning” is SO powerful.
While oppression is everywhere in America, there is not a group that comes anywhere near the downward pressure African Americans have been subjected to ever since the early 1600s.
Africans in America have always been seen as ignorant criminals. That’s how they were portrayed to me every Saturday night on Cops. That’s how they are being portrayed by Joe Biden who is another white man telling them that they are wrong to say something as politically “dangerous” as “defund the police.”
Africans can’t kneel in unity. Africans can’t suggest defunding the police. Africans are continually told by white people to just shut up and take it.
Conservatives have every right to be outraged about how they are being treated as pawns by the Republicans and how they are despised by Democrats.
But if Africans were ever to lead a revolt the ONLY response white people should ever have is: WE STAND WITH YOU.
Quite honestly, I don’t see how Africans in America have been so patient for so long. They have tried marching. They have tried singing. They have tried legislation. And still, by every metric, they are still seen as second class citizens who are mostly criminals.
1619-2021- African Americans are still seen as sex driven, animalistic murderers who are coming to rape our white women and steal our possessions. That’s what has always been taught to white people. Always.
Homelessness is a humanitarian catastrophe right now. But African American slavery is 400 years of atrocity to one race of people. Oppression is too light a word. We have criminalized an entire race of people. What is that even called?
I see why my fellow Akronite John Brown was so committed to the cause.