America Under Fire
Although this is only the second week of January it actually feels like 2020 never left.
A week ago, six days into the new year to be exact, we watched in disarray as the invasion of the Capitol unfolded. Some have labeled this day as the darkest day of history. To say I am surprised at what occurred on January 6th would be a far cry from truth. The last four years have proven that this presidency and all its combustible attributes have reached a point where now the HOUSE IS ON FIRE!
In the last few days, I have listened to many news commentators. And all, including ESPN’s Stephen A. and Max Kellerman of First Take are in unison that there are two America’s, one Black and one White. While I wish this were not factual, sadly this is the stage set before us. Ironically, it took a group of angry white militia insurrectionist to magnify what Black folks have been saying all along and now White folk have a ring side seat to the two-sidedness of America.
Many years ago, when I was in second grade, we regularly sang a song called “This Land in Your Land.” To this day I remember verses and the chorus which was “this land was made for you and me.” To put things in perspective, history has shown that this couldn’t be further from the truth. “This land” was never built as a place for all. Instead, it is a system that was created with the intent that “some” people will reap the benefit without much effort, and “others” will have to work twice as hard to obtain their presumed inalienable rights.
And so it is, the veil has been lifted. It is finally being spoken that Black people are held to a different standard. In the Black community these lessons are taught early on, that we are to tread lightly because any sudden moves can possibly cause Whites to feel uncomfortable. Examples: Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Rayshard Brooks to name a few.
Just the other day on social media there was a conversation defending the insurrection debacle. Here it was mentioned that the sedition had nothing to do with racism or white nationalist behavior. Noticeably this dialogue did not delve in truthfulness, but instead was in complete defense of the domestic terrorists. Some of the excuses given were, their parents probably never disciplined them, and most were not accustomed to the word “no.” It was also noted that this group of anarchists may have never had to face any consequences for their actions or decisions throughout their lives. And the last one that made my eyes roll was, most of them gravitated towards Donald Trump because his upbringing might have been similar to theirs (i.e., refusal to accept the word no, unable to face consequences, blah blah blah). After reading this the only thing I could think of was these speculations were wholeheartedly made by a white apologist. Which circles backs to the two Americas that I referenced earlier.
This character-building treatment is always offered to White folks when things go awry, coincidentally it doesn’t seem to apply when a Black or Brown person is in question. Case in point, where was the stoking or coddling language for any of the George Floyd and BLM protestors during the summer? Instead, the vociferousness heard from those against the protests was they were an angry mob, with a disdain for law enforcement, and were seen as a threat to democracy or whiteness to be exact.
Let’s be real. As much as we would like to keep it under wraps America was founded on white supremist- white nationalist principles. Which probably explains why the FBI has reported that there were at least thirteen or so hate organizations in attendance for the riot at the Capitol. This theory of white supremacy is as American as apple pie. Those radicalized folks were not there to stop an imaginary steal, they were there under the auspicious of protecting white privilege.
So while some are clutching their pearls on the precipice of where do we go from here, now is not the time to ignore unpleasant realties. Nor is it the time to send out coded language such as “we must reach across the aisle” or sound the alarm for unity. At the moment this type of language rings hollow. What we are now witnessing is a demand to examine how we arrived at this point and in addition what will it take to move forward.
Truthfully there are no easy answers so stop looking for them. This may be a time for some to go back to History 101 and instead of reaching for White Fragility go deeper and pick-up a copy of White Rage or The Color of Money. It is also a time to ponder what inspired 74 million people to follow a known contributor of hate and divisiveness for the last four years. If nothing else, we must be brutally honest and admit that our problem as a nation did not start with the election of Donald Trump. He was a symptom but certainly not the cause. We have arrived at a place where we are standing in the rubble of a system. And that system was designed to not include all but to favor some and its affects have been deadly to say the least.
