We Are More

Saturday, August 9, 2014, 18 year old Mike Brown was shot multiple times by a police officer.  The officer’s version claims that Mike Brown physically assaulted the officer and tried to reach for his gun.  An eyewitness was interviewed on MSNBC and said that the officer tried to force Mike Brown into the police vehicle and held him as he fired a shot into his right side.  Mike Brown was shot a second time in the back after trying to run.  He raised his hands, pleading with the officer to stop shooting.  More shots were fired, and Mike Brown’s life ended. 

I wanted to scream when I saw this on Twitter Saturday evening.  I read news reports and knew the black Times New Roman font I was reading just didn’t make sense.  I thought about all the cases known and unknown during the past few years that my people have been killed for just being BLACK.   We’re gunned down for asking for help after an accident, walking home from the store, walking on the street to our grandmother’s home, breaking up a fight, and playing our music too “loud”.  We are beaten and humiliated for walking on the highway and the list goes on.  I hear and read about these cases and say a prayer, wondering what I can do to help prevent these tragedies.

Right now, I’m seriously torn.  I’m torn because every few weeks Black people are getting killed or beaten across the nation without any consequences.  But then, right in my backyard (literally) we are quickly eliminating ourselves.  I’m tired of waking up to alerts from the local news stations on my phone about a shooting in Richmond.  Just the other day, someone was killed about 5 minutes away from my home at an apartment complex.  I was looking at the homicide list in Virginia and so many of our young Black men are being killed over ignorance.  IGNORANCE.  Sunday, July 6, my 21 year old cousin was killed at a yard party in Amelia.  Over IGNORANCE.  About 2 years ago, my cousin and his pregnant girlfriend were gunned down in their home.  Over IGNORANCE.  On 1/1/06, my cousin and his young daughter were murdered in their home.  Over IGNORANCE.

In all of these situations, I feel like IGNORANCE is the common factor.  To police officers across the nation, that are sworn to “Protect” and “Serve”,   HELLLOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! What in the Sam Hell is going on with yall?  To my trigger happy, gun toting good citizens of the United States of America, not every Black person that plays loud music, wears a hoodie, or shows up at your door asking for help after an accident, is out to harm, rob, steal, destroy or kill you! (I think the Devil has that covered) And last, to my good Black folks.  My young brothers and sisters, it’s time to rise up.  It’s time we held our heads up and placed our crowns back on our heads.  It’s time we realize that we are more than that what the media portrays.  We are more than reality TV shows.  We are more than ass shots, Brazilian weaves, VIP sections, jail cells, prisons, foster homes, World Star Hip Hop videos, drug abuse, absent mothers and fathers, inner city schools, public housing, EBT cards.  We are more than drug dealers, thugs, twerkers, loud mouth bad asses, unwed mothers, and fatherless boys.   I say all that to say this:  we are more than the images that falsely represent us.  We are more than disproportionate statistics.  We must defy every label, stigma, and stereotype!  Whatever situation you’re going through, I promise if you seek help and want to, you can make it out.  If you feel this post doesn’t pertain to you, then I urge you to get involved.  Get involved in your communities, mentor a child, and please vote in your local elections.  If we heavily participate in local elections, we can put people in office that will address our issues and concerns and take action.  A lot of us do a lot of “fake caring”.   We’ll quickly throw up a tweet or Instagram post saying #smh #thisissosad #RIP.  Or some of yall real bold and will make a Meme or funny post for a few likes. Hashtags and Pictures are cool when it comes to civil rights issues, but it’s time to put in that real work and do your part!  #Butitismybusinesstho!

Look, honestly, I don’t have the answers.  I just want to be a part of the solution and not the problem.  I just can’t stand on the sidelines and watch this continue to happen.  Whether it’s the cops, trigger happy citizens, the government, or ourselves, we’ve got to do something!  I’m off my soapbox for now.

Peace,

-grannyBee

#RIP

De'Aris Lewis

Lewis and Rocana Casper

Brian Casper

Mike Brown

Oscar Grant

Trayvon Martin

Jordan Davis

Renisha McBride

Jonathan Ferrell

Sean Taylor

Eric Garner

Marty Cobb

And to the countless other victims of senseless, ignorant violence, i say RIP to you as well

#RIP to every single negative stereotype, bias, statistic, stigma, and image of African Americans