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Rachel
Rachel Dolezal…. Now quickly give me the names of an unarmed black woman who has been shot by the police. Give me the name of the black women who are presidents of the NAACP and fighting for Civil Rights. Give me the names of black women in your community that are putting in work for the community and standing against racism and all of the injustices that you face…
What has just happened is a 37 year old white woman, who posed as a black woman, who is the president of the NAACP in a city named Spokane with a population of approx. 200,000 people of which less than 5,000 are black has just blown up the Internet. Undoubtedly she will become rich from interviews, book deals, and people wanting to hear her story.
Meanwhile, there are many black women (and other women) that are being killed, harassed, and abused while we turn a blind eye to the injustices being committed against them. These women, whose names we don’t know, whose stories we don’t care about, whose lives don’t matter to us will never be famous, well paid, nor receive books deals to talk about their lives.
Meanwhile, there are many women being their authentic selves that are fighting against injustices all over this country (and world) that we will never bother to study, to research, to know.
Meanwhile, there are many women in your local community; that are barely getting by because they have dedicated their entire lives to educating, uplifting, raising, helping, and making a difference in our community in any way they can. Women who are essentially begging for your support and yet ignored daily.
Meanwhile, we have again been bamboozled with a story that while sensational, potentially educational, and even amusing has done nothing more than to distract us from real issues surrounding us and the work that needs to be done.
Now, let’s get back to the business of using our God given gifts to uplift and move forward the people in our lives and in our communities that need our full attention. Let’s get back to the tasks of making this world better. Let’s focus on our journey to a better tomorrow.
Sleep well, wake up refreshed, get out of your bed and slap the devil in his mouth to let him know that you’re not taking any of his shit… ~ Sean King
Myrlie Evers-Williams – Former Chairwoman of the NAACP (National)
By Any Means Necessary
Brother Malcolm
50 years ago you were assassinated; you were 39. You were a father. You were a husband. You were a Muslim. You were a black man speaking your truth at a time when your right to do so was not protected. Like Dr. King, you were a Human Rights Activist that was able to move beyond the teaching of hate that you learned early in life. Like Dr. King, you fought for the people. You used truth to combat the hypocrisy and lies. Your intelligence was unmatched, your logic was indisputable, your willingness to sacrifice it all for what you believed in was the definition of courage….
…and sure, they will always refer to you as Malcolm X, the radical racists militant black leader… but I will always celebrate and remember you as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, the humanitarian who returned from his trip to Mecca with clarity and an understanding that contrary to what we have been taught in America, that before we are black, we are human… and the rights we seek are not Civil Rights but Human rights and they are God given…
…and sure, they will continue to parade pictures of you standing at a window with an assault rifle with the quote “By Any Means Necessary” at the bottom; because it feeds into the idea that a Black Muslim is inherently violent, and violence can be used for fear which can be used for control which can be used to keep our system of oppression and inhumanity intact… but what was the context of the quote? Why don’t they ever talk about the difference between saying you will defend yourself rather than turning the other cheek when violence is committed against you? Why don’t they ask, how many acts of violence did you commit or where was your gun when you were assassinated? Surely, a violent Muslim who knew he would be murdered would have been packing heat?
…ah, but that picture of peace in the face of violence is too Dr. King-ish, and doesn’t fit the narrative of fear that they promote to squash the movement… and by acknowledging that you weren’t a violent racists radical, but rather a humanitarian fighting not for Civil Rights but for Human rights, that would have added too much power to the movement.
…imagine, oppressed human beings all over the world rallying with El-Hajj Malik-El Shabazz, the non-violent Human rights activists who looks at the Muslim brothers and sisters, and the Christian brothers and sisters, and everyone else who has a desire to fight for human rights as his brothers…
…but I remember you brother El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz… as the beautiful being you were, you are, and you will continue to be… I admire your courage and your struggle and your fight… and I understand that you live in me. “You Can Not Assassinate a Spirit, You Can Only Kill a Man.” ~ Sean King
Today we Celebrate You!
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We declare our right on this earth to be a man, to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary. —Malcolm X, 1965
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