The Love Hate Relationship Between Black Folks & Themselves

How to free a people can be a very difficult and challenging thing.  It involves removing many lies, tricks and deceitful beliefs and practices regarding the self(1) and others.  These so-called latest happenings between black folks and the police - these events are always happening, never stopped happening and may continue to happen - represent merely another chapter in the Book of Exodus between black folks and the powerful/those in authority.  The Book of Exodus entails a sundry of powerful and destructive acts to drive the oppressed and the oppressor apart due to the oppressor's inability to view and accept the oppressed as "equal" and deserving of freedom, justice and equality.  The problem has even been mischaracterized according to Dr. Samori as epitomized in mainstream media- as a war like relationship between blacks and the police.

Walmart, Sam's, Macy's, Kohl's, NoMoreRack, Target and over 1700 stores!

The truth is the problem relationship is much bigger and complex than that.  Perhaps, it is truer now more than ever that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.  I argue that this is exactly the case for far too many black folks.  We forgot about the brutality of our enslavement and have allowed black history month to be taken over by the likes of Mickey D's.  We forgot about the brutality, sheer destruction  and loss of lives from the Civil War(2) - because the then United States could not peacefully agree on the forty million dollar question - what to do with the Negro?  Therefore, many whites would have rather died than to give freedom, justice and equality to black folks.

We forgot about Jim Crow - a system implemented utilizing the earliest "police" that was intent on keeping blacks subservient to whites in all facets of society.  Police have always been the scapegoat for the powerful and those in authority implementing control and using brute force to maintain it against undesirable populations.  By the way, Jim Crow never fell, it just changed forms with many whites taking off their klan robs and handing it in for a robe (for example judges), a suit and tie (for example attorney's ) or another uniform (for example, police).  

We forgot about the lynching that was allowed to take place in this country under the watchful eyes of the law.  We forgot about all the black lives loss repeatedly in this country due to "stop and frisk," "3 strikes your out," "shoot first ask questions later," "stand your ground," and the list goes on and on.   


So, what does "freeing" black folks look like?  If I had to guess, a good start looks like this... 

National outrage and resistance as protests grow and continue!

A new era of social and political consciousness for Black athletes?

Jay Z, Common, Russell Simmons urge NY governor to reform justice system

But we've got so much more to do!  Each one reach one teach one!

1. The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson
2. Roughly 1,264,000 American soldiers have died in the nation's wars--620,000 in the Civil War and 644,000 in all other conflicts.