HOW DO YOU LIKE BEING “COLORED"?

Twice I’ve written about the relative short term intensity of the George Floyd protests. Here and again here.

I posted a piece just a few days ago about the many, many Black deaths at the hands of those who we charge with the task of serving and protecting us. That included a clip by Hope Giselle, an angry Black women - angry that White America seldom gets involved when it is Black American lives being taken. George Floyd was the exception, not the rule. Angry that it takes a White death to motivate, but not so many Black deaths. Here’s her clip again.

Black American’s are not supposed to appear angry. It upsets White Americans. So we Code Switch so we can get along. Maybe you noticed how hard Barack and Michelle Obama had to work to never appear angry. But my guess is that if you’re White, then no… you didn’t notice. Any gesture that could be interpreted as being angry was immediately called out by the even more angry but acceptable far right, and made the headlines. But we’re angry. We’re angry all the time and we have been for years. I’ll let you in on a secret. There are two types of Black Americans. Those who are angry, and those who are brain dead. And now for a while White America is angry too. And honestly, it really does break my heart that Renee Good and Alex Pretti had to give their lives for us to get here where we are at this moment. Their deaths are made even sadder because it was their sense of civic duty and their desire to get out there and protect people who did not look like them that got them killed.

A few days ago I wrote about the violence that Black Americans have lived with since before the beginning of time and the White Rage that occasionally pops up. When the violence finally gets bad enough for white people to get angry… to become motivated.

Today this clip - https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19VdkQHDgr/?mibextid=wwXIfr -appeared in my email, and it also is directly connected to my post of a few days ago. A calm White woman angry at the killing of American’s by agents of the state. She’s way calmer than Hope Giselle is. But like her, she ain’t wrong. She recalled several times when law enforcement had killed Black Americans. She recalled the events. Me? I recall their names.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me

This famous quote is by Martin Niemöller’s reflects his regret over his initial silence and complicity during the rise of the Nazi regime. It serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers of indifference and the importance of speaking out against injustice, regardless of personal affiliation.

Niemöller, a Lutheran pastor, originally supported the Nazis but later became a critic after experiencing persecution himself. His words continue to resonate today, emphasizing the interconnectedness of all people and the moral responsibility to stand against oppression.

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And finally, we are literally in the middle of a masked, armed, and violent ethnic cleansing. We never thought that we would see this, but here we are. Please share these post. I know that it can be a bit awkward. But not nearly as awkward as watching our fellow Americans be killed, our constitution shredded, our democracy destroyed.