THE RECKONING

As someone who prides himself in trying to stay informed about things that impact my people, it's become more apparent to me lately that the 'gloves have come off' in terms of how the Right Wing power structure in this country intends to devote as much energy and resources as they need to in order to quell what they fear is the rampant entrenchment of 'Black Power'.

What became obvious after the election of Barack Obama in 2008 was the 'poking of the bear' so to speak. It was the switch that activated the 'no holds barred' approach in their response to the shifting political and social climate that threatened what they see as the pre-eminence of the White Ruling Class. When the Tea Party gained more national visibility following one conservative congressman's initiatives to thrust it into the national spotlight, it was supposed to be a movement whose signature platform was the reigning in of government spending and fixing the immigration problem. They were in reality just more 'smoke and mirrors' for the real agenda that had been lurking in the shadows since the country's founding almost 250 years ago; more specifically, an agenda designed to limit the power and influence of black people. When members of the conservative citizenry can parade through the halls of congress echoing claims from their 'compadres' about not liking the direction the country was headed in, (ala, Barack Obama's presidency), it was really code language for needing to stop the infiltration of black people's influence in every facet of the American culture. At the same time though, with them not being able to articulate the real source of their discontent, it begs the question--why were they not summarily being escorted out of the building afterward? It was more solid proof of how tolerant the power structure is of the concerns voiced by white Americans vs. the rest of us.

The Looking Glass Revealed

Since Trayvon Martin's murder in 2012, the wrongful deaths of black men and women that occurred under suspicious circumstances, to the more obvious and graphic examples, by unrepentant perpetrators have become more numerous; namely the likes of Dylan Roof who slaughtered 9 parishioners inside a church in South Carolina in 2012, to Derrick Chauvin--the policeman who strangled George Floyd to death in 2020 on live television almost wearing a smile while Mr. Floyd was gasping for breath.

The cavalier and uneven approach by law enforcement and police agencies across the board concerning their conduct with black suspects as opposed to white ones, in addition to the introduction and sanctioning of self-appointed vigilantes, sadly have become part of the landscape Black Americans have been forced to try and navigate. Even though the senseless loss of those lives stoked global outrage, it nevertheless seems to be the beginning of something even more draconian than 'Jim Crow 2.0'. What's become crystal clear is that no matter how much we demonstrate our desire to still try and salvage what's left of this democratic experiment, it will at least be met with a measure of contempt by the opposition for us even having the gall to still trust in those words, 'with Liberty and Justice for All'; which are meant to anchor the Pledge of Allegiance, but in reality has resembled a more empty and 'wobbly refrain'. What that faction fails to realize is that the real resistance is black folks' determination to fight them at every turn. Because of how neutral some people on both sides appear to be, it has frustrated the advancements still being made by black Americans. The strategy of 'throwing the baby out with the bath water' has sadly been stitched into the consciousness of the far-right like threads to a new garment. Their actions now dictate that the expectation of normal discourse between political parties has even become almost non-existent. The 'singleness of mind' they've shown to advance their agenda makes no room for it, even if members of their own 'tribe' suffer because of it. White Nationalism is not an affirmation, it's a 'stop gap' that stands in the way of real solutions to the country's ills.

Regrettably, most Black Americans who have attempted to extract any 'rhyme or reason' from the actions of those engaged in far-right politics, have not seen anything akin to it being mutually beneficial to both sides; but the outcome is also somewhat predictable. The lop-sidedness of their positions lets it be known that 'Fairness' might as well be a foreign language that none of them intend to embrace. Now, with an executive, legislative, and judicial advantage, they intend to try and attain permanence for their brand of governance, which by design omits the wellbeing of communities of color, but also includes some marginalized whites. Unfortunately for the nation, those in power would have jettisoned any vestiges of a democratic republic in the process.

The Offensive of Self-Affirmation

The attempts at the suppression, or more accurately the removal of contributions by blacks to the American story have erupted into a full-fledged campaign by the right. Actions such as the removal of certain literature by Black American authors from library book shelves, dismissals of Black Officials in positions of authority, whether civil service, military, or even in the private sector due to distorted DEI sanctions have accelerated. In addition, massive layoffs of federal employees (a large number of whom are black) have also been victims of the DEI debacle. More recently removal of monuments and national archives of black history makers in an effort to almost discount the role black people played in the creation of the country, namely during the slave trade, is expected to be white-washed if not completely ignored.

With this reality comes a 'Wake-up Call'; a call to action for the black community that should be treated as a personal challenge above all else. Regardless of what's been pulled from book shelves in schools and libraries, and places like The Smithsonian Institute in terms of our history, we must recognize that there is still a wealth of knowledge in private, as well as non-governmental spaces that can be disseminated to not just black citizens but the country at-large. History is known by what has already occurred and is accepted as fact. Any distortion of it will unravel in time like threads to a cheap suit. To coin a cliché, 'Black History is American History', and only a few, more poignant words have ever been spoken.

So, knowing the true history of the black experience in this country and the contributions to its founding (as brutal as it may have been) comes the assurance that we are a resilient people, whose resolve has been shaped by time, much misery, and many victories. And for those of us who would prefer to distance themselves from the 'familial pedigree' that was slavery, I can only say that ours should be a posture of pride, not shame . For our ancestors having endured it, meant their spirits may have been bent but they were never broken. They not only survived it, they thrived after the end of the Civil war, then the arrival of Reconstruction.

Distorted history that contradicts the characterization of blacks being presented by people in positions of power and authority on the right will never pass the 'litmus test' of authenticity. Black people's existence will not be invalidated by what others simply choose to believe , as opposed to what we know history has shown to be true, apart from our own personal experiences in the culture. So, whether others embrace truth about black history, we, as a culture, must do so without fail. We have a moral obligation to communicate that truth; especially to generations that will follow us, which is why our belief in ourselves and our destiny must not falter. It is still incumbent upon us as a people, 'fearfully and wonderfully made' in God's image ( Psalm 139: 14 ), to continue 'beating the drum' of expectation. We must continue moving to that cadence; holding fast to God's promise, that in our walk of faith, he would never leave us or forsake us. Peace..