On Trayvon Martin and Solutions for the Black Community

The story has become an American classic. We’ve heard variations of it before.

Once upon a time, a white man admitted to killing a Black boy.

The 250 pound 28 year old claims he was defending himself against a 140 pound 17 year old carrying skittles and a can of iced tea.

Police cannot find evidence to suggest that the white man is lying—even though everybody else sees it.

Lawyers busy themselves preparing arguments.

Black parents claim racism.

Protests and press conferences are held where irrelevant Black leaders parade in front of cameras.

Black people leave justice in the hands of the authorities.

Black people stay in their rut.

Regardless of what happens regarding the arrest and conviction of the murderer or whether or not the Department of Justice, FBI, or FDLE find anything in their investigations, if Black people continue leaving justice in the hands of so-called authorities, Black people will remain in defenseless and powerless positions—crying over injustice and complaining about unpunished racism in the 21st century.

Are we destined to remain in such anemic positions?

What, if anything, can we do about this?

How should we respond to this?

Legally?

• Should we fight to introduce a law into congress that makes it illegal for a white man to murder a black boy ?

• Should we fight to make sure already existing laws are enforced?

Peacefully?

• Should we assemble to express our disappointment with the silent local police?

• Should we make a sign with a MLK quote about justice and injustice?

• Should we write a blog expressing our disappointments and how this is incident is reminiscent to Emmitt Till’s murder in 1955?

Politically?

• Should demand that Barack Obama or other political figures call for the arrest of Zimmerman and not vote for them if they don’t respond to our demands in a way that is sincere?

Religiously?

• I’m running out of ideas… I honestly don’t think any of these ideas will do anything to address the heart of problem of Trayvon’s murder. And I hope I’m not alone. Malcolm X’s words ring clearer to me, now more than ever: that the government is either unable or unwilling to address the problems that confront Black people in a satisfactory way. The most natural response seems to be self-evident : address the problems ourselves–but that is not what’s happening. smh.

“I for one believe that if you give people a thorough understanding of what confronts them and the basic causes that produce it, they’ll create their own program, and when the people create a program, you get action.” –Malcolm X

We know the problems. We’re affected by them every day. Let’s create some solutions. Here are a few of mine:

Solutions:

1. We should recognize our power and use it:

• Power concedes to nothing but power.  White power is dominating us because Black power has not responded in a way to nullify or overpower white power.

• If our power is redirected in ways that will help us get out of our current social, political, economic, and spiritual rut, we WILL succeed.

• We must want “freedom, justice, and equality” so badly that we will seek to obtain them using any means necessary.

• We must reject any and everything that is thrown at us to stifle our attempts to empower ourselves to lift ourselves. We cannot limit ourselves by dismissing ideas for Black elevation because they may not be the ways that we have historically fought.

• Let’s fight the fight and let the chips fall where they may.

 2. We must redefine independence.

• Independence and freedom are often used interchangeably. As a result, people may erroneously conclude that we (as a people) are independent.

• Consider independence as NOT dependent and slavery as being dependent.

• Are we (as a people) independent?

• When the government provides assistance to “underprivileged” (namely Black) people, it creates a level of dependence that is paralyzing. We are very dependent on the very systems and structures that are failing us.

• Let’s stop putting our trust in people or systems that have not helped us in the recent and distant pasts.

• Let’s be intentionally about becoming self-determining and self-reliant. We must get to the place where we are not dependent on structures and systems that have been put in place by our former oppressors to do for us what we should do for ourselves.

3. We must reeducate ourselves and educate our children.

• Understand that our formal education is one of the most important instruments used to keep us in the mentality that keeps us working in the interest of white domination and against the interest of ourselves and our children.

•  We have been educated/conditioned to respond to situations in ineffective ways.

• When is it acceptable for children of former slaves to be educated by children of former slave masters? Have things change that much to where one thinks whites will teach blacks how to beat them at the game they’re playing?

• Recall the 5th point in the Black Panther Party’s Ten-Point Program: We should want an education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We should strive for an education that teaches our true history and our role in the present society. “We believe in an educational system that will give to our people a knowledge of self. If a man does not have knowledge of himself and his position in society and the world, then he has little chance to relate to anything else.”

• Reeducate yourself on the importance of Nationhood. (Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad , John Henrik Clark, and a host of others talk about it in their books and recordings). Land, food, and shelter are very important in this equation.

 4. We must separate.

• When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected with another… Language from The Declaration of Independence, one of the founding documents of America. It made sense for them then and makes sense for us now. It’s time for us to get out of the mindset that this system will do right by us. It has not, it is not, and if history proves to be a good teacher, will not.

• Put little faith in the American system/ government/ way of life. Begin to devalue the structures that we have accepted as indisputable and unchangeable. This is the first step in independence.

• Lose respect for the laws—Since they do nothing to protect us, we should have no obligation to respect them.

 5. Stop being so damn afraid.

• Fear paralyzes. It will prevent an individual from reaching a goal and a race.

• Remove all notions of fear and doubt.

• Be lead by the Spirits. We have more help than we realize.

• Fight the fight. Let the chips fall where they may.

#solutions #BarackObama #Zimmerman #MarcusGarvey #DepartmentofJustice #BlackPower #Independence #Emmitttill #FDLE #education #JohnHenrikClark #MalcolmX #FBIinvestigation #BlackPanthers #TrayvonMartin