Ferguson in Fresh Perspective

While the unrest sparked by the decision of the grand jury not to prosecute Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown, Jr., is still smoldering - in Ferguson, MO, as well as cities and capitals around the country - there is consistent sensationalism over the property damage caused by a subset of the protesters.

You who walk in the privilege of power, whatever the power is, don't get to determine how the oppressed rage.  

- Tweet from Emma Jordan-Simpson

In an incredibly insightful article, Carol Anderson, Associate Professor of African American studies at Emory University, digs below the surface of what is typically described as black rage against police or American's justice system and uncovers the more devious and systemic presence of white rage against racial progress in America.

Check out this powerful, mind-opening piece by clicking here.

Working within the system to effect change is only one tool, and often without the pressure of active protest, an ineffective one.

My your anger become motivation, and may your motivation be baptized in genuine love for people who are vulnerable.  Amen.  - Tweet from Rev. Otis Moss III

When your grandchildren ask, "Where were you when justice became a reality instead of an ideal?" what will you have to say?

A call has gone out for no shopping on Black Friday, as a show of unity and impact for we who are seeking justice. Please join us as we enjoy family and friends. #BLACKOUTBLACKFRIDAY

The video below is from the group Blackout for Human Rights, one of the groups encouraging the Black Friday Boycott:

This has got to stop!

God bless.

A luta continua,

Daryle Brown
Trinity Justice Watch Team
The Next Movement

 

Now What?

So, Election Day has come and gone. The political landscape in Illinois and in most of the country has changed. We heard how the President has turned a deaf ear on the American people, and this is why many Democrats were defeated. In fact, some Democrats did not want their respective campaigns associated with President Obama, due to his disapproval rating. Some folks (who will remain nameless) took to the airwaves and some pulpits claiming how a party change (not Jesus) is the only hope for Black folks, as Republicans replaced Democrats in both federal and state offices. (I hope they get to the bank before the checks bounce.) I think we still need to ask the question, “Where does that leave ‘us’?” When it is all said and done, what will change for the “least of these”?

On the eve of the midterm elections in 2010, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) made the infamous remark during an interview with the National Journal, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”  Now that Congress is controlled by the GOP, it will be said this election was a mandate on the economy, Affordable Health Care Act, immigration reform, “big government”, Ebola, etc., and that the Obama administration showed incompetence in dealing with “bread and butter” issues. Now that Sen. McConnell will become the Senate Majority Leader, I can safely assume his priorities have shifted (obviously) from President Obama being a one-term president, to being the leader of an obstructionist movement to make the President a “lame duck” before the 2016 elections. Guaranteed, the rich are salivating. Meanwhile, the Democrats believe they have lost touch with their base…the middle class. What about us….the faithful… going to the polls that vote “blue” regardless of whether it is in our best interests or not? Neither party talked about helping the working class and the working poor during the campaign. Remember, welfare reform, which sent millions below the poverty line, was under the Clinton administration, and he was not a Republican.

I think we still need to ask the question, “Where does that leave ‘us’?” When it is all said and done, what will change for the “least of these”?

What does the change in Congress and state houses mean for unemployment and underemployment, affordable health care, affordable housing, and so many of the issues that have plagued Black folks? To some, all the problems are a result of Democrats in control, almost as if institutional racism and neo-Jim Crow policies, police misconduct, crime, lack of opportunities, and an apartheid-style education system were the Democratic platform.  In reality these are, and will continue to be problems, regardless of which party is in office, as long as the rich are in control.

I can hardly wait to hear “Plan B” that will resolve ALL of the woes and failures not resolved under President Obama and state Democratic administrations.  And of course, if unemployment reaches double digits, health care costs skyrocket, public education receives less funding, and the economy begins to tank even more, somehow the Democrats will be blamed, even though they are no longer in charge of Congress. It really doesn’t matter which party is in Congress or the White House….many of us are still in the “outhouse.”  Until the political landscape changes in favor of the majority of Americans, and when people, and not profits, are on the top of the list of any party platform, the question still stands, “What will change for the ‘“least of these’?”

What do you think?

Kevin Tyson

Trinity UCC Justice Watch Team