Another black child is murdered in America without consequence
and a dunk contest and Sprite trended on twitter.
Only fifteen days in, and this has been the most memorable
Black History Month I can ever remember. In the second week alone, it was
revealed how much racism and homophobia NFL player Jonathan Martin had to
endure from his teammates and coach, Nicki Minaj released what is probably the
most disrespectful picture of Malcom X ever, followed by an apology, and worse
yet, Jordan Davis’ killer was not found guilty of his murder.
America has always, had a race problem, and no other state
shines the light on this problem like Florida. Within a year, two
non-Black men have been found not guilty of murdering two teenage Black boys. In both cases, the impetus for murder was that they simply existed.
Neither Jordan Davis nor Trayvon Martin did anything other than exist in black
bodies.
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| Jordan Davis |
Some people like news anchor Don Lemon would like for people
to think that Black people, teens in particular, need to change their behavior
and become respectable citizens of this country. It was supposedly "thug music" that caused Dunn’s anger with the teens. The huge fallacy in
the politics of respectability,or p.o.r. should be seen clearly in this case. The
politics of respectability say that black parents should be married and
responsible for their children and not mired down by poverty, sagging pants,
and welfare. Davis and his parents cleared those hurdles. Davis and his friends had both access to an SUV and enough disposable income to spend at a convenience store.
Another problem with the politics of respectability is that it intimates that if you do come from a broken home, poverty, or sag your pants,
that your life matters less, and that you get what you deserve. The politics of
respectability does not look at a system that was not designed for people of
color to find success out of servant roles in this country. The politics of
respectability does not take into account post-reconstruction, when
laws were put into place to keep black people in America from further
succeeding, p.o.r. doesn’t talk about events like the bombing of Black WallStreet, or Rosewood. These were all respectable black people, in their own
communities, minding their own business, much like Davis and his friends were
minding their own business moments before his life was stolen.
I have packed and unpacked Black culture in America and
American culture in general and I have come to the conclusion that I am tired
of packing for a trip I did not ask to take. I am not driving this ship. I
don’t own a gun, I don’t go around threatening people, and I don’t hold
anyone’s race, sex, or gender against them. The work is not, nor has it really
ever been, Black folks’ work to do.
There is a real problem in America when there is outrage
over a spirited post-game rant, jail time given for dog fighting, and silence
for the loss of another black child. Until people of privilege admit that there
is a problem with their logic and laws and work to improve them, nothing will change. Ever.
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