If you don't know what's happening in the town of Ferguson, or what happened to a boy named Mike Brown, I won't explain it much here. You can easily do a web search about it, but essentially the issue is about race, discrimination, and police brutality. Obviously, these are intense issues, and now people are very angry about it. Mike Brown was a Black, American, teenager who was unarmed when he was gunned down by an officer. I wasn't there, and there is no way I could have been or will ever be inside the mind of this particular officer's head when he decided to pull the trigger on this boy, so I can't know his exact rationale for shooting him. The Black (and supporting) community has their views on what happened here, and the reason Brown died, according to them, is evident: Racism. Discrimination. Irrational fear of minorities. Misinterpreted threats.
The last four points I listed are all problems people are seeing when it comes to the police force in the United States. These kind of things keep happening: Black men and women are being unfairly judged when it comes to the system of law and order, and for what? It's because of the color of their skin. The color of our skin. I am a Black female, and while I have personally never felt the sting of racial profiling or blatant racism towards me, I keep seeing it happen around me to a race I am a part of. It's honestly disheartening and grossly unsettling going through life knowing that the country you live in had a history of brutal enslavement of your people; that ONLY 50 years ago it wasn't uncommon for my mother to walk through her hometown in Arkansas and face possible assault or death just because someone hated her skin color; that a random stranger may or may not HATE you just because you look different. Some people like to believe in the power of colorblindness and that racism is some kind of ancient practice that is dying out. While, I appreciate that this tries to aim at a positive view, we still cannot ignore the power of racism today. It's alive and real, and it's becoming more and more evident in our world.
We are angry because this keeps happening. Why do innocent Black people keep becoming victims of misguided violence? Why do we keep assuming that black = dangerous? What's the need to shoot first? Why does the media continue to portray us as "scary, thuggish, and ignorant" even though everyone working in a media outlet KNOWS EXACTLY what they are doing? TEXTBOOKS have been written on the impact the media has on society and culture, so why do they keep painting us as Neanderthals???
While at work, I heard my coworkers discussing the protests going on in Ferguson. Their focus was narrow; they talked about how the protesters just want the name of the officer who shot Brown to be released. They likened the protesters and rioters to a "lynch mob". This is a linear point of view which made me angry that they didn't even consider seeing it from a different point of view. The way I see it, these protesters aren't just looking for a name or somebody to blame. Mike Brown is dead, and there is nothing we can do to bring him back. Yes, the people do want justice, but even more so, they want a permanent resolution. All those problems with society, the police force, and the justice system that I listed earlier? Yeah. They want those to be fixed. One way we can fix this is by raising awareness and attempting to open people's minds in public and through social media. Taking action. This is exactly what they are doing by protesting. They are reacting and taking a stand for something they believe in. Now, the violent rioters and looters have a separate and selfish agenda, but as for the protesters whose hearts and mind are in the right place and all of you posting messages of solidarity, I support you.
Whenever I think about what happened to Mike Brown, I think "that could have been my own brother." My brother is the same age as Brown was, and coincidentally will also begin college this Fall, just as Brown would have. So, whenever I think about a young Black man being treated unfairly by police and others, it makes me fear for my little brother. I also have an older brother; I have similar fears for him. They can both easily be seen as scary, big, tall, Black males. In reality, they are the sweetest things you will ever meet. Stereotypes should never be our primary basis for how we decide to act in life. I don't care how much you've seen or read about Black men or women. You know nothing.
So I guess I feel a connection with the community of Ferguson, and the friends and family members of Brown in the sense that we feel pissed off that our community of Black individuals keeps being unfairly judged. Yes, we are causing a ruckus about it now, but how the hell else are we supposed to get the world to LISTEN? Heck, most aren't even causing uproars, they're just peacefully protesting. Yet, Ferguson looks like a war zone... Like I said before, people are entitled to their feelings. Feelings are never wrong. You can't tell us that we are wrong for feeling angry about this. Similarly, I can't tell anyone that they should feel angry, as well. If they don't, they don't. Human experience is an individual thing and (unfortunately) we don't have enough power to tap into people's minds, flip a switch, and make them think like we do. We can only raise our voices loud enough, write enough words, and display enough images in hopes that others will see the way we do. I care about the problem of injustice in the Black community because this is my community. Just because I live in Illinois doesn't mean it's not affecting me. NEVER think that just because you are geographically removed from a situation means its not going to affect you. It can always connect back to you. Everything is connected and everything travels and catches fire. If you don't already, I hope you start caring.
Also, CLICK HERE to sign the petition to help stop police misconduct!
P.S. - If anyone knows the artist who created the picture above, can you let me know? And I totally give them credit and kudos :P
