We Have The Power To Fight Racism Against Black People If We Move Together
THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO
IGEE OKAFOR
There’s always a way to overcome, and sustain the value of your voice.
For change to happen, we have to acknowledge the humanity we all share and that perspective has to be the majority even when pinned against horrific leadership and external pressures.
7 MINS READ TIME
Growing up in Nigeria, I was educated on our very own history with slavery and colonization. I was raised to not see color in anything we did moving forward for hope of a more progressive world where issues that once degenerated the existence of my people and culture no longer existed.
Being able to grow up in a country where being black was and still is the majority is a privilege I understand more and more each day and am so grateful for but on the contraposition, how I wish there was more focus on education and unfiltered conversations about the topic of race on a worldwide scale.
The last few weeks have been quite the reveal demonstrating the concerns and inequalities Black people have had to battle since the beginning of time. It started off with Ahmaud Arbery’s murder and in addition, seeing Black men and women being beaten and dragged amidst the coronavirus pandemic by the people who are supposed to be protecting us - all because they weren’t wearing masks and/or standing 6ft apart.
Last week, it was the video of the late George Floyd who was brutally murdered by officers from the Minneapolis Police Department. Tears stream down my face writing this as I recall the overwhelming gut wrenching feeling I felt in my stomach reacting to the unfathomable cruelty I was witnessing.
As if that wasn’t enough, you can imagine my shock like the rest of the world when this quickly followed up with more videos like Amy Cooper, Tom Austin’s and Svitlana Flom’s display of undisguised racism. It could have been my little brother, it could have been my father, it could have been me. What seemed to be taking place felt like a recurring bad dream that I couldn’t wake up from. I could not slap myself out of it or bring myself to understand how this could be happening AGAIN especially considering the rate of how confidently this racism was being exhibited.
I’m having difficulty sleeping, watching the news makes me nauseous, and I’m tearing at various times of the day because my life and that of my family and friends is threatened.
I am flabbergasted and utterly disgusted by the issue that is racism in America and in addition, the lack of care and accountability of its oppressors, the law, and the people in power who are choosing to overlook the issue at hand.
I am not an emotional person but the rage I have felt is unlike anything I have experienced in 25 years. What continues to ignite my fit of anger surpasses what has become of the injustice and dereliction of duty. Instead, it is the constant thought of how and why it’s taking so long to bring worldwide change to a systemic issue of violence against Black people. An issue that has transcended time.
It’s the realization that for years and years, we seem to have not done enough to terminate the racist agenda that also falls behind conscious hate - the depiction of people of color in the media, unconscious hate, social and political inequalities, ignorance, lack of education, cowardice, cover ups, couch activism, micro aggressions, social inequity, cruelty, infiltrated systems, and intimidation tactics.
Everyday, Black people continue to experience acts of terrorism inflicted upon them by a society that was built on their backs and resources.
Photo: Simi Vijay
Photo: Simi Vijay
For the last few days, I have been engaging in conversations about our future and with almost everybody I have engaged with, all I seem to express is anger, pessimism and a lack of belief in progression due to the realization of the underlying issue at hand - ABUSE OF POWER AT EVERY LEVEL. It pains me to realize and know that in the back of my mind after all the protesting and support for our community the entire world has shown, travesties like this will more than likely happen again and again because select people in power choose to overlook legitimate action plans for a restructure decade after decade.
It pains me to know that no matter what I say or do, it will never be enough but on the subject of doing what we can to groom a better future, I will say this.
Acknowledging the severities of the issue focused against Black people, it might seem easier to turn a blind eye, try to ignore it or make sense of it from subjective perspectives but if you’re doing this, consciously or unconsciously, you’re participating in the system - the system that chooses to honor the injustices against us.
Racism is a system that was intentionally designed to risk the lives of my community from every angle denying us of the things that rightfully belong - jobs, property, and our right to protest corruption to name a few. To add salt to injury, we get harassed and killed everyday for no legitimate reason. Every move seems to be a problem including simply asking justice and peacefully protesting. Not only are we denied and underplayed, our intentions are infiltrated by people in power to demoralize the narrative. Breathing… is a problem and enough is enough.
We have to be more conscious as a society and we as Black people cannot do it alone. We live in such a polarized world and everyday, we are exposed to how retrenched people are becoming as it pertains to their perspective of the world. For change to happen, we have to acknowledge the humanity we all share and that perspective has to be the majority even when pinned against horrific leadership and external pressures.
A lot of this change for an anti racist agenda also has to include our white counterparts. The system of racism does not care if Black people are protesting or fighting for our rights but the system cares that white people don't say anything. Why? Because the silence and lack of urgency green lights the behavior.
Just like it’s not enough that I am writing this, it’s not enough to say “it’s sad” or acknowledge that this is a very bad thing. It’s not enough to repost a black lives matter hashtag on instagram without any intention or contribution and then proceeding to post a photo of your meal the day after. It’s not enough to know about what’s happening and choosing to live in fear without the challenge of being able to think for yourself and your community.
We must make a change right now if we are going to survive and when the revolution is televised, let’s make sure it is both internal and external. It helps to actively get involved and not just for a cause or because we feel pressure to but for as long as we live; in education and in day to day practices.
Hold elected officials accountable, demand the execution of important and specific policies dealing with issues like police reform. Go on to sign petitions, make calls to demand justice. Let’s pay more attention to who and what we decide to consume, and associate ourselves with. We need to put more thought and care into what we invest in ranging anywhere from the products we use to the brands and media outlets that we consume.
We have the power to change this narrative if we move together.
As an African man living in the United states, I stand in solidarity with my community. We will heal from the ancestral and emotional trauma. There’s always a way to overcome, and sustain the value of your voice. My heart is with all of the brave souls protesting, and putting their lives on the line vouching for the cause.
I urge us all to lead by example and never give up on education and the need to serve as a helping hand even when the law and people in power do not uphold their end of that promise.