Table Talk: The Fire Next Time
Is it just me or can you too sense a global consciousness arising? Major protests in big cities all around the world occurred last week in response to the senseless murder of civilian George Floyd who died at the hands of officer Derek Chauvin, as onlookers, other officers and passerby’s stood, watching for eight minutes and forty-six seconds. Sources say the two men had history and that this was by no means an accidental event— hence the second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter charges against the stone-hearted officer. Almost instantly the city of Minneapolis erupted in flames in response to what was brewing all along. Haven’t you noticed that since the year 1619 the system has had its foot on our necks, as we’ve echoed those three words:
“I can’t breathe”.
Although some protests have turned to riots, riots are still the language of the unheard. Historically, protests have acted as opportunities for marginalized people to voice their grievances. Protests, most importantly, have fostered opportunities for marginalized people to voice their demands. We see examples of this from the March on Washington in 1963 organized and led by civil rights leaders A. Philip Randolph, Adam Clayton Powell, Martin Luther King Jr., Roy Wilkins and Bayard Rustin to New York's Stonewall riots of 1969, which mainstreamed LGBTQ Pride and visibility. We mustn’t forget that todays protests are ongoing during the Covid-19 global pandemic. What a time! How plain is the truth, when people are willing to risk infection to fight systemic racism? Government officials may have temporarily imposed curfews to subdue looting, but still no decision on righting century old wrongs.
"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain." James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time. Personally, I choose to imagine a better world, free from hate, discrimination in the workplace, micro-managing, red-lining, inequitable education, inequitable public health and all the other hurdles we race to overcome. I choose to imagine an American future where "with liberty and justice for all", means for all.
All Lives can’t matter until Black Lives do.
Selah.
