I had an intense conversation with my grandma the other day. She is a self-identified pacifist who grew up in Baltimore and left because she didn’t want to raise children in that environment anymore. She emphasized the need for community, naming how liquor stores will give folks credit, furniture stores with bloated prices will give folks credit, and landlords will give people cheap housing (even though they’re roach infested).
I commend my grandma for raising my mother, who in turn raised me. Her child rearing was a success in that regard. What I found difficult is her choice to not instill a militant consciousness about race dynamics in the US within my mom and uncle. Yes, we should treat all people equally. Yes, the color of one’s skin should not be a determinative factor in how that person is regarded. I agree with all of this. What is hard for me to co-sign is my mother just becoming aware of the harsh reality of it all in her forties.
I see the choice my grandma made as a choice that many others in her generation also made. If this assumption is correct, that means that a whole generation of Black people were raised without the consciousness needed to advance the gains made in the 60s and 70s. And because this group lacked this particular focus, those who wish us ill will were able to reverse the gains made in the Civil Rights Movement and tighten the noose around our collective necks.
It is my opinion that if our elders took on the task to raise Freedom Fighters, we would not be in the position we are in today. Youth in Baltimore, Oakland, and Ferguson would not have to take to the streets. Streets would not be full of looters. Windows would remain untouched.
Unfortunately, enough Freedom Fighters weren’t raised. So we find ourselves in this position. Regardless of if you are against violence, I urge you to see the events happening for what they are. People are upset. Upset that they may be gunned down at any moment by police and vigilantes. Upset that these people do not face justice. Upset that the economy is far from an equitable institution. Upset that they are forced to live in poverty so that others can gain unspeakable riches.
We should not have to carry this burden.
I posed this series of questions to her: Is fire violent [yes]. Is a fire raging through a forest a bad thing [yes]. But if it is bad, why does the forest proliferate after the fire? The fire creates much needed nutrients and clears away old growth for new life to sprout forth. So is the fire bad?
Arguing along these lines, the protests and “violence” in the streets are fire. Our cities/states/country are the forest. We may need this “violence” to clear away the old and make room for the new. This “violence” may provide the nutrients we need for seeds of change to grow into a beautiful forest that provides for all her children.
So how do we do this? We must support everyone. Living in love. Each person has a role to play. Lets not judge others for the roles they’ve chosen to take on. In the case of my Grandma, since she is against violence, I suggested that her role is to stand up for people on the streets when she is talking with other people in her circles who bad mouth the movement. You can be against “violence” while understanding the root causes. We all want the same thing. Lets achieve it together!