Saturday, March 12, 2016

when white supremacy needs to lose.

i am outraged and disgusted by the decision in the Alex Nieto case in San Fransisco. you can read A Letter to Privileged People if you know nothing about the case.  i am disheartened about the rise of white supremacy in the U.S. in 2016.  fueled by trump's outright bigotry and encouragement of violence (police and civilian) against his protesters, many of whom are people of color.  i am worried about this election, printing out registration forms for seniors, providing envelopes, stamps and mailing them for them. white supremacy needs to lose this year.  or...

i need to think seriously about raising my children in the United States.  they are not white, and i cannot always be there to protect them. on a very real level, this is my family's lives at stake.  my husband is profiled on a regular basis.  is this the best life we can get in this world?

i need to think seriously about my students.  i only get to keep them for the daylight hours, when the hood is most innocuous.  when the sun sets, the warriors come out to play, and i am starting to see why the military doesn't look like a bad option.  i know that many of them are in college, recent graduates and very politically active, but others, who don't graduate, aren't headed off to SUNY, they feel stuck in the hood. the military seems like a way out.  but i will not stand silently while my young women and men go off to die for a country that does not care about them.

reading The Other Wes Moore right now, and he's talking near the conclusion of the book about how the military has been more progressive on racial politics than the country it protects.  i don't know if i agree with him, but I’m starting to see travel not as an option, but a priority.

it’s time to get passports ready, to take leave from this, and gain perspective.  white supremacy needs to lose this year.  because the power is shifting, and we are finally taking control.

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