Abolitionist

Sojourner Truth. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Frederick Douglass. Harriet Tubman. William Lloyd Garrison. Lucretia Mott. David Walker. There are many other names to add to that list. These are people who dedicated their lives to the eradication of slavery. Truth be told, the real reason why this was such a daunting task was because of the monetary loss that would occur if the slaves were free. It was all about money. The American economy has always been built on free black contributions. Slaves were a free labor force with minimal investment.

Unfortunately, the real issue behind reform and reparations is as economic as it is racial. We must understand who benefits from systematic racism. We must understand who benefits from prison pipelines and privatization. We must understand how gun control and law enforcement play a role in our current political climate. You can’t get rid of one system without having something else to replace it. We need think-tanks. We need allies. We need lobbyists. We need investors. We need influence. We need avocates. We need abolitionists who understand that racism needs to be eradicated.

Civil

The Civil War was prompted because of the enslavement of Black people. The Civil Rights movement was prompted because of legalized racial discrimination, segregation and disenfranchisement of Black people. Neither of these events were civil and the next historical event of our time will not be either. We are at a precipice of change in America. Things are shifting. Race relations are being called out on a global scale during a pandemic. The death of a Black man in America is having a worldwide ripple effect. We are being forced to address our deep rooted history of racism towards Black people. Racism is America's original sin. Racism is the real classism. Racism must be eradicated for us to truly be Civil.

Civil

There are a lot of things that come to mind when you mention the word, “civil.” Civil Rights. Civil War. Civil Union. Civil Liberties. When I hear the word, “civil” I think of being courteous and polite. Then, I think of civil unions. It’s funny how the right to love is political. Who you love and how you love has been a source of contention for centuries. Yet, the very word “civil” means to be polite. Are we civil in our marriages? Are we civil in our politics? Are we civil in how we exercise our freedoms? Are we civil in how we practice our beliefs? Are we civil in how we express our love for each other? The root word of civilization is civil, and yet we struggle with basic rights and social interactions. What would happen if during this Christmas season, we actually practiced what we preached? What if we were civil in all of our human interactions? Food for thought.