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.
Reform
re·form /rəˈfôrm/ verb
make changes in (something, typically a social, political, or economic institution or practice) in order to improve it.
Reform. Say it. It’s not a bad word. It’s just hard. Change is hard. I get it. You’ve always done it this way. It ain’t broke. It still works. All of these are excuses. We keep justifying why we shouldn't change and ignore the fact we need to change. It’s bigger than statues and monuments. It's bigger than flags and protests. It’s institutional. It’s subtle reminders that justify the past. In order to grow, you must learn from the past. Glean and grow. Reform.
Condemned
Verb
1. express complete disapproval of, typically in public; censure.
2. sentence (someone) to a particular punishment, especially death.
There are parts of our society that need to be condemned. There are behaviors that should be called out and frowned upon. There are political views that stand juxtaposed to basic human rights and civility. We need political and social reform. We need crimes to punished equally regardless of race, class, or political view. We need an overhaul of our criminal justice system. We need hate crimes to be prosecuted to the fullness of the law. We need voter suppression addressed. We need allies advocates and abolitionists. We need our society's proverbial coattail to be pulled. We need certain behaviors to not be tolerated and publically condemned.