Disconnect
Go on. Say it. It’s not a bad word. Disconnect. Unplug. Let go. We all need some alone time. We all need some time away from it all. Vacations are a bit hard right now. Our usual way of doing things are a bit hard right now. I get it. You can always turn the tv off. You can take an extra five minutes in the shower. You can go for a drive. You can take the long way home. You can just sit outside. Do whatever you need to do to get you back together. Sign off from social media. Mute you're notifications. Don't check that email. Don’t reply to that text message. Send that call to voicemail. Disconnect, just for a little while.
Mobilize
The last call to action Killer Mike mention was to mobilize. After all the unification and organization, there must be a call to action. Wars are won by strategy. It isn’t always about the size of the army. Sometimes, it's about the skill of the army. When Public Enemy said, “Fight the Power!” It's a call to action. The attack must come from all fronts. It must be social, political, judicial, and financial. To truly mobilize, there must be active service. Everyday is a deliberate attempt to change the system. We must spend strategically. We must speak strategically. We must vote strategically. We must protest strategically. We must mobilize.
Reparations
Illustration by Golden Cosmos
Reparations is a word that has been tossed out a lot. What are reparations? Who should receive them? How much should everyone receive? It’s kinda like our government trying to decide about the pending stimulus package.
rep·a·ra·tion /ˌrepəˈrāSH(ə)n/ noun
the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged.
The first issue is that America has not acknowledged their wrong doing. Slavery is over and no reparations have been made. America has not acknowledged how descendants of slavery are still affected by this heinous institution let alone acknowledged how others have benefited from it. Before we can talk about reparations or restitution, we’ve got to own our past. We have to have the difficult conversations and then talk about leveling the playing field, that is the only way we can truly get our 40 acres and a mule.
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.
Plan
What’s next? We’re gonna need a plan. We need to organize. We need an agenda. What are our goals? How do we collectively achieve them? What do we do now? How do we affect change on a larger scale? After the protests, do we rush the polls? Do we have anyone in office who represents our interest? What economic impact do we have nationally? How can we leverage our power? We need a voice. We need a collective plan.
Isolated
Admit it. Our fears have gotten the best of us. We feel alone. We miss our friends. We miss our social life. We miss being able to just go as we please. We feel imprisoned. We feel like we’re being kept against our will even if it’s for our own good. We feel isolated. Zoom meetings no longer feel like outside connection. They are a reminder of what life used to be like before this pandemic. Guess what? It’s okay. You’re not alone even if you feel that way. There are resources out there that can help. Do something that makes you happy. Take a drive. Have a social distancing picnic. Most importantly, get out of your head.