Rebellion
On May 28, 2020, Christina Greer tweeted, “They. Are. Not. Rioting. These are rebellions.”
On the same day, Marc Lamont Hill tweeted, “Stop using the term “riot” to describe the current actions in MN. These are REBELLIONS. This isn’t random or irrational violence. This is organized resistance to an evil system that only pays attention when it feels financially or physically unsafe. This is how we feel every day.”
As I think about rebellions, I keep coming back to the book “As Black As Resistance: Finding the Conditions for Liberation.” It is not a book that's at the top of many lists circulating, which could mean we should take it seriously.
I wonder what it looks like to accept as true these words from the book:
“The Black American condition today is an evolved condition directly connected to this history of slavery, and that will continue to be the case as long as the United States remains as an ongoing settler project...
Nothing short of a complete dismantling of the American state as it presently exists can or will disrupt this....
The United States cannot exist without Black subjection, and, in this way, articulated racial formations revolve in large part around anti-Black regulations...
The solution to white supremacy is the active rejection of it and the dual affirmation of Indigenous sovereignty and Black humanity.”
Many people wonder what to make of this moment, and they're asking if a major change has come or is coming soon.
In her book, “How to be Less Stupid About Race” Crystal M. Fleming writes, “It is clear to me, however, that as long as the United States exists as a settler-colonial state, it will remain racist.”
Here's the conclusion: Black liberation can only go so far in a settler state; antiracism can only go so far in a settler state. The settler state is limiting. A new nation or no nation is necessary.
So, are people today antiracist enough to dismantle the entire settler state? Are people today so antiracist that they are willing to do what it takes? Are people today reading antiracist books that tell them the entire state is at stake? That's what Malcolm X said.
Malcolm X said, “You can't have capitalism without racism.”
Expand those words: You can't have the national anthem without racism; you can't have the two-party system without racism; you can't have the Electoral College without racism; you can't have the Senate without racism; you can't have the courts without racism; you can't have policing without racism; you can't have states’ rights without racism; you can't have the constitution without racism; you can't have your racist identity without racism; you can't have borders without racism; you can't have America without racism.
The lesson from Malcolm X is that antiracism must speak to what people can't have. Antiracism must talk about what’s inseparable from racism because the idea of antiracism can make people think too small. Whatever we can't have without racism must go. Trash it.
As we think about this moment, and this opportunity for change, abolitionism and Afro-pessimism are helpful because reform won't do.
My Latest Words
“The Protests Are Different, But Whites Are Not So Much”
White journalists and pundits are too eager to hear from Black people that these protests, this time, are different. They desperately want to hear that whites have changed. I agree the protests are different, but I'm not convinced that whites have changed. In my latest essay, I explain why with data.
The Picture That Still Says It All
This picture of Angela Peoples, a political consultant, during the Women's March on Washington the day after Trump's inauguration still says it all.
In an op-ed for the New York Times, Peoples says, “I wanted to highlight that on a national level, white women are not unified in opposition to Trumpism and can’t be counted on to fight it... The numbers don’t lie: For many white women, it’s racial identity, not gender or party, that guides their choices in the voting booth.”
Peoples wrote, “it’s racial identity…” Her diagnosis underscores the point that the production of white identity must stop. What Peoples wrote about many white women applies to many whites overall.
My Older Words
Here are a few essays I wrote on Medium related to police brutality and racism.
“I'd Rather a Police Officer Die in Duty Than Kill an Unarmed Person”
It took me some time to get these words out, “I’d rather a police officer die in duty than kill an unarmed person.” I wrote this essay because this does not seem to be the philosophy in policing.
“How Their Mothers Want to Overhaul the Criminal Justice System”
A few years ago, my partner and I went to a talk in Baltimore with mothers who had lost their children to police violence. I thought it was insightful and important to hear from them how they want to overhaul the criminal justice system.
“Remember that apology for slavery and racism?”
On June 18, 2009, the Senate issued its apology for slavery and racism, after the House had done so in 2008. Since the anniversary of the Senate’s apology is here, I found it interesting to revisit the apologies. Today, we need policies with the apologies, specifically reparations.
“Hands that Choke Must Go Broke”
I wrote this piece in response to Eric Garner’s murderer. In some states, police officers can still get their pension even if they're convicted of murder. This is a current concern with George Floyd’s murderers, and this shouldn't be the case.
“We don't fight racism with racism”
The title of this piece is a quote from the slain chairman of the Chicago Black Panther Party, Fred Hampton. December 2019 marked 50 years since the police murdered Hampton. While alive, Hampton said we fight racism with solidarity, and he wasn't afraid to say he was at war with the pigs. Hampton believed there were two types in society —people and pigs, and the people must come together against the pigs. We see Hampton’s words in the protesters.
“If Black people have an issue, it's racism”
I wrote this piece because people who say Black culture is an issue are wrong. You find in the Black community what you find in any other community. But between culture and racism, the issue is racism. You can’t exaggerate the impact of racism.
“What do we do when white politicians start saying the right words on race and racism?”
Well, we are there. Mitt Romney said Black lives matter. Other politicians are also saying the right words. But the right words aren't enough. Politicians can even say the wrong words and do the right things. Whether they say it right or wrong, policies matter most.
“This is what Black men need from you now”
I wrote this essay in response to a report in the New York Times that basically said Black men can't escape racism. Schooling didn't matter. Neighborhoods didn't matter. Two-parent households didn't matter. Virtually nothing mattered and virtually no place in America is safe and solid for Black men. The study found racism still made Black men more likely to fail and fall into poverty or earn less than white men. This means every effort should focus on ending racism because racism persists even when major life factors are the same.
Podcast: “Police Brutality Beatdown”
Did you know I co-hosted a podcast? In this episode of The Sam And Me Show, my co-host and I tackled police brutality. One of my ideas is that the esteem people have for policing must end, and some polls show that's happening.
What I'm Reading Online
8 to Abolition by police and prison abolitionists. This is a moment where colonial forces want to make a deal, so they don't have to dismantle it all. I've learned that abolition is the way rather than reform. At a minimum, people should be able to distinguish between the two and understand why power allows reforms.
“Allies, Don’t Fail Us Again” by Charles Blow. In his column for the New York Times, Charles Blow says what needs to be said. Looking at all the proposed legislation, changes, and protests, it's an open question of whether whites will support systemic changes that cost them something.
“Just Don't Forget Black Pain Isn't All We Have” by Panama Jackson. I read this piece because I needed it. The pain is more visible. On the subject of police brutality, it hurts to think back to Rodney King and how my entire life has had this issue. Jackson reminds us that there's more than Black pain.
“Why Are Black Women and Girls Still an Afterthought in Our Outrage Over Police Violence” by Brittney Cooper. This is an important piece. Black women and girls shouldn't be an afterthought. If you watched the Oprah special “Where do we go from here?” you may have noticed that Oprah opened the discussion with her panel by turning to the men for their view, as if lynching didn’t apply to women and girls. Nikole Hannah-Jones spoke up to say that mobs lynched Black women and they still do.
“George Floyd Protests Inspire Fresh Scrutiny of Policing in Europe, Too” by Adam Nossiter and Constant Méheut in the New York Times. Racism is global. Whiteness is global. And this article looks at policing in Europe. Some details about data collection surprised me.
“Do You Know How Divided White and Black Americans Are On Racism?” in FiveThirtyEight. This article with pictures is sobering. It has taken a pandemic, high unemployment, and more murders of Black people to move whites into the streets and in the polls. And yet, a huge gap persists in how Black people and whites view race. It’s not acceptable for whites to be so far behind. The gaps are troubling. Baby steps here can be fatal. The gaps must close.
“How Much Is America Changing?” by Thomas B. Edsall in the New York Times. I look forward to pieces by Edsall. He often writes about race and racism with facts. This piece is no exception. Edsall quotes several experts to answer the question, “How Much Is America Changing?”
“There Is No Such Thing as a White Ally” by Catherine Pugh, Esq. on Medium. I enjoyed this piece for its ability to get to the heart of what I've been feeling about the word ally. I've heard others take issue with the word, and this piece puts it in perspective.
“Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police” by Mariame Kaba in the New York Times. The media has been working overtime to tell people that “Defund the Police” doesn't mean what it says. Yeah, it does. And I appreciated that someone said so.
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Last Words
“Black liberation poses an existential threat to white supremacy because the existence of free Black people necessitates a complete transformation and destruction of this settler state.”
“As Black as Resistance: Finding the Conditions for Liberation,” William C. Anderson and Zoé Samudzi