Because You’re Black…

Because you’re black…people feel the need to kill you…
I mean they LITERALLY wake up and decide that based off the color of your skin complexion, the world is waking up every morning with the thought of getting rid of you because you are BLACK! So I ask the question how much longer are we going to take the murdering and now threatening of our people (young and old). Imagine getting up to go to class on a typical Monday morning and as you walk down the sidewalk people shout racial gestures, white students look at you while asking “how did you get your hair like that”? “Why are you here in our schools”? The day to day obscene words and gestures from people are students just like you are.

These are examples of what the students of the University of Missouri have dealt with since their first day of school. Even Johnathan Butler, who was hit by a car by a student for the color of his skin in the middle of the school’s parking lot. This treatment as crazy as it sounds happens most often at PWI’s (Prominently White Institutions) to the black students just because well they are black. Now, hear me when I say that I am far from saying that every white student does this but I am saying that it’s enough of them to have the camera’s eye on them.

However, the incidents continue with a young man by the name of Mark Hornickel, 19 and Hunter Park would send racist threats through social media on an app called Yak Yak specifically targeting the black students of the university.

But students would react back through protesting; even the football team would step in and refuse to play unless both the President (Tim Wolfe) and Chancellor (R. Bowin Loften) of the University step down. This would in fact happen after students displayed numerous emails of professors still insisting that they attend class inspire of the continuous threats. Countless emails appeared on social media of many teachers stating that not coming to class would be a penalty and the only way to beat the bullies was to come to class.
And if that’s not enough in California on November 3rd a student posted a racial message on the front of the schools computer with the headline reading “KKK FOREVER PUBLIC LYNICIN DECEMBER 9, 2015 .The email would come at 9pm the night before to the parents letting them know the situation and the next morning students would march in front of the library in protest. Nearly 3,000 of students would gather chanting for the Principal Sam Pasarow to do something about what was happening.

This month has been very interesting with the “holidays” upon us and many are focusing on the sales, especially Black Friday. Times like these are critical to the world because it’s a chance for the economic growth to expand; however with all that’s going on are we honestly going to continue in the celebration with our children’s lives at stake?

Even the incident with H&M stating that the white mannequins were more presentable then black ones (which they later apologized for) made no effort in stopping us from shopping there. Now, yes that is one of my favorite stores but here lately I mostly thrift and if I need be I definitely would stop shopping there.
My point is this, we as a people need to make a decision either we are going to truly stand or ground and fight for justice on a continuous basis instead of just when it’s on the media or when it is convenient then we will make more change then we can imagine. But first we must consider this:
Revolutions are bloody…..so do we still want one or nah?

-A.C.T.