What did the U.S. Capitol events prove to us?
Let’s keep it simple. Racism still exists to this day. Despite the hard and diligent works of our past heroes like Malcom X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Chisholm, Whitney Young, Elaine Brown, John Lewis, Angela Davis and many more, we are still living in a society filled with white supremacy. Back in our parents generation, you could easily identify who was racist and who wasn’t however the white community has since been more clever (except Donald Trump and his counterparts) in their tactics of keeping everything divided. The events that transpired on January 6, 2021 proved to be another clear cut view of what we already knew was REAL WHITE AMERICA.
Despite our awareness of continued injustices within our community, it was ridiculous to see the events that occurred at the US Capitol and the lack of protection that was provided. It was also a slap in the face when comparing the police responses with the non-violent Black Lives Matter (BLM) movements that have been going on for the past few years. Hearing politicians repeatedly state that “This is not the America we know and have grown to love” is a mere façade to the ugliness and evilness that went about making this country which was built off of the backs black and brown people. Hearing people state that “things should be better in 2021” is another sense of bad judgement because in all actuality nothing has changed, however, it is more exposed through our phones and social media outlets.
With all the underlining details of the events, it was eye opening to listen to some of the responses from minority leaders, professional athletes, artists, etc. that are pillars of our community and active in the social media world. Listening to Draymond Green’s postgame interview was very blunt and truthful for everyone to hear. A part of Draymond’s response that triggered me was when he said “It’s almost like, they want to show you that they have power and want to show you that I can say f** you and there’s nothing you can do about it….that’s just what this country is, it’s what it has been, and it’s where this country will probably stay.” The ironic thing about these events is that people outside of the black and brown community seem to have a hard time understanding that we aren’t blind to the fact that nothing has changed. Yes, we are able to do things our parents couldn’t do but it doesn’t negate the fact that each step is filled with challenges formed from white superiority in high positions.
Draymond is correct. America is what it has always been but I don’t want to believe that it will be where this country will stay. With the heroic acts of Stacey Abrams who single handedly turned Georgia into a blue state, California’s voting rights restoration for felons, LeBron James More Than a Vote Campaign, etc. we are making strides to turn over the way America has been. However, we must be mindful that the radical acts of white superiors will continue to grow stronger because they feel the pressure of losing control of America (which History proves time after time that this country wasn’t theirs in the first place) and they can’t bear to see it happen in their lifetime.
There is a long and windy road ahead into transforming America to a COUNTRY FOR ALL PEOPLE however we must continue to fight for each other and generations after us.
