Where Do We Go From Here?
It seems to be the same old thing: one of our own gets murdered. We protest; our cries are slowly drowned out. Rinse, and repeat.
With police killings occurring at the same rate as lynchings over the twentieth century, it’s hard to see this outcry ever stopping. In the months that have passed since Michael Brown’s untimely demise, [at least] three black boys have been killed by police officers, black transgender women have been murdered at least once per week, three corrupt cops have gone free, and a mentally disabled black woman has been slammed to the ground, resulting in her death. And this isn’t even scraping the surface.
What we must understand is that we live under a corrupt system. This is not a recent flaw: this country was never meant to protect blacks and Latinos, who disproportionately are targeted by police. We are inhabitants of a nation that loves our cultures and our tax dollars, but refuses to accept the notion that our lives have worth, that our lives have meaning.
So where do we go from here?
In these heartbreaking times, it is imperative that we recognize the importance of perseverance. As poet Audre Lorde once said, “Your silence will not protect you”. We must continue to make our voices heard. Only so many of us can be drowned out. If you’re looking for steps to take, I have some advice that I myself have internalized and try to implement day to day.
If you are a person of color and want to make a difference:
Tell another person of color that their life matters. Tell them how happy you are that they are a part of your life.
Listen to music. Remember to support artists of color, especially black artists during this time, during all times.
Sign petitions. There are many petitions circling around social media in response to the grand jury’s decision not to indict Darren Wilson (and you can bet that more are going to come for the officer that wasn’t indicted for the murder of Eric Garner), and you have the ability to take things to a higher power by just adding your name to the list of thousands of others who are also looking for a change.
Take care of yourself. It is important that you take your mental and physical health extremely seriously during this time period. (We gotta outlive these white folks, y’all!)
Support black and brown business. Again, we work twice as hard to get half of what others get. Give back to your community.
Celebrate your culture and community. Love yourself, and love your people. White folks hate it when you do that.
If you are white and want to contribute positively:
Read up on institutionalized racism and white privilege. Stay well informed, but do not speak over the voices of people of color. You may have read everything, but they know more from a lifetime of living in a racist society.
Support black business. This goes for y’all too.
Remain peaceful during protests. Do not go to protests if you simply want to start rioting. This puts lives in danger. I only state this because on multiple occasions, white anarchists and extreme leftists have infiltrated peaceful protests and rioted, causing police to act very aggressively against (you guessed it) black and brown protestors.
Stay in your lane. You are not Michael Brown. You are not Tamir Rice. You are not Renisha McBride. You are safe -- but you have the ability to assert that you will never be Darren Wilson or George Zimmerman.
Give your POC friends space. We are grieving. We will say things like “F**** white people”, and you just have to swallow your tongue and not say anything back. Let us mourn.
Article written by Ashia Ajani and edited by Molly Mintz. Images courtesy of Animal New York. Please support Ajani's efforts in aiding civilians in Ferguson by attending her fundraiser on December 19 at the Black Actors Guild in Denver, Colorado.
