BLACK LIVES MATTER, TWO YEARS LATER
It has been two years since young black male Michael Brown was killed by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Subsequently, an uprising — catalyzed by young black people tired of a society in which their lives have been devalued — has galvanized millions to take action in defense of African Americans, who are often the most economically and democratically disenfranchised.
The movement has changed the landscape of this country and has captured the attention of people around the world. The impacts of systematic racism and state-sanctioned violence on black communities inside and outside the USA have become more visible. Legislative reforms addressing transparency in policing and other issues joined some 40 laws related to criminal justice that were passed in states across the country.
Yet the recent deaths of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Korryn Gaines and Sky Mockabee highlight the need for immediate and bold action by lawmakers — especially in an election year.
PARTY CONVENTIONS This November, there are 34 Senate seats up for grabs, in addition to the presidential, local and state elections, including those for judges and attorneys general. Every time a black person is killed at the hands of law enforcement or racist vigilantes and there are no consequences for those deaths, the very notion of democracy seems laughable. The discrepancies between how laws are unevenly applied, and the real consequences for black lives, need to be at the forefront of every candidate’s agenda for this nation’s future.
Just last month, the Republican and Democratic national conventions ended without either presidential nominee answering in detail one major question: What will he or she do to protect and defend the rights of black people in America?
Instead, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump used the tragic shooting deaths of three Baton Rouge and five Dallas officers to polarize and divide. Dangerous Republican rhetoric erroneously placed the blame for the deaths of those officers at the feet of Black Lives Matter.
Calls for a return to law and order, protection from domestic terrorists and an end to political correctness carried throughout the convention. Aside from the few GOP supporters of color, the event showcased a sea of what ap- peared to be angry white men.
While the Democratic Party’s tone has been different, the agenda has yielded equally little. Even for a skeptic like me, it was clear that candidate Bernie Sanders moved the party to the left: free college tuition for the middle class, elimination of student debt and money in politics, holding corporations accountable, equal pay and equal access for women and people with disabilities, Social Security and gun control reform, strengthening democracy and ending structural racism.
The crowd erupted in chants of “black lives matter” when nine mothers who lost their children to police violence took the stage. But notably, gun violence had replaced police violence as an area of focus.
AFTER THE ELECTION Beyond campaign slogans that often get abandoned after winning the election, what will be done to make sure that the conditions in black America improve significantly? Who will ensure that one in 13 black people who are disenfranchised from participating in the decisions that impact their lives will be able to participate? Who will solve the crisis of unemployment in black communities? Who will ensure that mental and emotional health services reopen in our communities?
And even more important, who will be bold enough to hold police, policymakers and corporations accountable for the misery that they profit from in our communities?
It seems that the only ones are the millions of people who make up the movement for black lives.
Recently, more than 50 organizations came together and released a sweeping policy platform called a Vision For Black Lives. The platform calls for an end to the war on black communities by divesting in systems and practices that devalue our lives, and placing an investment into systems and practices that value black Americans. This movement is calling for community control of all systems and institutions that impact us, including but not limited to law enforcement.
In just a few short years, we have put forward visionary solutions to transform this country for the better. All candidates and current and potential lawmakers at the local, state and federal levels should take notice and, more important, take action.
Only an organized movement that is unbought and unbossed can do that.