I truly wanted to use my voice on Odyssey as a platform to inspire and educate people on success, sustainability, harmony, and love. This week’s article was going to cover a sustainable community in Venus, FL. However, with a heavy heart, I have been compelled by unseen forces to take time and acknowledge the brutality that has transpired this past week. My wife, cousin, our good friend and I all traveled out of the country in these past two weeks, and we returned Friday, July 8 to an overload of news on the deaths of two more people of color. I am speechless, and all I have at this point are questions.
Why is it that, when a person of color gets gunned down in the street, white media outlets ask what was the person of color doing? Did they have a record? Why didn’t they just listen to the officer?
Why is it when children of color commit the same exact crime as a white child they are 18 times more likely to be tried as an adult?
Why is it when a person of color vents about the frustration, sadness, and/or anger over the racism that has existed in this country since before slavery, they are a race-baiter or have their ideas marginalized?
Why is it when a person of color observes racism, White people say, “that’s just not true, and look, you just got a black president?"
Why is it when a person of color who is devoted to Islam commits a crime, he is a radical Muslim terrorist, but when a White person of a Christian domination commits a crime with more victims, he is a lone wolf?
Why is it when a person of color is concerned for their safety involving police, White people suggest follow the rules and nothing will happen to you?
Why is it when a person of color turns on their television or opens their laptop, they have to be reminded on a regular basis that we are being hunted and exterminated because of our skin tone?
Why is it when a person of color is in a confrontation with police officers they are more likely to be killed, versus White people being taken in alive?
Why is it that a person of color was forced to make a plea deal involving a rape case and spend a decade in jail for a crime he didn’t commit when he was a minor, but when a White adult male is caught in the act of rape, he gets probation?
Why is it that children of color should use extreme caution when playing with toy guns in parks because of fear of being gunned down without warning?
Why is it when a person of color is wearing a sweater with a hood attached, they should exercise restraint for fear of being murdered?
Why is it when a person of color has a problem with American culture, White people suggest going back to their country, but never acknowledge the fact that they were/are unwanted guests that used force, violence, and corruption to enslave, brutalize, and steal an entire country from people of color?
Why do I even have to ask all these questions?
We are tired of the bullsh*t, White America! There is a visible divide and White America has made that perfectly clear. I love White people, but with my current state of mind, I don’t want to hear a single utterance pertaining to all the good White people, because the evil racist ones use good White people as a shield. As long as people of color are being hunted down and murdered, there will be a divide with an “us versus them” mentality (people of color versus White people). I pray we can move forward like Martin, but it seems White America is going to provoke us until we begin to move like Malcolm. Peace and love always!
