The Montgomery Brawl Is A Message To White Racists That We Will Fight Back

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your brother, your uncle, or your sister being beaten within an inch of their lives or arbitrarily murdered.You wonder if you or someone in your family will be next. You are in a perpetual state of alert and suspicion. You are stressed out and your cortisol levels are always high.But the Montgomery Brawl was different. It started off with an elderly Black guy getting beaten by a white man and then other white men joining in. Immediately I thought, here we go again. I began wondering how it would end and prayed that the Black man wouldn't get killed.As is the case with these things, I suspected that I would need therapy or a mental health day to recover from what would unfold. I was expecting a ruthless outcome, given that the Black man was alone. But then something almost miraculous happened: Black men stood up and started fighting for the man Black man that was being beaten. A young Black man even swam across the water to defend him too. For once, I felt we were going to come out victorious rather than being the victims.I don’t usually condone violence, but seeing these Black men say “enough is enough” by their very actions and defend someone that had the same skin color as me was something that I had yet to see. It comforted me in the knowledge that maybe if I get attacked, strong Black men would stand up for me too and teach the bullies, like those white folk

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s in Montgomery, Alabama, a lesson.The fact is, Black people are tired of taking all the hits, all the punches, all. the. damm. time. It was time that we showed the entire world that we could fight back too and that there is also solidarity among us.That is a message that everybody needs to know. When you attack one of us, you attack all of us.The fact that this all took place in Montgomery. Alabama, a place loaded with history where many Black lives have been lost to white violence, is of critical importance. We stood up to white racists in a place where they, over the course of history, abused and destroyed Black lives.At the end of the day, seeing these Black men stand up for one of their own offered a catalytic release to so many of us who find ourselves in a fight or a struggle with no one to come to our rescue. It resembled a form of justice. They looked like superheroes fighting for what is right.The toxic stereotypes that Black people are strong, invincible, angry, and aggressive rob us of our vulnerability time and time again. The scene in Montgomery shows that we too need rescuing, but most importantly, it sends an important to white folks who think we are still on a plantation or in their colonies that from now on, we will fight back in numbers, and we will win.Thank you for reading my perspective.</article></body>

And other Black people will come to fight with us

As a Black person, I don’t know how many times I have felt utterly helpless at seeing a Black person being beaten on camera. From Rodney King to George Floyd and so many others, I have felt the anger rise in my chest and get stuck in my throat as I have watched innocent Black people getting beaten to a pulp.

Oftentimes I have broken down into tears, asking myself why Black people are humiliated and robbed of our dignity time and time again. I remember when I watched George Floyd as he begged for his life. I wanted to break through the television screen to help him.

I was outraged by those onlookers who did not help that man as he lay there fighting for his life. I found the scene unbearable and still can’t watch it without finding myself in the utmost distress.

As a Black person, it does something to you to constantly witness people that look like you, your Dad, your brother, your uncle, or your sister being beaten within an inch of their lives or arbitrarily murdered.

You wonder if you or someone in your family will be next. You are in a perpetual state of alert and suspicion. You are stressed out and your cortisol levels are always high.

But the Montgomery Brawl was different. It started off with an elderly Black guy getting beaten by a white man and then other white men joining in. Immediately I thought, here we go again. I began wondering how it would end and prayed that the Black man wouldn't get killed.

As is the case with these things, I suspected that I would need therapy or a mental health day to recover from what would unfold. I was expecting a ruthless outcome, given that the Black man was alone. But then something almost miraculous happened: Black men stood up and started fighting for the man Black man that was being beaten. A young Black man even swam across the water to defend him too. For once, I felt we were going to come out victorious rather than being the victims.

I don’t usually condone violence, but seeing these Black men say “enough is enough” by their very actions and defend someone that had the same skin color as me was something that I had yet to see. It comforted me in the knowledge that maybe if I get attacked, strong Black men would stand up for me too and teach the bullies, like those white folks in Montgomery, Alabama, a lesson.

The fact is, Black people are tired of taking all the hits, all the punches, all. the. damm. time. It was time that we showed the entire world that we could fight back too and that there is also solidarity among us.

That is a message that everybody needs to know. When you attack one of us, you attack all of us.

The fact that this all took place in Montgomery. Alabama, a place loaded with history where many Black lives have been lost to white violence, is of critical importance. We stood up to white racists in a place where they, over the course of history, abused and destroyed Black lives.

At the end of the day, seeing these Black men stand up for one of their own offered a catalytic release to so many of us who find ourselves in a fight or a struggle with no one to come to our rescue. It resembled a form of justice. They looked like superheroes fighting for what is right.

The toxic stereotypes that Black people are strong, invincible, angry, and aggressive rob us of our vulnerability time and time again. The scene in Montgomery shows that we too need rescuing, but most importantly, it sends an important to white folks who think we are still on a plantation or in their colonies that from now on, we will fight back in numbers, and we will win.

Thank you for reading my perspective.