The Black Lives Matter Movement is Here to Stay
The Arc of the Moral Universe Is Long, But it Bends Towards Justice
The movement is the rose growing out of a concrete sidewalk, rising towards the Sun. We are the roots twisting and turning beneath the surface. Even if we never see the light, the petals that blossom will do so because of our effort.
White supremacy wants to destroy the rose; the roots revitalize it and insist on flowering against all the odds. The movement never withers; it can only endure momentary losses.
The activists, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Dr. Huey P. Newton, became the roots. Although we lost them, the movement lives on in the soil they fertilized.
American historians cannot continue to sugarcoat the history of this country. Black and Indigenous people do not share the same American immigrant pilgrimage. Our ancestors never came through Ellis Island, dreaming of a more remarkable life.
White supremacy erases the humanity of people who look differently. European colonists inflicted genocide against Indigenous people, denying them the respect that allied nations deserve. They never honored Indigenous tribes, their leaders, their culture, or their lives. American schoolchildren learn about the pilgrims as if they were protagonists. That’s problematic because murderers should not become Amerian heroes.
It did not have to be like this. Colonists could have created treaties for bartering and developing colonies. Instead, white people crowned themselves with white supremacy.
Coerced and abused into coming to and building America for the benefit of European settlers, Africans were prisoners of war. Still, most Americans fail to acknowledge African Americans as descendants of hostages. Sadly, this misconception works in white supremacists’ favor — movies like Gone with the Wind attempt to romanticize the institution of slavery. Despite the portrayal of slaves as cheerful workers, African POWs (slaves) never stopped fighting for freedom.
White-washed American textbooks rarely mention the slave rebellions. These uprisings counter the white supremacists’ attempt to romanticize slavery.
African-American Slaves Rebellions
- The Stono Rebellion of 1739
- The New York City Conspiracy of 1741
- Gabriel’s Conspiracy of 1800
- German Coast Uprising of 1811
- Nat Turner’s Rebellion of 1831
America is a country and an ideology. However, the treatment of nonwhite people violates the social contract. Patriotic citizens should embrace these words and hold injustices to account.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (The Declaration of Independence” (1776).
Black people never choose to become Americans, but that does not discredit our citizenship. It’s our responsibility to create a more perfect union, demanding that the country lives up to the hype. No amount of frustration or setbacks should stop the forward momentum.
The rose of revolution, cut down by the oppressor, never dies. The movement persists. Roots, sprouting from the seed of liberation, provide nourishment for Black minds. Ideas, like water, flow throughout Black communities. Reflections are the catalyst for change. Civil Rights Champions fight for Black liberation because complacency is the antithesis change.
“We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.’ Speech given at the National Cathedral, March 31, 1968".
We bend the moral arc towards justice when we commit call out injustices when we see them. Black Lives Matter reclaims dignity for Black people. It does so by slashing the colonialist ideology.
Malcolm X anticipated the long battle ahead. He never expected that the socioeconomic dynamics would change overnight.
“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.”
— Malcolm X
The heartbreaks, the Black lives lost, heighten the sense of urgency. Malcolm’s movement centered around uplifting Black people as opposed to pandering to white people. Only when the people commit themselves wholeheartedly will the bud reach topsoil.
Inspired by the work of Malcolm X, Dr. Huey P Newton worked to create an organization that promoted Black unity. The infamous Black Panthers created social programs, a holistic approach, to managing social ills.
“The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution.” — Dr. Huey P. Newton
By feeding hungry children, the Black Panthers did their part to strengthen the roots. Now, the Black Lives Matter group aims to further the cause.
In the wake of Emmit Till, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, Eric Gardner’s deaths, the movement re-blossomed.
These young men and women never wanted to become martyrs. However, racists stripped away their hopes, ambitions, and lives, inducing Black trauma. We carry on their will.
Slave owners despised Black people but never considered themselves racists. Black people and their allies must stop waiting for the All Lives Matter gang to admit their intent. Their goal is to silence the voices of Black advocates, ripping off the petals.
Envious of the light, they hold guns on their suburban lawns, attempting to instill fear. They follow Black children walking home with skittles in their pockets and chase Black men while jogging.
The movement exists in many shapes and forms. Some people march in the street. As the world watches, they maintain diligence. Others use writing, art, technology, or science to change the world.
Racism is here to stay. The same is true of Black Lives Matter. It stems from a centuries-long uprising, the thorns in the white supremacists’ side. The movement is here to stay. This leaderless revolution amassed worldwide solidarity. Over 60 countries protested in the wake of George Floyd’s death. Black Lives Matter must continue to change hearts and minds, applying pressure on the colonial framework of our white-washed society. The youth must not be discouraged. Their work is too important.
As activists race to confront overt and covert acts of racism, they must remember. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
More of my articles about Race, Equality, Beauty, Art, & History
References:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968). Retrieved July 31, 2020, from https://www.si.edu/spotlight/mlk?page=4
Quotes. (2020). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.malcolmx.com/quotes/
Team, T., & Powel, A. (2018, August 22). 10 Dr. Huey P. Newton Quotes That Still Resonate Today. Retrieved July 20, 2020, from https://theblackdetour.com/10-dr-huey-p-newton-quotes-that-still-resonate-today/
The Declaration of Independence: Full text. (1776). Retrieved August 01, 2020, from https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/
