jennifer-roberts Like you, I have seen the memes, comedic posts, viral videos, t-shirts and even jewelry inspired by what very quickly became known as the Alabama Brawl. I’ve even heard the songs that Black people wrote and performed online. Journalist and author, Roland Martin even made mention of someone who had a folding chair tattooed on his arm with the date of the violent attack on Mr. Damien Pickett.
It appears Black America has not only had a good, long laugh but that we also experienced collective vindication as we watched Black people come to the aid of Mr. Pickett, the Co-Captain of Harriett II, after he was attacked by a group of White people at Riverfront Park in Alabama for moving a private pontoon that the owners refused to move despite being asked. Upon seeing that Mr. Pickett was being attacked, Black onlookers quickly jumped to his defense engaging in violence against the White people who provoked the attack. This horrible experience, which never should have happened, appears to have been a fleeting moment of solidarity for Black people in which we collectively, said, “We see you brother and we are not going to stand by and let you be attacked. We are coming to help you.”
I get the demonstration of support. I really do but now what? What positive, measurable outcome did the brawl accomplish for Black people and where do we go from here? How do we take this moment of solidarity and turn it into a movement? How do we harness the immediate creative energy that was put forth in a variety of ways and use it to make lasting change?
I was impressed but not the least bit surprised at the almost immediate outpouring of creativity of Black people in response to the viral videos that captured the event. I was also not surprised at the humorous responses that were made as humor is an age-old coping mechanism that we use to process pain and heal from it. While I understand all these responses, I am looking at a bigger picture and asking a broader question, “How can we use this as a springboard for resistance and advancement?”
I for one, would like four us to unify in the same way in protest against the Florida Board of Education’s audacious rewriting of American History as it relates to African Americans. Even closer to home, I would love to see Black people support one another at Prince William County Schools school board meetings when parents come forward to share the injustices that have been committed against their children at the hands of district employees. Or how about galvanizing to spend more money in our own communities to create wealth that will outlive us? Can we work together to create a contribution that will outlive us?
I often think about the resolve of our ancestors who were part of the civil rights movement. I consider the courage of leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, James Farmer, Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks whose names we know and the countless others whose names we don’t know who sacrificed their comfort, dignity and often their very lives in the name of equality and equity. We are a brilliant and imaginative people who collectively have the power to make effective, lasting change when we work together. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.
I am always in awe of the swift and strategic organization of the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. Just days after Rosa Parks arrest on December 1st, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give her seat up to a White person, Black people began organizing a resistance movement that would last nearly a year. By walking and carpooling instead of supporting a racist transportation system, a significant number of Black people refused to ride the buses which adversely affect the economy of Montgomery, Alabama. This sustained galvanization was instrumental in getting bus segregation outlawed by the Supreme Court. According to the National Park Service website, “Montgomery City Lines lost between 30,000 and 40,000 bus fares each day during the boycott. The bus company that operated the city busing had suffered financially from the seven-month long boycott and the city became desperate to end the boycott.”
Historic and modern-day leaders in the United States understood and continue to understand power and money and place a high value on both. Black people have economic power and many of us don’t even realize the impact of how we choose to invest and spend our money.
According to a news segment on CNBC’s website, the spending power of Black people in the United States reached $1.6 trillion in 2021. We have spending power but how are we choosing to use that power to our benefit and the benefit of future generations of Black people? How much money are we investing in Black owned businesses, Black owned media and home ownership? How much of it are we spending without any thought as to where those dollars are going and if they are being circulated in our communities?
I am an optimistic person but when I look at the future of life altering, unified Black efforts to resist and advance, the outlook is grim. For one, I am hard pressed to find Black communities in which our people are working together for the greater good. Secondly, so many of us are isolated geographically and in the way we think.
For instance, I see educational injustices being committed each school year against Black students in Prince William County Schools but I have yet to see Black parents, guardians, teachers and students come together as a group to boycott the injustice for as long as it takes to secure sustained, equitable treatment and to secure policies that directly support and benefit Black students. I would like to see Black community members immediately come to the aid of our students who are being marginalized, oppressed, overdisciplined and rendered invisible. I would love to see us take a stand that says, “If you come for one of us, you’ve come for all of us and we are in it for the long haul.” Unfortunately, we are too polarized as a people and we are often times ignorant of and indifferent to the injustices being committed against Black people. Many of us also have very different belief and value systems that strongly influence how we present in our community and what causes we choose to support.
I believe strongly in the collective power of Black people. I believe that if enough of us understand our proud lineage, who we are and the power that we possess, we will be unstoppable.
