The United States of America is NOT a Free Country

Visualize freedom. What does that look like to you? Freedom would allow men to walk down a street without suspicion or harassment from agents of the state. Freedom would allow a middle aged woman to be in the nude in her own apartment without armed government employees bursting through the door.

Freedom wouldn’t mistake eccentric behavior for criminal behavior and inject citizen’s with sedatives. Freedom would not tolerate armed bureaucrats breaking into a couple’s apartment and killing in the middle of the night. A free country would not allow municipal representatives to spray a nine year old girl in the face with mace.

None of this would happen or be tolerated in a free country. Yet it has been tolerated in America since the end of the Civil War. The United States of America is NOT a free country. The freedom of Black citizens is what is typically compromised by law enforcement and that is why it is allowed to happen at the officers’ discretion. However, no one is really free when police officers are given the power and grace that police officers have.

I am African American and I have never been manhandled or falsely arrested by a police officer. Most of my interactions with the police have been relatively polite. But all it takes is crossing paths with the wrong officer. If I’m pulled over by an officer I’m at their mercy and I’m expected to submit to whatever treatment they decide to dole out. They can easily create a tense situation and escalate the scene and give themselves and excuse to put me under arrest or kill me. An agent of the state such not be given such a wide margin.

Despite the wide margins police officers are given to work they aren’t very efficient in preventing or solving crime. City streets are still dangerous, people are missing and we have a drug war that’s been going on for forty years. Yet jaywalkers end up getting arrested and people end up getting killed when they are pulled over for a bad tail light.

There is absolutely no benefit in giving police officers so much space, grace and praise. They aren’t doing anything with it accept terrorizing Black citizens and feeding their egos. Police departments in America diminish our freedom.

The police officers are one part of a dysfunctional system. But they are the part that apprehends, intimidates, beats, tortures and kills. They are the foot soldiers and flunkies of the racist American justice system. American can not call itself a free country under the circumstances of the last one hundred fifty six years. America isn’t displaying bravery either.

Americans Are Not Mature Enough for a Conversation About Race

“We need to have a conversation about race” has become a common cliche in this country in regards to race relations. This phrase is commonly heard when listening to talking heads discuss current events surrounding race in America. America has shown me that a conversation about race is a complete waste of time and energy.

Anyone with an objective point of view understands that White supremacy and racism is a one way street. Black Americans have done all they can to live in this country peacefully yet we are constantly condescended, vilified and degraded. That’s the real reason that people want to have “conversations on race”. They use it as an opportunity to tell Black people what they really think under the guise of peacemaking. Black people continue to try and make peace and compromise in order to go along to get along and be accepted.

Black Americans need to talk to each other about how to improve their lives in America and other voices need to be ignored. Black people need to have a more positive inner dialogue. When non Black people defend their opinion in regards to race it is usually an unflattering opinion of Black people. As far as I’m concerned they are welcome to it. They are also welcome to stay out of my space.

Positive interactions with non Black people are possible but if you need to sit down with them and conversation about racist opinions they probably are not worth the trouble. I have not interest in talking someone out of their racism. As long as the are not affecting my life they are they are welcome to it.

I have no interest in helping anyone understand my point of view nor am I interested in coming to a understanding as far as race. What is hard to understand about me wanting to be valued as a human being and a woman. I don’t think I benefit from a conversation with that starting point.

If America wants to have a conversation on race it needs to apologize to descendants of African slaves and vow to do better. So far America continues to make excuses and be self righteous. The concerns and complaints of Black people are not heard. I choose not to participate in conversations where the other party refuses to listen because of perceived superiority.

Painful conversations require maturity and America does not have it. There is no real desire to do better because racism works out well for most Americans. The majority of Americans have shown Black people for centuries that they are not interested in justice or opening their minds to new ways of thinking that don’t center White comfort.

Even in this age of BLM most Americans continue to minimize the extent and affect of racism. There have been protests, riots and conversations on race yet racism prevails. Black people need to pay attention to the deliberate attempts to drown our voices in disingenuous conversations. America will never be without racism. The best Black Americans can do is to use the opportunities made possible by those that came before us and improve ourselves, our families and our communities. Do better on your own. Don’t wait for anyone else to do better.

Black on the Fourth of July: 2020

Fourth of July weekend 2020 has come and gone. It was a very somber day for me this year. Generally I don’t do a lot for holidays but they usually put me in a good mood. This year Fourth of July was depressing. Independence DAy was melancholy due to the state of America and the uncertainty of our future. Our nation’s leadership is corrupt, there is economic uncertainty, a plague is filling hospital emergency rooms to capacity and racial tensions has emotions on edge.

This Fourth of July, like in past years many Black people made social media posts letting the world know that they have no plans to observe the holiday due to past and present racial oppression. That’s their choice and I appreciate and understand their opinions but I see things differently. I’m a proud Black American and I’m proud of our history in this country.

I have two Black parents and four Black grandparents. I studied my family tree on both sides and I can document that we’ve been in this country for at least four generations. My identity is not tied to any other race or country. I’m Black American and completely comfortable with that and I take pride in my place in human history.

I have no desire to think of myself as a Moor, or a Hebrew Israelite nor do I believe that Black people are indigenous to North America. All of those are theories that Black people that want to disassociate themselves from the history of Africans in America share on You Tube. I believe that those people are ashamed of their heritage and envy White people.

I am one generation removed from a southern sharecropping family. My mother is one of nine children from rural Arkansas. She grew up in poverty and began working as a young child picking cotton with her family. They were paid for their labor by the pound. The cotton they picked was weighed and they were paid mere cents by the pound.

My mom left Arkansas after high school moved to Detroit, Michigan got a job at the phone company and married my dad who was an auto worker from Detroit. His parents were from Mississippi. The too left the agricultural South for the Industrial North for greater opportunities and freedom.

My folks divorced when I was young but I had a happy childhood where my needs and many of my wants were met. I went to college after high school graduated and later on earned two more degrees. After many years I got my foot in the door of the career I wanted. Both of my parents are enjoying retirement.

My family’s story is one of hard work and achievement. I’m proud of it. I’m glad to be an American. A high price was paid for me to have a stake in this country and I’m grateful to everyone that came before me that gave me the opportunities that I have today as a Black woman in America.

America has the biggest economy in the world and to be born here is a blessing. There is always an opportunity to make money in America. It may not be a lot and life is hard everywhere but survival is not precarious here as it is in other nations.

I’m a working class woman but I have a nice car, diamond rings, designer purses, a closet full of clothes and shoes and a full refrigerator. I’ve been on great vacations and have dined in hip restaurants. Life is pretty good and I won’t complain.

America has a fascinating history and is a beautiful country. There is a lot to do, see and experience. Many think it’s unhealthy but I enjoy the go getter culture. I also enjoy America’s materialistic, flashy nature. It’s what makes our economy great.

But America is far from perfect. There are glaring injustices. Overall this is indeed a racist, White supremacist country. I’ve been overlooked for opportunities and discriminated against because of my race. The saying that Black people have to work twice as hard to get half as far is true and I’ve been in the American workforce long enough that I’ve seen that principle in action.

I’m a tax paying, law abiding, citizen but I do not see police as friends or protectors. I prefer to keep them as far away from me as possible because an interaction with them could be unpredictable. I could end up hurt or dead. A simple misunderstanding can be fatal for Black people and their actions would most likely be excused by other Americans and the court system.

But I believe that Black Americans need to stand up for what is right in this country like we have done historically. We need to continue to hold the United States to its promise of liberty and justice for all. We need to continue to support the Constitution and Bill of Rights as citizens that have a right to pursue happiness. Our ancestor pour blood, sweat and tears into this country. Stand up for what is yours and remember that no one has given us anything. This is my country too.

America’s has a lot of great things going for it. But we have a lot of work to do in order to create a more perfect union to be enjoyed by all. I’m not going to give up on what America could be because of what it currently is and was.

The Legacy of Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King is being honored today across the US. MLK is a trending topic on social media, news outlets are rehashing stories about the Civil Rights movement and publicizing community events to honor the fallen leader. Martin Luther King’s story is amazing and absolutely heroic. But I feel like his legacy is being tarnished and Whitewashed.

Martin Luther King was a man that was beaten and imprisoned because of his protests against a tyrannical White supremacist government. He was a Black man that fought for the rights of Black people and was surely motivated by concerns about the future of his own Black family. He put everything on the line and died for his people. His movement was successful and created real and positive changes for Black Americans.

But we in America still live in a White supremacist, European centered culture. Everything has to be not only accessible to Whites but centered around them. That is made very clear by the historical retelling of MLK’s life. He is said to be a man that wanted to bring the races together and bring about harmony in America. He is also portrayed as a Confucius like figure. I think that narrative is a lie to get White Americans to buy into his legacy.

First of all when you talk about race relations in America you need to think of hammers and nails. Whites are the hammers. Blacks are the nails. The hammers like to act as though there is an ongoing disagreement between two parties on equal footing. That has not been the case. Blacks have been getting hammered since the origins of this country and the Civil Rights movement just asked to give Blacks a break. Give them a shot at the chance to pursue happiness.

When mainstream media talks the accomplishments and goals of Dr. King they act as if he simply wanted Black and White people to hold hands and sing kumbaya together. He was not the simpleton that history and the mainstream media make him out to be. He was a freedom fighter for Black American people that had suffered centuries of oppression in the US.

He fought for displaced people that did not truly have a country of their own. He fought for descendants of African slaves that were prisoners of this country. Dr. King did not fight and die simply so Blacks could have White friends or land a date with a non Black person which is the story that is being sold across the world today through the American media and American public schools.

The same thing has happened to Nelson Mandela. He was a brave freedom fighter that fought for Black people in South Africa and won basic rights. Mandela is also being marketed as a Black man that dreamed of a rainbow nation and wanted to bring about so called racial reconciliation. This version of history is a lot easier for White people to digest because they are not confronted with their own past.

Since Donald Trump was elected as president in the US I have observed that the media sympathizes with racist notions that affirm White supremacy. The media typically portrays Whites as heroes or victims. The stories of the Civil Rights movement can not be accurately told and still portray Whites as heroes or victims. So the truth is being rewritten.

This disingenuous retelling of history is damaging to all Americans. There is no way that White supremacist ideas will ever change if they are not confronted. White Americans refuse to do the soul searching necessary to bring about the cultural changes necessary to bring about the racial reconciliation that they pay lip service to every year.

It’s also dangerous to Black people because it gives them the message that your prosperity lies in other communities. Most African Americans do not really want to be independent from White tyranny and they don’t believe that Black communities can be self sufficient. The bogus retelling of history reinforces the notion that Black people need other communities, especially Whites to survive.

I’m very unsure of what is being taught in American schools today. But I urge everyone to seek out information on the American Civil Rights movement. Remember to focus your attention of the Black community because those are primarily the people that stood up to American authoritarianism and made modest gains in order to improve their lives, communities and the futures of their children. As a Black American woman I am grateful for their struggle.

Sick and Tired of Hostility Towards Christians

I use social media frequently and one of the most vocal groups that I regularly encounter are African Americans that are very critical of Christianity. Believing in Jesus Christ is a choice and it is a valid decision to not follow Christ. I understand that everyone has different opinions and different experiences that makes them come to certain conclusions. I respect everyone’s right to choose their own spiritual path and I expect to be respected the same way. I don’t think that my belief in Jesus Christ is doing anything to harm anyone else and I should not have to defend or explain myself. But that’s what I’m going to do now.

When I was a freshman in college at Eastern Michigan University I was given a small copy of the New Testament. I read it in my dorm room that year. It made a big impression on my heart and I haven’t been the same since. I’m so glad that the Word of God was presented to me at that point in my life.

I grew up going to church but it wasn’t a great experience for me. It was not traumatic or harmful, it was just long and boring and I went every Sunday. When I was growing up there were not the type of Children’s Church that are common now. My mother was met with resistance every Sunday morning when it was time for church. I was much more interested in staying home and watching “The Jetsons” and “Fame”. As an adult I am very grateful to my mom for getting me in church and letting me know that there is a God named Jesus and He is the savior of my soul. In retrospect the Sunday morning ritual was a great challenge to my intellect. Being confronted with the concepts of God, the Devil, life, death, heaven, hell and salvation gave me a lot to contemplate as a young girl.

The church that I attended as a child was a very large, old stone building with tall ceilings and stained glass windows that went up to the ceiling. It was beautiful. The pastor was a serious looking dude that wore a preacher’s robe every Sunday. He is a pretty well known. The church was filled every Sunday and there was even an over flow parlor with folding chairs when the pews were all seated with men in suits and ladies with large hats.

The Bible that I had access to as a child was a King James version. I tried to read it when I was in elementary school without much success. There were too many other things around me that were much more appealing and interesting than the Bible. After a few false starts at trying to read the Bible during childhood I didn’t try it again until I was given the copy of the New Testament that day on campus.

My childhood experiences with Christianity were confusing but I wasn’t convinced. That’s why reading the Bible while I was in college and since then has been valuable. to me. The Bible has revealed many answers to questions that I had and still have. Conviction and revelation is there for the taking if you want it. You just have to tune out the rest of the world, open your heart and mind and read the Bible.

The Bible teaches that Jesus came into the world to cleanse all of our sins and save all of our souls regardless of race. The African American, anti Jesus crowd would like to convince all Black Americans that salvation is for everyone else but us. God loves everyone but us. They don’t know anything about the word of God and they speak nothing but foolishness based on the actions of men.

Its true that the U.S. has always claimed to be a Christian nation but at the same time they treated Black people like animals and declared them a fraction of a human being. Today America claims to be a Christian nation but the demonize the poor instead of trying to feed and employ the poor. The U.S. has never really been the Christian nation that they have claimed to be. But the African American, anti-Jesus, social media crowd is use to following the actions of men instead of the actions of God.

The critics of Christianity need to learn about the Word of God and stop judging God based on the actions of flawed men and women with short comings and insecurities. That’s what people mean when they speak of a personal relationship with God. Every man and woman that can read can learn about God’s word for him or herself. It is important for Christians to be a part of a good church but it is not imperative for Christians to hang off of every word a preacher says. It is more important to learn about God’s word for yourself and let it work on your heart and mind.

Furthermore all this foolishness about Jesus being a White man’s god is just plain stupid. You don’t even need to know the Bible that well to know that. Anyone that is familiar with Christmas carols knows that Jesus is from Bethlehem and that’s a long way from Europe. I guess the Black American, anti-Jesus crowd is fixated on the art work that the Catholic church produced. But truthfully speaking, any culture would make their God look like them. I have a picture of a Black Jesus hanging up in my bed room.

All of these anti Christian people on social media are frightening. They don’t seem to be in favor of much accept not worshipping Christ. They are particularly focused on tithing. Tithing is cut and dried so there is not much controversy there if you believe that the Bible has merit.

The anti Jesus Blacks love to claim how much money gets collected in Black churches every Sunday and then they ask what gets done with the money. They love to imply that the pastors misuse the funds for personal gain. I don’t claim to know anything about the pastor’s personal finances but the churches I’ve been involved with have all fed people, did community outreach projects and helped church members with personal matters. I’ve only been to two churches in my life that made me uncomfortable. I simply chose not to go back. It’s that simple.

I fear that a lot of Black Americans will be led away from the Bible based on all the false teaching that get circulated on social media. Someone will tell them don’t listen to the Bible. Listen to me. Don’t give your money to your church. Give your money to me. And so many Black American people will be led astray by simple minded, emotional blackmail false teaching. Black Americans are a small but influential part of the American population. Despite what people are led to believe about Black people we are mostly a conservative and spiritual (mostly Christian) demographic. If we all become completely Godless or begin worshipping false Gods. It will not be good.

African Americans need to understand that anti Blackness doesn’t just come from one direction. It pretty much comes at us from all directions and from many cultures. If Blacks think that they will find acceptance from middle eastern and north African cultures I think that they are going to be sorely disappointed. I grew up in the Detroit area which has a large Arabic population. The Arabs in metro Detroit are known for looking down on Blacks.

For me this comes down to respect. I respect your choice to worship Allah, (who isn’t African either) or your Egyptian sun god, your Druid God or whatever. I really wish people would respect my belief in my Savior. There will come a day when we will all know who is right and who is wrong. We could all at least be civil while we are waiting.