From the Noose to the Bullet to (I Can’t Breathe) revised
Early 1900’s; Any-where in Any-town USA
Where ya goi’n boy? Big Mo kept on walking because he just wasn’t in the mood to be dealing with some redneck cracker on a hot and muggy afternoon. He had just finished putting in another long hard day’s work at the plant and the only thing on his mind right now, was getting home to his wife and kids, taking a shower and sitting down to have a nice home cooked meal. After that he would go out on the front porch, enjoy a nice cool drink, watch the kids play around for a while and celebrate with his wife before calling it another day. But before he could even entertain any of that, he had to deal with this irritating ignorant cracker…
Hey nigger, you hear me talk’in to ya? I said where ya goi’n boy? Big Mo was in a hurry and making long strides, trying to put some distance between the two of them as he wanted to reach the bus before the confrontation he knew was imminent had caught up with him. He could see the bus pulling up to the stop but he was just not close enough to get on and avoid what was coming. Damn, he thought to himself, out of all the days to possibly be late getting home for dinner, why would it have to be this day. You see this day was also a special occasion for Big Mo and his wife Mattie because they had been struggling and working extremely hard to save every penny that they possibly could and were soon to be the proud owners of a new home and this would be the night for them to celebrate.. It didn’t matter that he still had to rely on public transportation to get around because ownership of a home is what he and his wife, Mattie had always dreamed of for them and their children. It would be a step up the ladder and also give them a sense of security but the most rewarding part of it all is that it would be theirs..There just weren’t that many Black folks during this period who owned their homes but they would be one of the few that did. Yes, this was indeed a momentous occasion and cause for celebration…But, first things first…
Big Mo came to an abrupt stop, whirled his huge frame of a body around and glared with a look of disdain and annoyance directly into the eyes of his insolent pursuer and said, what you want with me? I ain’t doing nothing but trying to get home to my wife and kids. Unfortunately Big Mo wouldn’t make it home this night. He had dared question a white man and did so in a manner that was considered challenging to the authority and superiority of this nobody cracker. A heated exchange between the two would ensue and it would draw the unwanted attention of other white folks. As fate would have it, things began to escalate and not to soon afterwards a mob of curious and angry white men would gather around and the instigator would accuse Big Mo of being an uppity nigger who needed to be taught a lesson. They would collapse around Big MO, beat him down and take him out to the woods to string him up and there his lifeless body dangled, hanging from a tree just like a piece of fruit on a branch.
Big Mo would not be celebrating with his wife tonight, he wouldn’t be sitting down to enjoy his dinner with his family, he wouldn’t be sitting out on the porch sipping a cool drink while his children played nor would Big Mo and his family ever have the experience of owning their own home.
He would never live to breathe a breath of air another day in Any-town USA. All because of the ignorance and racist vile that has permeated the air throughout American society and has profusely stained it’s soil with the innocent blood of ( far too many to count ) black men and women in this country. This is a short story that is all too reminiscent of what it is like to be a dark-skinned person living in a white dominated society. This short story is a prelude to the longest story that has been played out time and time again in this white dominated world in one way or another.
Let’s just fast forward 100 years plus and here we are where we find ourselves still experiencing the same racist vitriol. The perpetrators today are in the uniforms of Law enforcement throughout this so-called land of the free and the brave and justice for all (only pink skinned folks). Whether it is walking, driving, jogging, shopping or playing in a department store or park with a play gun, having the dark skin is an open invitation these days for harassment, police abuse and possible death. Just the mere suspicion of guilt by law enforcement or any white citizen today, ( just as it was back then ) seems to cause enough suspicion to justify the murder of many an unarmed dark skinned woman or man….It appears that we most definitely have gone from the noose to the bullet and we can’t seem to shake it….We can pray for all those innocent Black lives who have left this planet so abruptly at the hands of racism and their families, but praying and marching and protesting just isn’t enough. We must feel a compelling duty to eradicate our society of this vicious and insensitivity to human life on both sides of the paradigm…Are we capable of honestly taking a look deep within ourselves and really question who we really are as a dark-skinned people and what is it that needs to be done to eradicate our society from the grips of a sinister indifference as it pertains to the lives of dark skinned people all over the world. We can pray to the most high for strength and courage but eventually it comes down to the will of the people and what they are willing to do in order to achieve an equitable and lasting change.
So the question is; what are dark skinned people ready and willing to sacrifice in order to accomplish this goal because anything substantially meaningful definitely comes at a cost!! The cost has been paid many times before from the period of slavery and the (underground-railroad and abolitionists) to the forties, fifties and sixties (civil rights and voting rights groups and integration proponents) and the seventies (black power and black nationalists groups) and now.
Radical Change requires Radical Action
We are all Big Mo’s, Mattie’s, their family and some of us just might never make it back home.
Written by; Alton DeVeaux Jr. (5th Generation African)
For you perusal
http://Civil Rights Timeline
An African Man
My ancestors persevered and endured the incredulous hardship of slavery here in America. They were resilient and these traits have been passed down to me and my descendants. I do not stand here today embarrassed or shameful for them or slavery.. You see, It is very much to the contrary that I have the deepest, steadfast and unmitigated pride and respect and honor to be of the same blood..
It is as James Baldwin says: “Slavery should be worn as a badge of honor “. It is not an ordinary people that could have survived a long perilous journey over unpredictable waters in the most decrepit environment along with 400 years of the cruelest acts of violence exacted upon them by the white man!!! They were burned alive, hung from many a tree, castrated, mutilated, demeaned, belittled, raped ( blood contamination) and more but never broken.
They exhibited an unshakable faith and spirit during a time of grave suffering in a strange land among the most wicked people to ever walk the face of the earth… No, I will not be ashamed of this part of black history in America, I will embrace it and celebrate it in honor of my ancestors courage to endeavor to persevere….
I am the fifth generation from former African slaves and their blood will always course through my veins. Their bloodline is from the sub-Saharan ( Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Senegambian, Guinean, Liberian) and more. Everybody can’t be from Egypt’s Kings and Queens or the Hebrew Tribes of Israel.
The problem is that, cialis 5mg uk is not in a position to get rock hard erection. It buy cipla tadalafil is said to be an anti-impotence pill which is recommended for treating impotency or premature ejaculation. Distraction-less – Enough of those classroom programs that viagra pfizer online bore off the students in not-so-whimsical lessons. Storage: Stored it at 25 buy cialis usa degrees C. Below is a link of my DNA results from 23andMe . I wanted to share it with you so that you can see the many mixtures that slavery has produced in my family alone!.
My Ancestry Composition
First there is Africa, then there’s the world
Written by; Alton T. DeVeaux Jr.(Africafifth)
The Art of Religion
Religion is defined as a particular system of faith and worship as well as
the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or Gods ….
SUPERSTITION?
Humankind has always sought to have a relationship with a higher being or power and throughout millenniums has embarked on a never ending quest for an explanation regarding our existence in this world and the possible worlds below and beyond. Could there really be a divine presence that resides within us or is this feeling a connection to an energy that permeates throughout the universe or universes and galaxies in vibration and frequency? Is there a single source of consciousness and intelligence that all of creation descends from or are than many? Lastly, is religion the pathway to spiritual enlightenment and can it lead humankind to this inexplicable and presently elusive source of supreme power?
Allow me to share my thoughts and feelings regarding this. Continue reading The Art of Religion
UNSEEN GUIDANCE
Ahh, the multitude of obstacles or challenges that one has to confront in life… Personally I have had my share and for some reason I find myself still confronted with them on occasion to this very day… I figure that for me, there is a place that I must ascend to in this world in order for me to overcome these things so that I may achieve a higher understanding of myself , other people and possibly the world.. For me it is the only way or path that will hopefully lead to my inner peace… Continue reading UNSEEN GUIDANCE
What are we missing and why? (The Quest for Comfort)
Hello and blessings to all of you… Man, you know it has been a little while in between posts , but hey it has not been for a lack of desire to write as much as it has been lacking the spark. Every now and then I experience a lapse because I slip into a period of what I can best express as zero gravity… I am here, my senses are functioning and the thoughts are circulating however the process from the mind to paper is a being of it’s own…With that said though, I always have a few thoughts that are in draft form but have yet to be completed. This is one of them… Initially the title was going to be (Humans Need Comfort) but as I began to think and write, it dawned on me that comfort is just one element in the equation and only scratches the surface. We are an extremely empty species and our emotional needs go much deeper than that.. However, for this piece I want to talk about the need we have for comfort and how we will search endlessly for it and try almost anything that will bring that one ever elusive quality to our life. With every tick tock of the clock, every passing day, week, month and year, we are on a constant journey or quest if you will, seeking comfort. …
Continue reading What are we missing and why? (The Quest for Comfort)