I celebrate Black people and our unlikely survival all year long: Opinion
Whether you’re looking for change may depend on where you see yourself in the strata of American life.
An honest assessment of our lives and the state of the country would go a long way in moving us forward, but a large percentage of Americans are unwilling to analyze the state of their own lives, not to mention the state of the nation. Too many would rather bury their heads in the sand and spend a ridiculous amount of time on TikTok and reading bogus and contrived stories, never mind the veracity or lack thereof.
But on to celebrations. I celebrate Black people and our unlikely survival because “We have come over a way that with tears has been watered…” (James Weldon Johnson)
With my Blackity-Black self, I celebrate the contributions of Black Americans twelve months a year, and February pulls the nation to where I am all year long. Thanks to Carter G. Woodson, his desire was that thousands of African Americans be recognized for their contributions to this nation.
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The truth is, no amount of effort by dark forces to undo the suffering, contributions and achievements of Black citizens will work. Attacks on what is called Critical Race Theory is an unhinged effort to retard the understanding of white citizens regarding American history. The trajectory of the nation continues to be slowed by a lack of knowledge and understanding of our nation’s history. Seeking knowledge of the past should bring all of us to an understanding of where we are today and what all of us can do to move forward. If some feel guilty and uncomfortable when presented with the facts, let it be a catalyst for change and to move the nation in a positive direction.
We must acknowledge that slavery existed and was a very shameful period in the history of a nation that still hopes to be great.
The early European inhabitants who crashed upon eastern shores proved to be miscreants who mistreated and ripped the land and lives away from the indigenous people who were willing to share the continent with them. Instead, they were slaughtered and corralled onto reservations and dismissed from the psyche of Americans. Their conditions remain horrid to this day. Do you believe in Karma?
We bury our sons and daughters daily because of the freedom to bear arms. We are armed not for the protection of the country, but for the right to settle our petty disputes or take belongings from others. We embrace slick-talking, double-speaking politicians, Kentucky has its share, instead of embracing lawmakers who would work for the good of the nation and for gun control and to reform the penal system. Can you not see that something is wrong when we continue to lead the world in the number of incarcerated citizens who should be in rehabilitation programs?
In our efforts to safeguard students, the school district where I reside will spend millions on policing children instead of embracing policies that would put social workers and psychologists in our schools in order to help children through difficult periods in their lives.
In the meantime, the “too live crews” continue to run from vaccinations and masks, die needlessly, and infect unsuspecting citizens. They continue to overcrowd our hospitals and put people who need hospitalization on a waiting list. What a nation we could build if those who ran amok through the Capitol would have put that kind of energy into improving the brotherhood of man instead of following someone who has no love of country nor anyone other than himself.
To those who are asleep, you can imbibe the liquor of Rip Van Winkle or you can be woke. True wokeness carries responsibility of finding a way toward inclusion, freedom and justice.
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In the meantime, though, I lament much of our nation’s actions, past and present, I still believe that positive change is coming, no matter what problems we face, no matter who occupies the West Wing and no matter the composition of the Supreme Court—after all they’ve screwed up before—think Plessey vs. Ferguson and Dred Scott v. Sanford. But look at the forward movement. We will soon have a “sistah” on the high court. We’ve not had a Black person on The High Court that knew he was Black since Thurgood Marshall.
May you understand and agree with el-Hajj Malik el Shabazz, aka Malcolm X, “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”
Emma McElvaney Talbott is a Louisville freelance writer, educator and human rights advocate.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: I celebrate Black people and our unlikely survival all year long: Opinion
