First and foremost, we advocate black liberation. This debate is not new. Decades ago, many self defense advocates strongly criticized the mainline civil rights movement during the 1960's over the issue of nonviolence and other political issues. One example is that Dr. King and Kwame Ture had a passionate, but cordial debate on nonviolence. Many Black Panthers debated the US organization on the issue of cultural nationalism. The Black Panthers opposed cultural nationalism back then. Elaine Brown's views are not new. The critiques about the Black Lives Matter movement have existed for years. Some are fair critiques and some are not fair critiques. First, it is fair to point out that Elaine Brown has the right to her views and Shaun King has the right to his views. First, I will show where I agree with Elaine Brown on and later, I will show where I disagree with her on. Now, I do agree with Elaine Brown that many Democratic establishment figures are warmongers. Also, we have Republican warmongers too. I agree with her that self defense units are legitimate especially in an age of massive police corruption and terrorism. I disagree with Elaine Brown that the BLM is just about hashtag activism. In many cases, some of the older generation omit the contributions of the younger generation. That is why some from the older generation must see that their work back then reflects on the current generation. The present is the fruit of the past. The BLM movement has created a concrete, explicit platform that shows their goals, their methods, and their strategies on how they desire to achieve their goals. The platform has research, and other forms of plans directly. The myth that the BLM (which explicitly calls for black self determination in its own document or platform) has no organized plan is just that, a myth.
Also, I disagree with her that BLM members collectively want to beg for change per se. Demanding change is different form begging. That is like saying that Dr. King and other civil rights heroes begged for the Civil Rights and the Voting Rights Act. The truth is that Dr. King, etc. demanded (not begged) that those Acts to be passed via protest, civil disobedience, and other forms of activism. Standing up for human rights is part and parcel of the progressive ideal. Many people want to attack progressive movements, because they want to promote a far right agenda that strips the rights of certain black people while creating a patriarchal, monarchical fiefdom for the black rich and the black upper middle class (to dominate the black masses), which is an agenda I oppose. BLM has organized many boycotts for economic reasons for a while now. It is another myth that the BLM has done nothing. Any social movement must be fairly critiqued, even the BLM. No movement is infallible. Also, it is important to recognize the accomplishments of the youth too like the following: 1. Bree Newsome inspired the Confederate flag to be eliminated in South Carolina on state capitol grounds.
2. BLM activists and other protesters caused the University of Missouri President to be resigned as a product of the racist actions in that campus.
3. The wider public has a more progressive analysis on the evils of the prison industrial complex, police brutality, and sexism as a product of youth activism.
4. Black students at the University of California prompted the school to pull out $30 million from prison investments.
Still, we have a very long way to go. There are massive differences among the Black Panther Party and BLM. The Black Panther Party more relied on self defense and an explicit condemnation of capitalism explicitly than the BLM. The BLM is a hybrid movement that combines the old school protests of the civil rights movement mixed with the emphasis on black humanity & black self determination (as in the Black Power movement). The BLM has strengths and weaknesses. Yet, the Black Lives Matter movement is not just showing hashtags. They are out in the streets daily organizing protests, organizing boycotts, working even in the local communities to address police terrorism & racial injustice. Therefore, the BLM are engaged. At the end of the day, we are black people. We may disagree on certain issues, but we should find some common ground in at least desiring the same goal. We want black people to have self determination and freedom. We want true expansion of black unity and we want the elimination of the system of racial oppression, so a real system of justice can exist in its place.
Donald Trump is the same male (not man) who still believes that the Central Park Five are guilty when they are innocent. That shows how he disrespects black people. I can never vote for a fraudulent charlatan like Trump. Trump has not advocated a condemnation of police terrorism, of systematic racism, of capitalist exploitation, and of xenophobic extremism. The reason is that many of his supporters are racists, sexists, and xenophobes. He doesn't believe in a public infrastructure plan to use public resources to rebuild American society by taxing Wall Street financial interests. He says nothing on enacting specific policies to end the mass incarceration state and advocate an expansion of voting rights (which is antithetical to the Voter ID law in North Carolina). Trump doesn't advocate for an increase of the federal minimum wage, which will give must needed income and economic resources to tons of black American families. Trump advocates the same right wing, bigoted populism as Alex Jones (as Alex Jones is one of his biggest supporters). Most African Americans won't vote for Trump, because we, as black people, have seen his act before from the George Wallace campaign of 1968 to the race baiting, Southern Strategy rhetoric of Ronald Reagan (during the 1980's). Therefore, I believe in racial and social justice forever. I won't show too much negativity here, but I have to get this off of my chest. I don't agree with Alex Jones. He has said some of the most slanderous, lying commentaries in our generation. Jones is known for his many false predictions, his excessive screaming, his disturbing (at times vulgar) language, and his lust for profit. We do know that some conspiracies have existed in the world like Operation Ajax and Operation Gleweitz. Yet, Alex Jones goes beyond showing legitimate conspiracies and uses massive xenophobia, he disrespects social justice activists, and his words about many black people are totally evil. Therefore, I don't agree with his agenda at all. Also, Alex Jones is a Trump supporter and Trump is known to disrespect women, minorities, and immigrants.
Yesterday was Ruby Dee's birthday. She passed away in 2014. She was 91 years old when she passed away and she lived a long life in service of the community. Her marriage to the late Ossie Davis was a stirring, strong example of Black Love too. Acting was in her blood. She was involved in acting during the 1940's and she historically made great contributions as a black woman from intellectual pursuits to social activism. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio and she was raised in Harlem. She loved New York City and NYC had people who were involved in the Harlem Renaissance and other social movements for change. She studied under the late WEB DuBois in Atlanta University. She had a brilliant mind and throughout the decades of her life, she promoted social justice. Ruby Dee was in the Jackie Robinson story movie from 1950. Rudy Dee opposed the McCartyite witch hunts, because they violated the freedom of speech and the freedom of human expression. She was involved in the civil rights movement and supported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. She loved Ossie Davis with a special love. The couple also opposed the Vietnam War and stood up against police brutality. The majestic film of "Raisin in the Sun" included Ruby Dee. Ruby Dee also opposed the Iraq War. Her recent films just before she passed were about relevant topics from American Gangster to Video Girl (which also starred the great actress Meagan Good. That movie was about how women are readily exploited and mistreated in the music industry). A lifetime of service exemplifies her life. We honor her legacy by advocating for human justice and an unconditional love of Blackness. We also honor the union of Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis as their presentation of classic black films greatly inspired our community as a whole.
Rest in Power Sister Ruby Dee.
By Timothy
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