A Moment of Solidarity

by Jordan Rock

Aren’t you tired of being angry? Me too.
To be black in America is to know that your country is against you. In 2020 we know that the police, the federal government and the president are against Black people. It’s exhausting to see the cops murder people in our streets. It’s just as exhausting to see people beaten in the streets for demanding that the police stop killing them.
Week in, week out, we get to watch this oppression play out. Meanwhile millions of Americans cheer on a president who’s brought our country to the edge of ruin.

The technical term for it is “Racial Trauma”. You and I know that my ancestors built America on their backs. Our bones are the foundation of this country, and our country refuses to acknowledge it. We live in fear that any moment our lives can be ruined, but the ones responsible will face no consequences. The system is working as intended; it runs on our blood.  What is the answer to this? Is there an answer?

We stand together, like we always have. Because in 243 years of suffering, our people have refused to buckle under and bow our heads. And we’re not going to start now. I speak in the wake of the Kenosha shooting, in the shadow of Trump’s administration and his radical base angling for what looks like an all-out civil war.

Fear for Many

I have never in my life been more afraid to live in the country of my birth. And many Black folk across America have about the same feeling. According to Jim Cucuruto, the head of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), firearm sales have increased by 58% this year. And the majority of those purchases are by African Americans. I ain’t hard to see why. In a time where cops can break down your door and shoot you as you sleep in your bed (ARREST BREONNA TAYLORS MURDERERS), more Black folk have gotten wise to the fact that they need to be able to defend them and theirs at a moment’s notice.

Meanwhile, in Toomsboro, Georgia, a group called the Freedom Georgia Initiative has made a massive purchase of 96 acres of land. They intend to build a self-sustaining black community in the vein of what Tulsa, Oklahoma once was. It’s a bit more than 40 acres and a mule, but I imagine their ambition will make that land into a little utopia. This is about the most satisfying land grab I’ve seen since Tyler Perry mentioned his Atlanta built studio was dropped on top of a former Confederate Base. Maybe we can carry on in solidarity.

My point is that I get tired having to come on here and scream about how bad this country is. I get tired of fantasizing about moving to New Zealand. There I can pretend I came out of northern Cuba, and American can’t hurt me anymore. Can we carry on in solidarity?

We built this nation against our wills. But we must carry on in solidarity.

Imagine what we can build for ourselves.
Don’t stay up at night wondering when this country is going to stop beating you down. Think forward into the future.

It’s easy to do once you realize a simple truth;
We Will Survive This.

So run and tell that, and don’t forget to vote.