Читать книгу Barriers to Rebuilding the African American Community - Tywan Ajani - Страница 14

3 The Oppressed Always Rebel Eventually

The oppressed always rebel eventually. Do you agree with this statement? Whether you do or not, it has been proven true throughout the course of human history. Whether these endeavors were successful, well-planned, carefully executed, or hopelessly inept, nothing seems to unite people together more than a revolt against oppression. Even in the face of certain death, and where victory seemed to be a very far stretch, human beings often choose freedom over tyranny and oppression and are generally willing to risk death to obtain it.

Most are familiar with some classic examples such as the ancient Israelites who rebelled against the tyranny of Roman occupation. The Romans crushed the Jewish rebellion in 70 A.D. resulting in Jerusalem’s total annihilation and the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Hebrews including the destruction of their beloved holy temple. In an act of defiance, over 900 Jews chose to committ suicide at the fort of Masada as an alternative to imprisonment and torture by Roman soldiers who were closely moving in to capture them. Similarly, from the beginning of their enslavement in the 17th century, Africans attempted to escape and revolt against their white rulers.

Consider also the steadfast American colonists, though smaller in number and ill equipped, who revolted against the tyranny of the British Empire, which ←19 | 20→possessed the most formidable navy in the world at that time. During the 1970s many Cambodians, Thai, Burmese, and Vietnamese people rebelled against the Khmer Rouge regime, resulting in the brutal torture and murder of thousands of insurrectionists. Mass gave sites are still being uncovered today.

The list of uprisings by one ethnic group in response to subjugation by another is seemingly endless. This book cannot capture all or even most of them. American history is replete with such rebellions, one has to wonder as to why so many people, especially Caucasians, seem dumbfounded by the fact that black people in America continue to rise up and speak out in the face of systemic racism and oppression. The question should not be why or how black people respond to racism in America, but rather, when and how the nation will respond?

The Devil’s Advocate

Every story has two sides, representing two opposing viewpoints, each with its own collection of evidence and facts, and staunch advocacy. For decades, race has been one of the major issues illustrating the line in the sand between the Democratic and Republican parties, or the liberal and conservative positions, respectively.

In the beginning, both parties were one. They were called the Democratic-Republican Party. Over time both the Republican and Democratic parties changed their beliefs and they eventually split from what is known today as the Republican and Democratic parties. Politically they oppose each other and battle over America’s socio-political system. The 7th U.S. President, Andrew Jackson, is the founder of the Democratic Party. The Republican Party was founded by President Abraham Lincoln. Toward the Democrat’s party beginning, they feuded with the Republicans over the issue of slavery and the expansion of federal power. President Jackson and the early Democratic Party leaders were vehemently in support of slavery, fueling the political atmosphere that subsequently led to the great American Civil War.

In the 1860s, the Republican Party was initially liberal and controlled most of the northern states and was responsible for increasing the power of the federal government. Under Republican control, lofty endeavors, such as the state university system, the homesteaders act of 1862, and other various laws protecting freed slaves were established.

The Democrats, who controlled most of the southern states, formed a more religiously conservative party and historically opposed the imposition of federal ←20 | 21→government taxes as well as supported the institution of slavery. It was around 1936 when the Democratic Party shifted from conservative to liberal with the election of Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s New Deal policies brought about a wave of social and economic reforms, including the institution of the welfare and social security systems, and the federal regulation of banks. Many African Americans were excluded from enjoying these New Deal benefits that ultimately hindered their communities from advancing economically.

Prior to 1936, the Republican and Democratic parties fluctuated between conservative and liberal platforms on issues such as taxes, labor matters, corporate business standards, civil rights, and the conservation of natural resources. However, party responses to the New Deal policies gradually shifted Republicans toward conservatism and likewise moved the Democratic platform toward liberalism and the support of expanded federal government power along with social justice reform programs.

During the last American presidential campaign of 2016, two powerful political opponents attempted to discredit the other party’s leader in an attempt to secure the greatest position of power in the United States of America. Both the Democratic and Republican parties provided vivid details and compelling opinions of why the other candidate were not fit to serve as Commander in Chief. Although many Americans found it improper and indecent that each other’s party searched for some form of troublesome and invidious information about the opponent, the objective was to blast news agencies and social media companies in hopes of lessening the other candidate’s chances in winning the election. That behavior can be easily identified as dishonorable and devious; however, in American politics, this has become a common and acceptable strategy to bolster their candidates position.

Ironically, although both sides commonly engage in these tactics, both sides also complain about these shady political practices. The back and forth dirt-flicking between the two parties could easily bring to mind the old maxim that states: “The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins (Proverbs 18:17, New Living Translation).”

The same concept applies to the Black Lives Matter movement. The intent of the movement is to protest injustice; however, opposers to the movement have labeled them as troublemakers and even worse, a terrorist organization. Historically, social justice movements have produced an abundance of results. The granting of federal same sex marriage laws and women having the right to serve in military combat occupations are just a few of those recent outcomes from the efforts of social justice activists.

←21 | 22→

Civil rights organizations are important. What would have happened to future generations of children of African American slaves if no one took a stand against the evils of the institution? Most African Americans today are directly benefiting from the actions of their ancestors whose blood was spilled in southern American towns and across America in the pursuit of freedom for their children, grandchildren, and their great grandchildren.

The Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s changed American History forever. However, many of the efforts were directed toward the upholding of civil rights already guaranteed for all Americans and protected under the constitution. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s team, in particular, aimed to extend the rights of citizenship, which had already been guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, to African Americans. These rights had been eroded by southern segregationists that established the vile Jim Crow laws in the southern U.S. states. The Civil Rights movement also sought to strengthen the protection of women and people with disabilities while advocating for the right to vote for African Americans, the right to intermarry with Caucasian people, and the elimination of lynching practices.

Nevertheless, opponents to the civil rights movement viciously attacked their efforts. The marchers and sit-in protesters, both black and white found themselves spat upon, kicked, beaten, arrested, and even murdered. They were called niggers and “coons.” Their white sympathizers were called “nigger lovers.” Ironically, many white Americans in the southern Christian majority region demonstrated the utmost hypocrisy by engaging in the most un-Christlike behavior.

Many white southern Christians participated in cross burnings, beatings, lynchings, and other terrorist acts against protesters and the African American community at large. A blatant irony is that the icon of Christianity; Jesus, never encouraged hangings, torture, or murder of anyone that opposed his viewpoints. In fact, he both modeled and taught the great commandment of loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Somehow, many white southern Christians missed these verses altogether or completely ignored them for the past couple of hundred years.

Today’s African American community continues to struggle from its history of brutal oppression from white Americans. President Roosevelt’s New Deal social benefits elevated many racial groups economically while subtly omitting African Americans and other minorities groups from fully taking part in them. This is discussed in more detail in Chapter Four. Ultimately, African Americans now have much more access to resources in terms of higher education, civil assistance, and employment more than ever in the history of the United States. This is largely due to the work of social justice organizations, activists, and Civil Rights groups. ←22 | 23→Nevertheless, African Americans continue to remain the poorest minority population in America with disproportionately high incarceration rates. There must be a reason? There must be a deeper root.

Reference

Holy Bible. (2015). New living translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

←23 | 24→←24 | 25→