We all know that February is Black History month here in America. In school we learn about a wide variety of accomplishments Black Americans have made. But they aren't done yet. In school, we learn about Black History to remind us about all the horrible things black people experienced as a way to prevent them from happening again.
Here's the brief summary of those horrible things. Blacks used to be kidnapped from Africa and sold to rich white people in the South. They were forced to do unspeakably hard labor with unspeakably horrifying punishment for breaking the owner's "rules" or "not doing their job well enough". Eventually, they were freed but that's using the word loosely. They may not have been allowed to be held as slaves anymore but they weren't allowed to use anything meant for white people. That covers the range from different schools to different water fountains and everything else. It was also illegal for a black person to marry a white person. When the Civil Rights movement started in the 1960s, a lot of black people said "I'm not living like this anymore I want to be treated equally!!!" Through a lot of protests, Marches, and other methods, they influenced the passing of Civil Rights laws. These laws made it illegal to discriminate against many things and ended segregation. Those laws are meant to truly make blacks and whites completely equal.
That's not how it must feel for black people in the South. Trayvon Martin, Troy Davis, Jordan Davis, and Marissa Alexander, do you know who they are? I'm sure you know Trayvon Martin. His father lived in a gated community in Florida. He had gone out for skittles and iced tea. On his way home, George Zimmerman considered him a threat and used Florida's "stand your ground" law to kill him. There was a fight but there is debate about who started it. It could have been avoided if Zimmerman listened to police. They told him to stay were he was and not to follow Martin. Police would have come and learned that he was heading home and had no weapons on him. He would still be alive if Zimmerman had followed instruction. But the police should never have been called. The only reason he was seen by Zimmerman as "threatening" is because he was black and wearing a hoodie. The investigation was poorly done and Zimmerman was free............and allowed to have another gun. A gun he was able to keep in spite of multiple domestic abuse complaints. All complaints were dropped.
Troy Davis was a Georgia inmate who was executed in September of 2011. In 1989 an off-duty white police officer was killed. Davis was convicted based on witness accounts. Seven out of nine witnesses recanted their accounts. One of the two, who didn't change his story, admitted that he "wouldn't know the shooter again if he saw him". The last witness was the guy who probably did it. So this man was executed without solid proof that he committed the crime. He never got a FAIR trial. There was more evidence to convict Casey Anthony is killing her daughter, Caylee then there was against Troy Davis. But Casey Anthony was aquitted and Troy Davis was executed. The jurors in Casey's trial claimed that there was "reasonable doubt". With no physical evidence and seven out of nine witnesses change their story and another one admits that he wouldn't be able to identify the shooter there was DEFINITELY reasonable doubt in Troy Davis' case. Why were the outcomes so drastically different? Why was some allowed to be executed on witness testimony only? Wouldn't it have made more sense to give him life in prison since physical evidence was lacking?
http://www.naacp.org/pages/troy-davis-a-case-for-clemency
Jordan Davis was shot to death by Michael Dunn in November of 2012. Jordan Davis was parked at a gas station listening loudly to music with friends. Dunn asked them to turn down the music and there was an argument. When Davis leaned forward, Dunn shot and killed him. Dunn claims he saw a gun but police didn't find one. Dunn's life was never in danger in spite of his claim he was "standing his ground". This was clearly murder. Just like with Trayvon Martin, this could have been preventable. Davis was disturbing the peace. When they wouldn't turn the music down, Dunn should have reported it to the police and let the police take care of it. Instead he needlessly ended a life. So what is his punishment for murdering a black teen in Florida in 2012?
"The 12 jurors found him guilty of three counts of attempted second-degree murder and a count of firing into an occupied car."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/15/michael-dunn-verdict_n_4796068.html?utm_hp_ref=crime&ir=Crime
ATTEMPTED murder? Really? The kid is dead! How is that ATTEMPTED murder? ATTEMPTED implies he tried to kill but the victim survived.
What do you know about Marissa Alexander? She's another one involved in Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law. Let's see how Florida handles it when it's a black woman trying to protect herself from domestic abuse? She got 20 years in jail. Unlike Zimmerman and Dunn, she didn't shoot a person .... she shot the ceiling in a warning shot. Under Florida law, she was committing a crime. She had a restraining order from her husband and had returned to her former home, thinking he wasn't there, to get the rest of her stuff. It was considered breaking and entering so the 20 years was part of a required 10 - 20 years minimum sentence. WHY was it 20 years instead of 10? WHY wasn't she allowed to collect her own possessions legally? It's not theft if it's your own property.
The lawmakers who wrote that law said it was intended for situations like a liquor store robbery. It is Florida and they do seem to hate women and black people down there. She was not allowed to use the "stand your ground" defense. That surprises me since her reasons fit the law perfectly. Her life was threatened.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/19/marissa-alexander-gets-20_n_1530035.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-i-pinsky/stand-your-ground-white-man_b_4768782.html?utm_hp_ref=crime&ir=Crime
Florida isn't the only State with problems. Baton Rouge, Louisiana has it's own discrimination. It has a mostly white rich neighborhood that wants to secede into it's own district so they don't have to pay for the mostly black poor kids' education in their district. Memphis, Atlanta, and Dallas have had similar requests.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/americas-we-problem_b_4790416.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
The black community has been victim to racial profiling at Macy's and Barney's. In all cases, the black person was accused of theft and arrested even after providing a receipt. It was assumed they couldn't afford their purchases because of their race. A large percentage of America's poor are black and a large percentage of America's inmates are black. They get stricter sentences then whites in most cases. That doesn't make it okay to assume someone is committing a crime just because they are black and in a pricy store.
I can think of two Black Americans that recently have made history in a positive way. Michael Strahan has officially been declared a Hall Of Famer!!! He played his entire career for the NY Giants Football team....our team!!! He retired after winning Super Bowl 42. Reminder to all Patriot fans, that was the FIRST time we beat you in the Super Bowl. You remember the year? The one that was SUPPOSED to be perfect, until it wasn't? Strahan was a strong Defensive leader who played Defensive End. He is the Giant's all time leading Sack leader. A week after he announced his retirement in June of 2008, he joined the Fox Sports analyst team for Football on Sundays. He still does a fantastic job there and now has paired with Kelly Ripa for "Live! With Kelly and Michael". He replaced. Regis Philbin when Regis retired. He's always been fantastic with the media. He majored in Communications.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/ex-giant-strahan-headed-pro-football-hall-fame-article-1.1599108
But a DIFFERENT Football player named "Michael" made a different kind of history and might make more in May. I'm talking about Michael Sam. The NFL scouting combine is a week away. That's were College players are invited to perform a lot of different actions to show their skills. It helps teams choose who they will draft in May to join their team. Last Sunday, Michael Sam, also a Defensive End, announced he's gay. He had told his team in August, before the season started. His team had a fantastic year and he had the full support of his teammates.
He's co-Defensive Player of the Year for the SEC. I don't know how College football is organized but I know that translates to "he's really good". Before his announcement, he was projected to be selected in a middle round. Some scouts had doubts because of the talent level of his opposition for some of his bigger plays (their words). Where he will be selected now is up for debate. Some team scouts have said they are happy he came out when he did. They can decide how they would manage the media if they draft him and consider if he would fit with their team culture before making their selections. Most has suspected he was gay and like his timing for coming out. He keeps talking about his focus on preparing for the combine. That's where his focus should be.
The Giants would be a great team for him and I hope they select him. The team owner, John Mara, made it clear that the announcement will not affect his status on their draft board. But it's not just that his coaches, teammates, and most of the fans will support him. He's not ready to be a starter yet but is strong on Special Teams. We don't need a starting Defensive End this year. We do need backup Defensive Ends and someone who can adjust to the system and be ready to replace Justin Tuck if he get's greedy with contract negotiations after this upcoming season. During that time, Michael Sam could play on Special Teams, fill in for injuries, and learn the system. The Giants are also media magicians. They are great at keeping the focus on the field and off of the off-field topics. That would keep the "media distraction" away.
Donte Stallworth would agree. He played for the Patriots. They are another team that would be a great place for Michael Sam for the same reasons the Giants would be a great place for him. Stallworth made a great point.
"If a team can't handle the media scrutiny of drafting a gay player, he wrote, "Your team is already a loser on the field." That's very accurate.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/10/donte-stallworth-michael-sam_n_4761724.html
I hope black people continue to make history. Not just through sports or being part of a crime, but in other ways. The future will include more black inventors following those that have already made history, more black scientists who impact medicine, future black Presidents, and many other black people making history.
It almost seems like there is MORE Racism then there used to be. That has come with the growing wage gap. But this isn't forever. SOMEDAY black people will get a fair trial. SOMEDAY we'll have a black President and no one will question his country of birth simply because they are Racist and don't like having a black President. SOMEDAY educational opportunities will be truly equal. SOMEDAY a black teenager will be able to be out in public in Florida without fear of being killed simply because they are a black teenager and in Florida being a black teenager in considered threatening. SOMEDAY there will be fair punishments for crimes caused by racial discrimination. SOMEDAY feels like 200 years from now. It will come. It starts with remembering that we are all equal.
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