Prelude to a contemporary revolution

America doesn’t seem to understand the anger.

Another unarmed black boy murdered; his corpse lying in the street as his blood pressure and body temperature drop because his soul has escaped his body.

The countless blood trails that stain the American flag mix with the white supremacy policies that continue to echo the fact that black men and boys were never counted in the equation of “all men were created equal.”

We were labeled 3/5’s of 1; branded like cattle; given the last name of your owner; separated from family; and had more laws on the books of what we could or couldn’t do than any other race.

There are minority immigrants who do not understand the psyche of the black race and why we can’t just get along.

My reply: Most of you are here by choice! (But that’s another piece.)

The ever so true ring of Malcolm X’s symbolic phrase recalls the journey of chains our ancestors wore as “Plymouth Rock landed on us.”

The constant reminder of the growing prison industrial complex pales in comparison to the numerous contributions of black men.

America doesn’t seem to understand the anger.

The YouTube broadcasts of Huey P. Newton, Malcolm X, H. Rap Brown, Martin Luther King Jr. and Fred Hampton all point to the same angst.

Slaves were not included in the equation of “all men were created equal.”

Some people believe that while there is more black-on-black crime happening, the need to march against a cop killing an unarmed black boy is null.

They mock the homicide rates in Chicago. They point to lack of role models in communities called ‘hoods because there lacks a neighborly feel.

But who taught us to hate each other?

There are only a handful of whites who will point out the legacy of The Willie Lynch Letter and the strategies for slave control.

Education skews the atrocity of slavery, of millions of Africans stripped from a land to be the foundation of America’s wealth. We neglect the historical trauma of Emancipation without compensation.

This worthless existence of second-class citizenship that allows one a constant reminder that regardless of your accomplishments, you will always be a nigga!

I understand why some black people are called lazy, complacent, unmotivated, unconcerned and apathetic.

It’s not that we fit the description, but every attempt at mobilizing has been eviscerated by the hands of the American government. It could be as blatant as COINTELPRO or the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

There is this universal feeling that every time an African American man rises in attempts to remove the veil of the American dream, he is publicly reminded of his place in history.

The public display of humiliation sends fears into the hearts of anyone attempting to reenact the efforts made by the trailblazer; an example sets the tone to be quiet.

We were taught to be quiet, to be pacified by the meager means disbursed by the government.

The true welfare state developed during The Great Depression made worse by The Drought of the 1930s had no intentions of supporting ex-slaves.

The civil unrest of ghettos spills into the streets of middle-class America and what once was a private trouble has now become a public issue.

We are bearing witness to a prelude to a contemporary revolution. The same chants of basic human rights have exploded like tear gas, reinforced by the spiritual screams of ghosts pasts.

You can never understand the anger of a black man, of a black people.

Your protective veil of privilege will never allow it.

Be thankful.