AustinTalks (http://austintalks.org/category/opinion/)
Columnist John W. Fountain III hasn’t decided if he will vote in this fall’s election. “My ancestors did not die for the right to vote. They died for the ability to be equally accounted for in the clause ‘all men are created equal,'” he writes. “My single vote over the years has not changed that notion or swayed the pendulum toward economic inclusion or political power.
Important parts of our history have not been told or taught because it hasn’t been believed it actually happened, writes state Rep. La Shawn Ford. Until they saw it on their TV screens, the dominant White culture didn’t believe that Blacks could be treated like John Lewis was treated – and many did not believe that so many Blacks are victimized by police until they saw the last 8 minutes and 46 seconds of George Floyd’s life.
Racism is indeed a health crisis, writes Daryl Satcher. The sick system is the true virus that we need to defeat. But we must destroy this virus within ourselves first.
Rev. Ira Acree wants Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx to replace her office’s existing victim witness assistance program. The Austin minister says the culture of fear can be broken if people who report perpetrators have the support and resources they need to keep themselves and their families safe.
Allies to black life must be willing to die for black lives to matter, writes columnist John W. Fountain III. The systemic racism in law enforcement, education, housing and healthcare has simmered to a tipping point.
If white people are programmed to be racist, then my people are programmed to hate ourselves, writes Daryl Satcher. Systemic racism is the true virus that we need to defeat. You must first defeat this disease in your mind before you can defeat it in your world.
If true reforms do not happen right away, we need to eliminate our current system, writes state Rep. La Shawn Ford. The Austin lawmaker says this is not about individual police officers or bad apples; this is about a system that is inherently flawed.
Other black life experiences matter also, writes John W. Fountain III. While we argue about the broad spectrum of black life, we must also account for the nuances that exist within a hashtag or chant. Inclusion of all black lives and allies must coexist under the guise of liberty, justice and equality for all.
Raheem Cooper-Thomas, Cortez Watson Jr., Chukwuka John Okafo and Herb Howard have these questions on their minds: When do we fight back? How and when do we seek justice for all the lives lost? And when will we have any opportunity in this country?
All lives don’t matter until black lives matter. Columnist John W. Fountain III says he’s starting to sound like a voicemail recording because he’s advocated so long for justice and the responsibility of elected officials to remain accountable for our communities. When will things change?
Black content creators are using social media site to highlight their experiences in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, writes John W. Fountain III.
