I am going to keep it as real as I can with you all. I am sitting here crying, my soul is so full of sadness that it's spilling out of my eyes right now. Rolling off my cheeks and hitting the ground where no matter how much I cry it will never wash away my ancestor's blood. And the very street that holds the blood is now filled with African Americans firing off illegal fireworks or illegal guns. I say illegal because buying fireworks are against the law where I live, and I would hope that anyone who got their firearm legally would not risk losing their license or their life by doing something as stupid as shooting a gun in the air because they were excited.
They are firing off their stupidity in these streets where; Niggers were killed for running away, Coloreds were beaten for wanting equal rights, and African-Americans are being murdered and harassed for having a skin tone that comes off as threatening by law enforcement. Law Enforcement that is enforcing the unseen laws of this country that’s why they are getting off scot-free. Open your eyes, my people.
In 1963 the country was outraged by a black church being bombed that killed four young black girls. In one week in 2015, at least nine African-American churches had been burned to the ground and the country seemed not to care. A white man walked into a church and killed nine black people in cold blood after they prayed with him. He was captured gently, fed a burger and fries, and had a fund for legal fees even though he was armed and dangerous. If it was flipped, if it was a black man who walked into a white church and killed nine white people? He would have been shot and killed on sight. Law Enforcement would have said that he was killed on the spot for being a “Terror”-ist. How many black men and women/ young boys and girls must die in cold blood before you all see that you all should not be celebrating the freedom of a people who refuse to give you yours. Let’s see, in this year alone as of June 27th, 2018 there have been 93 black people shot and killed by police. That number is straight from the Washington Post and I believe it’s been more than that because they have this pesky little section called “Unknown Race” where there were 153 shot and killed. You know that famous line, “A dead man tells no tales?” Well, a dead light-complexioned man tells no race.
America claims slavery. They claim that it wasn’t that bad, that everyone was doing it, that even though this country was built on the backs of my people, painted with our blood, and fertilized with the bodies of my forefathers, that we should forget about it because now they are allowing us to count as a full human in some cases. What independence am I celebrating? The independence of my wrongful death being caught on video or witnessed by many and yet because the person who murdered me could have owned me in 1776 they get off free. My family is left to plan a funeral and his family breathes a sigh of relief. Or the independence of our children, not being able to go to the best schools available because even though Brown vs. the Board of Education was decades ago brown people are still discriminated against by the board of education when it comes to being educated. The independence of the signs, bombs, and crosses still burning in our front yards.
America gives you the freedom to celebrate whatever you chose but please do so responsibly. This means knowing that the celebrating that you are risking your lives for (blowing up sticks of dynamite and shooting off guns) and “freedom” (most of the things are illegal so you can get locked up) for is not about or for you. For the people who say that this isn’t a race thing, they aren’t seeing the full picture or seeing clearly at all. I know some people who say they don’t see color may mean well. People who don’t see color are privileged enough where they don’t have to worry about their color, where their color is not thrown in their face every day, or they are delusional. Even the colorblind see different shades of gray. If you don’t see color, then you don’t see me. Which is the problem? If you don’t see me then you can’t see me as a person, you can’t see me as a friend, and you can’t see me as a citizen. You also can’t see how the problems I face could be different than others because of the color of my skin.
Happy “Independence” Day to the people that enslaved me, broke the backs of my people and used their spines as a staircase to the top. Happy “Wool being pulled over your eyes” day to those of you from the African- American community who thinks that they are a part of “We the people.” To the land that they took from the natives and the home of those of us brave enough to still leave our apartments.
Happy Fourth of They Steal, Happy Fourth of They kill, Happy Fourth of They Lie.
Cherlnell Lane
P.S. I didn’t forget about what they are doing to Hispanic families. Taking Children away from their families and locking them up in cages in prisons that you call camps is ridiculous! I don’t care what race you are. If you can change something about this, please do so. Just think if it was your child. Karma's a bitch and when it comes back to bite this president in the ass... God bless his soul.
