(ThyBlackMan.com) Latinos put in cages and separated from their families. Puerto Rican citizens told they are Americans, but treated like unwanted stepchildren by the United States government. African Americans profiled, victims of mass incarceration, systematic oppression and institutional racism. Women fighting for equal pay for equal work. Violence and animosity against Asian people over a virus 99.999% of them had nothing to do with. Stereotypes and prejudice in every major American city and then some. Confederate flags still fly, pictures of former president Obama depicted as a monkey, quotas, higher prison sentences “coincidentally” based on color. And this country dare utter the words that “all men are created equal” in a declaration when people of color were not independent? Equal and independent? Where? When? How? A sick joke that is nowhere close to true in these United States. Not when the “black” man was perceived as 2/3 of a man and treated even worse. What math makes any of that a shining example of equality?
The Declaration of Independence which stated that “all men are created equal” was written in 1776. But slavery in America formally continued until at least 1865. So for 89 years or so after the founding thieves promoted equality amongst all men, “black” people were still whipped, still lynched, still raped, still set on fire, still treated like beasts, still enslaved. The first paragraph the declaration spoke of “separate and equal” and used words like “respect”. When did that happen for African Americans as a people? Where can “liberty and the pursuit of happiness” be found in slavery, oppression, degradation, defamation and prejudice – both then and now? Where was the equality spoken of in the second paragraph of the declaration? Where is it today?
As you continue to read the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence for some (but not African Americans), you will see that very paragraph is also a declaration against the tyranny and treachery of the very government they put in place when they signed the document. They thought (and still think) they are “entitled”. But none of that entitlement included African Americans. Look for yourself at the sections I have highlighted. Because we don’t have to agree to disagree when we can simply go to the proof and the evidence, thereafter pointing to the treatment of African Americans in this country as “a long train of abuses and usurpations”. I believe hundreds of years to date in the mistreatment of African Americans would clearly qualify.
“In Congress, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”
AMERICA HAS DONE MANY OF THE SAME THINGS TO AFRICAN AMERICANS THAT IT ACCUSED GREAT BRITAIN OF DOING! READ FOR YOURSELF
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Before we go deeper, let’s look at what EQUALITY is, or rather should be. Does it mean you are perceived as the same, treated the same, born the same, have the same opportunities, some of the above, all of the above or none of the above? Who gets to say emphatically that we are all equal? God? The majority? The U.S. government? The Constitution? The Declaration of Independence? The law? The courts? And again, some, all or none of the above? You see the issue of equality is not as simple as people want to make it, but rather as complicated as “good ole boy” racists want to keep confusing it.
Equality has to be addressed in light of racism, sexism, chauvinism, feminism, economic class systems, education, opportunity, race, ethnicity, perception, equal protection under the law and finally, the truth. If equality is foundationally based on fairness, Houston we have a problem. If equality is defined only by those in power, the definition is likely to be heavily tainted and unbalanced. Ironically that is exactly what has happened in America. Those in power have said you are “equal” because they say so, not because you are treated equally. And what do they mean by “equality”? Anything they want it to mean to sit you down, shut you up and shut you down from confronting the truth.
I find it ironic that racists (and their brainwashed supporters of color) want to criticize my use of the “race card” when the racists have stacked the deck, palmed the Ace and cheated from the day the game started. All the while the Cointel Pro Jokers who help further the racist agenda protest that I should go quietly into the night. Not here, and I don’t know about you, but “I am that one in ten thousand”. How long should we ring the bell that exposes inequality? As long as we as a people are treated unfairly and struggle against inequality. But it won’t be forever.
AMERICA’S NEW MOTTO SHOULD BE “RULES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN” BECAUSE THIS COUNTRY BREAKS EVERY RULE IT MAKES
Inequality in America is a fact, an agenda, a strategic plan, a reality, a day to day unfair encounter for millions of people. It must be addressed and those of us who dare to do so are not the bad guys, no matter how much the real perpetrators make us out to be. But back to this “all men are created equal” declaration. Is that true? In words America says, yes. In deeds, America shows, something quite different – a resounding NO! Talk truly is cheap!
The premise of us all being created equal stems in part from Bible verses such as Galatians 3:28, a verse when looked at in context, only refers to those who have accepted Christ. The twisted irony of America is that Christ did not own slaves, beat them, lynch them, break up their families and sell them like cattle. Other Bible verses America arguably used to establish the equality illusion include Galatians 1:27, Romans 2:11, Proverbs 22:2, James 2:1-4 and 8-9, Acts 10:34, Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 10:12, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 6:9 and others. Then America in God’s name, using the same Bible and violated every verse you just read.
The indigenous people of this land were never accepted as equals by the people who stole it. And my heart goes out to them in several trails of tears. The slaves who built this nation were never seen as equals by the people who made them build it or face the peril of a whip. The Klan certainly didn’t promote equality on their posters. The bullets that killed Lincoln, Kennedy and King Jr. did not bear the word “equality”. The more we push for peace and equality, the more the real America pushes back with inequality and racism. Or did I miss something? No, I didn’t.
The Tuskegee experiment just does not scream equality at me either. Nor does the treatment and sentencing of African Americans more harshly than Caucasian Americans. The night sticks, attack dogs and water hoses of the 50s and 60s, tasers and blue code coverups of the present don’t seem to promote equality either. Nor do the police attacks on unarmed crowds just a few years ago so Trump could walk across a street and stand in front of a church (uninvited) to take a photo holding what? A Bible. My God, the treachery that has been done in Your name.
The burning of Black Wall street and Rosewood don’t seem to reflect equality in America. Nor does the siege on the US capitol where “white” people were treated delicately, much differently than if they had been “black”. I don’t see equality when the founding fathers, slave masters and/or presidents of the past owned slaves, raped them and treated them like animals. Stop me when I come across the part that just screams EQUALITY IN AMERICA!
We all were born equal, at least in part and for a time. None of us, no matter what color/nationality/ethnicity, could talk, walk, feed ourselves, work or dress ourselves. But apparently the “equality” stopped there. Children were raised differently, with more opportunities, less opportunities or practically none. Education was never equal for the African American in America who attended an HBCU, not as compared to the “white” Ivy League schools. Not even today, though I concede there has been some progress.
African Americans as a people in these United States have not been able to achieve equality because many have not even been able to even acquire freedom. Mentally slavery is still right here in the good old US of A. As I have said and written many times, slavery never ended, it just changed into a form that has become less challenged and more socially, politically, economically and mentally “acceptable”. Slavery that rules the psyche, the subconscious, the soul and spirit is slavery that does not need a visible whip. It makes you whip yourself in order to please Massa. But it hits just as hard and causes even more devastation. The lingering danger is that inequality and bondage can jump from one generation to the next, almost undetected by those who live in fear, indoctrination and dark denial.
For all of you scholars with advanced degrees, know that I am keeping this article basic. But know that I could go much deeper into the anthropology, social psychology, theology and the Darwinian deception many of you have been taught, persuaded or deceived into believing. Yet this article is about reaching people, whether they agree or not. So in such case, an elevated, academic, existential or philosophical discussion to impress some of you and hear myself talk is both unnecessary and unproductive. I would much rather speak to those who need the chains broken than those who placed them there in the first place.
Here is the million dollar question. Should all of us be treated equally in America? I will not answer that for you directly today, but I will give you some things to consider. Should we be treated according to our actions and our contributions to society? Should the man who is abusive to his wife be treated the same as the man who is not? Should the woman who cheats on her husband be treated the same as the woman who is faithful? Should the straight A student be treated the same as the student who does not try at all, or is that a matter of the reasons why? Should the man who works his whole life be treated the same as the lazy man who drains the system, tries to get over and purposely fails to contribute to society?
Should the woman who steals because she does not want to pay be treated the same as the woman who steals food so her child will not starve? Should the man who refuses to pay his taxes be treated the same as the man who struggles to pay his? Should the woman who fails to pay her light bill because she lost her job be treated the same as the woman who just does not want to pay it? Should the woman who kills her unborn child with abortion for convenience be treated the same as the woman whose 1 year old child dies because she left him in a hot car? Should the police officer who kills an innocent, unarmed citizen be treated the same as a citizen who does the same thing? Should a nurse be treated the same as a doctor when they both make the exact same mistake? What about a first year attorney vs. a 20 year veteran attorney? Or what about when a DA does his job, but another DA does not? Should mistakes be treated the same as deliberate behavior?
The fact is the greater the responsibility, the greater the expectation and accountability should be. Clearly adults should not be treated the same as children who make the same mistakes. Or should they? Those are just a few examples to illustrate a point and emphasize the question. Now you think about the answers. Do your answers mean we all should be treated equally, different or it depends?
Finally know this. I am not saying that anybody has the actual real power to hold you back. Nor am I making excuses for those of you who would dare to use victimization as an excuse to drag your feet instead of trying to achieve. Reasons can become excuses. But the mere perception of the dark past and present America having the power to hold you back is often enough to paralyze the potential within many of you, as it has. A poison pill to be washed down with the Kool-Aid of self-sabotage and self-destruction. The systems in place to oppress, depress, reject, constrain and mentally castrate the African American from equality in this country are real, real and deliberate. Now what? Now you move forward anyway!
Just so you know, I am neither a Communist nor a Socialist nor a Marxist nor an Anarchist. But I do believe in calling for change through the use of laws, systems and protocols that need to be changes, revised, updated and in some cases, thrown out. I am an African American citizen of the United States and it is my right to peacefully and lawfully advocate for that change.
There are many things in America that keep all of us from being equal. Money, opportunity, connections, courage, fear, education, choices and even intellect. But neither race, nor ethnicity, nor nationality should ever determine the standards of equality nor keep us from it. Remember, the people who founded America were neither born here nor invited here. Their descendants must never forget to push for equality for all. And the definition of “equality” must always be inclusive. If it is ever exclusive, it is not equality.
Staff Writer; Trevo Craw
A Free Thinker, who loves to talk about Politics, etc. Also, all about uplifting the Black Community even if it doesn’t fit your mindset. One may hit me up at; TrevoCraw@ThyBlackMan.com.
Whie or Black the real puppet masters beautiful plan for diversity is putting all our lifeless bodies in the same giant hole
You have missed the mark, my friend. Time to end the victim mindset. You have no idea how hard you would have it, if you were in another country. I have seen things, that you obviously have not. Further, you totally left out “women,” in your essay. The Constitution was written for “Men.” Black men, and all other cultures of men included. NOT ONE SNGLE WOMAN was included in this document. Please, when one is seeking victimization, do the research, and include all. We all have stories to tell. The Black race card is not only getting OLD….very OLD but is beginning to become ad nauseam.
We are hearing more and seeing more of the consequences of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The harm caused by the stress is evident mentally, socially, physically, spiritually and financially. I submit to you that African Americans have NEVER GOTTEN to the “POST” phase. We have mostly been under and are STILL under “Traumatic Stress” every day and nearly everywhere! We were under traumatic stress during slavery. When slavery was abolished, we were still under traumatic stress. We were not effectively and consistently afforded the means, opportunities, resources, assistance or training to become successful in this country. Sharecropping or slavery by another name was allowed to flourish and victimize those newly freed. Of course, there has been some help in these areas from various quarters from time to time but never as much as needed or as necessary to foster lasting improvement. There have been more roadblocks and discouragement, many times violent, to limit us rather than help us. We have never gotten to the “Post Traumatic” phase. It was against the law to teach us how to read or educate us. The “Separate but Equal” public education was never equal for us. Discrimination in nearly every aspect of our lives keep us from achieving to our full potential. Some of us have achieved at a high level and are successful but how many more would there have been if we had trully equal access to education, financial capital, home loans, business loans, health care, jobs, etc.? For the most part, we are not treated fairly by law enforcement. There are so many double standards in police interactions. We start our conversations politely then the officer(s) may “push our buttons” by the disrespectful way they address us leading many times to escalation. Citizens who are not Black or Brown can cuss them out and yell at them and they can keep their cool and not escalate. why the different treatment and different outcomes?
We have had dozens of successful Black-owned towns and settlements destroyed, burned, and the people killed or run off with no repercussions or redress from the government (local, regional, or national). We have been and still are treated like sheep for the slaughter (lynchings of mostly Blacks and some Whites, killings of us by the police unjustly, when does it end?).
During the war on drugs crack cocaine (mostly used by the poor) was and is treated differently from powdered cocaine (used by the wealthy). The addicts, users and sellers were treated much more harshly than those involved with powdered cocaine. Rehabilitations or treatments for crack was not a priority. With the opioid epidemic the focus is now much more on treatment I think because of the demographics.
I could go on and on but I’ll mention two more topics for now. The next is affordable housing. What can we do to make housing more attainable for our people? You must have a certain level of income just to qualify for a mortgage. We have been discriminated against for jobs and under employed/unemployed. Then you must try to overcome the historic unequal ways we have been treated by the banks.
Lastly, how do we help our children get a college education if that is the goal? We need to change the paradigm on how to pay for college. We need to start thinking more about financing our education while we are attending college if possible. We/they need to look for and apply for scholarships. We need to look more for available work-study opportunities. The college loan industry is not how it started out with the government running it. It has morphed into a money generating industry for the lenders. Our focus needs to be on graduating with as little debt as possible. Try not to start out with a degree and an oppressive load of student loan debt. Think about it. Why run up a 4-year tab that will take you up to 20 or 30 years to pay back with the interest? There are other ways to do it. Work now so that you have less to pay later. Make student loans your last resort not your first.
March should be IMMIGRANTS OF COLOR MONTH to celebrate all the people who could live in comfort in Mexico and farther south, or the Caribbean or Africa but come here to build this country, even though all they get in return is abuse.
March should be IMMIGRANTS OF COLOR MONTH, to celebrate all the people who could live comfortably in the Caribbean, South America or Africa but come here to build this country, only to be abused in return.
I wish we would learn to stop using these offensively simplistic categories into which we group people. The headline refers to “Asian, Black, Latino, Native, and White Americans. While convenient for bureaucrats and social scientists, none of these groups is homogeneous and most overlap. China, India, Iran, and most of Turkey are all part of Asia. That means their inhabitants are Asian. But they have little in common with each other. “Black” people can be descended from many different ethnicities and may or may not have descended from enslaved Africans. “Latinos” can be of any race. “Native American” is commonly applied to descendants of indigenous people in the western hemisphere. But they, too, represent a multiplicity of ethnicities and historical experiences. “White Americans” descend from numerous diverse ethnicities in Europe and north Africa. Yes, it is easy to simplify our collective heritages. But we lose our sense ofwho we are and where we came from in the process.