(ThyBlackMan.com) As African Americans in the United States, our ability to understand the suffering of other marginalized groups run deep. When you have spent an entire history battling oppression, you not only recognize the oppression of others but you want to reach out to them. You want to help them. This is the history of our people. It is very difficult for us to sit back and watch another group be undone when we know what that will mean for their generations to come. Unfortunately, this is not the case for African Americans as this type of empathy is not reciprocated towards us. Though we are the group that will stand on the frontline with others, we tend to find ourselves on the front lines alone. There’s always a hidden agenda as to why others will stand with us. There always seems to be an ulterior motive that involves shaming or blaming African Americans while they suffer. Our needs are never prioritized. It is an unspoken understanding that we are to prioritize others when it comes to the ideal of movement. We are never to look out for the well interest of our community, our families, and our children if it is ever in conflict with another marginalized group. If you’ve been on social media lately, you will see a very heartbreaking back and forth between African Americans, and those that are pro-Palestinian. This is all due to the election season.
There are pro Palestinian activists that are berating African Americans for choosing to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris instead of Donald Trump. This is something I can’t seem to wrap my mind around because I don’t know why they feel Trump is a better option for their people, or our people. Unlike Vice President Kamala Harris, Donald Trump has served as president previous and did Palestinian stop dying? Under the Trump administration, were the lives of African Americans better protected? The answer to both of those questions is the same, No Palestinians still died, and African Americans were still targeted at a higher number. Since it seems that this group doesn’t understand what this election means for African Americans that live in the United States. It is time that we as a people step back and reevaluate our priorities. It’s time to make our community number one and our list of interests, as we ourselves must secure our ability to survive and thrive.
This isn’t just a position that we need to take overall as a nation, but we need to look internally at our family, internally at our communities, and we need to prioritize ourselves this November. I live in New Orleans, LA and there are so many different things happening in this city in regard to restructure, still rebuilding from Katrina, and the marginalization of the native African Americans that are from New Orleans. We find that it’s more difficult for us to rent property and own property. Our children are marginalized in school spaces. We are not prioritized at all, but our culture is at the foundation of the culture that feeds the tourism of the city. However, the people that decide to move to New Orleans that are not black are prioritized. Other POC’s are prioritized and now we are in a dead heat battle not only for the culture of our city, but for the ability to be able to live and thrive in the place that we are from. We can’t take on the fight of other groups right now. We literally have to be pro black, seriously. That may sound cruel to others only because they’re used to us prioritizing them. No this is not the oppression Olympics this is the United States and in the United States of America since 1776 for the US, and 1619 when it’s the British, Black people in this country have had to fight a horrendous battle not only for rights, but first and foremost for humanity to be acknowledged. If you’re not from the United States, I’m not gonna expect you to understand. Just know that our leaders, our civil rights leaders, fought for our rights, and they fought for yours as well. But right now, we must fight for our own.
It would not be wise to get on social media, or any other outlet and try to shame African Americans for voting in their best interest. No, many of us don’t completely agree with all of the policies of Vice President Kamala Harris. We don’t agree with all the positions of the Democratic Party congressionally. However, we know better than to try to survive under a Trump administration. We already know what that means for us because we have already survived such. Please don’t try to shame us into not fighting for our own children. The days of putting the liberation of others on par with, or ahead of ourselves has ended. Right now, many of us will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris because it is in our best interest and safety as Black people and as Americans to do so. And that’s what we will do. If you are offended by this, please check your anti blackness at the door as we will no longer tolerate it. This is not just on a national scale. But it is on a state level, on a local level.
Black people must now rise up and say we are no longer tolerating the anti-blackness, and we will speak to it not only from others outside of our community, but we will also speak to it from misguided African Americans within our own community. Grant it, the shop talk as we call it, is something we need to have amongst ourselves because some of our own people have gotten this twisted, not realizing that they are perpetuating and supporting their own demise. But that’s a conversation for another day. Our people must come first in 2024. It can be no other way, and as always, if we can help someone along the way we are always here to do so. But right now, Black America needs to be #1 to Black America.
Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James
May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.