So What Does It Really Mean

September 20, 2007 marked the day of what many are coining the start of the “new civil rights movement.” Tens of thousands gathered in Jena, a small town in central Louisiana, to protest what they saw as racial injustice in the prosecution of six black teens, known collectively as the Jena 6. The estimated 15,000 to 20,000 demonstrators shut down the town of 3,000 in central Louisiana. Many residents left for the day, and government agencies, businesses and schools were closed.

Much to my surprise, on every local and main news network were scenes from the march in Jena. It was sincerely moving to see so many people of all colors and ages in such a peaceful light. I don’t know what brought me more pride and joy, all of the black faces that looked like mine, or the distress in the reporters voices when they announced “surprisingly the march is going smoothly with no arrest as of yet.”

The March

Last Thursday’s rally, heavily promoted on the Internet, radio and publications, had been planned to coincide with Mychal Bell’s sentencing, but organizers decided to press ahead even after the conviction was thrown out.

Al Sharpton admonished the demonstrators to remain peaceful, and there were no reports of trouble as of mid-morning. White residents in the predominantly white town of 3,000 have largely been reluctant to comment, saying privately that the town was being unfairly portrayed.
A group of about a dozen white residents and black demonstrators engaged in an animated but not angry exchange during the march. Whites asked blacks if they were aware of Bell’s criminal record, blacks replied that Jena High School administrators mishandled the incidents. Another white resident, Bill Williamson, 59, said he tried to convince visitors that the town was being treated unfairly and that Mychal Bell belonged in jail. “I think we changed one man’s mind,” he said. “But most of these people don’t want to hear.”

The demonstrators included large numbers of civil right movement veterans and college students from across the region that weren’t alive in the 1960s. Elizabeth Redding, 63, of Willingboro, NJ, said she marched at Selma when she was in her 20s. “This is worse, because we didn’t get the job done,” she said as she walked up a hill leading to the park rally. “I never believed that this would be going on in 2007.”

Not Just Jena

The largest civil-rights demonstration in decades resonated with some Triangle residents, prompting them to demonstrations and legal actions of their own. However, one beautiful thing about this day was that the march didn’t just stop in Jena. While many from the Triangle joined the busloads traveling to Louisiana, others protested closer to home. North Carolina Central University students collected donations for a legal defense fund for the six teenagers.
More than 100 students gathered at Shaw University, wearing T-shirts and holding signs that read “Free the Jena Six.” Dr. William Barber, head of the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, addressed the students. Rallies were also held at the University of North Carolina-Chapel and North Carolina State University as well as Temple University. Protestors marched on Broad Street in Newark, NJ, for once it seemed like the oppressed were finally sick and tired of being sick and tired. No more talking, finally, some action.

Well Almost Peaceful

A Louisiana city that hosted many of the “Jena 6″ protesters Thursday became the site of a racially charged incident of its own. Not even 40 miles southwest of Jena, Police in Alexandria, arrested two people who were driving a red pickup Thursday night with two nooses hanging off the back of the vehicle. The two were said to repeatedly pass groups of demonstrators who were waiting for buses back to their home states.

The driver of the red truck identified as Jeremiah Munsen, 18, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor — a reference to the 16-year-old passenger. Munsen also was charged with driving while intoxicated and inciting to riot, according to the police report.
As officials were questioning the driver, he said he had an unloaded rifle in the back of the truck, which police found. They also found a set of brass knuckles in a cup holder on the dashboard, the police report said.

The passenger told police he and his family are in the Ku Klux Klan and that he had KKK tattooed on his chest, the police report said. He also said that he tied the nooses and that the brass knuckles belonged to him, the report said.

So What Does It Really Mean?

I could barely sleep that night with visions of witnessing and possibly being a part of the civil rights movement of the 21st century. However, as these thoughts played out in my mind that night, they were drained just as quick if not faster when I woke up the next morning and had to stomach watching every media outlet watch O.J. travel back to Florida from Las Vegas after posting bail. Not even 48 hours since people had returned to their respective homes had the “movement,” faded out like that fire crack that you’re waiting to really give that big bang, and simply fizzles out.

Not only did it hurt, but it more so left me confused. I mean we had the media’s attention for a day at least, and people actually showed up this time. And just to add injury to insult, the judge has refused to lower his $90,000 bail, citing Bell’s record, which includes four juvenile offenses – two simple battery charges among them. This in itself really troubled me, because days before the march, I saw Mos Def on Bill Maher stating adamantly that he was going down to Jena and going to get on the phone with Jay and 50. I’m like damn even David Bowie gave $10,000. Understand this is not a personal attack at Mos, I love his work and dude is definitely and activist however, it put it all in perspective for me. We truly do not know the meaning of a demonstration.

As stated from Wikipedia A demonstration is historically and geographically common form of nonviolent action by groups of people. The term “demonstration” was coined in the United States during the civil rights movement of the 1950s-1970s and refers to the public display of the common opinion of a group of people. Demonstrations are a form of activism, usually taking the form of a public gathering of people in a rally or walking in a march. At times, more interventionist actions such as blockades and sit-ins have been referred to as demonstrations. Thus, the opinion is demonstrated to be significant by gathering in a crowd associated with that opinion.

After reading this definition it would appear that we fit the criteria, however we are missing one main ingredient….the element of struggle. We can march, rally, picket, or even form sit-ins, yet none of this will matter without sacrifice. Founder of Scheme , voiced his opinion that a march really wouldn’t change a thing. And to his credit he is right, at least until we change our way of thinking first.

I side with Co-founder Bfieldboy’s comments where he mentioned that our generation is detached because we didn’t have to endure struggle and sacrifice like our ancestors. His words could not be truer. Some of our grandparents and maybe even parents depending on geographical location, grew up at a time where they had the good old fashioned blatant racism, “No Niggers allowed,” “Whites Only,” as opposed to the times we live in where things are more subliminal.

Not dismissing the society we live in either, I mean as much as the older generations criticizes us, no one ever mentions that we represent the true “80’s baby,” from the Crack and AIDS epidemic to the age of the fatherless child our generation is definitely struggling. With the lack of parenting and the materialistic society we live in, we are raising a culture of individuals not community. If you disagree with this just ask yourself, besides maybe the two apts/houses next to you, do you really know who your neighbors are? We have no unity, but this is not evident only in the black community. Men and women can’t get along, young and old constantly are blaming one another, this definitely won’t aide the efforts for change. How can you be marching next to someone who perceives you to actually be part of the problem?
To you Christians out there such as myself, a demonstration can be analogized as a form of a fast. As you know, from a spiritual standpoint, fasting sometimes can be used to wait on God either for direction or unanswered prayers. This is a personal challenge to those of you who demand change, to train your minds to think differently by giving up something of significant importance for the next month. As outlandish as this may sound, please humor me or at least pass it on. Once again, the purpose of this exercise is to bring us home to what is really important. There is no way that with all those that marched, with all the so called interest from our Black leaders that Bell is still sitting in jail. For my contribution I will be giving up alcohol. It is all on the individual to what you choose to give up.

For those of you, who already haven chosen not to participate, at least forward this article to all that you know. You never know who you maybe reaching. Without awareness we really can’t blame people for not changing. The first coverage by Scheme of the Jena 6 brought about that much needed awareness, however, it more importantly created a forum for people to voice their anger and concern. Let’s build off of this momentum that is quickly fading, because it doesn’t stop there. Talk radio personality joked in regards to the lack of support for the victim of the West Virginia tragedy that we as a people can’t deal with more than one crisis at a time. Unfortunately her words carry certain truths. Just look at the Sean Bell case, hours before the wedding ceremony, he was killed when five undercover police officers fired 50 shots at a car carrying him and two friends outside of a strip club. Although we marched and rallied, that soon faded as well. We have to realize in order to create a real “movement,” it is something that has to build over time. We live in a delusional society were we march Monday and expect change by Wednesday.

It is time we as a people stand up and get a little uncomfortable. It’s so easy to turn away when the problem doesn’t affect your home, however, these injustices indirectly play a role in all of our lives. “We all have family members about the age of these guys. We said it could have been one of them. We wanted to try to do something,” said Angela Merrick, 36, who drove with three friends from Atlanta to protest the treatment of the teens.
Men [and Women] may not get all they pay for
in this world, but they pay for all they get.

If we ever get free
from the oppressions and wrong heaped on us,
we must pay for their removal.
We must do this
by labor,
by suffering,
by sacrifice,
and if needs be
by our lives and the lives of others

No Struggle, No Progress
Frederick Douglass, 1857