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In COVID Time
As the country and world is hit by the Coronavirus-19 pandemic, Essential Workers--People of Color among their majority--are disproportionately impacted. Businesses and governments shut down, citizens shelter in place, as COVID-related deaths deal an especially hard blow to the African American community. Youth, no longer having their school, basketball court and community park, to learn, release energy and play, are our social/emotional casualties. Then a second pandemic--Racial Injustice--forces its way into the public consciousness.
racial justice
DEMAND FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
The Lynching of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed in what has been defined as a modern day lynching, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down, pleading for his life, repeatedly saying "I can't breathe", and calling for his deceased mother. Three other officers stood by while preventing bystanders from intervening. During the final three minutes, Floyd was motionless with no pulse while Chauvin ignored onlookers' pleas to remove his knee, which he did only when medics intervened.
Days passed after videos made by witnesses became public before the four officers were fired, and Chauvin charged with third-degree murder. After public outcry, second-degree murder was added, and the three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Floyd's death sparked mass demonstrations and protests across the country and the world against racism and police brutality. While cities and states nationwide move to address police abuse and excessive use of force, Calls to Defund the Police and restructure and create community-based systems of public safety gain momentum as citizens Demand Racial Justice and an End to Systemic Racism.
A County Sheriff stated, "The Public Narrative has Changed, especially after high-profile cases involving the deaths of black men." That untold numbers of black men, women and children have been intimidated, demeaned, brutalized and killed for centuries with impunity, that we now begin to be 'Woke,' speaks to a unique historical Moment. In the midst of a viral pandemic, we shelter in place, we are less distracted, we experience the loss of "normality," life as we know it. We see African-Americans and People of Color--Essential Workers--who are helping us all to survive, suffering disproportionate losses, of their life and livelihood. We see a young Black woman gunned down in her own home in the middle of the night. We see captured on video, a young Black man shot in the back by white racists while jogging on a residential street, and no one is immediately arrested or charged. We experience--visibly, audibly, viscerally--the life of an innocent Black man being snuffed out, nonchalantly, in broad daylight, by a public servant whose duty it is to protect and serve, while the dying man and distraught bystanders plead for his life. An assault on our senses, our common humanity. We begin to see and feel another's pain as our own. We see the physical threat and danger to their bodies that Black people face daily due solely to the color of their skin. Commentator, Van Jones, with a voice full of emotion, "A Miracle is Taking Place. Somebody Killed A Black Man and Everybody Cares. We don't even know what to call This Moment." Are we waking to the real pandemic killing us all--Violence to body and soul, from historic systemic racism and oppression, social and economic injustice and inequality? The Public Narrative has Changed. We are Moved to Educate Ourselves, Speak Out, Take Action. This Moment. If Not Now, When?
March to Sheriff's Dept. - San Diego - June 6, 2020
Protesters marched to the San Diego County Sheriffs' Dept, and took a knee chanting, "I Can't Breathe," recalling the words of George Floyd and countless others killed by police using neck restraints, chokeholds, and excessive use of force, with impunity.
The Power of Dissent, Advocacy and Organized Action
The Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego County (RJCSD) is a testament to what can be accomplished when citizens organize, speak out and act with purpose and commitment. RJC, with its grassroots allies, has been active for years, demanding an end to police brutality and a ban on carotid neck restraints, initiating the "I Can't Breathe" Campaign. RJC advocates for an end to lethal force, chokeholds, gang registration, curbing, gang suppression units and canine units; stronger community review boards for police accountability; and systemic restructuring of law enforcement for community-based public safety. As a result of their efforts, San Diego banned neck restraints, and proclaimed June 23rd as Racial Justice Coalition Day, to honor RJC's work on behalf of justice for the community.
Rally for Justice - San Diego - June 13, 2020
A poster names those killed at the hands of police, with No Convictions--Eric Garner (2014) whose last words also were "I Can't Breathe," Trayvon Martin (2013), Tamir Rice (age 12, 2014), Michael Brown (2014), LaQuan McDonald (Age 17, 2014), Sandra Bland (2015), and countless others. Another poster demands Justice for Earl McNeil, a local resident suffering with mental illness, who called the police for help, then was suffocated and died in police custody.
Marching for Justice - San Diego - June 14, 2020
Juneteenth - Artists 4 Black Lives - San Diego - June 19, 2020
Known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the U.S. with Texas being the last state to receive the federal orders, in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.
At the Purchaser's Option – Composer, Rhiannon Giddens -
Rhiannon Giddens' songs, traditional songs from the 1800s and early 1900s, like work songs, are rooted in the history of African Americans' struggle for survival and freedom. “At The Purchaser’s Option,” performed at this Juneteenth gathering, Artists 4 Black Lives, is a defiant tune that bears similarity to the work songs enslaved blacks were known to sing. It was inspired by a 19th century slave advertisement once printed in a newspaper. “For sale, a remarkable smart healthy Negro wench, about 22 years of age; used to both house work and farming.” The advertisement indicates she has a child that is 9 months old. The child will be taken from her and sold “at the purchaser’s option.”
In Giddens’ song, the 22 year-old woman grapples with the fact that her owner will sell her child. She recounts how she was trafficked by her owner, how she works overtime and her “fingers bleed” to enrich her owner. She is exploited and degraded, but no matter how she is mistreated and dehumanized, she has one solemn pledge. “You can take my body. You can take my bones. You can take my blood, but not my soul.” It is a slow building song with a measured tempo that serves to amplify the woman’s resolve.
As Giddens described, At the Purchaser’s Option” may be a phrase from an era of slavery passed, but the song still applies to those in slavery currently. "I sang the song at a gala for an organization that helps to free women who have been trafficked,” “Modern slavery is huge, and there are still women who have no control over their bodies and their children.”
Lift Every Voice and Sing:
The Black National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was written at a pivotal time, when Jim Crow was replacing slavery and African-Americans were searching for an identity. Author and activist James Weldon Johnson wrote the words as a poem, which his brother John then set to music.
rolling for rights
San Diego - June 20, 2020-
1000 Skateboarders strong rolled onto the streets of San Diego, to protest and demand Racial Justice and an End to Systemic Racism.
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