Happy Hump Day … I am not sure how some folks feel after that verdict in St. Anthony, MN … but I am disappointed …
How much does a “black man” have to do to save his own life? Is it possible?? The double-standard never ceases to amaze me! It’s like, some Americans in all walks of life STILL have this notion that THEY must define “us” … and it is seldom good! I often adopt the attitude of “teacher” when I encounter folks who may mean well, but refuse to see things through MY eyes … I am a “black man” aka African American male! I have seen and heard things that people of another race will NEVER have to experience … and can NEVER understand! For example, I have tried to teach about the use of the “n-word”. There was a white guy whom I befriended who wanted to use the “n-word” with me … because “Tupac” used it!! He wanted to sing “Tupac” songs around me with the n-word in them! I tried to explain to that person, after a heated argument or two, that he is not “Tupac”, he is not a rapper and he is not an African American … So, I told him, don’t use that word around me. Most people don’t understand how the use of that word is perceived by people of different races … those who are NOT African American. It is a very sensitive subject … In fact, a book was written about the word “Nigger”. It is entitled: “Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word” (2002), by Randal Kennedy, a professor at Harvard University. Read it!
What do YOU think of when you see an African American man … ? Does it depend on how he is dressed or whom he is with … or if he is legally carrying a firearm? What do you think Jeronimo Yanez was thinking when he pulled over Philando Castile’s girlfriend, Ms. Reynolds who had her daughter in the back seat, and her boyfriend on the passengers side? Did you see this video?? It is quite alarming … to say the least. The jury acquitted the officer of “2nd degree manslaughter”. Many people, especially those of color and NRA affiliates, filled the streets of St. Paul in protest of this travesty of justice. You see, it is hard to tell what is in a person’s mind when they see a “black male”, even though recently, we have had several situations where African American women/girls have been abused while in the custody of law enforcement. I was sent a video yesterday on social media, I don’t know how authentic it is, of an officer handcuffing a young girl in a jailhouse (I don’t know where) and forcing his genital inside of her while fully clothed and on camera, punching the girl that was apparently an African American teenager, until she allowed him to rape her!
What do you think that jury was thinking when they acquitted Yanez? Why do you think that the police department is separating themselves from Yanez? As I tell most people, you don’t have to agree with me, but hopefully you can be enlightened and learn something that you think you already know … even if you are well meaning. For example, I am an educator … I talk about my personal health issues in hopes that someone can learn from mine … to get checked for prostate cancer. Quite often, I get feedback from folks who share their personal experiences and encourage ME, perhaps, to change my mind on some things that I think are correct. We are never too old, nor too educated, to learn. I really hope some positive things come out of the “murder of Philando Castile” as ex-officer Jeronimo Yanez shot and killed him within 40 seconds of the stop, while shooting him OVER Castile’s girlfriend who also had her daughter in the back seat. I won’t try to explain more … but … Have you seen THIS video?!?
Peace,
Educational Excellence 