I would like to correct the previous post which indicates that none of the students had records as I have found out that Mychal Bell was convicted as a juvenile of battery. Will look into this, but I still believe that to charge the youths as adults for attempted murder initially was excessive.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
I Love My People - Keep the Movement Going
This post was supposed to go up yesterday, but here it is a day late.
Feeling good to be a Black woman today!
The end of the day has finally arrived! Thank you Jesus! As I hop into my black SUV the late summer sun is beaming and the thermostat reads a whopping 85, which explains why I'm feeling all sticky right now. I tune into the Michael Baisden show on WZAK FM 93.1 and immediately my state of discomfort is washed away as I listen to the brothers talking about the march and rally planned for the next day in Jena, LA. The sun shining down on me as become the beacon and ray of hope in my world as I smile with deep pride.
Not since the Million Man March have I felt such a deep pride in my brothers and sisters, particularly the younger set. My emotions are heightened, but at the same time I'm kicking myself for not being in a position to make that journey - this is history in the making! Many people were still making light of the situation and straddling fences, but I knew deep within my being that the BROTHERS would step up in LARGE numbers to bring attention to one of the many injustices leveled against my people on a daily basis.
Fast forward to this morning. Every morning I awaken to the sounds of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and today was no different than any other except I also turned on the television to see if the majority media had decided this was a story WORTHY of their coverage. I was pleasantly surprised to see NBC and CNN with reporters on scene reporting back that the buses were rolling in large numbers.
I proudly donned by black apparel in support of the Jena 6 and began my short commute to work. In route I tuned into the Russ Parr Morning Show and caught Rev. Jesse Jackson's interview. Arriving at work I was pleased to see that many of my co-workers had also donned black in support of the Jena 6 and there was a buzz in the air as everyone wanted to know, "Have you heard anything, has the march started?"
Tuning into to cnn.com we were able to keep an ear and eye on the activities during the day and to see the masses gathered took me back to October 16, 1995 and the bubbling joy I felt as I traveled I-76 to the nation's capital in a sea of black.
As I wallow in joy this evening my hope is that the Movement continues. I continue to discount the naysayers who have claimed "these were bad boys - they have records." Well if that were the case I'm sure this would be plastered across the television, newspapers and the blogsphere!
Do I support the act of violence that landed these young men in jail? No, violence is not the answer, but over zealous prosecution is not either! If high school brawls were subject to this type of prosecution across the board we would have a lot of vacant high schools.
I applaud Michael Baisden, Rev. Al Sharpton, Tom Joyner, Ice Cube, Rev. Jesse Jackson and the countless others who stood up for injustice! It warms my heart to see that so many of our young people have found something that they can come together on.
Take the spirit, energy and conviction for right and wrong to your hometowns, schools and communities and let's show the world that we are strong and committed race of people who will no longer settle for what is offered and will stand up when we know that our rights have been trampled on!
Feeling good to be a Black woman today!
The end of the day has finally arrived! Thank you Jesus! As I hop into my black SUV the late summer sun is beaming and the thermostat reads a whopping 85, which explains why I'm feeling all sticky right now. I tune into the Michael Baisden show on WZAK FM 93.1 and immediately my state of discomfort is washed away as I listen to the brothers talking about the march and rally planned for the next day in Jena, LA. The sun shining down on me as become the beacon and ray of hope in my world as I smile with deep pride.
Not since the Million Man March have I felt such a deep pride in my brothers and sisters, particularly the younger set. My emotions are heightened, but at the same time I'm kicking myself for not being in a position to make that journey - this is history in the making! Many people were still making light of the situation and straddling fences, but I knew deep within my being that the BROTHERS would step up in LARGE numbers to bring attention to one of the many injustices leveled against my people on a daily basis.
Fast forward to this morning. Every morning I awaken to the sounds of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and today was no different than any other except I also turned on the television to see if the majority media had decided this was a story WORTHY of their coverage. I was pleasantly surprised to see NBC and CNN with reporters on scene reporting back that the buses were rolling in large numbers.
I proudly donned by black apparel in support of the Jena 6 and began my short commute to work. In route I tuned into the Russ Parr Morning Show and caught Rev. Jesse Jackson's interview. Arriving at work I was pleased to see that many of my co-workers had also donned black in support of the Jena 6 and there was a buzz in the air as everyone wanted to know, "Have you heard anything, has the march started?"
Tuning into to cnn.com we were able to keep an ear and eye on the activities during the day and to see the masses gathered took me back to October 16, 1995 and the bubbling joy I felt as I traveled I-76 to the nation's capital in a sea of black.
As I wallow in joy this evening my hope is that the Movement continues. I continue to discount the naysayers who have claimed "these were bad boys - they have records." Well if that were the case I'm sure this would be plastered across the television, newspapers and the blogsphere!
Do I support the act of violence that landed these young men in jail? No, violence is not the answer, but over zealous prosecution is not either! If high school brawls were subject to this type of prosecution across the board we would have a lot of vacant high schools.
I applaud Michael Baisden, Rev. Al Sharpton, Tom Joyner, Ice Cube, Rev. Jesse Jackson and the countless others who stood up for injustice! It warms my heart to see that so many of our young people have found something that they can come together on.
Take the spirit, energy and conviction for right and wrong to your hometowns, schools and communities and let's show the world that we are strong and committed race of people who will no longer settle for what is offered and will stand up when we know that our rights have been trampled on!
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