By: Gerald Royster
So the events in Charlottesville rocked me today. Not because there were college kids with Walmart tiki torches storming the campus of UVA… Not even the protest over defending a confederate statue was what put me off. No it’s the fact that this is still a thing in 2017 that blows my mind! It’s the fact that this white supremacist weren’t treated the same way they treated protesters in Baltimore, Ferguson, and countless other cities that involved black protesters. It’s the fact that over and over whenever something like this happens those Alt Right, vocal supporters are now silent on a day where a person has lost there life!
To be honest it has taken me nearly 12 hours to get my thoughts straight because of how messed up this situation has been. I’ve talked to my LitTube brothers, I’ve talked to my future wife, I’ve even talked to my mother and the truth of the matter no matter where I’ve gone we all agree this is all really messed up! This is not the way this country should be, sadly this is how it’s always been… You see it time and time again! When the hell will everyone stand up and fight against hate and injustice?
Now please allow me to go back on something I said I wasn’t going to talk about… I said earlier this week that I was done talking about the Kaepernick situation for a bit… now before you log off this post allow me to explain the preface. The same people that are demonstrating in the name of “White Power” are the same people who would jump into any comment section across explaining how unpatriotic Collin is! They’ll go on and on about how he has disrespected this country by kneeling during the national anthem in the name of fighting against police brutality and racial injustice. They’ll be the first ones to defend Cops who unlawfully kill innocent civilians without admitting there is a severe systematic issue! Here’s the punch line though ladies and gentleman that have suffered through my mini tirade! They are the same idiots, defending a flag of a groups of rebels who lost a war from nearly 150 years ago. Some of these individuals salute and praise a flag of a nation of genocidal maniacs that the entire world was involved in a war over!
I’m not a fan of things that don’t make sense. You know what I mean, tall people in smart cars, Cheating athletes, the 2016 election, etc. What doesn’t make sense is how all these racist people expect us to sit back silently as they pull back historical and present day scars of violence and terror as they march down city streets!
Anyone remember Dylan Roof? Yeah the guy who sat with a group of black church members… sat for a while too, knowing what he was going to do before he unleashed unholy hell in that church!
Anyone remember Timothy McVeigh who planned in great detail, inspired by fascist, and white supremacist to carry out one of the most devastating domestic terror acts in American history! Yeah you remember that right, I was a kid when that happened.
Anyone remember hearing about the countless lynchings and church bombings rocked he south in the 50s, and 60s? You know especially the one where three little black girls were killed just because they were black and at the wrong church at the wrong time? Yeah we remember!
That’s why I don’t condone or even remotely give them benefit of the doubt if the 1st amendment! Freedom of speech goes out the door when your message encourages hate, and violence at a historical level!
That’s why the events in Charlottesville today rocked me so hard, because it was a reminder no matter what I do, no matter how much education I have under my belt or how good my job is, I’ll forever in the eyes of a very vocal minority be scum, be less than human and be hated for something I couldn’t even control or ever would want to change! It rocked me because I know my white fiancée worries extra hard if I was ever pulled over by police. It worries me because I’m scared my future biracial children may have to choose a side when I know I’ll do everything in my power to raise them to be proud of both sides of their lineage!
What bothers me is less about the event but more about the symbolism! Symbolism of something we need to change! A good part of the country cried about “Making America Great Again”… I asked it then, and I’ll ask it again, who are you hoping to make America great for again? Because if it’s in the hands of those Alt Right and White supremacy supporters, it isn’t going to be great for me or anyone I know! Our only option to make America great is to rise above Hate and discrimination and speak out above it! You don’t have to like anyone, no one is saying that, but you also don’t have to waste time on hate an tormenting and causing fear! ISIS, the Taliban, and Al Qaeda all cause hate and fear and destruction, Neo-Nazis, KKK, and White Supremacist are no different in my eyes. They’re the exact same, and if you try and deny that, then you’re apart of the problem!
Peace, Love, and Positivity.
Gerald Royster is editor of MaxLit Media and News Group and a contributor to Hill1New. For more articles from Gerald, please visit MaxLit.com
Article reprinted with permission. All rights are reserved.
Originally published August 25, 2017
Be the first to comment