Monday, August 18, 2014

Thoughts, emotions, and awareness…

Longtime readers know that I’m a bit addicted to the history of social justice movements. After this week, I can’t help pondering how the distance of time informs the way events are viewed. I have lived through more than my fair share of before and after events…those moments that shift everything and never fade away. Ferguson now joins that list…and the only thing I’m certain of is that nothing will ever be the same.

Thoughts…
Nothing like a rapidly unfolding social justice happening to remind the masses why the press matters, that black radio has a unique and important role in our community, and that citizen journalism matters. 

For folk following around the world, coverage from journalists on the ground have helped them better understand what’s going on in Ferguson and how we got here.

For those of us who live in the St. Louis area, many of us are grateful even as we accept the reality that this level of coverage will not hold…even as the fear of what the eyes of the world shifting away hovers over every day.

For now, the whole world is watching and that is a good thing.

Emotions…
Last night I finally took a moment to have a serious cry.

Not quiet or delicate, but ugly and intense. 

I let all of the emotion of the past week roll over me until my lungs hurt and my hands curled into a fist so tight my nails left marks.

I needed that…even though it didn’t make it all better, even though it didn’t purge a damn thing.

I just needed to release the pressure, because we’ve got another week ahead of us, and long road left to march.

Awareness…
Years ago, I wrote about the death of Anna Brown, a young black mother who was denied healthcare at a local hospital then arrested for trespassing only to be left to die in agony from blood clots on a jail cell floor. When I shared the post on Facebook, I also linked to an article in our daily newspaper and cautioned readers not to read the comments. One reader asked why I added that caution…why I didn’t read the comments to find out how other folk felt about the incident. And I told her that my experience was that many comments were awful, callous and cruel celebrations of oppression, assault, death or humiliation…and I added that it is extra painful, somehow more jarring, to know that the people saying horrible things are my fellow St. Louisans.

Fast forward to the now…and I can’t dodge those comments. There is no filter at the grocery store, waiting at the Walgreens, reading Facebook or Twitter hashtag feeds.

And its more than just a lot of opinions about the killing of Michael Brown or the events still evolving in Ferguson…there’s more here than just a difference of perspective.

There is that same celebration of oppression, assault, death and humiliation that dominates the comment section of my local daily newspaper…offered up without shame sometimes by people I’ve known for years.

This past week I’ve seen the best of many and the worst of more than I would have predicted.

Kind of sums up the whole happening that is Ferguson – our best and worst, our accomplishments and our failings, what we are getting right and what we need to fix, and why we can’t all just agree to disagree then move on as if nothing happened.

So…

Ferguson is now on my list of before and after happenings…

…and the only thing I’m certain of is that nothing will ever be the same. 

14 comments:

J9 said...

I honestly don't know what to do or say. I have friends in St. Louis, and I feel horribly for all of us. I hope the conversation continues, with the oppressed welcomed to the table. I fear that will not be the case though.

Daisy Deadhead said...

On our radio show today, we talked about the major difference between Trayvon and Michael Brown: the first shot by a wannabe/fake cop, the latter by a real one. The racist commentary around both incidents is remarkably the same, though. And this time the kkk is openly raising $ for the cop, but the last time, they did it under cover and didn't publicly name themselves the way they are now.

Its all so much worse this time.

Anonymous said...

I have been obsessively following this horrorshow and completely outraged and mystified at the response of the police and governor. And now National Guard?

Is there a conversation? Everything seems so chaotic from outside. (I'm in New York, where former Mayor Giuliani loved to militarize the police force.)

Rilesydtr said...

Strength.

dinthebeast said...

Maybe the changes these events end up having brought about will be for the better. That's what we have to hope (and work) for, isn't it?
I don't know what else to say about this, except that it's good to read your writing again, even if it has to be about this. So thank you.

-Doug in Oakland

Anonymous said...

Returned to your blog after not reading it for a few years...I want to be hopeful but all I can think of is 'plus ca change, c'est meme la chose' and The Who's song 'Won't Get Fooled Again' -- I think none of us really knows yet what will come of the conflagration in #Ferguson -- in the long run, that is...Please continue blogging when you feel up to it. Thank you, Tom

NancyP said...

Thank you for your interview at RH Repro Watch.

macacalicious said...

I don't know if anyone told you that our mutual friend Delux_Vivens passed away suddenly on Aug. 29. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but if it was me, I would have wanted to know. You can send me a message at my dreamwidth account "macacalicious" -- her funeral will be this Saturday morning in Brooklyn

thekidnexxtdoor said...

Just back on my blog and catching up with your writings; I used to read you quite frequently. The pains I feel about Ferguson and things in general fill me with fear and anger.....Shit has just gone so wrong. I see you haven't put words out in a while and I hope you come back..... Peace.

Laura said...

I'm just thinking of you, on this day after the announcement that no charges will be brought against Officer Wilson. I am praying for us all, that no further harm comes to the people of Ferguson.

brian said...

The more things change....

agen bola sbobet terpercaya said...

thanks for sharing this posting :)

Unknown said...

Thank you very much for this, I too have been utterly revolted at the comments which are allowed to stand. One thing I noticed though and doubtful if it's any comfort. But I was also reading other subjects as a break from the racism, and specifically when the subject is autism and transgenderism, it is as if all the news outlets have a moderator standing by yanking the offensive comments as they arrive.

It was noticeable. Somebody would post a horrendous comment and two seconds later it would be gone. But only when the subject was Not-Racism. Call me paranoid but I don't think that was by accident. Why would the mainstream media (yahoo, msnbc etc) decided that it was advantageous to allow those horrific racist comments to stand, what benefit would they receive from having some white and black people at each other's throats? Somebody benefits, but who?

judionline77 said...

nice post n thanks
Judi Bola

The Gumdrop Stage of Grief ...

So many of you have shared condolences and support after the death of my beloved brother Bill from COVID-19. I wish I could thank you indiv...