Over 77 million people in the Disunited States of America voted for a regime that has inflicted a whirlwind of chaos, confusion, cruelty, conspiracy theories and cancellations within the first few months of their reign. Their policies and decisions show a determination to defund, dismiss, dismantle and demonize any and everything that does not center wealthy straight White able-bodied men and those who cater to their egos.
We have watched people who voted for this regime shed tears and claim they didn’t vote for this. But, they did. The 47th president spent his entire campaign disparaging marginalized people and promising to downsize the government. But, those who voted for this now claim they didn’t realize it would actually affect them. So, we get it. Millions of people were apparently OK with hardship and hate being inflicted on other people. While those folks are trying to reconcile how their hate and insensitivity boomeranged on them, Black people who saw through the bluster and anticipated the cruelty will do what we’ve always done — power through with our community.
The cabinet full of complicit loyalists who have shown no apparent knowledge or experience in the areas they now manage are anti-science, anti-diversity, anti-compassion, anti-empathy, anti-intellectual and anti-fact. Their actions indicate that they have little to no care or appreciation for people they have marginalized (almost everyone). And they appear to view Black people as only those whose sole function is to serve or entertain — but only in ways they understand or “approve.” They have made it clear that they are offended and their feelings are hurt when Black people express anything but gratitude and appreciation for the “privilege” of living in the United States and will inflict every lever of government to silence and erase whatever they don’t like. Nevermind that Black people have been here for over 400 years and our exploited talent and labor is a huge factor in the country becoming the alleged wealthiest and most powerful in the world.
Despite the fact that too many White people don’t want to hear the truth, the Black experience in the Disunited States includes centuries of land theft, extraction of labor and wages, and exploitation of resources, combined with appropriation, commercializing, packaging, merchandising and profiting off of Black people’s work. This centuries-long thievery by the White power structure is so deep and pervasive that White people who are not in the power structure — over 96 percent of corporate CEOs and over 90 percent of Republicans in the 119th Congress — feel that only they and people who look like them have the right to opportunities and comfort. They seem to think that no one else should have anything unless they already have everything.
There has been collective outrage about books that dare to center anyone but White men. They have thrown a hissy fit when a statue of a Black woman by Thomas J Price was (temporarily) placed in Times Square in the same space as the White men — Father Duffy and George M. Cohen — who are permanently in that space. Our very presence (even in fictional monument form) causes many in the white establishment, and seemingly every class, to feel uncomfortable.
Yes, there are high-profile Black people who are making millions as athletes and performers and they are lauded as long as they simply entertain while remaining silent about any social issues (ask Colin Kaepernick or LeBron James). The same level of revelry for excellence and ascension in other fields, or in positions of management or authority, is rarely shown. Many White people have made it clear that they are bothered or threatened when Black people rise to any decision-making position or create anything deemed popular or useful and expect attribution and compensation.
Memorial Day is yet another example of something initiated by Black people whose origin has been obscured while the power structure diluted it into another day for retail profit. On May 1, 1865, a group of formerly enslaved Black people in Charleston, South Carolina — one of the biggest slave ports in the country — took it upon themselves to honor Union soldiers who died in a Confederate prison. They created individual burial sites for each soldier, decorated the graves, then followed with a parade. This day was originally called “Decoration Day” and eventually expanded to honor all who died while serving the country and became a federal holiday in 1971. In the midst of Black erasure, most regard the holiday as a joyful unofficial start of summer.
Too many don’t want to think about how over 160 years ago, 2.5 half million soldiers fought for freedom as part of the Union army, with almost 180,000 of them Black. Over 600,000 people died in the Civil War — more than all casualties of all subsequent wars combined: Spanish-American, World Wars I and II, Korean, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Iran and Afghanistan. But, this country likes to forget or rewrite history.
Even though the Union won the physical battle of the Civil War, the Confederacy, which comprised 11 states and actually seceded and formed its own country with its own unique currency, a White House, president and flag, is still celebrated. Today, there are over 2,000 tributes, including almost 700 statues, to Confederate leaders, many of whom were enslavers, murderers and racial terrorists. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s 2020 murder by police, there was fleeting examination of how the country’s narrative is told, and a small percentage of the statues glorifying oppression were taken down before laws were put in place to preserve the symbols that many view as hateful. By contrast, the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., was destroyed and several George Floyd tributes have or will be eliminated. Learning or caring about the Black experience has become too difficult and uncomfortable for many who were temporary allies in the immediate aftermath of Floyd’s murder. Millions would rather exercise willful ignorance and blissful erasure of state-sanctioned violence, centuries of systemic oppression, as well as the positive contributions of African Americans. People who don’t want to hear about injustice happily enjoy spaces where horrors took place, such as having weddings at plantations. Or visiting resorts in places like Hilton Head or public spaces like Central Park built on razed Black communities.
The white power structure has a long history of stealing and profiting from our work or style. Thomas Edison stole ideas and obtained patents for inventions of Granville T Woods, and myriad White performers became international stars by co-opting and appropriating musical styles and dance moves from Black people. The theft of ideas by those who don’t appreciate Black people as equals continues to this day.
The efforts to silence those who expose and criticize the appropriation, monetization, dehumanization and exploitation has reached new peaks. As the current regime defunds museums, organizations and programs, bans books, and wages an all-out war to erase the existence of Black people and other marginalized groups (except in ways that comfort them).
Black people, like many other Americans, spend Memorial Day in community with family and friends. Folks grill, smoke meat, mix their special sauces, make potato salads (without raisins), play cards and whatever else brings them joy. This year’s holiday was observed in the midst of a tsunami of attacks against Black people and many programs and services we care about. But, in order to maintain our sanity, we take time to express joy in the midst of struggle.
Some people are confused when they see Black people line dancing, laughing, and expressing any kind of joy. We know that a war is being waged against us. But fighting against a power structure that never intended to include or uplift Black people is nothing new. As we break out our boots and fans to dance to music created by Black people we know we stand on the ground where our ancestors fought and died for our freedom. We realize that people don’t understand our experience and perspective because they choose not to. We’re not seeking understanding or approval. We are seeking justice, credit, equal opportunity, renumeration, and peace. That is all. And it will come some day.
