From a good fraternal Brother of Kappa Alpha Psi ,Brother LMani S. Viney, an educator in inner city New Jersey. He pretty much summed up what Rev. TD Jakes prayed about. This prayer is a modern day may equivalent to the Dr. Martin Luther King I have a dream speech. MUST READ and share. Thank you...
For those of you pushing the #AllLivesMatter mantra here is why many in the African American community are hurt by that statement.
When 9/11 happened African Americans placed American flags outside their house or helped out at Ground Zero
When Columbine took place we shared in the same Grief and support as all Americans.
When the massacre at Sandy Hook took place we hugged our children just as tight. We sent our prayers just as strong as all Americans.
We the massacre at Virginia Tech took place we too shouted for gun control.
When Charlie Hebo's staff was massacred by terrorists we too as African Americans changed our avatars to France's Flag.
When the Orlando shooting took place we too either changed our avatar in solidarity with the LGBT community or offered our prayers and condolences.
When the two officers were senselessly killed in NY last year we too prayed for the families and those officers.
When news of the 5 officers were killed yesterday the only thing that changed for African Americans was the level of grief, sadness and depression increasing and prayers for the slain officers and their families.
Why? Because we as African Americans believe in All Lives Mattering. So why do we say Black Lives matter?
Every time there has been an unjust death of a Black person, the only community that seems to express that grief is the Black community. As the shooting of #AltonSterling and #PhilandroCastile happened there was nothing but pure traumatizing grief on darn near every Black persons page.
Yet when I went onto my white friends pages? Nothing. You would almost think it was a normal day.
And this is not the first time.
This happened with Tamir Rice.
This happened with Oscar Grant
This happened with Mike Brown
This happened with Walter Scott
The most heartbreaking of all for me was Hurricane Katrina. I will never forget how thousands of African Americans lay stranded with nothing in New Orleans and yet 100,000 people -mostly white-filled LSU's stadium (only an hour away) to watch a football game as people lay dying.
Like the most evil game of groundhogs day, grief and anger for the Black community and not a peep of support from the white community in general.
So don't tell me #AllLivesMatter when every time there is a tragedy in the Black community we have to justify our anger and grief. Don't tell me #AllLivesMatter when the victims of racial discrimination, police brutality and hate crimes are put on trail rather than the assailants. Don't tell me #AllLivesMatter when instead of sharing in my pain, my fears and empathizing you challenge me to justify it. Enough.
So the reason we say #BlackLivesMatter is because all we want is the same level of support that every other group gets.
#AllLivesMatter? Of course. And we know it
More than others because you will be hard pressed to Find ANY African American that would want anyone to go through what we go through in having to justify our existence and right to human dignity in this country.
But until we get that we will continue to say #BlackLivesMatter until our lives matter just as much as the lives of people from other countries, Officers, your neighborhoods, a lion named Cecil, a gorilla named Harambee means to you.
Prayers to every person affected by violence.
BLACK LIVES MATTER TOO!
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