Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The Jena Six: Not Exactly Rosa Parks But We'll Take It


Don't get me wrong. I fully support coordinated African-American efforts to see justice done with regard to six young men in Jena, Louisiana who were facing trumped up charges for what amounted to a schoolyard fight. I get that. I certainly don't condone their actions but I understand their frustrations.

African-Americans who criticize themselves as being culturally disorganized and out of touch with the original message of Dr. King came out in force to march on Jena to take a stand and make a statement. Shout out the 'Bad Boy Michael Baisden' who was key to organizing the day's events via his nationally syndicated radio show.

But I just wish we were defending actually INNOCENT kids here and not a pack of young dudes who took justice into their own hands.

The irony here is that their actions were the exact opposite of Martin Luther King's nonviolence message yet we support them unconditionally just the same.

Do I believe that Mychael Bell and the others should receive new, fair trials as juveniles???...yes

Would I hold them up or hold their actions up as anything to emulate???...certainly not.

Such a shame. Maybe we, as a people, should gravitate slowly away from the Michael Vicks and Mychael Bells and actually find those people who are being discriminated against who don't drown dogs or kick white people in the head when they're unconscious. Maybe this is the first awakenings of a new black consciousness that is long overdue in appearing amid a culture awash in spinning rims, iced out cell phones and wholesale self-disrespect.

But that's just me.

1 comment:

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