Alton Sterling’s life and legacy were recognized Friday by hundreds who packed a Baton Rouge auditorium for a special memorial service.
While the days after Sterling’s death were filled with anger and outrage, on Friday pastors and speakers, including Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson, among others, encouraged a spirit of praise and peace as they paid tribute to Sterling. The service was filled with powerful speeches, songs and poems, many of which included important messages on the need to end police killings of black men and women in America.
“We’re not trying to convince you we matter. We know we matter,” Sharpton said in a stirring speech. “We have an inferior judicial system that does not protect all of it’s citizens equally.”
“We’re not anti-police, we’re anti-wrong,” he added. “This man should not be here at his own funeral.”
Erica Garner, daughter of Eric Garner who died two years ago after New York City police placed him in a chokehold, walked out of an ABC News taping of a town hall with President Barack Obama Thursday in protest, saying network producers broke a promise to highlight her questions.
“I had to stage a walkout by myself,” Garner said. “And I went out there I had to yell, scream, and eventually I was able to speak to the president. It’s a shame as black people that we have to yell and become belligerent to have our voices heard.”
There are “so many things I could’ve done this weekend to prepare for Sunday for my march and commemorate the memory of my dad,” Garner told HuffPost. “Not once did they mention Eric Garner or acknowledge the family. I say we rise up and say enough is enough.”
Too often, black women’s voices aren’t heard. It becomes frustrating to the point where we feel like we have to speak louder and louder until we’re screaming to be heard. Even when we’re yelling, people don’t hear us. They throw the “angry black woman” stereotype in our faces and tell us to quiet down.
More and more black women are rejecting the label that we are “angry” and “loud,” however.
After Feminista Jones tweeted the hashtag #LoudBlackGirls, other black women followed suit and spoke up. They used the hashtag to share why their voices matter and deliver some much needed receipts on how conversations that black women start are leading major movements. Their tweets were powerful, important and LOUD.
It’s certainly true ― and essential for survival ― that black parents must have “the talk” with their children about what to do and say when they encounter law enforcement. But time and time again, we’ve seen that “respecting” cops often isn’t enough to save a black person’s life. That’s what makes “the talk” so paralyzing for parents of color.
Black mothers in Baton Rouge told The Huffington Post how they’ve raised their children to always maintain the utmost respect when talking to cops.
“No matter what you do or what you say, you’ll probably never be right so what you can do is listen and, like I say at home, follow directions,” Ealania Jones said.
For Ieshia Evans, there was no hesitation in stepping out onto a Baton Rouge street to confront a row of armed police officers last week. “I needed to see them. I needed to see the officers. I needed to see their faces,” she said.
On Friday, Evans sat down with Gayle King on “CBS This Morning” to discuss her encounter with police, and why she joined the Black Lives Matter Movement.
According to Evans, she wanted her silence to say:
“I’m human. I’m a woman. I’m a mom. I’m a nurse. I could be your nurse. I could be taking care of you. Our children could be friends. We all matter. We don’t have to beg to matter. We do matter.”
Follow HuffPost on Facebook and Twitter
©2016 The Huffington Post | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from the Huffington Post
Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe
No comments:
Post a Comment