Commentary On The Land Of The Free, Home Of The Brave
Am I the only one disturbed about the female, (societally-labeled) Black student being yanked —-wait, no…that is too mild of a description—ripped from a desk while seated, body-slammed, dragged, and….well, was she tossed by a much bigger, stronger, male School Resource Officer who appears to be (societally labeled) “white”? For some reason, I mistakenly thought that this would be a hot topic today. Maybe it was….somewhere? This is heartbreaking; This is real news. Oh well, maybe tomorrow this storyline will broadcast more.
Forgive me if Lamar and Khloe’s marriage is not of interest to me. I am sorry not sorry that political talking points bore me when those talking points do not ever seem to point to the injustices within The Land of the Free, The Home of the Brave if such points offer no dividends, fail brown paper bag tests, and struggle to value its women and girls.
In a classroom full of people, just one reportedly attempted to come to the helpless student’s defense. That one is said to have been another female, (societally labeled) Black student. I am not surprised by this. Consciously or subconsciously, she identified with the victim. Now I ask you, “Why are we, humans, failing to identify with each other?” Generation after generation, beliefs go unchallenged which keep people divided. At the end of life, how silly these things must seem when real matters find priority.
As I sit here, I wonder if I am the only one asking myself, “What kind of culture are we living in where people are conditioned to just sit and watch atrocities occur without so much as a consideration?” Have we become desensitized as a people, of people? Then, I think of history. We can send people to the moon, but seem to struggle with tolerating respecting accepting loving one another. Millions of people attend faith-based services weekly where love is the taught foundation, yet their acts of love are…….well, where are they? I want to hear more of those stories. I want to smile while watching the ripple effects of small acts of kindness. Am I alone?
Several times, I have watched the video of this excessive force against this young, female student who happens to be (societally labeled) Black. With each viewing, thoughts surface about the ill-treatment of people based on race, on gender, on ageism, on power, or the lack thereof….. These thoughts surface, but the perpetuated silence on these topics will hold their posts in keeping The Land of the Free, The Home of the Brave paradoxical.
emergingfree 
WNBA Players: Platform and Power
As I write this, I am inspired by what a number of teams and players in the WNBA are doing to show support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Unfortunately, many continue to assert that this non-violence stance is in opposition to the work of good, honorable, and honest law enforcement. Apples and Oranges are not the same.
Admittedly, the number of WNBA games I have watched…ever… can be counted [probably] on one hand. When I discovered, however, that these players and teams are being fined as a result of wearing black warmup shirts, I became conflicted between wanting to support these women by watching their games but not wanting to support the institution of which they work. See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/07/22/wnba-players-refuse-to-talk-basketball-in-protest-of-fines-for-black-warmup-shirts/ What’s a woman to do?
When many think of the Black Lives Matter Movement, they think of police brutality against Black men. Interestingly isn’t it…that loud sound of crickets coming from the NBA and the NFL. [No pressure though. “She’s got now.”] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8E_zMLCRNg
Again, many think of Black males when they think of police brutality because they do not know the stories of women like Miriam Carey, Shareese Francis, Shantel Davies, Rekia Boyd, Breaion King, the pool party in McKinney [Texas], and Sandra Bland—stories of Black women that many say are victims too of the same. These storylines fail to fit the familiar narrative and quickly fade into the night. Could it be that the WNBA players wearing those black warmups know about and identify with these women issues because they are women? Could it be that they are advocating for themselves in an it-could-be-me (or my daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, or one day granddaughter) sort-of way? Yes, they could be supporting their Brothers, but have you thought that maybe they are supporting their Sisters too—first and foremost? Lean In for Women and Equality, does anyone remember that? Why should these women be penalized for being a voice to a very real issue affecting their community? Just as the WNBA’s organization supports Breast Cancer Awareness and Pride, where is the support for your players here? After all, these college-educated players—who are already underpaid and in many ways make tremendous sacrifices to invest in building your brand—are commended for going into the community to give back, isn’t that what this is???
I applaud these women for using their platform for something much bigger than themselves. I hope they are an example to others, in other industries. They are certainly an example to me. Still, I am left to wonder how to support them minus their employer. Now, that’s power!