“The media is the most powerful entity on Earth.They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” -Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a man who spoke many truths. I’m uninterested in getting into a debate regarding whether or not his methods were moral, but I feel like everyone who has ever lived has things they believe to be true. This week, I had the extreme honor to speak to my students about Martin Luther King Jr. AND Malcolm X – or rather, they spoke to me about what they believe is true of this country we all call “home.”
One of my students told me that they believe Malcolm X had more right than Dr. King…and this initially really bothered me, as I have always considered Dr. King’s beliefs to be the only answers to the Civil RIghts issues that still plague this country – violence simply cannot right wrongs, peaceful protests are the only way to achieve political and societal equality, etc.
>>>>>> Then this past week, a student looked me in the eye and told me that sometimes you have to fight for yourself. “Self defense,” she whispered. Later in this same conversation, my two 8th grade students in my small group began telling me about Emmett Till. (If you do not know who he is, you should. Look him up – but maybe not his picture. “Don’t look at what they did to him, Ms. Putorek. You’ll cry,” said one student when I asked who he was.) These students not only have family members who were leaders in the Civil Rights movement, they still eat, sleep, and breathe these racial issues that many people refuse to admit still run rampant in America.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> And then there was a racially motivated terror attack this past week, which only strengthened my students’ support of the Malcolm X’s of the world.
Students: “Why did he get a bullet proof vest after killing all of those innocent people?”
Students: “Why do people that look like me get treated different than white people?”
Me: “I just do not have a good answer for you all…I wish I did. I don’t think anyone understands. I’m sorry.”
I’m so tired. So, so tired of hearing about these problems in our country. However, as exhausting and heartbreaking stories like this are to me, they are REAL. The media may twist the story in an attempt to mask reality, but we need to see them for what it is.
“Roof was mentally ill. He was attacking the church. He was given a GUN.”
Come on, people. Do NOT let the media trick you into believing Dylann Roof was attempting anything other than racially motivated hate and murder. He has admitted multiple times he wanted to start a Race War. But believe it or not, I’m uninterested in trying to convince anyone reading this post of ANYTHING. I’m simply venting my frustrations.
Can you imagine, however, how the news story would have been spun had it been an ALL WHITE CHURCH and a BLACK SHOOTER. (I’ll give you a clue — it might involve gang related violence or race, but never mental illness. We save that cop-out for our white shooters.)
My students MATTER. They are vibrant and intelligent and they look at this world and question everything they see. I have only known them for a week, and I already imagine their successes in life. To think that someone could harm them because of their skin color is enough to make me want to die. It’s enough to make me angry. It’s enough to make me sad. It’s enough to make me question every thought I have ever had regarding race and culture and privilege.
If I offended you, it is time to look past the medias’ interpretations of events such as the shooting in Charleston. Or perhaps it is time for some deep and serious soul-searching. It ain’t pretty, and it ain’t fun, but it is the only way things MIGHT change. I know how easy it would be to act as if these problems didn’t still exist, but we just don’t have that luxury anymore. We as Americans are KILLING OURSELVES. I really don’t want my students to grow up in a world that is not safe for them because of their outer appearance.
WAKE UP. Take responsibility for your actions and thoughts. I know what some of you are saying: “Well, I’m not racist. She can’t be talking to me.” If you are thinking these things, then I am afraid I probably am talking to you. We’ve all got a lot of work to do — myself included.
P.S. White people are the only people who can be racist. If a black person hates a white person, they are PREJUDICED or DISCRIMINATORY. Racism, and other “-isms,” are societal institutions set up by the majority (which, in America, are the white people.) Just a common misconception that is frequently mentioned, yet seldom understood. Words matter.
On that note, goodnight, and happy soul-searching.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
haliewanders 