Saturday, January 2, 2016

Strange Fruit

How quickly we forget. Less than 50 years ago our brothers were hung from tree branches with proud folks scrambling to be in counted in that number in the picture. How quickly we forget....and want to continue to forget. The impact of yesterday is still readily present. Yet we want to pretend that our entrenched history has dissolved to a pleasant peace. How quickly we forget....

I watched the documentary What happened, Miss Simone? on Netflix. It held my attention for so many reasons, one being Miss Simone's internal conflict. Undoubtably she was deeply troubled with the systematic racism that denied her dream of being a classical pianist. To be great and denied an opportunity because you are black is a heavy burden to bear. How quickly we forget....we are still in this space of denial.We are still be denied the basic right to breathe. No need to turn on the television to see the heighten cases deemed worthy of light by the media, look in your own backyard to see the damage first hand.

So why is there so much fuss about those who are choosing to take their rightful place in this battle? Because nothing is more harmful to the dominant than Truth and Action. It is those on the front like that have the most courage and power to expose Truth by Action. I commend my sisters and brothers who have taken up their rightful place in battle. There are many battles to fight and we are all chosen for a few, but most of us never listen for the call nor take up arms. We flit so through life weary from doing nothing...yet I digress...let me get back...

Yes, we all have a battle to bear. Our greatness is tied to a fight. A fight not even about winning but more about fighting--the battle is not given to the swift, but to s/he that endures. It's about clearing a path for our babies to reach their potential in its fullness. A path to breathe, to live to SEE their dream and then dream a new dream to conquer. We may not see it, yet we fight because we believe in its potential and worth. Sure we all want to live in the fulfillment of the fight but the Truth is many of us will not make it there..that's the nature of the fight. Because the fight is so tangled in the principalities of unrighteousness it is not that easy. We will fight all our black and brown lives. We have to come to that realization if we are ever going to take our rightful place in our chosen battle.

I'm empowered by Miss Simone's fight. She knew her chosen battle and fought in it with power and grace. It wasn't a pretty fight, yet she advanced the cause. Her voice rang our Mississippi Goddam with spicy inflictions for the world to hear. She did something few dared--she joined her chosen battle with no half-step.

When--when are YOU going to join your fight. Stop pointing fingers at those doing what they are supposed to do and join your battle.

3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brilliant. I needed that. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. No thank YOU. For reading and believing! I am baffled at the backlash by all folks to the blacklivesmatter movement--so easy we hid behind our own fears as others take stripes for our future.....

    ReplyDelete