History Just Repeats
Living in my community, we face this struggle way too much to choose whether we are going to be Martin's or Malcolm's and in fear of letting go of our family and friends because they might become the new statistic. Protests have been happening since the early 13th Century but for African Americans our first protest was July 28th, 1917 and is known as the Silent protest. African American men, women and children came together and marched through the streets of Midtown Manhattan in silence with only the sound of drums playing. They were mourning those who were killed in a wave of Anti-African American violence all over the nation. This was a peaceful protest nearly 50 years before the March on Washington and it sparked the protest era.
As the years progressed so did the protests, Rosa Parks sat, Martin marched and Maclom fought for our right to be treated equally. Each way we have chosen to protest has inched us closer to what we dream our children and grandchildren will see in the future, true equality. The Black Panther Movement, formed in 1966, was originally created for the self defense of our community against police brutality. Black Panthers saw the brutality against protesters as a long history of police violence and oppression. They believed that non-violence protest would not liberate Black Americans.
The Black Panther were here to serve the people and advocate for the community reform. Most Black Panthers chapters were led by women and their main focus was to focus on survival programs. Survival programs sponsored schools, legal aid offices,clothing distribution, local transportation and health clinics for the black community. All of this to say we as black people are fighting to live and be treated fairly in a world which seems to never want us to live in peace.
Today, we are repeating the same history we have been fighting for years. Whether we fight like Malcom, march like Martin, sit like Rosa, or protect and defend like the Black Panthers, we are still fighting a constant battle to show that we are human and we want to live and be treated like we treat everyone else. Our fight will continue and hopefully sometime in the future we will reach a point where Martin’s dream will truly be a reality. Until that day arrives we will continue to protest in a variety of ways. Some forms of protest the general public may understand more than others but just remember no matter how it’s done everyone is fighting for the same goal, to be treated equally.
Photo Credit:
Black Panther - ThoughtCo
Rosa Parks - The Guardian
Malcolm X - People's World
Martin - NC Museum of History
Black Lives Matter - The Conversation
Report: Maya Howard
At the rise of Covid-19 many of us first questioned the timeline of fashion week and would we see the regular calendar continue - the question weighed over many of us for months! It was refreshing to see design houses and designers across the globe take advantage of the uncertainty and plow into production mode - thus my interest in Jerri Reid New York - The Black Designer based in Brooklyn New York wow’d instagram with his latest collection paying homage to the Black Is King film which debuted earlier this year in July. I was taken aback at quick of a turn round the young designer produced and released his well crafted designs reflecting some of the films most memorable moments.