Everyone Loves a Good "Snuff Movie."

The other morning I caught a glimpse of my face in the mirror, and it frightened me. The sides of my mouth looked droopy, and it wasn’t due to a stroke. Gently I traced the “no-smile lines” and sighed, “Damn. If I keep this up my entire face will slide down the drain, and no amount of facial cream will help.” Afterward, I squeezed my face into a smile. Unfortunately, it looked more like a grimace.

Will I Ever Be Able to Smile Again?

What’s wrong with you, girl?

And, they just stood there and watched.

If you saw the video of the murder of George Floyd, then you just viewed a “Snuff Movie.” It was a “live” recording of a policeman who pressed all of his 200+lbs of hatred into the neck of another man who was handcuffed with arms behind his back while two other cops held him down. In the background, while this was happening, a fourth cop stood there and watched.

A “Snuff Movie” is where you watch a person murdered or commit suicide. Years ago, these films were labeled “urban legends.” But, now, “asphyxiation” clips circulate all over the web. People, including kids, are choking each other for fun. Some incorporate strangulation during sex.

We all, on some level, enjoy or at least are fascinated with the debasement and murder of other human beings. Think of any action movie you’ve seen and then tell me that’s not true. A fair amount of these movies show women raped, kidnapped, kicked, and brutalized.

I could not watch the entire George Floyd video.

Because I knew exactly how it would end.

Less than a minute into the video, I turned it off. I couldn’t finish. I swear I imagined the sound of the crack of that man’s neck against the edge of that sidewalk. I sucked in air and held it until my chest hurt, and then tears dropped onto my computer keyboard.

I experienced my heart shrivel into hopelessness, disgust, and anger. I can’t imagine how the young woman who filmed that murder felt to witness such cruelty. All her innocence destroyed in the click of her cellphone. It was her first and I pray last “Snuff Movie” she’ll ever have to observe. Actually, they’re becoming more frequent.

Images of Revolution.

During the explosion of protests around the world as a result of this murder – people carried the face of George Floyd on placards. I noticed the images of his dark-brown face, small sleepy eyes, big ole’ flat nose, and blubbery pink lips along with his a muscular build.

It fit the fantasy white racists have of a Black man. I’m sure the artist exaggerated those features to pump up the subliminal outrage.

And, to memorializing a man by his last pleading words of, “I can’t breathe!” both inflame and hurt me. An entire life summed-up in a pathetic last-ditch effort to live.

Just a gloomy countenance for all to see.

Sadly, as a result of this trauma we can say with certainty that we saw a “Snuff Movie”, I observed a newspaper picture of George Floyd crushed in the street and imagined how I would feel if that were my son, my brother, husband, or grandson lying there with a heartless White police officer kneeling on his neck with his hands loosely tucked in his pockets.

It’s A White Supremacist’s Dream.

“Kill him! Kill him! Kill them all!!

Millions of White Supremacists will “get off” on that video, and the subsequent caricatures of a Black man squashed like a bug. For this reason, I’m positive they will show that video over-and-over again at their training sessions. Perhaps for the sheer joy of seeing a subdued, handcuffed and, the defenseless Black man held on the ground under a White man’s knee crying.

Derek Chavin, the policeman who dealt the death-blow, is their hero. For 7 minutes and 46 seconds, he inflicted excruciating pain, as George Floyd pleaded for his life. What a “rush! To me, it looked like Chavin enjoyed every minute and every second. If he could he would cut off Floyd’s head and hang it like a trophy over his fireplace.

Left For Dead.

Floyd’s live murder reminds me of those community “picnics” pictures I’ve seen of public lynchings of Black people. To be sure, it adds to the seemingly endless and growing list of Black men, women, and children lynched in America. Coincidentally, it turns out Chavis knew Floyd, which makes it revenge and possibly a charge of premeditated murder. Time will tell if this “Snuff Movie” cast of men will end up in jail.

A large American flag fluttered over a memorial for Robert Fuller, who was found hanging from this tree in front of Palmdale’s City Hall on June 10.Credit…Bryan Denton for The New York Times

Never trust the words of a wife-beater.

And never believe the words of America.

Until the Moon drops from the sky with the sun in hot pursuit, racism will never end in America. It was founded on injustice and so it will be forever. (Asata)

It’s a lost cause.

Promises to end racial injustice in the United States of America sounds like the pleading of a wife-beater who swears he’ll never do it again, baby. Oh, they’ll be those typical brief CEO promises to hire more Black Americans to undo historical wrongs. Without a doubt, they’ll set aside small allocations of equality grants, conduct diversity training, and internships in large, mostly White, and all-male organizations. But, will it have a long-lasting effect? I hope but, I seriously doubt it.

Sorrow On My Mind and Rage on my Face.

Of course, we’ll see grand gestures through murals around town, TED talk symposiums on racism, and movie selections, and books for the ignorant and protected other than Black people to read. People will read to understand what they’ve known for decades but don’t want to accept it. Blindness isn’t just for the blind.

Equally important, Black people know that the commitment to end discrimination alone will never change a systemic institutionalized racist culture. For example, in the United States, homeownership (which determines wealth & stability status) is lower for Black college graduates than for White high school dropouts. How do you fix that? Incidentally, things are worse now than they were in 1968 when housing discrimination was legal.

Part I.

Who is responsible?

Indeed, not just those officers.

I am against the death penalty, so it frightens me that I want those guilty men to die in pain—no need to worry about humane killing with expired drugs. Likewise, I wouldn’t care about their last words. They would be unnecessary

Stolidly, I’d want to hear them struggle and cry for as long as it took for that knee to work, and they pleaded, “I can’t breathe.” I might even say under my breath, “Shut-up, stop whimpering and take it like a man!” It’s a never-ending marathon of death by racism.

PART II

Treasury Department Recruits

The premise of George Floyd’s Snuff Movie.

We’ve all seen store clerks hold a twenty-dollar bill we handed them up in the air. Remember, if someone passes you a counterfeit bill, you own it. Additionally, clerks are told, “When accepting cash, it pays to be knowledgeable about the crime of counterfeiting.”

So that clerk, felt it was their duty to call the cops on the suspicion that Floyd passed them a counterfeit bill? Unlike most workers who don’t have the time or inclination to worry about the money they’re putting in that register, this worker considered themselves a Treasury Department recruit. As a result, due to a bill held to the light, a man is dead.

Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

I’m positive that at one time or another, all of us have unwittingly handed a counterfeit bill off, including banks. For example, I deposited three one hundred dollar bills into a local ATM. It wouldn’t allow me to put in one of them. I stood there wondering what to do next, and the machine kicked it back out.

It’s possible; it was counterfeit. Hilarious right? I got that hundred from the bank when I cashed my COVID 19 stimulus check. Without a doubt, Safeway would have taken that money without hesitation. I suspect all clerks get this training but, most have better things to worry especially during this time. At best, you’ll get a “Did you find everything you were looking for?” and “Have a nice day.”

U.S. Secret Service Launches Secret Counterfeit Prevention Campaign.

“If you believe you have received a counterfeit bill, the U.S. Treasury advises you to do the following:

Do not put yourself in danger.
Do not return the bill to the passer.
Delay the passer with some excuse, if possible.
Observe the passer’s description – and their companions’ and write down their vehicle license plate numbers if you can.
Contact your local police department or call your local Secret Service office.
Write your initials and date in the white border area of the suspected counterfeit note.
Do not handle the counterfeit note. Place it inside a protective cover, a plastic bag, or envelope to protect it until you place it in the hands of an identified Secret Service Special Agent. You can also mail it to your nearest Secret Service office.

Stupid and contradictory rules.

Call your local Secret Service Office. ” Let me look at my cell phone.”
Write my initials and date in the white border area but, do not touch the bill. How do I put them in that protective cover? With my teeth? Furthermore, take it home and mail it? Again, how do I do that without touching it?

PART III

“Honey, I’m home!”

What Does A Murderer Eat for Dinner?

When a cop kills a child playing in the park, what do they say to their kids? Or how do they greet their loved ones? “How was your day? Mine sucked. I just killed a little Black kid playing with a toy gun in the park. And, later I crushed a man’s neck with my knee. You fix anything to eat? I’m hungry.”

I visualized that off-duty officer as he walked down the hall, pulled off his clothes, the same ones he just killed a man in, jumps in the shower, and wash murder off his body. How does a wife or lover handle it when she feels his hands on her body? I cringe at the thought.

I wonder if she is an abused woman. Maybe, he’s threatened her before with that knee. I recently heard that some women find that kind of behavior manly. How horrifying!

No Smile Today.

Even Tears Won’t Flow.

Love After Years in a Warzone.

Any woman or man who’s held a returning soldier after they return from war knows the feeling. They don’t want to talk about the horror they either participated in, experienced, or watched. And, we’ve all seen war streamed across our television and computer screens. But, why did the murder of George Floyd cross the line?

As I said, I tried several times to watch the video of the murder. But, I’d just watch a video of another little Black boy kicked and choked on the ground over and over by grown-ass police officers. No matter their age, Black kids are considered adults and, I fear for the life of my only Grandson, who just turned 15. His voice hasn’t even changed yet, but, like his Dad, he is already tall. And, he’s already been a target for years.

**Justice for Lucca: 15-year-old boy, bent down to pick up the cell phone of another boy wrongly arrested. The phone fell out during his arrest. He didn’t want it to get broken.**

Black kids don’t get to be kids in America.

“How tall are you now, Grandson?” I asked as I look at his face on Quicktime and remember when he was a baby when his new teeth grew in and looked too big for his little face.

“I’m 5’10 now, Nana,” he says as he pumps up his flat chest, feeling proud of himself. Over the last year, from years of school sports, lifting weights, calf-raises, and crunches, his neck is thicker. My first thought before I let him know I’m impressed I gasp.

“Angels, please watch over this little man-child!” Meanwhile, I read another story of a Black man murdered in Phoenix by the police. I also saw a pregnant woman held at gunpoint. I moan to myself.

The Cruelest of Cruel.

Stop lying America; we are not all in this together.

At least not yet.

This unimaginable thing happened for everyone to see. A police officer kneeled on a man’s neck and held him down while he struggled for air. In an article entitled, “How Do You Kneel on a Neck for Nine Minutes staff writer Graeme Wood writes, “I don’t see how anyone could remain in that position unless he were, at best, totally indifferent to the person’s survival.”

Now just stop. Look at the clock on your computer, and keep your eyes on it for close to 8 minutes. Not only did I lose my smile, but I lost all hope for change in this country. And, I wanted to hurt somebody.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The Coroner’s Report vs. The Independent Report

“Beyond question, George Floyd would be alive today if not for the pressure applied to his neck by now charged officer Derek Chauvin. The autopsy report revealed that the strain on his body from two additional officers kneeling on him,” the report concluded.

**When Ending a Human Life has no more significance than squashing an insect.**

Who Are These Inhumane Disgusting Men?

Diversity in the police force is a bust.

😞First, Smile Killer. The world just watched a 49-year-old man murdered in front of a crowd over another stupid excuse. Is counterfeit money allegedly passed in a rinky-dinky neighborhood grocery store enough for storm troopers in police uniforms to show up and incite protests in streets around the world?

😣Second, Smile Killer. This incident ended with an officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on George Floyd’s neck while he was pinned to the ground by other officers.

😔Third, Smile Killer. As I look at that picture, I feel nauseous—Chavin, with his knee on another man’s neck. Mr. Floyd’s head crushed against a car tire with all that policeman’s weight on another man’s neck He was crushed against the tire of his police car with his hands in his pockets on a concrete sidewalk curb as if he were nothing but an insect to him.

😭 Fourth, Smile Killer. He seemed to enjoy it. Indeed, it reminds me of pictures I’ve seen of a hunter after killing an elk or any other big game to hang its antlers on his wall. Subsequently, this crucified man was pronounced dead later at the hospital.

🤨Fifth, Smile Killer. Moreover, his accomplices participated in this melee and murdered a defenseless restrained 46-year old Black man who was already lying face-down on the street. Two additional officers also kneeled on him while he begged for air. We’re are talking about 500 lbs?

**Derek Chauvin – Pressed knee into George Floyd’s neck. J.Alexander Kueng – Helped to restrain. Thomas Lane – Helped to control. Tou Thao – Stood by and watched.**

☹️Sixth, Smile Killer 6. Another officer stood by and did nothing while several bystanders begged and screamed for him to intervene. That’s the kind of sick shit you see in the movies. And, even then, the other cops on the scene would interject, “Come on, Joe lighten up he’s down.” These cowardly wanna’ call themselves men are a disgrace.

😖Seventh, Smile Killer 7. It took a young woman to record the entire incident and post the video on social media. Here we go again. Another Black man killed for the world to see. The potential of a not-guilty or time served horrifies me. Those officers smashed all their hate, frustration, and anger into another man’s body as they felt the life drain from his body. How sick is that?

The List Goes On and On.

😫 Eight, Smile Killer. Lynchings. An article appeared in the Guardian in 2018 entitled “The sadism of white men/why America must atone for its lynchings.

😖 Ninth, Smile Killer. Subsequently, more bodies of Black & Brown men have begun to swing from trees around the country again.

PART IV

I want to be a Mino?

“The Mino was an all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin), which lasted until the end of the 19th century. The Mino recruited from among the Ahos (‘king’s wives’), of which there were often hundreds. Some women became Ahosi voluntarily.

While others were involuntarily enrolled if their husbands or fathers complained to the King about their behavior, membership among the Mino was supposed to hone any aggressive character traits for war. The warrior women were not allowed to have children or be part of married life.
Many of them were virgins. The regiment had a semi-sacred status, which intertwined with the Fon religious beliefs. The Mino trained with intense physical exercise. In the latter period, armed with Winchester rifles, clubs and knives. Units were under female command. Captives who fell into the hands were often decapitated.”

Some soldiers, as women in the Mexican Revolution, became known, played traditional roles as nurses or wives; others took up arms. Perhaps the least visible soldiers were the women who assumed male identities to fight—not because societal restrictions explicitly forced them to but because of personal choice.

Mother’s Are Tired of Racism Killing Their Kids.

Well, I’m no virgin, but, for the first time in my life, I feel a need to suit-up and purchase my first gun. In Arizona, I can carry a concealed firearm or deadly weapon without a permit anywhere within the state, except for specific prohibited locations. I must disclose the fact to a law enforcement officer if asked. I can open carry without a permit/license.

Meanwhile, in June 2020, the anti-lynching bill which passed the Senate is stalled during a time of the protests as a result of the heartless murder of George Floyd and a string of other Black people murdered in cold blood across the country.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – JUNE 09: Roxie Washington (R) and Gianna Floyd, daughter of George Floyd, attend the funeral service in the chapel at the Fountain of Praise church June 9, 2020, in Houston, Texas. David J. Phillip-Pool/Getty Images/AFP

Smile Killer Extraordinary

There is too much ignorance and hate in my world.

😱 Tenth, Blackface sales. Just another smile killer.

😭Racism and death everywhere.

😭Women’s rights under attack.

😭Babies locked in immigration camps.

At the same time, none of us saw the pandemic coming. Who could imagine that in 2020 we’d all be locked up in our houses because of a virus? Meanwhile, I continued to stare at my face in the bathroom mirror that morning. With so much hate circling the planet, an out-of-control President who laughs in the face of a pandemic and another Black person killed by the local heavily armed militia, I felt all caring drain out of my face.

The Sweet Smell of Death & Destruction

Ever walked in the woods and ran up on the smell of death? I have.

That picture of that fallen cactus reminds me George Floyd’s body lifeless on the concrete in Minneapolis, the home of Prince no less. An ancient saguaro cactus destroyed on the Arizona/Mexico border destroyed to the beat of a mad man and his cohorts to build a stupid-ass wall to keep out a”caravans of rapist and killers,” who never showed up! Native-American lands destroyed.

Trump Declares War on America!

Federal Unmarked Police attack protesters in Portland, Oregon.

A White Supremacist Dream: No Lives Matter.

In other words, there is no end to this country’s desire to kill indiscriminately. Even it’s own citizens. I have never heard so many armed police with backup say they had to kill another human being because “They feared for their life” or protecting “Federal property.”

More importantly, if a person has their hands up, how is that non-compliance? If someone is held down on the ground and handcuffed, how does that present a threat? At what point in our evolution is regular sleep in her bed, or a car driving home with a cigarette in hand.

Take state trooper, Brian T. Encinia, contorting in anger as he pulled out a stun gun and shouted at Sandra Bland to get out of the car after; he claims she didn’t put on her blinkers. When she asked if she was under arrest, he threatened to “light her up” with his taser.

The “I feared for my life” Chronicles.

Elite Massachusettes State Troopers

Encinia claimed he feared for his life, and although Sandra Bland and Officer Encinia are off-camera as he handcuffs her, she can be heard in the background shrieking and crying: “You’re about to break my wrist, can you stop?” Encinia slammed Bland’s head into the ground. She told him she has epilepsy. “Good,” Encinia replies.

Does this sound like a man who fears for his life? It seems to me he enjoyed beating a woman. Whenever I hear that a state trooper id involved, I know women are in deep trouble.

A College Degree in Law Enforcement

I was in my first Criminalistics class at Northeastern University in Boston. The majority of the students were white state troopers, and I was one of a very few women and the only Black one. When the professor spoke about rape kits, one trooper’s disgusting comments about the victims and women in general, and the subsequent crass comments eventually led me to become a journalist. I was planning to go to Law School but, knew that wasn’t going to work.

Homeland Security Anyone?

I’m afraid I’ll hear that another errant out-of-his mind cop will kill another Black person for something as trivial as a counterfeit bill, a pack of cigarettes, or a nap in a parking lot.

Not too long ago, the police drop-kicked a Black child, thinking no one is looking. Then there are those cops who, in on a joint attack ambush in an alley, beat another unarmed Black person.

Black People Aren’t Safe in America.

It could be any one of my loved ones. Age, economic class, or education won’t make a difference. I’m in danger of being wiped out by forces who do not want me and mine to live. Either you go back to Africa, the chorus sings, or you will die a rapid and visual death for all to see.

I have a constant headache; my stomach stays full of acid. At first, I blamed it on lack of sleep, not working out at the gym, or overeating sugar. But, everywhere I looked, things were terrible. It seemed our planet was mad at us and, why not? We’ve messed everything up.

I Can’t Smile.

Part VI

Fleas on the Planets Back.

Time for us to go?

Frequently, my husband, who spent two years in Iraq, was assigned to an ER as a guard in a hospital in Phoenix. He had to wear two masks, gloves, and take temperatures of all, including staff, who walked in: some wearing face coverings and some not. On one swing shift, he sent me a text.

“People who are still in denial of this pandemic,” he wrote, ” should come and sit with me here just for 4 hours.” he continued. “Endless parade of ambulances and family members coming to visit their loved ones for the last time.”

I felt his despair, and it made me cry in secret because I know he needed my support. Never did I get a message like this when he was stationed in Iraq. But, one day he gave me a heads up to leave a plastic bag in the back yard so he could put his clothes inside due to the numbers of people who’d come to the ER having tested positive for the virus.

I’m weary. How about you?

Are you smiling?

I am more than annoyed now, during the height of the protests across America, my son had to work with a bullet-proof vest, gloves, and a face mask on for 10 hours shift in downtown SF. “What’s sad,” he said,” The number of people isn’t coming out through the broken windows at stores were not with big-screen TVs but, with food.”

What a mess! There Goes My Smile Again.

It seemed everywhere I look; I saw negativity, pain, sorrow, anger, and hopelessness. People are in the streets fighting for the same rights we’ve been fighting for since I was born on this planet. Women’s reproductive rights under attack after a 50-year battle, give me a break; I felt overwhelmed, sad, discouraged, and just plain miserable.

The SayHerName Campaign brings to the forefront the issues of race, gender, and police violence. Too often, the victims of police brutality tend to exclude meaningful or loud outrage when it happens to Black Women. Remember their names when we talk about police brutality against Black people. Why is that?

PART V

OK, So Why Does America Hate Black Women?

I’m still waiting for an answer to that one.

Trump hates women. That much is obvious and, apparently, the police too. And, it’s especially noticeable he dislikes Black Women. I’m convinced some a Black woman broke his heart and he’s lashing out. Omarosa? But I want people to remember that hatred and violence aren’t just happening to Black Men. See the long list of our beautiful sisters below. Gone but not forgotten.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I like people less and less. Social Distancing, Why Not?

This country will never eradicate racism, along with sexism in my lifetime.

I wanna’ smile. But, it feels so hopeless.

After 20 years of dancing and teaching dance, I’d packed away all my costumes, veils, music, and took down the mirror. I’d taught hundreds of students in front of them. Now, I couldn’t even listen to the music I’d loved. I told my dance teacher I stopped teaching and dancing. She gave me sage advice. She said, “To not dance is one thing Asata but, never stop dancing.

And, then, finally, a glint of HOPE! Not much, but a little bit.

😃1. The Louisiana law that required doctors that provide abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital, no medical justification, was blocked. I was happy to add my little 15 dollars to the movement.

😃2. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Trump’s move to divert $2.5 billion from the Pentagon to the border wall violated the Constitution. He probably will be voted out of office. The pendulum will swing to the left.

☺️3. My youngest sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! Both Mom and baby are doing great.

😄4. My 13-year-old granddaughter walks and lifts weigh with me most days on Zoom. My grandson can play video games and has a part-time job babysitting. I’m glad he has to be mostly in the house due to the pandemic.

😆5. My 15-year grandson forgave me for telling his Dad he was hogging the internet and gave his little sister his hot spot to use. And, he is making an effort to be less of a pain in the butt to her.

😘6. My family members so far have avoided the reach of the Covid19 virus or recovered.

☺️7. I am sad but grateful that I held onto texts from my youngest sister Jennifer, who passed away from cancer on May 3, 2019, at age 36. Up until a few years ago, I had only met her once when she was a teen.

I smile whenever I read our back and forth texts just before she passed. Toward the end, she was home with family loaded up on meds for the pain but still staying upbeat.

😉8. Providence Mayor Elorza signed an executive order in the city to “recognize the wrongs of the past in the wake of the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.”

It’s a start, right?

In the mirror, I pushed up the sides of my face, forced it into a small smile, and it stayed. Incidentally, I bought a new bread machine and then made a perfect loaf of bread on the third try. An insignificant accomplishment, but it made me smile.

I can’t predict the future.

But, I’ll try to remember to smile.

Despite our pain, adversity, I know that no one can take away my people’s bravery, our ability to change the world, our resilience, our passion, fire, music, dance, beauty, food, and of course, our swag. I have other people in my life who continue to inspire, love, and give me hope that we’ll make it over this hump of hate but, they’ll have to stand up and fight.

People Took To The Street.

But, will it last or amount to any substantial change? Some, perhaps.

Black Lives Matter co-founders.

‘Remembered that as far as we know, the oldest female is 4.4 million years old, and came from a desert in Ethiopia, which paleontologists say “revolutionizes our understanding of the earliest phase of human evolution.”

So, if an African woman gave birth to the world, I smile to think that it will be her great-great forever great daughters who’ll draw the line and in that small gesture change the world.

But, I Do Blame America For My Lost My Smiles. Yes.

The Forty Acres & A Mule Scam

In closing, it makes no sense to talk about institutional racism without some solutions. Some things will take forever to fix if that is even a possibility before the end of the world. For sure, I won’t see it. Most likely, it will take generations to make things right.

First, take down all remnants of the confederacy. They lost the Civil War and let putting up the flag of sedition against the law.
Treat the KKK, right-wing white supremacists, and neo-nazis like Al–Qaeda. Make it so they are exempt from 1st Amendment protection. They adamantly claim their heritage.
Fulfill the promise this country that was given to freed slaves only 155 years ago as of 2020 gave to freed slaves for reparations going back to the ratification of the Proclamation with the equivalent of the “forty acres and a mule.” And, it’s not complicated to honor that promise.

Solutions

Special Field Order 1. Every descendant of a slave must be given land with the means to build a house on it if they need it.

Special Field Order 2. Free college or trade education school education. Pay off all student debt.

Special Field Order 3. Free health care. Extended maternity leave. Stop calling it welfare and call it “stimulus checks” for those who need financial help.

Special Field Order 4. A guaranteed income with no implications that this is a “hand-out” Black people have already paid their debt to this society.

Special Field Order 5. Stop teaching all of our children a distorted history of this country. There are enough Black scholars to fill in the blanks. For at least a generation, White children must take those classes, and Black kids must learn their real history without a room full of white kids being there. There was nothing more humiliating than to learn that the only thing Black people contributed to this country was picking cotton.

Special Field Order 6. All white children must get the “talk.” A few years back, I visited two museums in Washington, D.C. The Native-American Museum and the African-American museum. Some of the historical photos and artifacts in that museum were horrifying.

Every floor in that building is the genesis of what should be in that history books. Since our kids have to be in school to at least high school, that information can be spread over 12 years so that by the time they graduate, they know the authentic history of American history of Slavey and the after-effects of it to present day.

Special Field Order 7. A little white child was looking at some of the pictures near the Emmit Till memorial, where you can’t take pictures. I overheard them explaining to a distressed white child that this all happened a long time ago. Stop lying to your children. And, yes, it takes time, and yes, it is painful to acknowledge the real stories about racism in America. Make sure they understand that they are living on stolen land and show all those broken treaties in our history books.

Special Field Order 8. Stop telling the European story they are so fond of celebrating, i.e., Thanksgiving. Talk about the Africans who came to American way before Christopher Columbus got here or the Pilgrims standing on that piece of pebble called Plymouth Rock that they needed help to get over winter.

I remember them having us making headdresses and feathers out of cutting images from colored construction paper, and that was cool in memory of the so-called “first Thanksgiving.” Stop dressing American kids in costumes depicting Native People for that holiday.

Special Field Order 9. Every company that does business with the government must at least have a board that reflects the very least represents the amount of African American citizens living in this country. Congress must set aside at least the same amount of seats for that council. Police should live in the community to work there. Come up with some strict guidelines for police to lose their gun priveledges when they are involved in an unjustified shooting of a Black person and any board.

Special Field Order 10. Every employee in this country must, just like sexual harassment is a requirement, racism must also be a condition of employment. The establishment of those guidelines must be put together from Black Scholars the same way that training is put together by white women.

Special Field Order 11. Establish a national registry of police misconduct. Police must be held accountable. And, charged when they commit crimes. Additionally, wrong-doing incidents entered into a national database, and every law enforcement must have access to that national registry. Likewise, add Catholic Priests Boy Scout Leaders charged with sexual offenders and men who assault women on that list.

Special Field Order 12. Let’s institute the assumption that 911 calls from a white woman claiming a Black person puts her life in danger are suspect before sending armed cotillions of police get dispatched. Solution: Hire more Black Women as 911 supervisors.

Special Field Order 13. Community-based policing should be a priority. Let’s add services to deal with issues like mental health, homeless communities, and other non-violent crimes. Why do we need police in military gear to hunt down Black kids “suspected” of crimes? As a result, some states are considering abolishing the police altogether.

Special Field Order 14. Police must live in the neighborhoods they patrol.

Special Field Order 15. Cross-training police programs in repressive regimes have to stop. We need to cut police budgets to take care of other needs citizens have to cut down crime.

I Also Want.

Congress must be 51 percent of women as well as a guarantee that African-Americans hold sets in proportion to the number of Black people in this country. No news organization can have an all-white new team.

The criminal justice system must be completely overalled. No private run jails.

The military must increase the number of African-Americans in their command structure, and I want more than one damn Black Women flying jets in the Air Force.

https://www.nanafightsback.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2470&action=edit

Another Smile.

To sum it up, even if all of that wasn’t enough to brighten my day I embraced the knowledge that my strong man and of course the rest of my family still loves and at least tolerates this long-face, over-the-top, drama-filled Queen Bee (that’d be me) I bring into our relationship.

This afternoon, I felt my soul calm down just a tiny bit. I took a deep breath, though my headache still lingered, and my food still isn’t digesting as smoothly, I’m eating too much-buttered popcorn, and that bread I just baked. I went back and looked at my face, and it looked a little bit more relaxed.

I remember to tell all the women and men I deal with on those various customer service lines how much I appreciate them and encourage them to look at their faces and smile. With the slightest tinge of relief, I felt like dancing.