On Wednesday, May 2, 2012, two minutes and fifty-seven seconds into overtime, Joel Ward, a winger for the Washington Capitols, scored the winning goal in the NHL playoff game against the Boston Bruins to win the series. The Bruins are known for being a hockey powerhouse, so in the eyes of many the Capitol’s win was a major upset. One would have thought the pages of the newspapers the next day would be full of stories about underdogs and comeback kids, but instead the attention went elsewhere. Racist tweets erupted within seconds to the tune of “You guys let the nigger score? #ImDone.” Oh! Did I forget to mention that Joel Ward was black? Silly me, I thought the details of the amazing victory by the Capitols was what was paramount, but apparently I was wrong. The above tweet was one among many that took offense to Canadian born Ward’s Barbadian heritage.

Suppose George Zimmerman were arrested, tried and convicted of the murder of Trayvon Martin tomorrow, what would the legacy of Trayvon Martin be on the following day? Would we all put away our hoodies and stop marching, or would we take up a National Repeal Movement?

The Right Wing has a national movement to repeal Obamacare, thereby suppressing access to affordable healthcare for millions, especially poor people and people of color. Trayvon Martin will not have to worry about the repeal of Obamacare or about staying on his parent’s healthcare plan until he is twenty six. He will never be twenty six. Trayvon Martin stood his ground, faced hate and faced fear. He could not repeal the bullet that took his life. We can make sure that his death stands for something bigger than just putting one man on trial.

If you see something, say something.

A Black woman stepped off the 1 Train in New York City today, two stops from Wall Street. Upon leaving the train she stepped onto the platform and saw an advertisement for the new movie “Think Like a Man,” based on Steve Harvey’s best-selling book. The ad was defaced. Now, an ad with some graffiti on it in New York City is nothing to write home about, but the way in which this poster was defaced, raises a question about these “post-racial” times we are living in. Across the face of Taraji P. Henson were the words “Nigger Bitch.” Across the face of Megan Good were the words “Nigger Whore.” And across the face of Kevin Hart was the message “No Nigger Movies Allowed.”

The Williams Institute recently conducted a study entitled, Poverty in the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community , which offered some insight as to why Black Lesbians have been the hardest hit by the economic crisis in the United States. In the general culture there is a perception of gay affluence, but that is nothing more than a stereotype. That stereotype might lead some to be shocked that Black lesbians would be at the bottom of the economic barrel, but it really should not be all that surprising. No other racial demographic was as negatively affected by the recession as Black Americans, and no group within the Black community was hit as hard as Black women. Even though women make up roughly half of the country’s population, they are still considered a “minority” group, so it makes sense that the minority (women) within the minority (Black people) would be hit hard. Black lesbians take that theory one step further... the minority (lesbians) within a minority (women) within a minority (Black people). The discrimination Black lesbians struggle with is thrice compounded.  

A national movement to take action on big banks took place on November 5, 2011. Americans were encouraged to “move their money,” from big banks like Bank of America, Citigroup and Chase to smaller, locally owned banks and credit unions. Black America in particular was urged to make the switch. Subprime lending, foreclosures, and plummeting home values have devastated Black wealth. The racial wealth gap is now bigger than it has ever been since the Census Bureau started measuring it in 1984. According to a recent study, between 2005 and 2009 median wealth fell by 53% for Black households and 66% for Latino households, while falling only 16% for White households. To date 33, 810 people have pledged to close their accounts with Bank of America, 4,653 with Citigroup, 18,285 with Chase and 26,058 with other large institutions. With the buying power of the Black community reaching 1.1 trillion this year, Black people can wield tangible power and affect significant change with where they choose to put their money.

In most of the public schools in this country the vast majority of what children learn when they open their textbooks provides them with a skewed look at this nation’s history, and provides them with a very narrow cannon of American literature. To be frank, children learn history as told by a White man, with a sprinkling of guest appearances from minorities and women. Even Black history month largely focuses on the Civil Rights Movement, and even more specifically Martin Luther King, jr, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks, such that a child could easily get the impression that there were no other participants in the Movement, and no other Black history outside of the 1950s-1970s that is worth discussing.

When I was a child, and into adolescence, my mother told me when I stepped out of the door, I was not only representing myself, and my family, but my whole entire race. Right or wrong, I grew up feeling that if I went out into the world and behaved poorly, it would cast a negative reflection on the entire Black community.

Now, as much as I am a champion to the individual, and I wholeheartedly agree that I should be judged on my actions and my actions alone, that is an idealistic yearning, and it does not take the realities of being Black in America into account. When one Black person has a shortcoming, the whole race has a shortcoming. When one Black person has a triumph, the triumph is theirs alone; they are the exception. Growing up with this mentality has made me a harsh critic of the way that Black people conduct themselves, particularly when they are under the scrutiny of the public eye.

Given what an integral part voting plays in the democracy of the United States, it is interesting that there is no mention of voting rights in the Constitution. This has allowed for each state to cultivate their own standards and regulations, unless a federal law was passed that was applicable to each state. When the United States was founded, only white men with property were permitted to vote. White men who were not property owners, women and all people of color were denied this right. By the start of the Civil War all white men were permitted to vote whether or not they owned property. Women and people of color (including Native Americans) were still excluded.

Whenever there is a large-scale movement or protest in the United States, Black people’s issues have a tendency to be included at some point as a means to win Black supporters. However it seems that by the time the movement draws to a close, and the “majority’s” objective has been met, the issues that most affect Black people have been cast aside. Given that context, why should Black people feel compelled to get involved in the current Occupy Movement? When history tells Black people that their issues will be the first to be scratched from the list of demands, what incentive do they have to Occupy anywhere?

Take a look at The Civil War, for instance.  The history books say the war was about whether or not to continue perpetuating the institution of slavery. Black soldiers, Union and Confederate alike were promised freedom, better living conditions and even land. However, after the start of the war, President Abraham Lincoln, historically known as “The Great Emancipator,” is quoted as saying, “If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it…” It is true that President Lincoln did go on to draft and sign the Emancipation Proclamation, but Black people’s rights were only taken off the back burner when it became politically convenient to do so.

Occupy Wall Street has been going strong for over a month. People from all walks of life have occupied Zucotti Park, which has been nicknamed Liberty Square, protesting bank bailouts, corporate greed, and the unchecked power of Wall Street in Washington. The protestors say that they represent the 99% of Americans and seek a political agenda that is more attuned to the 99% rather than the wealthiest 1% it currently seems to cater to. 

As part of the larger Occupy Together phenomenon, 100 movements have sprouted up nationally and there have now been 1,500 “Occupy” inspired protests in 82 countries worldwide. Among the faces are college students with excessive student loan debt, elderly people who have lost their homes to foreclosure, and people who have been laid off from their jobs and have spent months unemployed while searching for new opportunities amidst this vicious job market. Given how heavily the recession has affected Black unemployment rates and how large a percentage of Black America occupies the 99%, one might assume that Black people would be on the front lines of the “Occupy” protest. However, this has not been the case.