ignorance ain’t so bliss, part 2: the necessary conversation on the black cops charged in freddie gray’s murder

Before I even start, I would like to point out, yes, I am ecstatic charges have been filed in Freddie Gray’s murder but: LA Riots in 1992 were not the first nor last. Ferguson Unrest in 2014 was not the first nor last. Baltimore Uprising in 2015 was not the first nor last. We can celebrate the warrants issued for the 6 officers responsible for Freddie Gray’s murder this morning but be aware these are not synonymous with 6 convictions. Be aware. This system. Is. Still. Broken. Be aware. Race relations in America will continue to be a ticking time bomb if we keep accepting temporary band aids for bullet wounds that won’t seem to stop bleeding.

By KiNG, AFROPUNK Contributor

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Something so many of my white Facebook friends have decided to kindly point out is that a number of officers involved in Freddie Gray’s death were black. Yes, this was a fact so many of them reveled in as if it were enough proof to be absolved from the responsibility that comes with having privilege; to which I responded with a post as seen on Twitter: “Here’s the part where people act too dense to understand that black people embedded in racist systems can perpetuate anti Black racism.” Here’s the part where we will start realizing the divide within African American communities of the “house negro” and the “cotton picking negro” still exists thanks to good ole racism; and the idea of “do not bite the hand that feeds you or makes you feel privileged momentarily” still prevails.

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I invite you all to take a trip down history lane as we venture to the James River bank of the Virginia Colony in 1712. This is where Willie Lynch infamously gave his speech on the “making of a slave.” Lynch was invited to America from the British West Indies because of his experimentation with slave control. He begins his speech with highlighting the destructiveness of unruly slaves and killing them for punishment. He goes on to introduce a method he claims (and now has proven) would influence Blacks for 300 years or more: “I have outlined a number of difference among the slaves; and I take these difference and make them bigger. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes.” He details each difference and ranks them accordingly by age, “shade/color,” sex, size, hair, attitude towards owners, and so on and so forth. He emphasizes pitting the polar opposites of the spectrum against each other: old vs. young, male vs. female, light vs. dark, as extremely vital in order to ensure “…that your slaves trust and depend on us [masters]. They must love, respect, and trust only us…Gentlemen, these kits are your keys to control. Use them. Have your wives and children use them, never miss an opportunity. If used intensely for one year, the slaves themselves will remain perpetually distrustful.” This speech is the origin of the “house nigga” vs. “cotton picking nigga” classification. A hierarchy and mentality that has woven through decades of history and adapted effortlessly to modern Black culture.

A large majority of America remains ignorant to these classifications if they are not members of the Black community. I, for one, grew up in the more privileged circuit. A friend of mine once said, “Give a black person some money and racism becomes invisible to them.” And I grew up around just that. My grandfather was an affluent black man in Los Angeles at a time when it was a rarity. My mother grew up in the lap of luxury- she was surrounded more white people than those who shared her skin color, and experienced few bouts of blatant prejudice. She was taught net worth was enough to place her on a pedestal competitive to whites, making her worthy of their respect, but also this caused her to believe she was superior to most black people. She attempted many times to include me in this ignorant bubble and failed.

Upon entering middle school, I became increasingly aware of “colorism.” I was rejected often times by fellow black girls before they’d even get to know me because of my German last name, my Aryan features (blonde hair/bone structure), or for the mere fact I was light skinned. I was labeled: bougie, too loud, full of myself, and someone who took pride in “passing.” Now, looking back, I oftentimes wonder if my mother’s consistent attempts to influence me was in an effort to shield me from being rejected by “my own people.” I became angry upon realizing I was never going to be fully accepted by either race; however, I identified more so with being black. I always felt this condescending “fake acceptance” with white people – like they knew I was easily equal to them but chose to look down on me. I turned into my mother’s worst nightmare from that moment forward and became, what my family nicknamed me: “Baby Angela Davis” or the “house nigga that chose to be a cotton picking nigga.”

Whenever it came to discussing social justice in high school, my mother and I would engage in full blown arguments. She never saw a problem with unlawful deaths or arrests plaguing the news because it was something that didn’t directly affect her. In her mind, it was unfortunate racism was affecting “those black people,” but she did not consider herself “one of them.” My mother always looked down upon those who lived below the middle class line, who struggled, or who in her mind seemed to purposefully encapsulate the “stereotypical black person.” This isn’t to say all wealthy black people feel this way, this is me detailing my experience being raised by a “modern house negro”- a black person, typically high in socio economic ranking, who believes white people have never done anything “too terrible” to directly oppress them, so why complain?

I give such detailed historical narrative in order to come full circle back to Freddie Gray’s case: Black cops can conform to an oppressive construct out of sheer survival instinct thanks to the extremely racist society they were born into. Black people can perpetuate prejudice and racist ideology against “their own kind,” because of the inherent hierarchy overarching from 300 years ago. The seed Willie Lynch planted in 1712 has become increasingly detrimental when it comes to discussing race relations among members of the Black community. We need to understand the formation of these mentalities stem from a manipulated sense of identity. Throughout history, African Americans have easily been the one ethnicity consistently subjected to abuse and destruction. We, as a community, are broken because we were born into a system designed to break us. We have been and will continue to be pitted against each other, time after time again, in order for this system to keep working.

So, with that being said, I need everyone to take a moment to think long and hard before choosing to make another mindless comment. And to be clear, I don’t hate white people or even affluent POCs, I hate how many of them choose to ignore the access to privilege in which they have been given- choose to amnesia when it comes to history. I hate the inherent racism, prejudice, colorism, and superiority complexes that we have been socially conditioned into from birth. But most of all, I hate the system of white supremacy that has degenerated us and our country to this and this conversation we shouldn’t EVEN be having. And it scares me to know, there will be even more havoc to come.

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* KiNG is a 21 year old gender fluid, bisexual, biracial, spoken word poet, as well as co-founder of SLiM Poetry (an open mic at the Container Yard in the Arts District). Through writing and performing, I seek to create dialogue and develop a rapport with readers/audience members. I also intend to shatter stigma pertaining to mental health, feminism, racism, and anything social justice related as well as encourage creative communities to integrate and innovate. 

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