Jena 6 - synopsis

The Jena 6 case has been the talk of America for the last two weeks. It has been the talk of black America for the last 6 months. This case has been considered by some to be about race, and others to be about what’s right and wrong. I think it’s about both! It’s about what’s right and wrong with the racial divide in our judicial system. More so, it’s about what’s wrong with the racial divide in our judicial system. There are so many different fronts, and basically different storms that have formed together for the “perfect storm”. Here are my views on how this case has created the “perfect storm”.

Race is the biggest factor in this case. Without it, we aren’t talking. Had the Jena 6 beat up another black student, there probably would not have been any charges filed. Now, I’m not saying that they should not have been charged. However, adult court? Of course they should have been punished for their actions, and I don’t think anyone is disputing that. This entire case revolves around the racial tensions that have been brewing in this country since the beginning of time. So, what has this case done to racial tensions, and racial equality discussions? The bigger question is what hasn’t it done?

There is something I call the OJ factor. The same people, who absolutely hate OJ, say that he thumbed his nose at the justice system. However, they for some reason find it okay that these 6 kids be sent to jail for a schoolyard fight? It all boils down to race. Had OJ killed his black wife, he would not have been vilified the way he has. Had it been 6 white kids who beat up another white kid, these same people would be horrified that these kids were being possibly sentenced to more than 20 years in jail.

Is racism still here? The people that do not experience racism on a daily basis say that racism is no longer a problem. “We” have moved past that in this country. They are the same people that say that there is no need for affirmative action; the NAACP is racist, Rev. Al and Rev. Jesse are racist, and blacks need to just move on because slavery was more than a hundred years ago. Well, here is my question for everyone who says “we” as a nation have come so far: whom do we worship with every Sunday? How come “we” still have black churches and white churches? “We” worship the same God, a God who represents love – and above all else love – and we can’t even worship Him in the same place. Until we can worship together, how can we agree that we are making progress on race relations? The fact is, “we” just don’t talk, and don’t want to talk about race. It’s always that pink elephant in the room.

The judicial system decides on when and where to build new prisons by determining how many black children are born in what area of the country. Does this make sense to anyone? The system basically decides where these children will spend their adult lives when they are born. Does this not upset anyone else? The system decides that my son and his peers will be heading to prison instead of college. Well, it won’t be under my watch. I, for one, fight every day with every bone I have to make sure that doesn’t happen. You see, these 6 youths had their future pre-determined by a system that said “we don’t care”. By a prosecutor who wanted to wipe out their lives with the stroke of a pen. The system does not care about black people, and in particular, black men. That is why people celebrated when OJ was acquitted. Nobody thought that this could or would ever happen. That is why there has been a unification to come to the aid for these 6 children. The system is broken, and it is begging to be fixed.

My generation has never had anything to fight for. I have thought about my late father so much over the last few weeks and how he once told me that he would never visit me when I was in college. I attended college in Birmingham, Alabama, and he said that there is no way he could come down there. He said that to him it was and always would be “bombingham”, a nickname the city received during the civil rights movement in the ‘60’s. My father’s generation was on the front line of the civil rights movement. They paved the way for my generation to be able to enjoy the capitalistic government that I know take part in. I could not have had my job in corporate America fifty years ago. It’s because of my father’s generation that I can. My father’s generation was sent out to fight for civil rights because their parent’s were in fear of losing their jobs had they gone. It was kids who led the charge. They knew that they had to be the focal point of the change. They were attacked with fire hoses, Bull Connor’s dogs, and thrown in jail, all of this as children leading the charge for equality.

There has been a generational gap when it comes to fighting for civil rights. The closest my generation came to it was during the L.A. riots in the ‘90’s after the acquittal of the police officers charged with beating motorist Rodney King. However, that proved nothing. Nothing at all! The only thing that proved is that we can burn down our own community. Nothing was solved. Maybe there was just so much frustration built up, and that was the only way that people knew how to react. I don’t know. I was in ninth grade at the time, and I just remember it being a very scary time. My generation never had to protest, to fight, or to march.

Now, here is the “perfect storm”. I was talking to my best friend last night and told him that what has happened here is that a sleeping giant has been awakened. You have the old guard in Rev. Jesse and Rev. Al, you have my generation who has been literally dying inside to fight for something, and then you have the youth. You see the torch was never passed to us. There was always a need, but a need without the cause. Now, we have the torch being passed through us (not to us) to our youth. So the old guard has passed it to the youth through us. Through the financial stability that the old guard allowed us to have, we are able to fund the youth. We are able to hold down our corporate jobs while students at the HBCU’s are able to “get on the bus” and go fight the fight. Students from Howard, Spellman, Bowie State, Morehouse, etc. are able to join together with students from the traditional schools to make a change.

There is also an interesting dynamic here that the ‘60’s had, we just have more of it. That is the support of our white, Hispanic, and Asian brothers and sisters. You see, with each generation comes more understanding than the generation before it. So when you see faces of all different colors and creeds in a demonstration march, all wearing black, it shows unity. It shows that “we” are not going to take this anymore. What’s wrong is wrong, and “we” together are going to fight to make it right. It doesn’t matter what the color of my brothers face standing next to me is. We believe in the same fight, the same equality, so that Dr. King’s dream can come true.

So, what has happened here? At the end of the day, by the judicial mistreatment of black 6 youths in Jena, Louisiana, a giant has definitely been awakened. What America has on its hands is a firestorm waiting to happen. A peaceful demonstration of unity among old and young, black and white can do more harm than burning anything down. If black America were a nation, it would be the second richest nation in the entire world! Anytime 50 thousand plus people can converge on a small town and shut it down without spending any money? That is very dangerous for America. Will this be the emergence of the new civil rights movement? Possibly. Will this continue? Hopefully. The cause is here now. The need never went away, and now we DO have something to fight for. September 20, 2007 showed the world, not just the nation, but also the world that “we” are not going to take it anymore. “We” will stand together to fight for what is right. If it means marching on Washington, marching on Jena, or marching on another small town in little town America, the fight is here to stay until all Americans are treated equally under the strong arm of the law.

There is a Jena in every part of the U.S.A. As long as that statement is true, we now will have our cause. Black and white, young and old, now it is about doing what is right to right the wrong. How can this be done? Most importantly register to vote. Voting is the best place for your voice to be heard. Contact your congressman or woman. Get involved. Stay informed. Don’t let your voice go unheard.

“If we don’t stand for something, we will fall for anything.”

Peace and love.