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Black & Pink News
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
Re-imagining Justice for Black People By Dominique Morgan Written September 25, 2020
“I think we want justice and I think we believe there’s some way we are ever going to get that from this system and that is maddening to me.” -Sonya Renee Taylor in reference to the Black community and justice Family, It’s a conflicting time to exist as both Black and an abolitionist in this country. How do we honor the lives thoughtlessly stolen away from our community, while also remaining rooted in our abolitionist values? It’s exhausting, especially when the only model of justice available to us, arresting those who have harmed us, is seemingly the only way to validate our lives. Further, many in our community seek the act of jailing our oppressors as a balm to the historical harm and trauma our Black bodies hold. We hold to this act of accountability as a consistent goal because this is what we’ve been indoctrinated to believe. Internally, I believe we feel that we can be validated through our desire for vengeance, and hope that the (in)justice system will treat white bodies the way it treats ours. What I know to be true runs counter to this. I know that justice, affirmation, and peace are not delivered from the (in)justice system, especially for Black people. I’ve watched my people mourn their idea of justice. From Jake Gardner in Omaha who killed 22 year-old James Scurlock, a Black
man. To the cops in Louisville who killed Breonna Taylor: accountability continues to sift liks sand in our hands - disappearing into the wind. Well, not sift. These acts of violence against Black people were no accident… accountability was never meant for us. All we were handed was an illusory promise. What I also know to be true is that these systems work the way they were built to. They were never meant to work for Black communities. Now many of you are nodding your head, ready to burn it all down… Keep nodding. Keep smiling, but I want to sit this challenge on your chest: Black people and our communities need more than radical sentiments and gasoline to transform our lived experience in this world. We need relationships to move with accountability and at the speed of trust. We need to be heard. We need to be respected. We need dignity for our inherent value as human beings. Repeatedly I’ve heard Jason Lydon, Black & Pink’s founder, talk about the opportunity to envision a new way of being in community. I ask you - have you ever tried to be a visionary while you’re hungry? Have you ever tried to change your habits when you were sad, tired, or hurt?
This is 2020 for the Black community, and every year prior. How do we expect a community shouldering the full burden of oppression to divest from the white way of thinking when their capacity for abolitionist futurism is being held hostage by a culture that sees you as three-fifths a person? Investing in these communities is essential to taking the steps we need to take to build a society where police, detention centers, jails and prison are obsolete. Look to Black & Pink for leadership that counts. We invest in the leadership and lived experiences of people arguably considered as the least among us, Black Trans people. We know better. We live better. Black Trans people are the most among us and who we have been waiting for. We, at Black & Pink, are creating opportunities that not only meet, but exceed, the needs of Black Trans People. Uplifting and supporting their identities is a realization for the entire community. We all benefit. I invite you to join me in this work. I encourage you to move outside your space of privilege to join me in our mission. I ask you to envision a transformative community that won’t let us down or harm us in the process. In Solidarity, Dominique Morgan National Executive Director
