ESSAY Annett James
Black people are #DoneDying BY ANNETT JAMES, PRESIDENT, NAACP BOULDER COUNTY
There is no place in the United States, and arguably the world, where Black people are considered equal among White people — nor are they afforded the opportunity to truly coexist in environments where they’re safe from the burdens of systemic anti-Black racism. Equality demands the removal of all externally imposed barriers that prevent a human being from realizing his/her/their fullest potential. Safety demands that Black bodies not be wrongfully and disproportionately subjected to deadly force at the hands/knees of law enforcement, or having to continually endure the daily micro-aggressions of de facto policing by emboldened white citizens who challenge our very existence. The construct of race, as created by White people, was a masterful one. So much so, that it has effectively perpetuated the ongoing conscious/unconscious lie that whiteness, alone, is the preeminent currency of the land. As President Lyndon B. Johnson said in the 1960s, “If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.” This evil, yet brilliantly crafted institution of white supremacy is what Black
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people are forced to deal with, day in and day out. All of the horrors of slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, disparities in health and wealth, and police brutality were born, and continue to thrive, because of this system. While the reality of the inhumane and rigorous treatment of Black people spurs feelings of guilt and fragility among some of our White counterparts, sympathetic gestures are no longer (nor have they ever been) sufficient. The fact that Whites are privileged by, and have benefited from, this insidious institution for over 400 years is not a secret and endears no adoration. It is high time for reconciliation, as this way of life is no longer tenable and has run its course, FOR US ALL. Black people are #DoneDying. This mountain of systemic racism can be dismantled. However, to do so peacefully will require courage. The dismantling process depends on the skills of those who have previously had the luxury of silence to speak out. Not in that intellectual — straddling the fence, looking for some neutral false equivalent — kind of way, but with the voice of righteousness and moral commitment. Be on the right side of history and grab the Arc now.
