Social movements don’t work when people feel left out, forgotten about, let down or simply overlooked.
Many times movements like the civil rights one and others that immediately followed it, provided benefits for the group at large but left the individual distrustful and disappointed.
Leading a group of individuals interested in restructuring a social machine without eliminating its personnel (gatekeepers and those who have the most to gain by maintaining the status quo) is pointless.
To approach a group that has experienced a severe lack of governmental support (slavery ended in 1865 and it took another 100 years before we could vote)and has thrived despite systematic discrimination and oppression with the idea that approaching and challenging this same system to see the errors in its thinking and simply step aside is dumb and short sighted.
To gain the trust and respect of those you want to influence and ultimately lead, it is wise to start with the question : What’s in it for them?
What type of change would benefit the most oppressed group?
What the media gives us is a group of whining individuals going on about “being safe” and the ever growing need for more prisons.
There is never an attempt to link their fear with a larger social movement which includes sharing of resources and a return to compassion that would allow for serious community transformation.
As a result of this lack of planning and interaction with a group that still experiences targeted racist attacks, our big movement will flop.
A better way to regroup and create a continued and ballsy, unrelenting attack is to align this dream with several others.
Why not also fight for healthcare that is not determined by marital status ?
Why not fight for school systems who base their curriculum on love and self esteem building as opposed to test scores ?
Why not demand that drug companies, mental health officials and sex workers create honest sex discussions whose purpose is HIV prevention?
Why not look at the number of runaways, foster kids and trans youth who are severely lacking in resources which lead to risky unprotected sex as their only means to self support.
Fighting for black male lives needn’t be done in a vacuum, it should be included with all of the other issues facing our community.