With the recent tragedy in Ferguson, and the the reactions that followed, many Americans have been left speechless with anger. As an African American woman, I have sit back and observed my people struggle to remain equal in this country. Even after we were forced over here, beaten and enslaved for years, we have yet to lash out. With the exception of a few rebellious incidents, we have taken our beatings in silence.
With the occurrence of the Trayvon Martin case, I expected an incredulous outrage. While there were multiple protests, we remained peaceful even in the heat of one of the angriest incidents our generation has ever had to endure. We let our words be heard, and our rage was known, but we never "got out of pocket."
Since then, or since decades ago, the African American race has taken blow after blow to our culture. It is torn apart and erased, then duplicated. It is mocked, ridiculed, and subjected to constant criticism. Then, it is plastered across billboards by the Eurocentric mass media. With consistent subtle jabs such as these, we still remained peaceful.
Now, with the numerous deaths of progressive African American men, and the lack of consequence for those responsible, how can anybody expect anything less than what is going on? How many mothers have to lose their sons before America actually takes a step from behind their rose colored glasses and realizes that we have a problem? As we drop our heads in shame in reference to the racism across the world, we are ignoring the ignorance and discrimination right in front of our face.
We have happily contributed to this country, and we deserve to be treated as equals. We fought alongside our fellow Americans in multiple wars, defending a territory we felt was our own. We put our intelligence to work with countless inventions to advance the progress of this nation, and yet we are treated as less than the majority.
With multiple images of our men face down as blood surrounds their lifeless bodies begin to surface, we will continue to be angry. We expect to see a change. That is where the rage comes from: lack of change.
As many people as we have lost, the consequences have been insanely minute, and the amount of attention should be magnified and much more intense. As major media outlets continue to ignore the truth about what is brewing our country, it is up to us to bring light to the issue.
So, forgive us if we are angry. Forgive us if we protest, and our faces aren't benevolent and filled with joy. Expect anger, and do not be shocked when you see strong-willed African Americans breaking their silence and shouting their outrage in the streets. It is long overdue and we deserve to be slightly irate.