HOW THE EMMIT TILL INJUSTICE REPRESENTS THE PERFECT METAPHOR FOR THE BLACK COLLECTIVE IN AMERICA
After watching a recent episode of “60 Minutes” regarding the murder of Emmit Til, I have come to realize that the injustice represents a metaphor for the summation of injustice against African Americans during our time in this land. Emmit Till was the young 14 year old black Chicago native who was murdered while visiting his Grand father in Mississippi in 1955 , for the egregious and unforgivable act of whistling at a white women.The defendants in the case and trial, despite witnesses and evidence implicating them, were acquitted by an all white jury back in the 50's. The US Justice Department, who should have then steped in, also failed in its duty to uphold justice for its citizens, for nearly 50 years. Now, due to a black young Louisiana film maker who has done extensive research on the topic and brought it to congress attention, the case has been reopened by the Justice department.
How is this event a metaphor for blacks in America, you might ask? The answer is due to the pattern of the US government and citizens to wait until victims and perpetrators of crimes against our humanity are dead before they attempt to seek justice. Nearly all of the perpetrators of this heinous crime, even by Mississippi standards, are now dead. The ones alleged to be involved and still alive are too old for any real justice/punishment as the prime of their life has long been gone and enjoyed.
There is a striking pattern in this nation to wait until perpetrators and victims, in this nations terrorism against black people, have died before they pretend to take justice seriously. White America hardly ever seems able to be contemporary with seeking reconciliation for the injustices of their time and that occur under their watch, in this government of the people, for the people and buy the people. When they do manage take note and responsibility, it is usually a half assed effort done simply to placate the black population and to not upset the white population who want to preserve white privilege and supremacy. All efforts to help blacks are first filtered and diluted to not upset the white masses.
Former slaves were never given their 40 Acres and a Mule, which would have given blacks, theoretically, a good chance to build wealth as well as income and a living, instead of the peonage of share cropping. Not only that, the Jim Crow era of the South was a clear example of government laws facilitating separate and unequal socioeconomics between blacks and whites, which kept opportunities for education and wealth from black people. There are millions of victims of this crime against our humanity still living today, but whites ignore them and their losses.
Whites always like to look at slavery and talk about how terrible it was (as well as how long ago it was), only because all the enslaved and the enslavers are now dead. That gives them the comfort of not having any responsibility, hence the freedom to openly admit that restitution and compensation should have happened….but unfortunately there is nothing that can be done now because their all dead. Due to the fact that many Jim Crow era victims and perpetrators (governments) are still around today, whites can’t bring themselves to admit the horror of the injustice of that period, simply because they do not want to have to assume responsibility for it.
Whites simply act in a way to prevent a massive helping of black people rise up from the effects of white supremacy. If blacks rise to equality in America, then white supremacy, which is a relative concept, will be no more. Thus, in effect, white actions, whether by coincidence or conspiracy, fit’s the pattern of preserving white supremacy of conditions. If this nation could win the cold war, it certainly could have ended black inequality in this nation if it had the same will.
It seems that the rational of the white masses always seem to change superficially, however,
the end effect always seem to be a resistance to black uplift or seeking of justice and damages. The consequence of such resistance produces the same old 400 year running pattern of creating or preserving white supremacy.
posted by Noah TA @ 10/24/2004 06:08:00 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
A metaphor indeed; the metaphoric nature of what you have written extends even further. As in the case of our enslavement and Black men and women either being forced to or willingly mimicking the behavior of white folk to gain acceptance and sometime wealth from being slave owners and overseers. In this new investigation of the Emmit Till case they are saying that up to five Black people may be indicted for participating in the brutal lynching of Emmit Till. So as in the case of our enslavement and whites deflecting the cruelty of it by saying Black folk were slave owners as well, and are the ones that sold us into slavery we have a great number of Black folk possibly being indicted and imprisoned for participating in a crime that if they had not participated in they may have been in the water with Emmit Till with a bullet in their head. So this crime will be made to appear as if those Black participants were as guilty as the whites and not acting from the belief that if they did not do what thy were asked to do they would be killed, thus removing the racial aspect of it and making it out to be a crime committed by both Black and white men. A metaphor indeed.
Yes, I saw the senior brother being interviewed and denying all the allegations. I understand the nature of Ed Bradley’s question, when he asked what could have compelled these blacks to participate. That was a question for the white audience, who would or will do as you suggest, use those blacks to negate the racist overtones of the crime. As if these five black many were highly upset about a black kid whistling at a white women, to the degree of wanting to kill them.
Those blacks were likely the “Boys”, in a pejorative meaning, of the white company owner who wanted to kill these kids. There life and livelihood, as well as that of their families, I’m sure, were all threatened. What other motive would these black men have for such participation?
All throughout history, since the time that one group of people have oppressed another group, there have been those from the oppressed group that out of fear or the desire for favoritism and promotion by the oppressor, worked to the benefit of the oppressor against there own people. That same tendency transcends time and space and exists today as well. There are black people who are working against black collective interest either out of fear or out of the desire for favoritism and hence promotion. Of course, there are also those Negroes who have simply lost their mind, which might be part of the same group.
I am a white teenager, I would like to know the responsibilty that some one like me and my peers,(of all races) to make an attempt to right the wrongs of history. Slavery was wrong, and it is true that Reparations should be/should have been paid. But. I also ask, who would pay? My fathers side of the family came to america from Ireland in the 1920's and my Mother's side of the family came here in the 60's. So does that make me because I am white, responsible or should those who created the institution of slavery be responsible.
I have been reading Malcolm X by Alex Hasley for Social Studies Honors and I have become curious with Americas Social Development Over Time, Sadly it seems we have not come far.
Swarn, Who is paying for the war, who pays to bail out businesses like the airline companies after 9/11, maybe you are too young to remember the savings and loans debacle and the eventual bailing out it received. This is not about individuals being made to pay, this is about a country that has benefited from our enslavement. So it will not be individual white folks that pay reparations but this Government that pays.
As far as what you and your individual white friends can do, you can fight white supremacy and white skin privilege when ever and where ever you encounter it. I don't have to tell you what it would look like you will know.
I know theres a skin head kid in my german class. I just don't understand Thank you for reponding to my questions. I just dont see the logic behind this race suppremacy.
Sorry that comment was unclear. There is a skinhead kid in my german class he's been target of by our peers for his beliefs.But are there things like youth groups that encourage equal treatment of Whites and Blacks.I meen are the youth of the nation the best hope of ending racial unjustice I mean no one should not be hired because there Black or White, It just pisses me off that media portrays everything as equal but honestly I can see that it's not. If you know of youth groups that are designed to allow people to understand injustices and how we are able to right them. Oh, and thank you faheem for responding to my previous post.
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