Black People: Let’s Stop Pointing Fingers!

A black male is killed every 28 hours in this country by police or vigilantes, according to a recent study by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement. So many black males have lost their lives due to laws, such as “Stand Your Ground”, black on black crime, or at the hands of police officers whose primary duty is to protect and serve.  In fact, in the past month, Michael Brown (Ferguson, MO), Eric Garner (Staten Island, NY), John Crawford (OH), Ezell Ford (Los Angeles) and Dante Parker (CA) by white police officers…and many more whose names we do not know.

The truth of the matter is, I know as the mother of a black male, it doesn’t matter how much we have invested in his upbringing, his education, his environment and his experiences due to implicit or explicit biases, he will be viewed as a threat as he enters manhood.  It is heartbreaking and enraging that after the Civil Rights Movement, prominent African Americans in politics and business he will not quite measure up…even though on paper he does. But based on his beautiful dark brown skin, he will always have to prove his value and worthiness to either obtain or maintain any position or possessions he will undoubtedly achieve.

I feel so helpless at times.  I pray and cry, cry and pray for the mothers who look like me who are mourning the deaths of their sons…a mother never thinks she will bury her children. I cry, because I can imagine the anguish, the hurt and the pain and I know it can happen to my son. My despair doesn’t rest only on the lives lost by law enforcement, black on black crime or vigilantes, it is also towards an education and economic system that has not lifted its lever of oppression.  While a few of us “make it”, we can no longer sit by and let our sons and daughters become lost in the black hole of despair and devalue.  We must act and support those organizations that are committed to uplifting and enhancing our community. We must go back to being a village where we care for one another and each other’s families.  We must register ourselves and others to vote and then spend time educating them on issues, policies…then get them to the polls. And finally, we MUST make an economic statement.  We are the largest consumer base in this country, if we have a targeted economic plan, say like the bus boycott in the 60s, a change will come, as we all know money talks and…

While, I know I do not have all the answers,  I know we must act. We have to organize and reach across socioeconomic lines and fight for the lives of our black sons…and daughters. Let’s stop saying those people and start saying our people.  Let’s start a campaign that will catch fire in the hearts and minds of young black males…so they will see their own value! Our race depends on it! Let’s stop waiting on leaders and start our own ground swell. We can no longer point a finger and not respond to the three that are pointing right back at us. It’s time to act! #BlackMenAreWorthy #BlackBoysAreWorthy #BlackLivesMatter

Dru Ealons is a wife, mother, and media personality. A former Obama Administration official, Dru blogs about relationships, politics, current affairs and much more. For more information about Dru Ealons, visit: druealons.com