As I sit down to write this, I feel compelled to capture not only the abhorrent truth of racism in Amerikkka, but also my grandmother's fury and anguish, which have been passed down to her from a generation that has witnessed unspeakable atrocities. As her voice quivers with righteous rage, I am reminded of a narrative she told me that has burned itself into my memory.
A young man, only 40 years old, went missing. Donovan Brooks was his name, and the end
of his life was nothing short of the nightmare it is to live in Amerikkka, a terrifying reminder of a past that some like to think has passed. The finding of mangled and discarded human remains in Ringgold, Louisiana, points to a legacy of brutality that cannot be dismissed as history. My grandmother's tears and pain attest to the fact that she knew Donovan, and in areas like Louisiana, the disease of racism lingers, and leaders—and many others—turn a blind eye.
The distressing ordeals of Donovan Brooks and the accounts of widespread prejudice in Amerikkka express a pressing and unsettling depiction of injustices that often remain unnoticed in mainstream discourse. Media narratives frequently avoid addressing the pervasive racism deeply ingrained in American society, pushing stories like Donovan's to the margins, obscured by more easily digestible or attention-grabbing news. This phenomenon of selective visibility sustains a society characterized by quiet and complicity, obscuring the unfiltered realities of systemic oppression and the actual lived encounters of Afrakan bodies categorized as 'Black' in the United States of Amerikkka.
These are not isolated events; they are signs of a systemic disease manifesting itself in environmental, medical, cultural, intellectual, spiritual, economic, biological, chemical, and, most dramatically, physical violence.
Donovan Brooks' situation is an assault on our humanity. But this isn't an outlier; it's a pattern that can be found anywhere there are individuals of Afrakan origin. It's a global phenomenon in which Afrakan nations, such as the Kongo, are exploited for their natural resources with the collaboration of Western governments and businesses, all motivated by insatiable greed (based on racial capitalism). We must face the uncomfortable reality that our ignorance or indifference as consumers feeds into this system. Our obsession with material items blinds us to the consumption of our own selves; the cost is us. We must regard genocides as continuous realities, not as a sequence of historical events to be recalled.
Amerikkka is a warzone, and it is just a general amongst the western powers...
What about West Africa's socio-economic woes, where inflation cripples societies and politicians, frequently backed by Western powers, fail to produce jobs and opportunities for their people? This is an attack on the lives of the Afrakan people's future.
But there is also recognition of our power in this admission. We are not powerless. Our voices can be raised in opposition to these oppressive regimes. We may boycott, protest, educate, and fight in ways that honor our predecessors' efforts, future generations, and make use of the knowledge available to us. We do not lack agency, and the first step is to realize our own ability to create change.
Returning to Ringgold, the arrest of those guilty for Donovan Brooks' death is about more than just bringing them to justice; it's about facing a cultural disease that allows for such an atrocity to occur and go unnoticed in the media. As my grandma always says, "Louisiana is as racist as its creator:"- Amerikka and even France and Ringgold's recent events serve as a stark warning that Amerikkka is our war zone.
The question is, what should we do? How do we rise? How can we honor the legacies of people who have died, ensuring that their lives were not in vain? It's a question that deserves an answer, not just from the Ringgold community, not just from Afrakans in Amerikkka, but worldwide. How does this issue relate to other global injustices worldwide, and how does the fact that nation-state governments create barriers to establishing these links through international legal means contribute to its convenience? Isn't it past time that we lived up to the promise of our inherent rights and liberties? The year is 2023, and the fight against hatred, racism, ignorance, indifference, and the heritage of struggles continues with fresh intensity and unwavering conviction. We must prepare and hone in on survival skills because the cost of failing to do so is too high to bear.
Amerikkka must atone for its sins, and all other nations must follow suit by any means necessary...
4 arrested in deadly dog attack in Bienville Parish Source: https://www.ktbs.com/news/4-arrested-in-deadly-dog-attack-in-bienville-parish/article_ad08e652-782b-11ee-abbc-53626202b955.html#:~:text=They%20include%3A%20Charlotte%20Hubbard%2C%2077,into%20the%20Bienville%20Parish%20Jail.
Four white people were charged in connection with Brooks’ death:
They include: Charlotte Hubbard, 77; Shawn Hubbard, 32; Gerald Miller, 51, on charges of negligent homicide and obstruction of justice; and Cameron Kelly, 21, for accessory after the fact. All were booked into the Bienville Parish Jail.
Charlotte Hubbard, 77
Shawn Hubbard, 32
Gerald Miller, 51
Cameron Kelly, 21