The Black Experience as Genocide

Genocide, as defined by the United Nations, is “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group … ” The acts are listed here: http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/adviser/genocide_prevention.shtml.

Before I continue, there are some things that I must note. Some individuals are more privileged than others. In this instance, the privilege is having the ability to walk and live freely without fear of persecution. Please keep that in mind as you continue reading. Everyone, even in the United States, does not have the same levels of privilege. Secondly, it appears that I am jumping from topic to topic in this post. I am. Black genocide is a multi-faceted issue and I am way beyond 250 words.

My focus in this post is the United States and specifically black people as the minority group who are facing systematic dehumanization and physical destruction by civil servants of the state; (American police officers) and vigilantes. However, I will use more of a case study approach by focusing on Virginia as a representative sample of the United States. Please note that I am aware that all states cannot be generalized, but I am also aware that Virginia, with Richmond as the capital, has served as an important place for American politics.

Though I have traveled outside of the United States, I have lived the entirety of my life in Virginia. J. Douglas Smith, author of Managing White Supremacy, writes about Race, Politics, and Citizenship in Jim Crow Virginia. I think it is important to point out the institutionalized racism that has been written and grandfathered into many of Virginia’s state laws, which are reflective of laws in other states throughout America.

Smith notes, “While Virginia may indeed have enjoyed a better record than other southern states in racial matters, Virginia’s political leaders chose to ‘legislate away’ the political and civil rights of black citizens and then “deny that a problem existed.” Injustice has been woven into the very fiber of Virginia’s history. That is not unlike the injustices that take place in various other states. “White paternalists in Virginia and elsewhere in the South condemned racial violence…but blamed racial hostility on the failures and shortcomings of African Americans (30).” Paternalism, as defined by Smith, is “one part white supremacy and one part white responsibility, it is an alternative means of managing race relations that promoted, rather than hindered the modernization of Virginia (29).” The goal in Virginia was to include black people in politics just enough so that they would not be completely excluded, though disenfranchisement does exclude many, either way black people cannot not be well represented.

The idea that ‘problems do not exist for black people’ have been reinforced. For example, when people say “black lives matter”, that is not a threat or insult to any other lives. It is simply acknowledging that black lives have the same inherent value that everyone else has and that it must be pointed out because black lives are being targeted and taken at substantially higher rates than other lives. If you think that all lives should matter equally, I agree with you. If you do not think that black lives need more protection and acknowledgement, then you need to reevaluate your thinking. Smith also writes that white supremacy was “taught, learned, and reinforced in homes, schools, and churches throughout Virginia (33).” I grew up in Virginia and I know all of those things to be true. I also know that people with darker skin tones tend to be highly susceptible to oppression around the world.

I firmly believe that what is happening to black people in America is genocide. Many of us have seen the videos where black men, unarmed black men, are running in the opposite direction of police officers. Then they are shot multiple times, in the backs of their bodies. Though this is not police protocol, offers are not being charged or indicted. Black people are being murdered, in their homes, on their way to the store, in their cars, and just on the street in general. Black men, women, and children, are seen as threats to other citizens. Why?

When Tamir Rice was murdered, in cold-blood, people said that it was because he looked like an adult. He was 12. When Aiyana Stanley, 7,  was shot in the head, by a police officer, as she was sleeping on her couch, people said it was because she should not have been home during a police raid. When Michael Brown was murdered, police showed America photos of him in street clothes, instead of his high school graduation photos. When Eric Garner was choked to death by police officers, people said he should not have been selling cigarettes on the street. How many excuses are we going to come up with?

Why are black lives being taken lightly? The black community is affected as a whole every single time another black person is murdered. (No, we are not all related.) The media shows us as thugs, referring to women in music videos and rap lyrics. America still looks at us as subordinates, second-class citizens. Black women continue to die in jail cells, with no explanations. I like to think that America has come a long way from the days of slavery, de jure segregation, and de facto segregation, and then I read another story about another lynching. I like to think that America has come a long way from it’s imperialistic roots, but then I read cases about black women being targeted and raped by police officers.

If black people are so threatening, why are they unarmed when they are being murdered? Since Michael Brown’s death (August 9, 2014), many unarmed black people have been killed. Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/08/09/timeline-dozens-unarmed-african-americans-killed-since-ferguson/31375795/

Some like to argue that black on black crime is more detrimental to the black community than police/vigilantes killing black people. You are wrong. Accept that. When people are forced to live, adapt, and attempt to function in a society that was not built to support nor encourage their success, social deviance rates tend to skyrocket. In black communities, there are limited resources; whether those resources are food, jobs, or money. Conflict is encouraged when people are fighting for the right to survive.

If you automatically associate black people with drugs and incarceration rates, stop it. Actual data has shown that black people do not consume/sell/distribute drugs at higher rates than other racial groups.

Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/racial-disparity-drug-use_n_3941346.html

If you think that more black people are on welfare than other racial groups, please read more.

Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/28/food-stamp-demographics_n_6771938.html

If you think that affirmative action has helped more black people get into colleges and universities than anyone else, you will be shocked to learn that affirmative action is geared towards white women

Reference: http://ideas.time.com/2013/06/17/affirmative-action-has-helped-white-women-more-than-anyone/

I challenge everyone to delve beyond the confines of your lived experiences and make an effort to understand, and not invalidate, the lived experiences of people who have different perspectives. I really encourage everyone/anyone to respond to this with your thoughts, questions, and objections.

I will end with words from one of the founders of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Alicia Garza (she will be on campus on March 22, at 4pm, in the Alice Haynes Room.) She writes, “And, perhaps more importantly, when Black people cry out in defense of our lives, which are uniquely, systematically, and savagely targeted by the state, we are asking you, our family, to stand with us in affirming Black lives.  Not just all lives. Black lives.  Please do not change the conversation by talking about how your life matters, too. It does, but we need less watered down unity and a more active solidarities with us, Black people, unwaveringly, in defense of our humanity. Our collective futures depend on it.” Source: http://www.thefeministwire.com/2014/10/blacklivesmatter-2/

My future posts will be much shorter. Thank you!