GREETINGS!
The events that took place around the George Floyd murder present us with yet another opportunity to address the inhumanity of racism. But, this country will again not take advantage of it because we will continue to treat this act of inhumanity as though it is an isolated incident, and not an act that flows from the very structure of the nation.
This is a system that, over hundreds of years, has indoctrinated people (particularly “law enforcement” elements) to look at people, and based on their physical characteristics, particularly their Black skin, determine whether they represent a threat and respond accordingly. Afrikan, Latino, and Native American men have for hundreds of years been considered to be the enemy, the “savage,” and the “worst of the worst.” This “kill first” mentality – and any time you fire “a hail of bullets” or use a designed-to-kill chokehold on people, the intent is to kill – and that intent to kill is motivated, either consciously or unconsciously, by fear and/or hate!
No one wants to think that they are under the influence of patriarchal authoritarianism/while male supremacy in how we think or conduct ourselves. We have been indoctrinated to believe that it’s not the system, it was a mistake, an over-reaction on the part of the individual officer – or Klansman – and all it takes is for that individual to be fired or prosecuted and the country is satisfied...until it happens again...and again...and again! We genuinely do believe that this is not the same country as it was 30, 40, or 50 years ago, and we believe this in the face of so much racist/sexist/misogynistic/homophobic/religious intolerant/anti-poor hate!
What we are facing in this nation, as it relates to the murders of New Afrikans (Blacks) by police is simply the ongoing legacy of socio-economic relations between the white ruling class and the New Afrikan underclass, a manifestation of patriarchal authoritarian White Supremacy enforcing the dictates of the race caste system in America. Institutional racism is a structural component of American culture and property relations. As such, it cannot be “reformed.” It is irrational to assume you can legislate away hate in a society where every institution reproduces and reinforces it in the population’s core (and development) psychology.
This, brothers and sisters is just a brief analysis of one of the problems we face in our class struggle. I will share more, as well as solutions.
The Struggle Continues
Mwalimu S. Shakur...a servant of the people