I remember KKK marches in Greenville as little girl and teen. Their right to assembly - even with their history of terror - protected. I didn’t have to like it, but I had to prize freedom of speech and assembly. Right?
My high school history teacher told me that.
"You want them [the KKK] to have their rights protected. If their rights are infringed, it sets precedence for all of our rights to be infringed." So, I believed my right to freedom was tied to theirs.
The Mis-Education of this Negro...
When I saw the photo of Emmitt Till, again as a little girl, I cried. Even now, all these years later, those images are deeply disturbing. All the photos and vidoes are. I have never watched the footage of George Floyd's murder.
When I traced one of my paternal ancestors to a plantation in Mississippi owned by Nancy McMillan, the Slave Log listed children. The youngest was age 1. Born into subjugation. Human property. Dehumanized.
Understanding my own history - the history of my community - I do not want to be complicit in the dehumanization of any person or group.
When our children are in high school or college, they will read about these times. They will see the images. They will wonder what we did or did not do. I hope to give an explanation they can respect.
I hope/wish/pray for the day we have a generation that will not have experience with collective trauma.
