"Three people were injured by gunfire at the Juneteenth Festival in Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis on Saturday. The tragedy of the shooting threatens to play into corporate media stereotypes of black violence and gang activity, overshadowing this celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. "
-Twin Cities Indy Media
Blatantly obvious. Maybe somebody will actually cancel Juneteenth, or maybe (I'm just throwing some obviously CRAZY ideas out there) do something different to commemorate the end of slavery since it wasn't just black people getting shot this time. Maybe someone will realize guns see no color but always lead to the self destruction and mutilation of a community. Maybe because these wounds have punctured their own, someone will finally put an end to a tradition that no longer commemorates a monumental time in history, but now commemorates an annual perpetuation of stereotypes of the black community.
In the end, something needs to change. Vendors should stop supporting an event that is no longer giving people a sense of community to those whose ancestral lines were literally stolen and individual history has long been erased, an event that is stripping a community of its entitlement to celebrate a historical event in which signified the beginning of a long and ongoing struggle to obtain their inalienable rights.
Money is power after all. If vendors stop renting booths IN THE NAME OF CHANGE, maybe somebody will actually take notice.
It's too bad maybe has to litter my head.
And now back to your regularly scheduled program...
3 comments:
You right good.
But you may be onto something with this one. Maybe we could have an anti Juneteenth celebration... Like not in the way of putting black folks back into slavery, but more like Krs-one's "stop the violence movement" -- in celebration form. Actually, I think DJ Miguel Vargas is subliminally trying to start "stop the violence ('08 'til infinity)."
Hop on.
I amicably disagree. Why should good people avoid celebrating one of the most significant events in US history due to a few degenerates?
These few misfits will simply wreck havoc at the other community events. The prescription you proscribe simply makes matters worse. Good people should keep these events going because these events are some of the few remaining community events conducted in the American African community.
Additional security is a better solution. Even better, folks have to do a better job of instilling values, morals, and ethics in their children. Luckily, change is coming
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