Terror rains on black folks

African Americans know what it means to be terrorized and terrified.

I recently viewed a documentary on the Ku Klux Klan, one of the first terrorist groups on domestic soil. I must commend those who choose to keep alive the darkest secrets of this country’s racist history at a time when others try to make the fantasy of a post-racial society part of a national narrative. 

The KKK was formed in 1865 after slaves were allegedly emancipated. The Klan brought together former Confederate soldiers, dispossessed white farmers, disgruntled Democratic politicians, criminals and other assorted, displaced folks. The common threads that bound this motley crew were intense anti-black sentiments and the obsession to maintain white supremacy. This should sound eerily similar to the lineup of forces confronting us today.

Although there have several reconfigurations of this terrorist group, one goal is constant: to stop black progress by any means necessary. Just like 100 years ago, the most backward elements are being used to terrorize black individuals and groups who are perceived as obstructing the agenda of white power. And just like then, their reaches go to the highest echelon of business, religion and government.

The Klan has basically been allowed to exist by local authorities as well as the federal government for nearly 150 years. Its diminishing role is being filled by the 1,000-plus paramilitary hate groups in the country. There has been no real and permanent redress for victims of this kind of terrorism, then or now.

Terrorism for black folks is purely domestic. The methodology has been perfected by the local police. A minority of criminal elements in our neighborhoods have been given unfettered access to guns, spraying our communities with bullets since the crack cocaine wars. Then there’s all the terrorism that goes on within the prison-industrial complex.

Terror has rained on black folks since we hit these shores and it has not let up. It has only changed its frame and form. That’s why blacks in the U.S. have a certain empathy with victims of terrorism, whether it is single attacks or sustained threats of attack.

 For us, the threat of Al-Qaeda is a distant thought. Our fear is from the elements who reside with us in our neighborhoods (police and misguided youth who both think their power is in a gun) or from organized hate groups. Don’t be fooled by their anti-government rhetoric; their hate is for black and brown people. They just feel the government is paying way too much attention to our civil and human rights.

We must demand accountability and transparency from our police departments and know their policies on deadly force. In St. Louis right now, we have the unique opportunity to create real local control of the police department that includes an effective civilian review board.

And we have youth who need structure and nurturing. These young people are demanding our attention in so many ways, yet we continue to turn our heads, to shake our heads. Our children have never been the sole responsibility of a family; it is a collective responsibility. Our challenge is to ensure that funding and other supports are available for schools and families, and that we are an integral part of their growth and development. 

Terrorism has been made to sound scary and unsolvable. I believe there’s a lot more that we can be doing as individuals and as a country that affirms our own humanity. Otherwise, we’re destined to lives of terror.