History, right? Black History, right? Well, there are definitely times that we all can recall that were major dates in history. The Million March in Washington. The assassination of Dr. King. Juneteenth. But those are your usual dates and moments in history. What would the contemporary - perhaps, your 2010's Millennial - highlight as incidence to remember? Well, here are 5 that I would definitely suggest.
5. The Execution of Troy Davis
2011's execution of Troy Davis is an event that marks the end and the beginning of a lot of things. In offering thoughts for the purpose of this list (and the purpose of my overall #BHMBlogChallenge), I will state a few opinions that I am willing to back up with a few facts and data.
Troy Davis' execution by the state of Georgia for his 1991 conviction in the murder of a Georgia police officer was bizarre. Despite the recanting of testimonials, faulty evidence, and a plea of not guilty, the internet saw the resurfacing of his trial and story and mobilized to fight for his freedom. The issue rose peaked in interest across social media shortly after the commencement of the Case Anthony trial, and saw another spike after Anthony was acquitted for the murder of her toddler. That's when the heat of the controversy began. 2011 was a spiraling year. With preparations for elections, America witnessed the birth of a much more conscious social media user base, and after Davis' September 21, 2011 execution, Black Twitter would see its birth.
"In the 48 hours leading up to Davis' execution, the nation heard that the case against Davis was built entirely on eyewitnesses who said they saw Davis gun down off-duty cop Mark McPhail. But of the nine witnesses who testified against Davis in his original trial, seven would go on to change their mind and recant. As many outside observers pointed out, they were either lying on the stand, or lying now." - Nathan Thornburgh for Time Magazine, Sept. 28, 2011
Following Davis' death, there was a heavy sentiment of distrust, disgust, and disbelief that would awaken the vocal and restless community that would create a global community that wasn't afraid to exchange information, culture, ideas, jokes, and solutions via Twitter. Occupy Wall Street was a fading movement due to its lack of clear solutions and purpose. But that Black Twitter? It quickly became the most powerful cultural sweep of the 2010's.
4. The Appropriation of Black Twitter
Nina Simone once said, "This is what compels me to push black people. To identify with black culture: giving out to them that Black-Ness; that Black-Power." That Black power found itself at the epicenter of one of the most bizarre culture shifts. That culture shift was bizarre because it centered, scrutinized, and appropriated everything Black right from Twitter and all that anyone could do about it was complain and tweet. Just as quickly as Black Twitter began to form shortly after the execution of Troy Davis, the media swooped in to snatch ideas, vernacular, trends, music, dances, and the unmitigated desire of inclusion without citation.
Nothing was safe. Even with all the right people in all the right places, American media began to strip Black Twitter of it's normalcy and began to paint it as a sect - or faction - of African American users who both created new trends, as well as propagated and plotted in secrecy. Everything said by notables, like Feminista Jones (who is credited as the first to coin the term), was contorted into this strange observation of Black Culture. We were under a microscope, thus being studied by Good Morning America, Dateline, Slate, Vox, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed - even your local meteorologist tried to sneak in a Jay-Z line and a chuckle about it all. Everything from durags to ketchup-mayonnaise mixes were taken, often without credit to the originators, while studying and being envious of the generation who simple used Twitter as it was supposed to be used (not for posting dog profile pictures, and daily quotes...and porn, can't forget porn). Black Twitter can be credited for the following:
3. Serena Williams
When my children ask me who the greatest athlete of all time was when I was growing up, I'll tell them about a Black girl straight out of Compton by the name of Serena Williams. I'll tell them that at 5'9" 155lbs, she was the goddess of trophies, and the Patron Saint of of Serving. I'll tell them that for more than 20 years, she had been a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with. More importantly, she is the most decorated athlete - male or female - of all-time. I'll tell them that she was both a beauty and a brute. That she wasn't a tomboy, but liked painting her nails, going out with her girls, and could hardly even bust a twerk. She is and will always be black girl magic.
23 Grand Slams; 1 Summer Olympic; 5 WTA Tour Championships,;1 Grand Slam Cup; In the Doubles category it's 14 Gram Slam Championships; 3 Summer Olympics, 2 WTA Premier Mandatory; 4 WTA Tours - it goes on and on and on. The conclusion is that in her championship run of over 20 years, she's only seen defeat 25 career losses and 100 wins in the finals. She's the definition of a beast! When they couldn't beat her, they criticized her. When they couldn't criticize her, they questioned her femininity. All in all, Serena Williams - the woman, the athlete, the champion - is an event. She's turned tennis into a sport of graceful power, and sportsmanship. And she's not done, yet. At 35, Williams still has a lot of tennis left in her and continues to dominate her sport, even topping her sister Venus this past January. Promise that you will sing about her.
2. The Death of Michael Brown
The death of Michael Brown was a spill over in history. But more importantly - and more painfully - it was the most painful reminder that race relations and America as a whole had not changed much from the time of, say, Emmitt Till's death. The differences in the two, were their age, the involvement of law enforcement and the amount of viral cameras that watched as injustice and racism unfolded.
This was years before "fake news" became a thing, but what we saw was almost a disregard for the true issue. Michael Brown, 18, was left as a dead body, the result of over 10 gunshot wounds, in the street of Ferguson, Missouri for over 4 hours. Rather than administering any type of aid to him, his body was shielded from the public and the story continues to go down hill from then. It was a time that parents strongly advised their children to stay indoors. The public had to be guided as to what to do when confronted by, or approached by law enforcement, and more importantly it was when the African-American community was emotionally in disarray.
I remember watching the news, almost in disbelief that the story was still developing. I remember asking myself how, on every other occasion, the media was eager and quick in swooping into Black Twitter yet this time they were slow and hesitant, only showing up for "riots". I remember waking up every morning and seeing people tear-gassed, beaten, arrested, crying, and suffering - all because they wanted to justice and answers. I remember crying on my wife's shoulders and she asked, "what's wrong", and I replied, "I've never felt so dehumanized, and hated for no reason in my life."
Michael Brown was a reminder to young black boys and grown black men that the dehumanizing was a real thing. That our strength and the danger perceived just in our presence, made us a threat even to trained officers. Lastly, with the hundreds of thousands of dollars that poured into Darren Wilson's kick-starter account, it was a reminder that once upon a time you had heard (or read) that killing Black people was like sport. And sports are rewarded. Wilson was later acquitted on any possible charges, the first of many officer-involved shootings that ended with no justice, nor any peace. The list of names of individuals shot and killed by White men, White women, and law enforcement continued on and on. But the fight didn't end. We saw the birth of Black Lives Matter, a philosophical demand more than an organization; the birth of the Dream Defenders; the requirement of body cameras; the rise of fighters in the right places like Marilyn Mosby.
By the time we had to say his name - Michael Brown - we had grown weary of the world we lived in. And no matter what happens in this country, we probably will never - and should never - forget what transpired in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014.
1. The Death & Trial of Trayvon Martin
I read somewhere that George Zimmerman was "payback for O.J. [Simpson]". Trayvon Martin, murdered in February 2011, was the moment. It was the second awakening - after Casey Anthony and after Troy Davis - that Millennials began to question, first, what time period they were living in and, secondly, where was the justice. Zimmerman was no cop, though, like Darren Wilson. Trayvon was not in jail, like Troy Davis. Instead, Trayvon, like the true child of Dade County (like myself included) made a trip to the local convenient store and was deemed a stranger and a danger by George Zimmerman. What ensued became and still is one of the biggest national injustices of the 2010s.
Rather than putting the evidence to the test, and trying Zimmerman, the defense chose to discredit, challenge, and try everything working against Zimmerman. They testified that Trayvon was swift, agile, cunning, and powerful; that he'd used the sidewalk as a weapon against a helpless Zimmerman. That Rachel Jeanty came from a poor, non-English speaking household; that her lack of education made her a bad witness, despite her being on the phone during the attack. They questioned Trayvon's Miami dialect (yes, it is a thing), and turned into an attack on Zimmerman's whiteness. They questioned everything until at last, Trayvon - the murdered 17-year-old boy - stood on trial despite being absent due to loss of life. No one questioned Zimmerman's following. No one penalized him for going against 911 dispatch's orders. And instead, it was the first time we saw the outpour of funds that made Zimmerman, much like O.J. feel invincible after his acquittal.
Truth Be Told, I Cried Writing This.
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