Two Strikes

Growing up, before the Sandra Bland’s the Trayvon Martin’s, the Mike Brown’s, and the George Floyd’s, there was a deep rooted, justified fear in my mother about raising a “black” son in this so-called land of the free. Now, the reason that I put black in quotations is because it is a color and it is not the color of any skin I’ve seen. It is a legal status, that basically means dead, which is why it is ok for us to be killed in cold blood by those sworn to protect us. Only, we were never meant to be a part of the “us” nor the “we” in the “We the People.” It was actually designed for us to be apart, not a part. This is why there is a fourteenth amendment and what are known as the “black codes,” which were laws put in place to convert our physical shackles into economic ones. These “black codes” are what affirmative action, fair housing, and other programs like these are meant to combat. Like my mother always told me, you have two strikes against you already being “black” and being a male.

The male part was what confused me, of course the “black” plight is easily ignorable, but undeniable nonetheless. As a “momma’s boy” with four sisters and a plethora of aunts and female cousins, witnessing the effect this male chauvinistic society had on these resilient, brilliant, strong women who all seemed to be fighting an additional uphill battle on top of being so-called black. However, with age came the understanding that although most playing fields are skewed in the favor of males, there are certain benefits to being a woman. For example, if a man gets a flat tire and is on the side of the road, no one is stopping because as a man, he should be able to fix the problem. On the other hand, the damsel in distress is an archetype that is repeated all through art because men will stop for the woman to be her knight in shining armor.

Now, as a thirty year old, afather of three beautiful children and an undeserving husband to the best wife ever, I am reminded of the lesson my mother taught me. The lesson I must teach my sons and my daughter. That this world is unfair, and especially for you. Simply because of a magical ingredient that has been passed down since creation, melanin. The stuff stars are made of, and not the Sammy Davis variety, more of the supernova magnitude.

Unfortunately this is in defense to the current system. In my most honest opinion, the moment we stop looking at color/race as a dividing factor and allow us to be identified collectively by culture and individually by principles, we begin to stand a chance in stopping our imminent self inflicted demise. Just how confused my children are to learn about racism being that they have a “white” mother and a “black” father. Especially considering the fact that our upbringings were the opposite of what someone may stereotypically assume. Now, in this land of the sheep and the home of the slave, I stand in solidarity with any and all oppressed people. Quite frankly, I am enthralled to see this time of great upheaval. All of the new age science was preparing us for this shift, I’m ready. Even with two strikes against me, I’m swinging for the fence.

“It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”

- James Baldwin