We ignore the past at our own peril. We must learn from history. Are we approaching this nation’s own Soweto uprising? Our own Sharpeville massacre? Do the work and look these up. It’s all too easy for me to post a link to a Wikipedia page that anyone can find if they’re concerned enough.
We must think deeply on the thoughts of archbishop Desmond Tutu, but also the words of Dr. King, Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael, Eldridge Cleaver, and Bobby Seale, Huey Newton, and many others. We must be aware of all of the threads of thought from that period, for our nation is a tinderbox right now, and I fear the fuse has already been lit.
Am I an alarmist? You bet your sweet ass I am. That’s why I ask anyone I can reach to go to the website of The Alliance for Truth and Racial Reconciliation, which has many resources for you to employ. Everyone needs to become a part of a new national dialogue.
8:26 AM PT: Update: It has been brought to my attention that I might expand a little on the names mentioned above. While I still don't see an imperative to provide links, I will point out that these were many different voices for the struggle for civil rights in America during the 1960's. Malcolm X thought Dr. King's non-violence was too passive, too little and too late. Stokely Carmichael believed the black community had the right to arm themselves. Eldridge Cleaver wrote a classic manifesto of the period entitled Soul On Ice. Huey Newton was one of the founders of the Black Panthers. Not all of these views will gain any sympathy with white audiences. The point is that if you attend a community meeting in a black community, concerning the rapidly escalating numbers of police shootings of young black males, I guarantee you will hear all of these points of view, and you must be willing to engage in the dialogue with open questions, and an understanding of the rage that is building.