I want to tell ya'll a story from my dad. He's kind of conservative for a black man. One Thanksgiving he told me this story. I was shocked.
My dad was in the national guard in the late 60s. He was in training and staying in barracks which were informally segregated. During training the soldiers had a night off to go to town, have a drink, play pool. They had a strict curfew. My dad and his friends got back on time.
There was this one guy, call him Billy. Billy was late getting back to the barracks that night and still drunk. My dad and the other black guardsmen in training, watched from the barrack window as drunken Billy stumbled into the yard. He was stopped by two white soldiers posted at the gate. They were angry at Billy for being late. Billy was a little mouthy. There was an argument. Then suddenly a gunshot rang out. They shot Billy.
There were lots of witnesses, and they knew it wasn't right. Billy didn’t fight. But, all the witnesses were black. So, nothing was done. No one held accountable.
The white guards made up some story about Billy attacking them. And then that was the official story. In reality, he was shot because one of those white guards lost his cool. That man is likely still alive, Billy is dead and dishonored.
There is no video of this event. And the words of black witnesses don't matter. And Billy broke curfew, so that was enough to justify his death.
This has been happening for decades. It is not new. My father saw it, my grandfathers too. Only difference is the video. My father never told me this story until recently. I guess he needed to get it off his chest. We all need to start telling these stories. Talk to your elders. Ask them what they've seen. Ask them what they’ve done.
#BlackLivesMatter
#BlackLivesMatter
#BlackLivesMatter
#BlackLivesMatter