WHAT I'VE COME TO FIND

This here is a space for conclusions I've made based on my observations of and conversations with the people of the world I've encountered thus far, nothing more and nothing less. Sometimes these conclusions are reached all too quickly, more often they're compounded experiences over time. Food for thought maybe, entertaining hopefully.

My most recent finding,

America really wants us to think the Black Panthers were violent terrorists.

With the recent release of the Marvel's Black Panther a lot of people are talking about issues of racial identity, both within the black community and between different races. The confusion comes with the "3rd World" nation of Wakanda, as said by the white CIA agent, masking it's technological advancement by claiming to be one of the world's poorest nation but accepts no foreign aid. The film begins and ends pushing the notion that the Black Panthers sought to destroy rather than build. The turmoil thought to be settled in the early 90's Oakland (the starting place of the Black Panther Party fyi) resurfaces upon the discovery of Wakanda by a bastard Wakandan offspring played by Michael B. Jordan. He feels that with all the Black community suffers only the advanced technology and resources that Wakanda possesses could help. He aims to finish what his father started by revealing the secrets of Wakanda and sending out their unique resource Vibranium to operatives around the world. He ultimately fails to get the weapons out of Wakanda and proclaims he prefer to be buried in the water like his ancestors who leaped from slave ships knowing "it's better to die than live in bondage".

Rewind 2 years to Beyonce's super bowl performance, which had white America in a rage over the celebration and remembrance of a "terrorist" and "black supremacist" group. These notions are all too commonly associated with the group, and have even caused people to unfairly compare them to the KKK. Even the man who can be viewed as the grand father of the party, Malcolm X, is placed in the same light. Said in the mainstream to be a violent leader, who organized against America and white people. All he had to say was "by any means necessary", those 4 words birthed decades of empowerment and action but it also brought on fear, white fear. To white America "by any means necessary" means kill all white people, revenge, revolution, etc. They fear that black liberation comes at their demise, in turn creating this notion of the angry black man. Their greatest fear is that black people will do to white people, what was done to them.

I have found that because of this, even in our most dashiki wearing proud mainstream moments we are still forced this notion that the angry black man will not win. His anger stems from his desire for revenge and his success would mean our demise.