VOICES: “WE ARE FIGHTING FOR MANY ISSUES, POLICE BRUTALITY WAS JUST THE BRICK PLACED ON THE GAS PEDAL” BY CHRISTIAN CARTER-ROSS

I am saddened. I am frustrated. I am encouraged. I am hopeful.

Like many of you, I am feeling a lot of things as of late. This is a tumultuous time in our nation and for many of us, unfortunately, this moment is familiar territory.

America has been forced to deal with her sins in ways she hasn’t before since, to the degree of at least, The Civil Rights Movement. Though, what I feel separates this movement from others is the fearlessness & unification of Generation Z.

It’s not an easy task mobilizing an entire generation with all of its factions and nuances, but overt bigotry accompanied by a government curating its decisions through the lens of corporate interests will bring that enormous tidal wave of resistance. Gen Z has remained on the front line since the 2016 presidential election. Their efforts have even seen some rewards, initiating difficult conversations at the global level and smaller reforms at the state & federal leve. These young leaders are no joke.

Since the unearthing of the video capturing Ahmaud Arbery’s final moments, I’ve heard a constant call for reunification in America. What makes unifying in an authentic way difficult in this season is how often leadership ignores the prequalification to the process—accountability & justice. How can we move beyond the performative healing if those in power won’t let go of the very dynamics that shackle us to oppression?

If you want to quell the protests on every block in every city, fire and indict the cops that continue to abuse their badge. If you want to return to the tidbit of normalcy we had in our neighborhoods, crackdown
on the vigilantes that cloak their white supremacy in patriotism. Our attention is too often drawn to the fire and not the arsonist. The unrest will continue because our country refuses to accept her reflection.

“If you want to quell the protests on every block in every city, fire and indict the cops that continue to abuse their badge. If you want to return to the tidbit of normalcy we had in our neighborhoods, crackdown on the vigilantes that cloak their white supremacy in patriotism.”

Not only do we have to examine the lack of accountability in our nation, we must exmaine the lack of empathy. The type of empathy that humanizes the causes for every community, but especially those with marginalized voices.

As various sports leagues insert politics in their messaging, some fans are becoming irate at the idea of having to digest the harsh realities of communities of color. Conservative politicians seem more concerned with their political alliances than how their constituents are eating or if they are eating at all. Unprovoked, yet totally on brand, the occupant in the White House deemed any diversity training including historical evidence of white privilege “treacherous” and “unamerican.” Caring for our neighbor is too much of a burden.

So, where and how do we begin the healing process? Defunding oppressive institutions and reallocating tax dollars in areas that improve access to basic human necessities such as food apartheid, public transit, mental health, and so on, systems ensuring vulnerable communities have adequate access to affordable housing, food, and healthcare.

In addition, we must not shy away from the fight for climate justice and begin framing it as a public health issue. There’s intersectionality within the end goal of the fight if you’re paying attention. In the last 30 days, we’ve had wildfires burning in 13 states on the west coast, an earthquake in New Jersey, snow in Colorado, and a category four hurricane on the gulf coast. Most of that happening simultaneously. As of September 15th, there two Antarctic glaciers twice the size of Manhattan on the verge of threatening a 5% rise in sea levels (a red flag for coastal cities), in addition to five active storms (two hurricanes and three tropical storms) across the Atlantic. Thankfully only one of those actually made landfall on the mainland. Aggressive weather conditions are displacing communities faster than any economic hardship ever could.

The growing climate crisis is also hindering farmers from efficiently growing and delivering food to grocery stores. It’s causing major health concerns through poor air quality and polluted water sources, all while battling a pandemic.

In addition to access, we must put pressure on our legislators to divest from the oil and fossil fuel industry. If we continue to financially arm these industries, we give them agency to continue polluting our natural resources, thus speeding up the planet’s degradation. At the local level, we must also demand that our elected officials address the industrial plants dumping their chemical waste in or around low-income areas. Not only does that also lead to community health concerns, often time the residents in these communities don’t have the financial resources to relocate. The land may be cheap, but the cost of living isn’t. We are marching to bring awareness on many issues; police brutality was just the brick placed on the gas pedal.

“We are marching to bring awareness on many issues; police brutality was just the brick placed on the gas pedal.”

Not only can we imagine a future catered to the people’s needs but we can create it. This future will come to fruition through voting. Yes, voting. We’re all burned out from the old sales pitch about the importance of voting but we can’t take for granted the only play that legitimizes our voice in this democracy.

Protesting gives our ideas visibility but voting puts those ideas in ink. Truthfully, voting should act as a wedge to alleviate the need to always place our bodies on the line but that can only be gauged by participation. I say this as someone that’s been on the front line protesting since the murder of Trayvon Martin and now understands that fight does not end in the streets.

The end goal should always be tangible. Some of this game has come through relationships I’ve developed with various legislators at both the state and federal level. Does voting guarantee us every item on the wish list? Absolutely not. It’s naïve for anyone to think one election or administration will solve every crisis.

“Protesting gives our ideas visibility but voting puts those ideas in ink.”

Voting can change how we handle the growing homelessness crisis. Voting can propel us into a green future through a green new deal and salvage what we can of our planet. Voting keeps your loved ones with preexisting conditions covered, which can’t be overstated in a pandemic. Voting can change how we reform care for our migrant loved ones in an asylum system that seeks to perform hysterectomies without clear consent. Voting can elect those that advocate for funding to supply new textbooks for classrooms or school lunches to kids that can only afford to eat in school. Voting can continue the progress in protections we’ve fought to give the LGBTQIA community. Voting maintains the social progress we’ve made in women having legislative authority over their bodies. Voting could help close the pay gap between men and women. Voting can give us a chance to shift the dynamics of the court, specifically the Supreme Court.

Voting in the other direction in 2016 might have saved over 200,000 lives in 2020. Voting is so much more than placing one man or woman in power. Should you remain hell-bent on not believing how powerful your vote is then I encourage you to run for office and disrupt the status quo.

What we can’t afford in this season is complacency. Complacency regresses us into the tribal politics that has opened the door for reckless and ill-intentioned figures to benefit from our pain.

Honestly, I expect at this point in the election cycle opinions on candidates are fully-baked in. There aren’t many of you still in the thick of your decision. Should you find yourself at a poll on November 3rd, I ask that you replace your blind loyalty to a party with the face of your neighbor in mind.

It took nearly two centuries for all Americans to have the right to vote in this country; and for the last five decades, this system has placed obstacles at every point to keep us from fulfilling that fundamental civic duty. That alone should tell you there’s value in your vote.

Some of those obstacles are very overt such as the current White House occupant publicly ordering chaos in mail-in voting, discouraging faith in an effective voting method practiced since the Civil War, while other methods are very subtle such as reducing the number of polling sites – which increases wait times and likely discourages older voters – faulty voting machines in low-income areas, closing of DMV’s in strict voter ID law states, stealthy purging 70,000 voters from voter rolls just months before an election or petty poll taxes for returning citizens.

We vote to perfect the process of voting, hopefully, we will reach full confidence in our institutions, someday. Voting is caring for your neighbor because their issues are not always in your backyard.

Now, it would be irresponsible of me to encourage voting and not address the lack of tangible goods for Black America since The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law. I would be lying to you if I said I’ve never felt like my vote was taken for granted, especially as we continue to fight tooth and nail for Black lives to actually matter on a basic level in America. Some have even gone as far as saying we don’t need reform; we need a revolution. To that I answer, why not both? Some institutions should absolutely be plummeted & restructured brick by brick.

“Some have even gone as far as saying we don’t need reform; we need a revolution. To that I answer, why not both? Some institutions should absolutely be plummeted & restructured brick by brick.”

Performative tangibles are no longer the standard. Our vote is no longer free. In fact, I think we’ve made it loud and clear that we’ve upped the price in 2020. While all of that is true, we can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Over the last 6 months, I’ve personally noticed events set in motion for a new Black renaissance. We’ve awakened the American appetite for our physical presence and not just what we offer to pop culture. Our history in this country has always proven that we are revolutionary with or without the vote, honestly, but how we show up to do the work is on us.

The good news is that we’re in control of how well this experience plays out. Aside from reforming political systems, there is a much-needed effort within our communities to strengthen critical relationships. How we choose to hold space for one another matters in this season. Are we listening more than we’re responding? Are we empowering those we’ve heard? How are we giving visibility to others? While our care for others is vital, it’s imperative that we are caring for ourselves in the process. The work must be in tandem with our well-being. Let us be productive in our purpose. To be on the side of love and justice. I love yall. I love us.

Please follow the super-talented Christian Carter-Ross on IG at @candidcompositions and on Twitter at @CandidComp