Unequal America
by Aronya Waller
No matter how much we protest, cry, riot, sit, or fight
We seem to be forever mired by this ugly blight
Infected by this dark, dank spirit of hatred and oppression
Wondering if there will ever be freedom in our possession
A country supposedly built on life, justice, and liberty
Yet, we can’t even love, pray, and live in true equality
Rest in peace Nabra Hassanen
I saw this on Facebook last night, and I had to share. Unfortunately, I do not know the original author so I cannot give credit. Yet, it was so powerful and truthful that it had to go beyond my Facebook Page. I hope that you will share this message as well. If I find the author, I will be sure to come back and update this post.
Let’s talk about hypocrisy.
If you voted for Trump because of Hillary’s email “problem” but are not upset that the Trump administration is using a private email server and unsecured phones, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe Jesus was a persecuted refugee fleeing Herod, but support the ban on Syrian refugees, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe life begins at conception, but support defunding the countries number one source of prenatal care, planned parenthood, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe the mainstream media lies but believe Trump when he spouts verifiable lies, you are a hypocrite.
If you dismiss the AP, Reuters or NPR as biased media but accept everything Fox news says, you are a hypocrite.
If you think all life is sacred, but do not support reasonable gun control, you are a hypocrite.
If you think children are the future, but support reducing funds for SNAP, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe in education, but dismiss evolution or climate change as hoaxes, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe in the sovereignty of the United States, but support forced incursions on Native American lands, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe that we need to drain the swamp of Washington but support Trump’s cabinet picks, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe in the Constitution, but support indiscriminate detainment and torture, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe our troops lives have worth, but support Trump’s claims to foreign countries natural resources, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe that unborn black babies lives matter, but black lives don’t matter, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe that we deserve life, liberty and happiness, but support taking away healthcare from millions of Americans, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe that the practice of your religion is more important than the practice of no religion or a different religion, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe in equal rights under the law, but don’t support marriage equality and non discrimination for LGBTQ Americans, you are a hypocrite.
If you are glad that California or New York do not decide national policy for you, but insist on forcing your red state policies on others, you are a hypocrite.
If you believe in the first amendment, but call people who peacefully protest the President as hooligans, you are a hypocrite.
If you are an American but think dissent is disrespectful, you are a hypocrite.
If you think that anything that has happened over the last week is normal or acceptable, then you have not been paying attention.
**Not written by me. Sharing is encouraged.**
Speak up now before it’s too late. Who will be left to speak up for you? #Think #Speak #BeTheChange #EngageTheEnraged
I have not written a post since the election because it took me some time to process everything. I wanted to make sure that I truly understood what was occurring. I wanted to wait and see if Trump was going to try to unite our country, or would we the fruits of his divisiveness throughout his presidency. Always the optimist, I gave him a chance, and I said maybe things would be better.
Throughout the past 10 days, however, I have seen Trump pick people in his administration that all seem to share one scary perspective of hate in their past. He says that he wants unity, but you question the sincerity of his acceptance speech when you look at his picks. Steve Bannon has been openly connected to white supremacists and anti-Semites. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn has been open about his anti-Muslim beliefs, and said on Twitter that the “fear of Muslims is rational.” And lest we forget good ol’ Alabama Sen. Jefferson Beauregard Sessions. His view of African-Americans sends chills through my spine because he represents that stereotypical old, white racist man from the deep South. You know the ones that many thought were dead and gone by now, but are now loud and proud again since Trump was elected. Thirty years ago, the Senate Judiciary Committee denied Jeff Sessions a federal judgeship due to his racist remarks. He has called the NAACP and the ACLU “un-American” and “Communist-like.” In addition, it was alleged that he called a black US attorney that worked for him “boy” on numerous occasions.
I am scared. I believe that the civil rights of many will now be considered irrelevant. We must fight harder for every right that we have and each one that we know we still deserve. Yes, we can continue to still protest peacefully. But then what…what’s next? We must unite and mobilize. Each group may be considered a minority separately, but together we are the powerful majority. This goes beyond black, brown, or yellow; Christian, Jewish, or Muslim; straight, bi, or gay; male, female, or non-gender specific. This is the right to live with freedom and equality.
So, tell me, what do you plan to do protect your civil rights?
Take a knee…people riot.
Take a bullet…people quiet.
—Lecrae
#TerenceCrutcher #BlackLivesMatter #StopKillingUs #LoveWillWin
This was an interesting post about the recent events, racial movements such as Black Lives Matter, and equality. I would love to hear your thoughts.
I’ve been having a hard time with the recent Dallas shooting of 12 police officers, almost entirely because the progressive people who I have on my Facebook friends list, who make a point of acknowledging that the terrorists attacks in Turkey or Sudan are just as worthy of sympathy as the ones in France or Belgium, are noticeably silent about it. My guess is because they interpret Martin Luther King’s quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” as applicable only to the dominant group. Of course, there are far more victims of police shootings than officers being shot, but when violence is carried out in the name of a progressive movement, and to be clear that is exactly what happened, then a good, hard look is required.
Read the entire article at The Success of Malcolm: The Death of a Dream
#MakeAmericaWhiteAgain #IMeanGreatAgain
Her Own Beat appreciates this thought-provoking piece by Bishop Paul A. Hardin. You can find Bishop Hardin serving at his church, Dominion Church International, and throughout the Houston, TX community.
Today is the great day known as Independence Day. Many are celebrating with their family and friends. They may be having a cookout in their backyard, enjoying a local parade, going to the shore, or enjoying a local concert. This great day of celebrating will end with a grandiose display of fireworks set to a mix of contemporary music and patriotic tunes that make us proud to be an American. We sit back, smile, and reflect. Wow…it’s so great that we are independent and free. Whoa hold up…
I’m not sure about you, but I don’t think that all of us are so independent and free. Many people are still fighting for equality. We are still fighting to live in a nation where privilege is not limited to only white, cis men. We are fighting for equal sentencing where someone’s daddy is not worried that he won’t have steak for six months. We are fighting to have less regulation over women. Why do guns get a better deal than my body? We are fighting against police brutality—Michael Brown, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Tanisha Anderson, Freddie Gray, Mya Hall, Jonathan Sanders, and Sandra Bland should never be forgotten. We are fighting to keep families together instead of building walls and deporting anyone with melanin. How do you plan to make America great again? Do you plan on pushing everyone out based on the one drop rule?
As we continue in this year, let’s continue our fight for equality for all. Fight hate and discrimination with your words and actions. And as always…march to the beat of your drum.
Gender matters everywhere in the world. And I would like today to ask that we begin to dream about and plan for a different world. A fairer world. A world of happier men and happier women who are truer to themselves. And this is how to start: We must raise our daughters differently. We must also raise our sons differently.—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists