Thanks to Those Who Came Before and Taught Me

I am thankful to have been raised by young people and children of the 60s. When I was little I was told stories from my grandmother about the times she met Dr King, And I had a mom that told me on multiple occasions how she had wanted to be Black Panther (she was too young) and looked up to Angela Davis. My mom took me to the Muslim book store and bought us the Red, Black, and Green Africa medallion. I remember her asking me if I wanted the Red Black and Green or Red Black and Gold and explaining the colors and symbolism. I remember wearing it to school EVERY day (I wish I still had it).

I also remember her taking me to see the movie..sorry…Spike Lee Joint, Do The Right Thing at Severance Mall. I was 11 but I continue to think about that movie and how young I was as I watch how these events are transpiring all over the country.

I am thankful to have grown up in North East Ohio where I was taught about the Hough and Glenville uprisings, Kent State and saw the footage of beating and bloodied Blacks and Whites that were Freedom Riders, dogs being turned loose on young people, Rosa Park’s mug shot and sit-in protests turning bad.

I am thankful to have been educated by teachers that spoke about civil unrest, told us stories of their campus sit-ins and marches. I always say I was raised by a wannabe Black Panther and educated by the Hippie movement… best of both worlds I think.

I am thankful to have gone to a school that allowed us to exercise our Right to Assemble and walk out after the Rodney King beatings. (my first protest). The teachers taught us that peaceful protesting was what young people did to change the world. And that we can change our country by voting and exercising our First Amendment Rights.

I constantly come back to that thought when thinking about why so many friends who are Gen Xers are talking about heading to the march. We are not the young generation anymore. Gen Z should be leading the charge, but we were raised to question the status quo and were taught the importance of speaking up and speaking out.

I am thankful for coming of age when music reflected and empowered the people and having an uncle that owned all the cassettes my mom wouldn’t buy for me.

He owned Public Enemy who taught me to “Fight The Power” and explained “The Fear of a Black Planet. X-Clan taught me about intelligent Blackness and the kind of ___ (you know the lyric) I aspired to be, NWA and Dr Dre showed me a West Coast struggle I didn’t know about, police struggles, racial profiling and gang violence so I was able to understand it when it started becoming prevalent in our neighborhoods and suburbs. Music also taught me about squashing beefs and coming together with songs like Self-Destruction and We’re All in the Same Gang

I am thankful because I understand the consequences of marching and protesting. I understand that it takes a certain level of outrage, that it is an inconvenient disruption to one’s plans for a particular day, and that it takes certain risks of self-sacrifice to make change happen for the greater good.

I also realized that schools and music are teaching my kids the same lessons. Watching Eyes on the Prize on TV in school or at home is no longer mainstream. My kids in most cases are not taught about the Civil Rights Movement as I had been, by people that have lived through it. This realization and speaking to my kids..my teenagers made me realized how different my education had been even though they go to my alma matter and why we see protesting so differently and why this round of protest feels so different.

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