#black lives are worthy
So I just lost a friend.
They’re not dead, but they are to me.
They’re an older white woman, a family friend for years who was a bit like an aunty to me.
But, amongst all the covid panic and current world chaos, she shared and posted some aweful stuff and I realised she was NOT who I thought she was.
Racist and homophobic post came to light and I’m honestly crushed.
I’m lucky, as far as i know my family aren’t bigots, as by choice my friends definitely aren’t either.
But a friend who was made family has betrayed me.
Unknowingly, but the damage is still there.
Being Bi and (a decent fucking human) seeing racist and homophobic posts like that was a huge slap in the face
I might be a closeted bisexual (aside from close friends) but bigotry is bigotry.
I’m fucking mad.
Too hard to choose
So, I posted these pictures on Facebook last month. I used it as a sort of means to compare the protests for Black Lives Matter and the Prince of Peace losing his shit.
The comparison being the riots. Burning businesses as a result of Black individuals being murdered unjustified. Jesus, out of disgust for the profits being made in his Father’s house, destroyed shops and dumped their monies everywhere. He also made a whip and chased people around.
Anyhow. I was surprised to find how much resistance I got from the comparison. I felt it was a decent comparison. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, violent and destructive over the profits made on holy grounds. And the violence and destruction as a result of the alarming number of Black individuals being publicly executed, found chopped up, lynched, missing, etc.
I dunno. Maybe I am a shitty person for making the comparison. It just took me by surprise (not really) how aggressive/defensive/closed off some Christians can be. Honestly don’t mind being educated or constructive criticism, but the attacks were a bit ridiculous.
FAX….NO PRINTER
“How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?”
MARSHA P. JOHNSON
yes or yes…
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 7 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
MARSHA P. JOHNSON:
Marsha, born and known as Malcolm Michaels Jr., was an black gay liberation activist and self-identified drag queen.
After graduating high school, Johnson enrolled in the U.S. Navy, but realized that wasn’t the place for them.
On a trial of self discovery Marsha found themselves turn to prostitution to survive and soon found a harmonius community within the nightlife of the village.
Throughout their discovery they was referred to as Malcolm, and Black Marsha before settling on Marsha P. Johnson; The “P” stands for “Pay It No Mind.” this was their response to people asking about what they identified as.
Johnson quickly became a prominent figure in the LGBTQ community.
They served as a “drag mother” helping homeless and struggling LGBTQ youth.
During 1969 at the Stonewall inn the police raided the bar with violence.
Many people have said that Marsha was one of the people who stood up to them.
Following the events of Stonewall, Johnson and their friend, Sylvia Rivera, co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), and with this they became fixtures in the community.
STAR provided services including shelter to homeless LGBTQ people.
Unfortunaely on July 6, 1992 Johnson’s body was found in the Hudson River. The police named the incident suicide and closed the case, but 25 years later Victoria Cruz has reopened the case.
Marsha lived a life dedicated to helping others and it is certainly not forgotten.
THANK YOU MARSHA P. JOHNSON
“Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ‘cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.”
SOJOURNER TRUTH
Fight for freedom
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 6 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
SOJOURNER TRUTH:
Truth was born into slaverly, serving several masters throughout New York before escaping to freedom in 1826.
Truth had 5 children and when she escaped she could only take 1 because the others were still legally bounded to her slave owner.
After the New York Anti-Slavery Law was passed Truth filed a lawsuit to get her 5 year old son and won her case regaining custody of her son, making her the first black woman to sue a white man in a United States court.
After Truth became a passionate Christian.
Truth joined an abolitionist organization where she met leading abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass.
This is where she launched her career as an equal rights activist.
Truth gave a speech where she spoke about equal rights for black women. In speech she asked the rhetorical question, “Ain’t I A Woman?”, this speech went on to become her most famous.
Truth helped recruit black soldiers during the Civil War.
Her activism for the abolitionist movement gained attention of President Lincoln, who invited her to the White House in 1864.
Later in life Truth continued to speak out on discrimination.
Truth legacy as a black women fighting for equality lives on.
THANK YOU SOJOURNER TRUTH
“He was killed for man’s freedom.”
JIMMIE LEE JACKSON’S TOMBSTONE
It makes sense
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 5 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
JIMMIE LEE JACKSON:
Born December 16, 1938, became part of the Civil Rights Movement as a young man.
Jimmie fought in the Vietnam War and when he returned home he became a church deacon (the youngest at his church) and had a daughter .
After being inspired by the Civil Rights Movement Jackson tried to vote for the first time in his life.
He made many attempts to register as a voter, but never made it past the hurdles set to keep African Americans away to not vote.
Feburary 16, 1965, Jackson took part in a peaceful night march. It was a protest for the arrest of James Orange.
That night it was dark and the streetlights were off during the peaceful protest. Police and state troopers attacked the protesters with clubs thus sending them away.
Jackson and other demonstrators went into a restaurant called Mack’s Cafe. There, Jackson was shot in the stomach by James Bonard Fowler, a state trooper.
Jackson was seeming to protect his mother and 82 year old grandfather from the troopers.
Jackson’s murder was condemned by leaders of the Civil Rights Movement such as Martin Luther King Jr., who had visited Jackson while he was in the hospital.
Jackson inspired a, supposed to be peaceful, march now named the ‘Bloody Sunday’ after police were waiting with tear gas and batons.
The world seeing this made many people come around to the Civil Rights Movement.
His leagacy will be forever remembered.
THANK YOU JIMMIE LEE JACKSON
“Each and every one of us is born with a clean heart. Our babies know nothing about hate or racism. But soon they begin to learn - and only from us. We keep racism alive. We pass it on to our children. We owe it to our children to help them keep their clean start.”
RUBY BRIDGES
NO JUSTICE
NO PEACE
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 4 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
RUBY BRIDGES:
Ruby Bridges, born September 8, 1954, became one of the first black children to intergrate New Orleans all-white public school system.
She was only 6 years old when she was first escorted to her class with her mother and U.S. marshals due to violent mobs.
During this time was the Civil Rights Movement, so Bridges brave act was a true milestone for African Americans.
Her time in this school was not easy for her or her family. *Please read all about it truly sad what they said to a 6 year trying to get an education.*
Through the years she had books written about her and in 1999 she released her own memoir, Through My Eyes, and that same year she established the Ruby Bridges Foundation.
To this day Ruby Bridges continues speaking on injustices and inequailty for Black people.
Her legacy lives on.
THANK YOU RUBY BRIDGES
“We shall never rest at ease, but will agitate and work, by our means and by our influence, in court and out of court, asking aid of the press, calling upon Christians to vindicate their Christianity, and the members of the law to assert the principles of the profession by granting justice and right, until these invidious and unjust usages shall have ceased.”
OCTAVIUS V. CATTO
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 3 of 7 Black activists to celebrate
OCTAVIUS V. CATTO:
Catto, born Feburary 22, 1839, was born free, since his family was affluent and reputable.
Catto’s father, William T. Catto, was an outspoken advocate for education for black people, voting suffrage, and the empancipation, so Catto followed in his father’s footsteps.
Catto was a smart and gifted man having graduating as valedictorian of the Institue for Colored Youth in 1858.
With that he went on to become a teacher at the Institue.
Catto did many things one of which is attemtping to help racial barriers in baseball by creating a black baseball team, the Philadelphia Pythians, which he also played on.
Back at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg Catto responded to help by raising 11 regiments of “Colored Troops” in Pennsylvania where they were trained before being sent to help in battle.
After the Civil War Catto started a Philadelphia protest movement that led to passage of the 1867 Pennsylvania law thst prohibited racially segregated punlic transportation.
On October 10, 1871, first election in which African Americans could partake in, Catto was assinated along with many other Black Americans in a riot when they were attempting to vote.
In 2017, Catto was honored a statue in Philadelphia where his legacy lives on.
THANK YOU OCTAVIUS V. CATTO
If you know then you know
If you don’t then
Ask and learn
That’s all
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Day 2 of 7: Black activists to celebrate
ELLA BAKER
Ella Baker, born on December 13, 1903, was an civil rights and human rights activist.
In her lifetime Baker found her way in many active leading groups such as, the YNCL and the NAACP.
In 1957, Baker helped launch the SCLC ,which Martin Luther King Jr. co founded along many other.
During her time there she organized the event that led to the creation of the SNCC.
In her later years Baker remained fighting for social justice issues and equality.
Of course her legacy lives on.
THANK YOU ELLA BAKER
LAST WEEK OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
1 of 7 black activists to celebrate
FREDRICK DOUGLASS:
Fredrick douglass was a slave.
After 7 years he was shipped off to do hard labor.
Attemping to escape in April of 1836 but, did not succeed and was critically punished.
He tried again and was victorious on September 3rd 1838.
After escaping he became a national leader of the abolitionist movement.
With that he wrote keen antislavery writings and people took notice.
Douglas wrote an autobiography titled ‘Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, as an American Slave’ which he wrote about his time as an slave.
Advocated for many things 1 being women’s rights.
His legacy as an activist for black people all around live on.
THANK YOU FREDRICK DOUGLASS
