@Avon welcome to our forum. Powerful thoughts you are having. I am grateful to you for posting about this song. I looked up the wiki page on the song and learned that Juliet Ward Howe, the lyricist, was an abolitionist. The song is about freeing the slaves.
Still what is important is that the song's message is that all people deserve to be free and it is worth fighting for. The Union soldiers sang this song to bolster their spirit in the fight against slavery.
Last lines:
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.
The hymn is based in Christian doctrine, citing Christ and using the pronoun Him to describe God. Many do not think of God as a he nor as Christ as the primary source of truth. But perhaps the Trump-supporting, racist, religious right, should pay more attention to this song and consider how far they have deviated from Christian teachings.
Also we need a good song for these times.
Violence is not the only way and I do not condone violence, but it happens when people are trampled on for hundreds of years.
I wince when I hear any discussion of blame against the disenfranchised for their rage. The latest victim, George Floyd, was addressing the police as Sir and Please, while they were killing him. The blame goes squarely with those who kept killing and killing and killing black men. White people of privilege would have been dropping bombs on people long ago for much less than what blacks have been enduring.
I am a white person of privilege and I do not have to worry that my children or brothers will be murdered by a cop at a traffic stop. But that is a daily horror faced by all black families. It has to stop.
Before anyone blithely casts judgement on the results of black rage, first come up with a list of what they have endured, then ask yourself how you would respond if that were your son, your brother, or your father.
I was incensed when I read the medical report that Floyd's underlying health conditions caused his death. I call B.S. The outrage continues.
The Democrats and Trump's enemies have been just too quiet lately, if you get my meaning. And I suspect that it is intentional. Despite all the big mistakes Trump is making, Democrats are being remarkably low key in their responses.
I think they're working under the premise that if they give him enough rope, he'll hang himself. They're not wrong, but at what cost do they wait?
First, I want to send you all my love and gratitude. During times like these, it means a lot to be part of this community of beautiful, empathetic souls who seek to bring more light to the world.
I read the past three pages here, but I may have missed some posts, so please forgive me if I repeat anything that's been said. I agree with @TriciaCT that much of the violence last night was planned/orchestrated by folks with an agenda, perhaps even obviously by the tweeter-in-chief who has clearly emboldened white nationalist groups and who encouraged police retaliation. What most disturbs me is the violence on the part of police and the national guard--against journalists (a BIG hit for Jeanne's prediction on that, by the way) and non-violent protestors. This is a direct attack on democracy and our constitutional rights, and the implications are far more disturbing (military/police coup?).
One person asked what can we do? Our local police departments are supposed to serve us, the people, and if we want accountability and transparency we need to demand that our local government enforce that NOW. My city's protest last night remained nonviolent (as far as I heard) but it was not organized by Black Lives Matter, who instead asked allies specifically to write to city leaders. What accountability measures are in place to keep racial targeting in check? How is that data being tracked, and if officers are shown to disproportionately target minorities, then what is being done about it? What is being done to investigate and prevent attacks by white nationalist terrorists? How are police monitored to weed out racist cops? White supremacist groups are known to recruit from military and law enforcement. Membership in these organizations is unacceptable for a police officer. Also, we can look into our municipal budgets and make sure resources are spread fairly. And we need to reverse the militarization of police departments.
I broke down in tears after watching video after video on a twitter feed that documented cases of overuse of force by police last night, including the one of the national guard marching down a street and launching projectiles of the people filming from the porch of their own home. It took a little time to get myself together, thinking about the huge mess of a country my 13 year old will come to adulthood in. Thinking of the dreams of the civil rights movement and how much was undone. Always with the environment in mind. This grief, this pain is important work for us right now. Thanks to you here I have faith that this pain and suffering will birth a better world, but boy, we're in the bloody mess of the process now. Please don't despair. Let's grieve together and hold each other up as we take whatever action is within our ability. Transformation is happening.
"Having said that, many of these protestors are not taking part in the rioting and violence, and I am seeing footage of some who are keeping the perpetrators of these actions from escalating (by standing in front of businesses and urging the rioters to go away, etc.)"
YES - in fact, many of those initiating the violence and looting and destruction are agent provocateurs. They are "Boogaloo" white supremacists disguising themselves as Antifa. They do this so that the blame will fall on the protesters and Antifa. Their goal is a race war - Civl War 2.0, and they'll do whatever they can to achieve that.
The fact that there is contradiction among the authorities means that the plan is successful. This is what Steve Bannon wanted. It's working, unfortunately.
@jeanne-mayell @ana @Laura-F Yes, I am also a white person of privilege. In the 90's I dined with a black friend who was also of privilege. She was getting her Ph.D. and her husband was a successful businessman. We were chatting about our teen age sons when she asked me, "Do you allow your son to run down the sidewalk?" I said, naively, "Yes, of course. Don't you." She replied, "No, we teach him to walk, even if he's late." This family lived in a well-to-do neighborhood, but it didn't matter. The danger was real everywhere. I truly got it then.
Stay strong and keep the faith, my friends. I will keep sending love and good vibrations to you all.
They say that Hope is happiness—
But genuine Love must prize the past;
And mem’ry wakes the thoughts that bless
They rose the first—they set the last.
And all that mem’ry loves the most
Was once our only hope to be:
And all that hope adored and lost
Hath melted into memory.
Alas! it is delusion all—
The future cheats us from afar,
Nor can we be what we recall,
Nor dare we think on what we are.
(Lord Byron)
If we know the cause of things, if we know who we are, we can fix it.
Everyone - I started a new thread under the "How to Cope..." topic header, called Anti-Racism Resources.
I posted a link to a pretty extensive list of materials, from books to videos to organizations as the first entry.
Anyone who is questioning why many of us are firmly on the side of the protesters, despite the violent turn of events, might want to consider questioning their own biases instead.
Feel free to add more resources to that thread, however let's treat that particular thread as a resource as opposed to another discussion. The discussion should continue here. I just wanted to make it as easy as possible to access a good resource for anti-white-supremacy work, work that we must all do as good allies.
@laura-f Perhaps I was not clear when I said the "anger was misplaced". I should have said "the violence is not being aimed at the right target." I did also did not mean to "dismiss" you, only to point out a differing vewpoint.
That said, you have no right to paint all "privileged" people with the same brush. And you don't even know my status and history for sure. I am seeing a certain amount of bias in your reaction, to be completely frank.
Do you think only black people are horrified by that video?? If so you would be dead WRONG! I was horrified and outraged to see what happened to Mr Floyd and Mr Arbury, and others before that. My spouse and I have been saying for days, "WTF???? What made the perps think they could do this?? Why did they even WANT to do this?? What is WRONG with them? And why aren't they all in jail-- NOW??? And we were disgusted by the woman who called the cops on the birdwatcher in Central Park and relieved that Mr Cooper was unharmed in the end.
Do you think only black people see what is going on???? You would be dead wrong there too--- Those of us who are not black may not experience it directly, but we see it when our teenage kid's black friend is at risk walking out in the country without a white companion. We see it when our older relatives say something like, "Oh, the doctor was black but she seemed very good." (like why the hell wouldn't she be?) We see it when people look twice at people of color in a mostly white neighborhood-- even when those people LIVE there. and on...
I still maintain that violence is not the only way. I get that people are mad. I'm mad too. I get they want to throw things. But i don't get why you would set your local laundromat on fire? The laudromat didn't hurt you. Likely its owner didn't either. Now you and your neighbors have no place to wash your clothes and people who work in the place have no job. Set the Target store on fire: I don't think the Target Co. is going to be hurt much, but now the people who worked there have no jobs. The neighbors have to go somewhere perhaps less convenient (maybe MUCH less convenient) when they want to buy diapers, food, toilet paper, underwear, disinfectant wipes.... etc. Smash some cars in: Now your neighbors can't get to their jobs and the grocery store.
The old proverb, "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face" comes to mind.
I have long maintained that there is a difference between a "REASON" and an " EXCUSE". Like if some dude beats his wife and the next morning says, "Sorry honey, I was drunk and had a bad day at the office. Just venting." OK, that's a reason for the behavior but it certainly does not excuse it. MLK's "Riots are the voice of the unheard" gives a reason, an explanation, for why people participate in riots. But does it excuse it? Did MLK believe it was an excuse? Seriously if he did, I would like to know and would like to hear his rationale.
Likewise I think people have every right to be outrageously angry and frustrated. They have great REASONS for tearing thing up. But I do not believe they have an EXCUSE.
I see self-defense as the one excuse for violence. But I don't see how tearing up your own town is self-defense. (Now, if they were tearing up Mar-A-Lago maybe... )