July 28, 2013
We Do Have Choices!
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - When something we’ve been doing all our lives becomes too difficult to continue doing, yet we want to do something to make a difference, we often agonize over what we can do. After an unbelievable verdict in the George Zimmerman case, Stevie Wonder made a choice not to perform in certain states that insist upon holding onto their dangerous Stand Your Ground laws.
A few days later, people of all colors and cultures made a decision to attend rallies in over 130 cities around the country at the call of Rev. Al Sharpton to put our thoughts together on constructive things we can do to deal with our pain over the murder of Trayvon Martin.
We came up with many ideas from numerous speakers. One of the consistent themes was voting in every election. Another recurring theme was not to spend our money in places that are not only dangerous for our children, but where even adults like us are not respected.
Florida isn’t the only place we find problems, but one must admit it’s a huge example of what we should no longer tolerate, and even Floridians must be sick and tired of what's happening in their state.
There was a time when we knew Florida for great oranges and wonderful sunshine, but those are the last things we have on our minds now when we think about Florida. For years now, we’ve had serious concerns about Florida, and now uppermost in our minds are such things as Florida
- refusing to count votes right,
- putting up roadblocks to voting,
- sending a woman to jail 20 years for defending herself in a domestic violence case,
- blaming a child for his own death when an overzealous neighborhood watchman decides to pick a fight with an unarmed child, then claim to be the victim and murder the child,
- having an adult decide he can just drive up, shoot into a car and murder another child because he doesn’t like his music.
The Dream Defenders began a sit-in at the Florida governor’s office to discuss issues that can no longer be ignored. With all the tragedies there, surely many Floridians would prefer that we not risk taking our children there to see a rat at Disney World! There’re far more meaningful things to do.
As crazy as things are in Washington, it would be worth it to bring your children to see the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial and teach them all that Dr. King did to make our nation a better place for all.
Show them Sojourner Truth who presides over Emancipation Hall in the Capitol. Visit the statue of Frederick Douglass, there, too. Go to Statuary Hall. See memorials for Dr. King and Rosa Parks. Tell your children about their great work. Don’t forget to tell them the Capitol was built on the labor of our ancestors who were brought here in chains and forced to work, but never paid fairly.
Stop by to see Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s memorial and Benjamin Banneker Overlook. Visit Dick Gregory who speaks truth to power for us, and devour the genius of a man who risked his life and gave money to buy food for hungry people when their officials tried to starve them during the Civil Rights Movement.
Show your children the White House where the President and his family live. Tell them just 50 years ago Black people weren’t allowed to vote, but our many strengths helped us work our way out of slavery faster than any group in the world has ever done.
Come by Truth House—home of the National Congress of Black Women to see the work we do every day to make a difference in the world.
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is Chair of the National Congress of Black Women. www.nationalcongressbw.org.)