Rejecting Lies And Expanding Truths
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Rejecting Lies And Expanding Truths

As kids, while we might not have understood it, anger bubbled and we instead channeled it inward, fighting each other.

20
Rejecting Lies And Expanding Truths
The Week

Not too recently, I watched a video where Donald Trump's then campaign chair spoke up about how she feels the election of President Obama is the cause for racism. She then adds further insult by arguing that if you're black and haven't been successful, "it's your own fault." True, that every person has to face their own accountability, but she is overstepping in a huge way. She claimed that black people have three generations of unwed babies. Well to that I say, "Thank you, Kathy Miller. I didn't know that was a black thing." The truth is, there is a long dirty laundry list of why things are the way they are, and I'm not going to pretend to be the one who has all the answers. One thing for sure is that President Obama isn't the one perpetuating anything, it's the people who believe that race-neutral politics exist, and in doing so, find they're the main ones talking about it. To the Kathy Miller's of the world, I would just like to ask you to please not speak on which you know nothing of.



This interview did spark me to share something personal. It's short, but it explains what happens when you stick children in a school where they haven't quite grasped the intense feelings from the ideology of "the haves, and the have-nots" that social economics create. Even more, how racism and hundreds of years of slavery have, even to children, produced a confusion of cultural identity. And while some of us grew up in homes with both parents, or in the suburbs of the middle class, some of us did not. As kids, while we might not have understood it, anger bubbled and we instead channeled it inward, fighting each other. This is a story I wrote, I'll let you you decide how much of it is non-fiction.


Survival

by

Jemiscoe Chambers-Black

Behind clenched teeth, I asked again because frankly, she really didn’t get the severity of the situation. “What. Did. You. Say?” White-hot rage that my little body had never felt flamed to the surface, overwhelming and pulsing hot. I balled my small fists tightly leaving tiny crescent marks on both palms. This was survival; there was never a choice, and there would never be any backing down. I waited, but I saw the moment her face changed, a rare certainty of determination. It was survival for her, too.

“I said…” she announced way too loudly. All for performance purposes, I supposed. I heard the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd that had gathered. A huddled mass of bodies circled, vibrating, percolating with a violent surge of energy, urged us on. I shifted from one foot to the next, nodding my head like a super-charged bobble head doll. I was pumped. It’s like my senses zoned in and focused only on her while she continued with swelled smug undeserved confidence. “I said yo mama…”

I didn’t even let her finish before I started swinging. In my mind, I was a well-trained boxer, when really I channeled the windmill effect. Arms failing about, spastic with seizure-like momentum, but I connected once, or twice at least. Small fists, connected with a small face forcing her to the cracked pavement, eyes crying with lids overflowing, bleeding split lip, backpack upside down and class papers thrown about. I puffed up like a male peacock in a nine year old girl’s body and laid down the law.

“Don’t talk about my Mama again.” I walked away, leaving her, that crowd, and my shame behind. Magnet School. This is where they bused us, somewhere between the Washington, D.C-Maryland line. They overlooked the gangs, homeless, hopelessness, crackheads, and hookers, but we didn’t. This is where we went to school, where we breathed, where we fought, where we tried to survive.

The End

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

938396
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

115287
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less
New Year Resolutions

It's 2024! You drank champagne, you wore funny glasses, and you watched the ball drop as you sang the night away with your best friends and family. What comes next you may ask? Sadly you will have to return to the real world full of work and school and paying bills. "Ah! But I have my New Year's Resolutions!"- you may say. But most of them are 100% complete cliches that you won't hold on to. Here is a list of those things you hear all around the world.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Ultimate Birthday: Unveiling the Perfect Day to Celebrate!

Let's be real, the day your birthday falls on could really make or break it.

95346
​different color birthday candles on a cake
Blacksburg Children's Museum

You heard it here first: birthdays in college are some of the best days of your four years. For one day annually, you get to forget about your identity as a stressed, broke, and overworked student, and take the time to celebrate. You can throw your responsibilities for a day, use your one skip in that class you hate, receive kind cards and gifts from loved ones and just enjoy yourself.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments