A song written by Billie Holiday in 1939 might as well be written today, STRANGE FRUIT.
The song evokes all kinds of dark emotions with its impression of dead black men hanging from trees. As a black man who grew up in societies with systemic racism.....I feel tired. I have done many telephone interviews successfully but failed when I showed up black. In Austria I have endured many evening strolls ruined by white kids driving by shouting "scheiss Neger!" or "monkey go find a tree to climb!" or my favorite "Nigger go back to africa!" ......I dont want to react
I recall jogging once then stopped for a moment, an old Austrian man shouted at me saying "You lazy Nigger, the Vietnam war was lost because of you people!" LOL...I was a teenager who didn't know there was a war in Vietnam! This man made a lasting impression on me.
I was confused at the time thinking how can a man most likely in his 70s, about to meet his maker still express such blind hatred?? Surely he could tell I was a kid? maybe not. I knew my grand parents and they grew WISER with age so what did black folks do to cause this man to go the opposite direction? ...I cant explain it
Today we don't need to kill massa nor do we need underground railroads, but like those who went before us and paid the price so we can be here today...we should act in whatever capacity to pave the way for our children!,,,ose kids grow up in slavery, seen the brutality and survived it, it becomes a choice when you STAY in slavery. How much suffering can a man endure before he says you know what? Fuck this shit, this ends tonight. Its kamikaze night so let me say goodbye to loved ones....tonight its me VS massa and the lord himself will be the judge! Nat Turner is in our history books because thats what he did.Harriet Tubman established the underground railroad, it was a choice that yielded results.....all making sense now
George Floyd had no choice in his fate, but I have a choice in how I react to it, we all do.
Today we dont need to kill massa nor do we need underground railroads, but like those who went before us and paid the price ....we should act in whatever capacity to pave the way for our children!,,,my mind is made up!
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