Connect with us

Global Issues

#Ferguson Uprise, America Doesn’t Learn From History.

Published

on

Ferguson Uprise America Dont Learn From History

#Ferguson Uprise, America Don't Learn From History

In July of 1917, there was one of the most brutal riots against African Americans in St Louis — scores of white folks attacking black Americans simply for being employed in Wartime Industries. There were indiscriminate attacks and, in effect, lynchings: beatings, hangings of black residents. That was St. Louis, other States in America, Texas a wide inclusion, had same records as far as history is concern. Blacks in America were, and are killed for the sligtest shift or a difference in opinion.

So the fact that St. Louis didn’t erupt in the ’60s is almost an anomaly or an outlying story. Because St. Louis does have very tense race relations between whites and blacks, and also between the police and the black community.

This continuity from the white attacks on black citizens after World War I, to the rioting of disenfranchised African Americans in the 1960s, is interesting. Whether or not there’s a relationship between those two and between the violence of private white citizens and violence of police, is out of the question for me. What America got, are racist white citizens who are attacking blacks in the streets, and then years or decades later, she’s got the police acting violently in the black community.

Advertisement

Nationally, it suggests that the American people haven’t learned nearly enough from their own history. Not just 1917, and all the riots that happened in 1919, and 1921 — but, much more specifically, from the ‘60s. Because of course, this is exactly the same issue that generated most of the rebellions of the 1960s. In 1964, exactly 50 years ago, unrest in Philadelphia, Rochester, and Harlem were all touched off by the killing of young African Americans. That’s what touches off Harlem. It’s the beating of a young black man that touches off Rochester in ’64. It’s the rumor that a pregnant woman has been killed by the police in Philadelphia in ’64. So in some sense, my reaction to this is: of course. Because until you fundamentally deal with this issue of police accountability in the black community and fair policing in the black community, this is always a possibility.

Don’t shoot, don’t shoot…and he was shot! America must do something before its too late.

 

Advertisement

 

Jeff Okoroafor is a leading member of a new generation of civic advocates for government accountability and democratic change in Nigeria. The Citizen Affairs Initiative is a citizen-driven governance initiative that enhances public awareness on critical issues of service quality in Nigeria. It encourages citizens to proactively seek higher standards from governments and service providers and further establishes new discussions in communities about the standards that citizens should expect and deserve from those they have given their mandates. Jeff is the Managing Director of SetFron Limited, a multimedia development company that is focused on creative and results-driven web, mobile app, and ERP software solutions. He is the co-founder of the African Youths Advancement and Support Initiative (AfriYasi), a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation that provides tertiary education scholarship for young people from low-income homes in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the United Nations World Summit Awards. A Strategic Team member of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, and a member of the National Technical Committee on the Establishment and Management of Missing Persons Database in Nigeria. Jeff holds a Bachelor and Postgraduate diploma degrees in Computer Science, and a Certificate in Public Administration from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Facebook

Trending Articles