get free or die tryin

Juneteenth is about fighting. about resisting. about loving something so much, you’ll fight for years to get it or for others to reap the benefits of that fight, even if you don’t make it. juneteenth is about life. about completion. about living the complete life a human is deserved to live. life isnt meant to be lived in categories. it isnt meant to lived on other people terms. it isnt meant to be lived with other people giving us definitions and boxes to live by. slavery and colonialism (yes, we are living in a colony right now) is beyond dehumanizing. the conditions we’re living in today must upset you.

we are meant to live a complete life.

today, we choose to honor those before us by collectively resisting. by challenging the status quo and laws. challenging “it just is that way.” questioning what time it is really.

there was a time when slavery was legal. legal, yall. and homie still doubling down calling us some slaves. there was a time when teaching Black people how to read was illegal. where helping escaped slaves was a crime by doubling down with fugitive slave acts of 1793 and 1850. we must check ourselves on social norms and laws just because “they are.” it’s unsound logic to just follow something because “it is.” the appeal to tradition fallacy occurs when an argument rests entirely on the fact that an idea or practice has been accepted by a group of people for a long time. you follow traditions of bad practice? buck back.

someone before you came up with rules and you got with the program. someone before you said something was right or wrong, and you didnt question it. but whoever that someone is did not have you in mind. that someone didnt consider how life would be vastly different for YOU. YOU reading this. that someone knew that the basics would be the same. that’s all.

and in the same breath, just because something is legal doesn’t make it socially right. bring back an element of shaming. there is a place and time for doing some things. sex in itself isn’t a problem. doing the act in public is problematic. cussing isn’t necessarily an issue. cussing in front of certain people without consideration is problematic. there comes a time to look in the mirror and not get caught up in social ways. just because people of your generation does it doesn’t make it okay. just because you “have the [legal] right” doesn’t make it [socially and ethically] right. we love saying “i have the right to…” and do the most disgusting and inconsiderate acts. no more.

today, we check ourselves. we fight for a better life. we think about others, not just our ego. not just our desires. in fact, we sacrifice some of our desires for a better tomorrow for many. succumbing to our desires will lead to a very quick death or unpleasant ugly life.

Thomas Sankara told us that “we must choose either champagne for a few or safe drinking water for all.” that’s on us. we must not reduce our ancestors and heroes to quotes. the tattoos we have on our bodies, the scriptures we see on social media… live that out. embody the spirit. what tattoo do you have on your body? make that true within your body.

have you heard of Curt Flood? born in Texas, raised in Oakland. played in the MLB from 1957-1971… kinda. he was playing on the st louis cardinals and played well. he was 7x golden glove winner, 3x all star and helped that team win 2 championships. to reward him, they offered him a 5k raise. he wanted more than that for his efforts that playoffs. they said “nope” and traded him to the philadelphia phillies. a team that sucked. their general manager offered him his asking pay plus more. $100k. he refused to play for that team. in 1969, he sent a letter to the commissioner.

“after twelve years in the major leagues, i do not feel that i am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes. … i believe i have the right to consider offers from other clubs before making any decisions. i, therefore, request that you make known to all major league clubs my feelings in this matter, and advise them of my availability for the 1970 season.”

the establishment didnt feeling that. they blackballed him. he ended up getting traded to the washington senators but only played 13 games. that was the last time he played the game he loved. he told the players union “i think the change in black consciousness in recent years has made me more sensitive to injustice in every area of my life.” keep in mind, this was 1969. four years after Malcolm X was assassinated, three years after the formation of the Black Panther Party, one year after Dr King was killed and John Carlos and Tommie Smith protested with the raised fist at the Olympics in Mexico City, and year of Afeni Shakur and the Panther 21 was on trial for acts they did not commit (later acquitted). The consciousness was high. Curt Flood acts were seen as disruptive. people told him he was an ingrate and didn’t appreciate the life afforded to him. kinda like “shut up and dribble.” his actions and sacrifice literally lead to formation of free agency in the MLB. he did not reap the benefits of his own actions, but he challenged the status quo and the law of land and asked himself and others, “but what is right?” why cant you just be a happy slave? was the sentiment people felt.

champagne for a few… or water for all? if the change in Black consciousness in recent years haven’t changed YOU, what’s going on? if the elevation of consciousness around you hit everyone but you, what’s happening with you?

the people we love, the people we celebrate, the people we admire put their and their family livelihoods on the line. they put money on the line. they put reputation and names on the line. they put their life on the line. people sacrificed for you to be where you are today. people literally died, got scrutinized, dignity beaten out of them so you can have something to say today. the people who did that weren’t liked by many. they were seen as militants. they were seen as trouble makers. they might not have been awarded with trophies and money. but they were REwarded with peace knowing they did the right thing. they were REwarded with love. legacy. they will live forever, not for fifty years. money and tangibles are obviously important. but they are limited to location and time. and inflation and demand decreases the value of each.

ideas and spirit lives forever.

2019 was 5 years ago. does it feel that way? did five years fly by or go slowly?

in 1860, those in captivity did not know june 19th 1865 was around the corner. but they kept fighting. they kept resisting. they relied on each other. they loved on each other. they believed in fighting for tomorrow, and today. they had faith. they had hope.

hope is a discipline. it’s something you do. something you practice. there are days, moments, or months when you FEEL pessimistic. trust me. i’ve been there many times. i’m in that mood more times you reading this would believe. but i remain hopeful. there were people held in bondage and one day, they weren’t. with all the work you’re doing, all the work your peers are doing, all the work domestically and globally, the pendulum swings. it does. independently and collectively. what you’re doing isnt going in vain. i promise you. the work that others are doing isnt going to waste. it might seem grim right now. because it is. when you work out, it IS rough. it IS painful. but then it’s worth it. when you’re fasting, you ARE hungry. but it’s worth it when it’s over. when you’re driving, that traffic IS annoying, but when you get to the destination, it was worth it. i’m not here acting like the journey is smooth. or even not tough. it IS tough. but the journey makes the destination even more lovely.

i dont how many tough days, nights, months or years my parents had raising me. i know they made tons of sacrifices so i can live the life i live now, think the way i think now, motivate the way i motivate now. my parents saw the larger picture. and here i am.

get your rest. get your mind right. get your body right. regroup and get back to work.

keep fighting. keep resisting. nothing will change if nothing changes.

resist until liberation exists.