Today in the news I herd about a woman that was attacked by a bear. The host of the morning showed contained on to say the woman had lived with the bear in her back yard and one day she went to feed it and it attacked her. I thought, now who is really the victim? At first thought I said " the woman" but after dedicating a few minutes, I discovered it was the bear. The bear had been caged up, fed what she wanted to feed him, and had no interaction with other bears. The bear was oppressed and out of the spur of the moment decided to take action.
Being a black man in America (if you excuse the cliche) is not the only label that follows me. I am often labeled other things : ignorant, poor, incapable-or-making-something-of-myself,etc. However the title that should never be an insult is “organizer”. After 3 years of working hard, putting in the time, making change, and advocating for the respect of students, it now more than ever it is a crime to be an organizer. When people hear that word they get turned off. They look the other way, hide their faces. Perhaps it is the feeling of disappointment in themselves for not being involved more. Perhaps they feel that the government will protect their every need and i need not "complain about every little thing".
Labels... they are powerful things. However I accept my label as an organizer. I am bear! Here rrrgh or growl(?) yes. I too as bear am oppressed however I will not accept the rations slid through my cage and call it fine dining. No, there is not need for violence however there is a need for action. That is what I dream of.
