by Dr. E. Faye Williams
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—I often reflect on the stories told by my family and friends. While sometimes amusing, they can give rise to more serious thought and consideration.
One such story was told to me by a friend who was drafted during the Vietnam War. He related that he had a close-knit family that always demonstrated love, and that he was well-respected among his circle of friends and associates. He admitted being shocked upon reading a large, posted poem entitled “INDISPENSABLE?” when he ventured into his first military Orderly Room. He did not memorize the poem, but remembered that it suggested that his life was no more valuable than the next warm body that could be put in its place. Recalling the transcripts of conversations between President Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger describing Vietnam era soldiers as “cannon fodder” added confirmation to his story.
This characterization of his worth was in direct opposition to the value placed on his life—for all of his life. It was a sobering reminder that his life only held situational value. The same value of, say, George Floyd!
In a greater sense, that story relates to our community at large. We’ve learned from our history that, upon emancipation, most institutional and general thought believed that African Americans, outside of slavery or similar conditions, had become obsolete in their usefulness to society. In a general sense, my experience and observations inform me that the value of OUR humanity, and the humanity of other peoples of color, is based upon a sliding scale of the value that Whites perceive we bring to them. This is most obvious in sports and entertainment, and in other skilled areas where we have achieved essential expertise. There is little question that we retain value as long as we can provide a “valued” service or perform the “dirty” jobs that Whites are unwilling to do.
The pandemic and last presidential election have highlighted this dynamic as never before. Past administration actions shed light on its intended outcomes. Most respected medical officials agreed that achieving herd-immunity in the manner pursued by the Trump administration would have had an epically destructive impact on Black and Brown communities. With disparate healthcare, circumstantial herd-immunity outcomes of “get well” or “die” favor the unwelcomed “die’ option for people of color.
Disregard of voters of color is another issue with which the nation currently struggles. The “BIG LIE” supporting a 2020 Trump victory is sustained by the effort to eliminate votes originating in communities of color. Republicans emphatically supported discarding votes from urban centers in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Arizona. It doesn’t take a genius to know whose votes were under fire.
Rogue police, those who support them, and radical political reactionaries who understand the change that OUR unfettered participation in the political process predict, have shown their intent to take this country back to a time of ‘limited democracy’ by virtue of race. OUR immediate and on-going challenge is to ENGAGE to protect OUR true value. We no longer have the luxury of sitting-back while waiting for others to take-up our cause.
For as long as this country has existed, ‘slowing-down’ or taking ‘measured steps’ toward full social justice has been the mantra of those who resist constructive social change. We now face a new, more dangerous enemy who is willing to immediately and dramatically throw the legal and social constructs of our ‘democracy’ into reverse gear. They willingly discard the principles upon which this country was founded to the goal of maintaining racial, social, and cultural superiority. We must match their vigor with an equal vigor for the salvation of our lives and those of our children. We have no other choice!
(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women.)
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