Response to latest death of an African-American
The Cape Gazette
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Response to latest death of an African-American
Marlene A. Saunders
June 2, 2020
How much racial inequality experienced by African-Americans is enough before this group of Americans should finally conclude that America will never be true to its creed, and respect and treat African-American people as equal?
How much racial inequality is enough before America will decide that white men dressed as police officers can not kill subdued unarmed African-American men and not be held legally accountable? How much unjustified use of excessive force by the police is enough before one more incident like the senseless and unjust death of George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department exhausts America’s capacity to rebound from egregious deviations from justice that are dismissed again, again and again?
Despite being brought to America in chains, African-Americans have willingly given America opportunity after opportunity to acknowledge and accept their undeniable contributions to this country’s development as law-abiding farmers, scientists, teachers, entrepreneurs, president, etc. Except for Native Americans, no ethnic group not originally a native of the United States has endured or sacrificed more to be accepted. Still, there is sufficient reason for African-Americans to believe that their ethnicity and color continue to fuel the racism that, for example, led to the murders of thousands of African-American males in the form of lynching from 1830 to 1968.
A recent analysis showed that about one in 1,000 black men and boys in America could expect to die at the hands of police. Connecting lynching of African-Americans to the deaths of African-American males by police is not outside the bounds of reason if one considers that whether killed by mob violence or one of America’s law enforcement institutions – the police – real justice for the individuals who are killed and their families is invisible. Therefore, it appears that rather than laws protecting everyone, they instead protect the dominant position of white Americans over African-Americans.
Kerri Evelyn Harris’ comment following the Floyd incident, “Enough is enough,” is meaningful. African-Americans cannot continue to be violently separated from mainstream America. Why? – “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” – (Abraham Lincoln, 1858).
Dr. Marlene A. Saunders
Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice
Women’s March of Sussex-Delaware
