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White Supremacy’s Implosion Is Both Beautiful and Dangerous
The boogeyman was really nothing more than their own shadow
We were supposed to celebrate Stacey Abrams saving the country. We should have enjoyed at least a day’s worth of (tempered) joy at the prospect of the country beginning to right itself.
That didn’t happen.
What we got instead was an act of domestic terrorism. Worse still, we watched as those terrorists received coddling under the cloak of White privilege.
In my lifetime, I don’t think I have witnessed this kind of White panic. We have all watched as White supremacy and fragility converged on themselves and created a wave of paranoia. That paranoia resulted in an attempt to cripple the federal government.
With the power of whiteness, it almost worked.
We saw gates miraculously opened, allowing “protesters” to storm the Capitol with Congress in session. We were amazed that there was little to no attempt to hide identities. Participants gave their full names in interviews and offered explanations for participating in group treason. We watched as those who were strong enough to break into the Capitol were suddenly too feeble to walk down the stairs without assistance. Rioters were offended and heartbroken when they were met with mace and tear gas.
We’re witnessing the beginning of what could undoubtedly become this country’s largest gang war. Think Gangs of New York with one less Black person.
We even witnessed members of Congress rooting for them.
We remembered how those who protested the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery — and others lost to police brutality — were addressed with on-sight violence in their neighborhoods. We have seen what rubber bullets do to flesh and watched tanks roll down residential streets firing tear gas at peaceful protesters. We saw none of this last Wednesday.
We know what it would have been if this was a Black Lives Matter protest, and there lies the irony. Black protest and organization instilled years of fear in White people — they envisioned Black…
