It STILL Takes A Nation

Reminiscing on Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and then thinking about today’s climate, politically, culturally and definitely, racially. Seeing how, as the saying goes, ‘The more things change, the more they stay the same,” and looking at the news and honestly not knowing if it’s 2016, 1976 or 1990 as far as, well, everything! Poverty is still an issue, racism still exists, politicians are corrupt, protests still happen, police still abusing their authority and, of course, the rich get richer.

The only thing that has really changed is technology and honestly, some is good, others, too intrusive. Even with cameras acting as security for buildings and people utilizing mobile technology, police officers still feel invincible for committing crimes, breaking the laws and lying about it. What makes it worse is that with the legal system and mainly, the mindset of other lawmakers, judges, lawyers and other police officers, nothing will change.

It Needs To Be CED: Instead of Protesting Beyonce, Police Need to Protest Ignorance

In New York City, they are trying to tell us, ‘If you see something, say something.’ Funny, if the cops use the same edict, then maybe Internal Affairs would have to hire more investigators. It pains me that I am STILL writing about this type of injustice, practically 15 years after writing about it. It’s like I can literally go back to something I wrote years ago and maybe change a few minor details and it will still be the same story!

People thought I was being cynical when I stated 8 years ago, that having a Black president won’t change anything. Doesn’t it seem like there has been MORE racial strife and police killings than before? We are STILL protesting against the system. And, yes, we STILL need to do better in regards to how we treat each other. If we are STILL killing each other, what would make them not want to kill us as well? We can’t keep yelling police brutality without looking in the mirror and screaming, ‘Let’s stop killing each other!’ first. Yes, it starts in the home.

I am sick of hearing Hip Hop music that has no positive messages playing to the masses. I’m getting sick of viewing ignorant videos that supposedly depict ‘my peoples’ in a light that would make anyone want to kill us and then point at the videos and then say, ‘See?’ Yes, it will always start with us, so we need to pick ourselves out the gutter so that way they can stop throwing us back in and keeping us there!

Yes, It STILL Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, but, let’s make it easy on ourselves by respecting each other and stop spreading the ignorance that has been the MAIN thing that holds us back! We’ve overcome despite the shackles placed on us, now it’s time we shed those shackles ourselves by being the Kings and Queens we are meant to be!