|
NEWS & LETTERS, October - November 2007
Black/Red View by John Alan
Protest in Jena shines light on racism in the U.S.
I am turning my column this issue over to two reports from participants in the protest in Jena, Louisiana, against the railroading of six Black youth who have fought racial injustice in that city--John Alan.
* * *
Memphis, Tenn.--Five busloads of us boarded here Sept. 19. We all had on black and white t-shirts that said, "Memphis supports the Jena 6." When we got to Jena on Sept. 20, it was so congested we couldn’t park. The streets were completely filled with marchers--so thick, there was barely a place to put one foot in front of the other. The media said there were 15,000 to 20,000 people there. But I would say anywhere from 50,000 to 150,000 descended on the city.
We feel the six boys have been mistreated by the criminal justice system simply because they’re Black. Where are the charges against the boys with the nooses? That was a hate crime. It ought to be punishable under federal law. The Attorney General of Louisiana appeared on TV and said that because they’re underage they don’t want to charge them. But the Jena 6 were underage; why did you charge them as adults?
The march had a spirit of unity, peace and nonviolence. Everybody was saying, as Black people we have had enough of our young men being put in jail and serving harsher sentences. Our presence in Jena was a signal to America that enough is just enough. Many of the marchers had on black t-shirts saying, "We support the Jena 6," or "Enough is enough." We were saying we will be back if this situation is not worked out. We feel that our march and rally in Jena shines a light on racism in America that it is happening in cities all over America, not just in Jena, La.
When we got to City Hall, the crowd was so huge you couldn’t hear everything that was said on stage. A few people were passing out from the heat. In front of City Hall they had maybe 15 to 20 port-a-potties, with 20 to 30 people standing in front of each. There was no toilet paper in the one I went in. The temperature inside had to be 115 degrees.
The whole town was closed down, even McDonald’s, and they had plastic matting all the way around the front. To us it was a signal saying, "We don’t want to serve you today." In a white residential area there was a man riding his lawn mower with his gun just like in "Gunsmoke." The police didn’t line our parade route, but there were a whole lot of police behind the platform where the speakers were. They also had a SWAT team. Some of the marchers said there was a team up on the roof with rifles. But there were no incidents.
There were about 35 high school students from all across Memphis who went with us. Many of them said this trip changed their lives forever, that they had seen films of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but had never had opportunities to participate in the civil rights movement. They said that they did not know that racism was this bad in America and that this incident with the Jena 6 woke them up and let them know that racism is prevalent in our society. Some of the students said that they felt that the Jena 6 were their brothers.
I never thought that I could do all that walking, because I am overweight, and it was very tiring, but I’m glad that I was able physically and mentally to do it. Back in the 1960s, I was 14 or 15 years old when people were marching in Somerville, Tenn., my mother was afraid for our lives and wouldn't let me march.
There were people with signs written in Spanish on one side, and in English on the other, "We support the Jena 6." I saw Spanish-speaking people, American Indian, white people. I know that when whites come out and support a rally like that, they set themselves up to be shunned by their own race.
I am so grateful for my Black brothers and sisters who are getting up off the couch and marching in the street against racial injustice. I hope that the nation will listen to this great sound against injustice that was made in Jena. A lot of us took off from work and kept our children out of school. I’m so grateful for the unity of the races and the nonviolent commitment that took place. I feel that this must continue until all of those boys are released and all of the charges are dropped. We want justice.
--Black woman marcher
* * *
Jena, La.--The sandy soil stung my eyes and sinuses as I walked into Jena, La. I had ridden, cramped in the back seat of a passenger van for seven hours, to get to this small rural Louisiana town.
Though most of the town residents had either left or decided to remain hidden, the police tape around businesses and the quickly written and typed signs declaring shops and buildings closed for Sept. 20 brought home the point: you are not welcome. But beyond the obvious reason--this is an 85% majority white town and parish--I get the feeling that there isn’t enough space for even the 3,500 regular residents. This is a hard place, only home to those born there. There are no welcome signs. But on Sept. 20, this town became a destination for people from all over the country. I saw 50,000 people make their way to Jena, probably more.
The sea of Black moved through the town as a rising Black tide. The faces are of people weary from their journey and weary for the need of this journey. Where some may find this imagery disturbing, the power of Blackness, the color, the "race" is still evocative. Reports of local white residents’ fear that the town would be destroyed by the influx of Black people reveals the limits of their imagination.
I understand after seeing this town why a Black student had to ask permission to sit under a tree in 2006, because there was no room for change in this town. Three nooses were hung from a tree at the high school in 2006 because there was no room for change in this town. Black students gathered to protest the nooses and all hell broke loose. White kids at a party then attacked a Black boy. Black boys had a gun drawn on them at the convenience store. Verbal altercations and then a white kid was beaten badly after he made "racially charged comments," which led to attempted murder charges levied at the six young men.
The disparity in the charges is glaring. That is why people made this pilgrimage. This place has become an obvious sign of the double standard that continues to exist in our society. While "white" crime is prosecuted, crimes of "color" seem to garner an added harshness as if there is a greater threat from people of color.
Everyone wanted to see "the Tree." We were still expecting to see the nooses dangling there as proof to the world what we have lived all of our lives. Racism still exists, but many in our society would have us believe that racism is the specter of a long gone era.
The tree is now gone, bulldozed months ago. Part of the school is gone, burned by an unknown arsonist’s act. Tens of thousands of Black people (and some white and brown and yellow) filled the streets of that town without breaking a window or tearing down a wall. We showed the country that there is enough room for change in our "small" town.
--Chad Johnson
Return to top
|
