Mother Baltimore: More is needed
Actions taken after George Floyd’s death last year have been.....something, to say the least. And virtually witnessing all of it has placed me on a never-ending pendulum that oscillates between anger and pure comedy.
First, there were the protests across the nation. That was the anger.
Then there was the awareness of Breonna Taylor’s death. Then there were memes made of her death. Then there was the Black squares challenge on Instagram, in which users were encouraged to post Black squares on Instagram to show solidarity with Black people. Then there were some companies pledging financial support for Black lives. Then there were some brands realizing that their symbols were racist. Then there were employers talking about the need for more diversity as if the diversity was a recently-invented term. Then there was the Derek Chauvin verdict. Then there was the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, and the aforementioned efforts amplified again. Then there was Darnella Frazier, the teen who recorded George Floyd’s death receiving an honorary Pulitzer Prize.
And now, there’s Juneteenth becoming a federal holiday, and the aforementioned efforts from companies and non-Black people to achieve solidarity with Black people have amplified yet again. That is the comedy.
The avalanche of mainstream efforts to support Black people this year have seemingly outweighed the changes needed to reverse the harm state-sanctioned violence has caused on Black people. Police violence against Black communities continues. Black people are more likely to die from COVD-19 than white people partially because of the lack of quality health care.
As a Black woman, my life has remained the same since George Floyd was murdered. I still have thousands of dollars in student loan debt. I’m still thinking about George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others, and live in fear that I’ll be next. None of that has changed. Not even a company’s “Black Lives Matter” social media post can change that. It won’t.
I hope society finds opportunities to meaningfully contribute to the lives of Black people in ways that don’t seem performative. I don’t know if that’s possible, but I have a glimmer of hope that it can be.
Have a story tip or just want to talk? Contact me at 618-239-2624 or dsutgrey@bnd.com.
Now, here’s the latest news in southwestern Illinois:
East St. Louis native to host Juneteenth event that recognizes St. Louis’ racist past
On Saturday, an East St. Louis native and content creator will organize a march that acknowledges the history of slavery in East St. Louis. The march will start at the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, where slave auctions were held and where the Dred Scott Decision was made, and will end with a flower presentation at the riverfront.
More on Juneteenth:
After 156 years of most white people ignoring it, Juneteenth becomes state holiday in IL
Juneteenth celebration events highlight metro-east calendar this weekend
Senators urge EPA to act in Cahokia Heights, citing possible Clean Water Act violation
Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Sen. Dick Durbin wrote a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency last week, encouraging it to consider enforcement options against Commonfields of Cahokia Public Water District. In April, the EPA stated the utility possibly violated the Clean Water Act. Now, the U.S. senators are urging the EPA to help fix the flooding and sewage issues in the area.
More on flooding problems in Cahokia Heights:
Here are the department leaders and their salaries for southwest IL’s newest town
IL Sen. Durbin addresses Centreville flooding issues. Local group felt left out.
This is the East St. Louis that shaped Miles Davis’ ‘cool’
In this second installment of the BND’s Black Music Month piece, reporter DeAsia Paige wrote about Miles Davis’ deep connection to East St. Louis, where the esteemed jazz musician was raised. East St. Louis laid the foundation for Davis’ nearly 50-year career.
More on music in the metro-east:
How an East St. Louis native became one of music’s most popular hitmakers
East St. Louis has a rich musical history. It deserves to be celebrated
What to watch
Miss Juneteenth
Set in Fort Worth, Texas, “Miss Juneteenth” follows a mother’s (played by Nicole Beharie) mission to have her daughter participate in a local Miss Juneteenth pageant in hopes of having her daughter live a better life than she has. The film debuted last year, and is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime, Youtube and elsewhere. It’ll also be re-released in theaters TODAY!
What to read
The Empty Accolade of Surviving State Violence
Hannah Phifer, a culture journalist (and, honestly, one of the best people to follow on Twitter), wrote about the problem with deifying victims of state violence. Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed George Floyd’s murder, was recently awarded a Pulitzer prize for recording the incident. While Frazier received the most prestigious journalism award for what may be perceived as a good deed, the award doesn’t lead to any quantifiable benefit that’ll help alleviate the trauma that Frazier has experienced for the past year. Here’s Phifer’s eloquent explanation:
It’s much easier to believe that Darnella was ordained for some higher moral purpose instead of having to confront the fact that policing in America is an inherently immoral system that negatively impacts even those not directly targeted by the police. Deification too, can be its own form of violence, and for a teen that has already lost so much, heroism can be as isolating and dehumanizing as the trauma of racial violence.
That’s all she wrote!
That completes this week’s edition of Mother Baltimore. I hope y’all enjoyed reading just as much as I enjoyed writing it. Talk to y’all in two weeks!
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