There are some crimes that are committed by black people, against black people, all inexcusable and indefensible. Rosa Parks being assaulted, Malcolm X murdered, Martin Luther King, Jr’s mother being assassinated, Marcus Garvey and Nat Turner being betrayed are just a few examples. The carnage that is occurring in Annapolis, Baltimore, Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles and countless other cities require leaders of these communities to step up. There are some things that people must do for themselves.
Recently I attended the funeral of Dick Gregory. Thousands of people jammed into a church, with many more watching on television, Facebook, and listening on radio. Dick Gregory’s greatest eulogy was the life that he lived. His home-going was a testament of that life. Dick Gregory, 84, had 10 children, who were all there and heard the love and respect that people had for their dad.
I contrast that with other funerals that I have attended, many of them involving people who will never see their children grow up. Many will not be there for their first prom or to see them graduate.
Dick never gave up on us. He knew that despite a system that daily marginalizes us as a people, we have it within us to rise above it all.
On this coming Tuesday, October 10, 2017, 6:00 p.m. (doors open at 5pm) the Caucus of African-American Leaders will be meeting at the Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center, 1101 Smithville Street, Annapolis, Maryland. At this meeting we will be picking up the baton that Dick Gregory passed on to us. We will continue the fight for social justice.
One of our speakers will be Ben Jealous, former national NAACP president. We will also be joined by Conner Prout, who will apologize for a hanging a noose earlier this year at Crofton Middle School.
In the end, each one of our clocks will stop ticking. When it does, do you want to be remembered by future generations, like Dick Gregory is remembered, or like the man that robbed Rosa Parks? The choice is yours.
Hope to see you on Tuesday.
A Luta Continua!
Carl Snowden is a political and civil rights leader in Annapolis.
Comments? Please see this post on our Facebook Page.