The movement for black lives convened last weekend at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio.
We were invited to come with the intention to assert that all black lives matter. There were many goals we were to strive to reach.
The session resonated painfully, driving me close to a panic attack, which is physical pain that snaps breath from your body due to pain and anxiety.
Harry Belafonte’s daughter was with us, offering solace.
We were informed “Black faces in high places do not save our lives.” We must save ourselves.
We were told stories of our slain children, led by Erica Gordon, a family member of Emmett Till, a Chicago teenager who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955, after being seen speaking to a white woman. Friday, July 24, was his birthday. He would have been 74 years of age. We sang Happy Birthday to him.
Erica spoke of the courage and grace of Mamie Till, Emmet Till’s mother, who used Emmett’s face as a symbol to drive her people to seek freedom. Mike Brown parents put forward their commitment to our children as a reason they remained steadfast. They expressed sincere gratitude to us for listening to them and supporting them.
Their goal is to secure a healthier, safer future for our children and to keep the lives of their child alive by etching their memories into our lives. They are making DVDs and Mike Brown’s Dad shared the one he and Mike and family had made. We enjoyed the story immensely while being greatly pained regardless.
We noted the growth of our children when we convened in a uniform body. They swayed to music and cultural expressions that swept them back into one of our mother lands— this one Africa.
We were stirred by grief as they pledged to say “we will survive” and “we will be okay.” We strive to be free.
As I was leaving, they were having a disagreement with Cleveland Police in the street. We strive to be free.
