Looking at Charles Moore’s photos of Birmingham 1963 made me feel hopeless. It is not a new concept that history repeats itself, but it is always a sad idea to realize since history has not been kind to many. When it comes to the history of Black Americans facing inequality and injustice in our country, “repeat” is too vague and polite a word. Black Americans have been met with deliberate and callous abuse from the white-dominated powers of this country. This powerful group, at large, has never intended to be fair or kind to Black Americans because that would intern make them less powerful.
We white people have made Black people our slaves. Then when they became “free,” we called them savages. Then when they became voters, we called them criminals and thugs. All the while, we have done more than try to break them with aggressive stereotypes and jokes of which they were and are always the butt of. We raped them, lynched them, kept them out of positions of power, segregated them to underserved areas, and people think that is all in the past.
But we keep hurting them in the same ways. We have just became sneakier about it. We have learned how to criminalize being black without saying those words exactly. We heavily police Black neighborhoods, leading to more arrests. Then our courts send them to jail more often and for longer periods of time. We make them into felons so that they cannot vote if and when they make it out of jail. Our law enforcement officers abuse them and kill them with impunity. So, the Black community has had to fight for what they deserve, then and now.
Looking at Moore’s photos made me think of the similarities between them and Black Lives Matter protests’ photos, which then made me feel afraid for my Black neighbors. I am afraid that the powerful groups will always be in control and will always cause harm to others unlike them. The group facing the most abuse in this country is of course the Black community.
All that is being fought for by Black Americans is equality, freedom, and justice which happens to be America’s promise to all. Yet, time and time again Black Americans are met with wrath for recognizing their worth and rights and fighting for them. So, I look at Moore’s pictures and think about the Civil Rights movement, then I look to photos I have taken and other’s have taken of the Black Lives Matter movement, and I wonder when will the change come?
Oh, Fanablog! 