I am Emanuel: White Supremacy, Media Hypocrisy, and Self Defense as a Means to Combat Domestic Terrorism
By Dr. Jason Nichols
The racy, satirical publication Charlie Hebdo exercised their rights to free speech that the major republics of the western world all but universally recognize (within limits). They published cartoons of the beloved religious figure Muhammad that some could construe as a provocation to the extreme elements of a largely peaceful religion. Some of the publication’s workers were brutally slaughtered by criminals who opened fire at their offices. The world mourned the lost, but stood up in defiance. They would not let the extremists intimidate them. World leaders marched in support including Bibi Netanyahu, David Cameron of Britain, and Germany’s Angela Merkel. Social media exploded with people, both Christian, Jew, and non-religious, claiming “I am Charlie Hebdo”, despite the despicable insensitivity of the magazine which once made light of Nigeria teenage girls being kidnapped, raped, impregnated and forced into marriage by the Al-Qaeda affiliate group, Boko Haram.
In the United States of America, we meet violent criminals and terrorists with overwhelming force. 33 different states have considered arming teachers and public school staff. Pilots have petitioned to carry guns after the 9/11 terror attacks. Our nation sent the best trained, and largest military in the world to ‘smoke the dusky skinned terrorist out of the their holes’ in the middle east. Israel deals with violence perpetrated against its people in similar ways, even in situations where casualties are small in number. A protest against an innocent Masjid in Phoenix drew 200 people, many of whom came armed (the Muslim community reacted by inviting them inside to pray). When police men were tragically killed in New York City the talk was immediately of war.
Recently, a young man entered a place of worship. It was an African Methodist Episcopal Church, one of the oldest in the country. Though he was a different race than the parishioners, he was greeted with open arms and brotherhood. He proceeded to open fire and kill 9 human beings and wound others. Dylan Roof is believed to be a white nationalist/ supremacist. He rattled on at the shooting about Blacks raping white women, a myth that was disproven decades ago by the great Ida Wells-Barnett, then proceeded to shoot 6 women to death. Roof is pictured in photographs with the flags of Ian Smith’s white supremacist Rhodesia and of Apartheid South Africa. His actions are being widely rejected and this incident is being regarded as a tragedy. However, all of the talk has been about peace and calm. The website “Young Conservatives” has posted a compassionate facebook post that Marcus Stanley, a man who survived having his body riddled with 8 bullets allegedly from Roof’s gun, left on the latter’s page. In the post, Stanley prays for God to bless Roof and pleads for him to confess his sins and come to Jesus. The author of the article states “folks, this is how you respond to a situation like this”.
While I have absolutely no criticism for the brave survivor Marcus Stanley, I find it ironic that the “patriotic” audience would praise compassion for a mass murderer who kills people while they sit down for bible study. These are the same people who argue about the victimization of Christians globally. These are the same people who tried to convince us that Trayvon Martin deserved to die because he drank “lean”. They tried to convince us that Mike Brown deserved to die for shop lifting. They criticized Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake for allegedly not allowing the police be more aggressive with people who were looting and destroying property (which would have certainly resulted in casualties). They try to convince us that hate crime legislation is unfair and unnecessary.
There is only one conclusion we can come to. When the perpetrator of an act of terror is white and the victims Black or Brown, the perpetrator is sick or misguided. The Black or Brown community should remain nonviolent, peaceful, disarmed, and turn to their (Christian) faith. When Black or Brown people commit acts of terror against majority whites, the reaction is for war and arming everyone possible. Malcolm X told Black and Brown people to arm themselves and exercise their constitutional rights. I would expect Young Conservatives to argue that African Americans should go to church armed because the only thing that stops “a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”.
The brilliant neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson, recently commented that what motivates a person to commit heinous acts like what occurred in Charleston is a lack of values and that our country needs to return to the morals that made it great. As a Baltimore area native, I have great respect for Dr. Carson and what he has accomplished in life. However, his statement shows that he is a doctor of medicine and not a doctor of the social sciences or humanities. My question for Dr. Carson is, at what moment in US history did our country have such great morals and values that it did not enslave, lynch, segregate, economically and educationally deprive, brutalize, or incarcerate large numbers of Black people? What motivates a person is to eventually commit violent acts against people of color is being socialized in society that dehumanizes the latter. Dylan Roof was raised in a society where a “journalist” for the number one rated cable news network calls a 14 year old girl who gets violently thrown to the ground “no saint”, simply because she was not moving fast enough. While other flags are at half staff, the Confederate battle flag waves high and proudly above the state house in South Carolina. The other flags flying at half staff does not feel like a sign of a state in official mourning, the Confederate flag flying high feels like a symbol of victory.
I agree with Carson and with the heroic Marcus Stanley that we all must pray. Despite the negative image that mass media presents to the public about Black and Brown people, it was African Americans and east Indians who set the moral standard for peaceful protest and loving your enemies globally. I believe that prayer, peace, and self preservation and protection are not mutually exclusive. Some friends and family members of mine went to fight for this country. They should be able to protect their families here at home. We can pray that someone who is allergic to nuts never suffers from anaphalaxis, but we would still carry an epi-pen for their protection. There was a white church in the south in which armed parishioners apprehended a threat inside the church.
I’m looking forward to seeing world leaders like Netanyahu come and march in solidarity with “Mother Emanuel” (since he seemed to ignore the complaints of Ethiopian Jews in his country). I am waiting for the NRA to reach out to the Black community about the benefits of gun ownership and personal and community protection. Gun control has historically been aimed squarely at African Americans, despite the fact that African Americans have always been the most likely to face domestic terror. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there are 784 active hate groups in the US, with anti-Black groups being the largest proportion. There is a threat that needs to be recognized. Robert F. Williams showed that self-defense does not have to be motivated by hate and can be an effective way for Black communities to keep terrorists at bay. I am Emanuel!
Jason Nichols, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief
Words Beats & Life: The Global Journal of Hip-Hop Culture
Instructor of African American Studies
University of Maryland
