Black Lives Matter: We are the black community (op-ed)

 

Legend has it, during the French Revolution, Maximilien Robespierre overthrew the monarchy and beheaded the king for the benefit of “the people”.  After the execution, the actual people agreed to institute a new government administered by the people, but Robespierre disagreed and announced, “I am the people.”  Then Robespierre beheaded every person who opposed “the people’s” will.

That’s a cautionary tale.  Some believe it captures the warning in the phrase: The road to hell is paved with good intentions.  Others believe it demonstrates how power corrupts.   I believe it warns the people that those speaking on their behalf don’t necessarily share their interest.

In 2016 the NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, called for a temporary ban on charter school expansion.  The NAACP believed no public money should be diverted to charter schools at the expense of public schools.  Hundreds of black parents went to the NAACP board meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio to protest against the NAACP’s position on charter schools.  The protests weren’t surprising, public opinion polls revealed the majority of black parents supported charter schools.  Obviously, the NAACP spoke only for its membership and not on behalf of the black community.  One protester asked, “Where was the NAACP when so many public schools was failing our children?”

A few weeks after the NAACP’s confrontation with the black parents, Black Lives Matter released its first policy agenda.  BLM supported the NAACP’s position on charter schools by demanding a moratorium.  BLM stated charter schools represented an inappropriate shift of public funds and control to private entities, and BLM demanded increased investments in traditional community schools.

But if the majority of parents in the black community are in favor of charter schools who does BLM represent?

Now, in 2020, after the police killing of another unarmed black man, BLM has issued a demand that has little support in the black community.  BLM wants police departments defunded across the nation and the funds transferred to the black community.  But this demand is no different than the black parents demand for charter schools.  Since public schools were failing black children the majority of black parents wanted public schools defunded and the funds transferred to entities that better serve their community.  Now that BLM is convinced policing in America cannot be reformed, they want police departments defunded and funds transferred to entities that would better serve the black community.     

That sounds inconsistent with BLM’s previous opposition to shifting public funds, but it is consistent with them using the plight of the “black community” for their own purposes.  The question that needs to be answered is: What is the black community?  At the turn of the century the Equity Literary Institute defined the black community as black America, members of black America are citizens of the United States, also citizens of the states, counties, cities, and municipalities in which they reside. 

But that definition doesn’t mean too much, therefore, like Robespierre BLM has announce: We are the black community.

First published in the New Pittsburgh Courier 7/15/2020