FROM THE EDITOR
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
W
elcome back, Friends. Who knew that as we reached completion of the latest issue of Flossin Magazine, we would also be contemplating a broad range of life-altering changes in nearly every facet of our existence? Caught in between the rock of a global pandemic and the hard place of worldwide uprisings and protests stemming from unmitigated slavery, oppression, genocide and violence carried out against Black people in the U.S for hundreds of years, the structures, beliefs and overall status quo of this colonial empire have been swept up by a mighty river so profound and all-encompassing in nature, that there is no stopping what has been unleashed. As a people, we are clear that there is no going back to the old ways of merely co-existing and obeying, without question, the dictates of our jailers. I am also finding myself at a place in my life where I’m doing a lot of soul searching and re-evaluation of my purpose as a citizen and leader in my community and in this country built by our Black Ancestors. It is at this juncture that I turn to my inner-guides, most notably Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who reflects and informs many of my highest goals and aspirations, particularly with regards to serving my people. Often quoted by churches, spiritual leaders and revolutionaries alike, Dr. King motivated hundreds of thousands in the U.S. to protest peacefully against racism and racist power structures woven into the very fabric of this country since its inception. Lesser known, are the quandaries he faced during the later stages of his life, when his perspective and growing discontent led him to consider other strategies being used to attain the same goals. 10
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Actor/activist, Harry Belafonte, shared a memory about a conversation he had with his friend shortly before he was murdered. According to Belafonte, King said, “I’ve come upon something that disturbs me deeply. We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know we will win, but I have come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house. I’m afraid that America has lost the moral vision she may have had, and I’m afraid that even as we integrate, we are walking into a place that does not understand that this nation needs to be deeply concerned with the plight of the poor and disenfranchised. Until we commit ourselves to ensuring that the underclass is given justice and opportunity, we will continue to perpetuate the anger and violence that tears the soul of this nation. I fear I am integrating my people into a burning house.” I feel those words all the way to the core of my Being. Integrating and assimilating into the very white, racist structural realities hell bent on our destruction comes with no small amount of gut-wrenching uncertainty. When I look around and see my Brothers and Sisters from coast to coast rising up to confront the viral pandemic of racist laws and enforcement that are the sum total of a 400-year cycle of oppression and genocide upon Black and Brown bodies and lives, I reflect upon what is considered an appropriate response to the horrific abuses we have sustained. The toll extracted from Black America by the innumerable micro and macroaggressions we face in our uphill battle to achieve parity and equity in this country, cannot be underestimated. When a person’s entire life experience
